2021-02-19: Social Media Postees

Please be social by posting these 'POSTEES' on social media! (Copy the text of the postee below, then paste it on social media and the story images will also appear.)

ALBA Members Review Food Access Strategies Amidst COVID-19
telesurenglish.net | 2021-02-19
Ministers of Agriculture of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America-People's Trade Treaty (ALBA-TCP) analyzed on Thursday actions to guarantee food to their populations in the coronavirus context pandemic. | Venezuelan Minister of Agriculture, Wilmar Castro, explained in a message on his Twitter account that in the meeting, developed virtually, the impacts on the agri-food sector of the COVID-19 pandemic were analyzed. | RELATED: | ALBA-TCP Celebrates XVIII Summitt Virtually | The o…
telesurenglish.net/news/ALBA-Members-Review-Food-Access-Strategies-Amidst-COVID-19-20210219-0015.html

'Idea of Sacrifice a complete nonstarter in US culture before Covid': Pandemic spurred major shift in American values, study finds
rt.com | 2021-02-19
Researchers from UCLA and Harvard University analyzed internet activity, namely online searches and social media posts, and found a significant return to more traditional, rural American values emerged as the pandemic took hold. | The team studied online activity during the two 10-week periods either side of March 13, 2020, the date Covid-19 was declared a national emergency in the US. | In their analysis, they used Google searches as one metric to reflect societal mood and attitudes w…
rt.com/usa/516033-pandemic-american-value-shift/

Ethiopia: Tigray TPLF Sets Peace Talks Conditions With Gov't
telesurenglish.net | 2021-02-19
The Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) set on Friday a group of conditions for holding peace talks with the Ethiopian government. | RELATED: | Tigray: UN Pushes Gov't To Offer Humanitarian Help | In a statement shared on Facebook by the TPLF TV station Dimtsi Weyane, the opposition demands an international mediator's appointment and unrestricted access to humanitarian aid. | During our virtual meeting with regional presidents and city administrators, we agreed to mobilise support for th…
telesurenglish.net/news/Ethiopia-Tigrays-TPLF-Sets-Peace-Talks-Conditions-With-Govt-20210219-0016.html

Facebook: Genocide is Cool but Don't Threaten our Profits
Alan Macleod | mintpressnews.com | 2021-02-19
"Facebook's willingness to block credible news sources also stands in sharp distinction to the company's poor track record in addressing the spread of hateful content and disinformation on the platform." — Tim O'Connor, Amnesty International Australia…
mintpressnews.com/facebook-refused-to-shutter-amid-genocide-in-myanmar-but-pulled-news-in-australia-amid-threats-to-profits/275494/

Facebook's news censorship in Australia: A battle between monopolies
Peoples Dispatch | peoplesdispatch.org | 2021-02-19
Facebook's sweeping ban on news content has also affected non-news websites. Apart from blocking crucial public information websites, left-wing parties, trade unions and progressive movements have also been censored…
peoplesdispatch.org/2021/02/19/facebooks-news-censorship-in-australia-a-battle-between-monopolies/

Monday 2/22: Black History Month: Judges, U.S. Courts, & Issues Critical to Black Communities w/ AFJ
Alliance for Justice | indybay.org | 2021-02-19
Online event: www.facebook.com/AllianceforJustic
indybay.org/newsitems/2021/02/19/18840157.php

Donation match: Will you meet my challenge for People's World?
Tim Wheeler | peoplesworld.org | 2021-02-19
Dear readers, I recently posted on social media Marilyn Bechtel's story in People's World headlined, "U.S. and Russia Extend New START Nuclear Treaty for Five Years." Bechtel's article was the first I read about this hugely significant step by President Joe Biden reversing former President Trump's attempt to wreck the New START treaty. The people's …
peoplesworld.org/article/donation-match-will-you-meet-my-challenge-for-peoples-world/

The Guardian shuts down criticism of Israel
Staff | therealnews.com | 2021-02-19
Nathan Robinson's column at The Guardian US was shut down after a tweet criticizing US-Israel relations. Then, Tamara Payne explains how Malcolm Little became Malcolm X.
therealnews.com/the-guardian-shuts-down-criticism-of-israel

Chuck some borscht on the barbie? Amid Australian news row, Facebook 'accidentally' clamps down on RUSSIAN CULTURE SITE
rt.com | 2021-02-19
Facebook's new algorithms targeting Aussie news websites evidently need some fine-tuning: citing "Australian government legislation," the social media behemoth has banned sharing links to a Russian culture site, Russia Beyond. | As of Wednesday, Australian Facebook users found themselves unable to share links to local and international news sites, a change that Facebook implemented as retaliation against the Australian government for legislation that would require Facebook and other companies to pay news creators for their content. Globally, all users are forbidden from sharing links to Australian news sources…
rt.com/russia/516112-facebook-australia-blockade-rtbh/

Algeria frees first democracy activists after presidential pardons
MEE and agencies | middleeasteye.net | 2021-02-19
Algeria frees first democracy activists after presidential pardons | The pardon's come on eve of Hirak's second anniversary, with calls on social media for demonstrations on 22 February | MEE and agencies | Fri, 02/19/2021 – 13: 38 | Relatives of prisoners and journalists gathered on Friday outside Kolea prison, west of the capital Algiers (AFP) | Algeria released a dozen pro-democrac…
www.middleeasteye.net/news/algeria-release-first-democracy-activists-after-presidential-pardons

WHO lauds new commitments from US, EU countries on vaccine equity
Online News Editor | laprensalatina.com | 2021-02-19
Geneva, Feb 19 (efe-epa).- The World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday praised countries such as the United States, France, Germany and the United Kingdom after they announced new commitments to the COVAX program for the global delivery of antiviral vaccines, bringing the organisation closer to the goal of getting them to the entire planet. "There …
laprensalatina.com/who-lauds-new-commitments-from-us-eu-countries-on-vaccine-equity/

Lucasfilm president excoriated for talking of EMPOWERING WOMEN after firing Gina Carano, forcing Oscars to wipe comments
rt.com | 2021-02-19
Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, fresh from firing actress Gina Carano from 'The Mandalorian' for political incorrectness, made the ironic decision to speak about empowering women and hearing their voices. It didn't end well. | The Oscars posted the video on Tuesday, featuring Kennedy speaking about its scientific and technical awards. Kennedy, who fired Carano last week over "abhorrent and unacceptable" social media posts, said in the video that "women are helping to redefine science and technology in the movies, and that means a brave, bold future without limits for each and every storyteller." | 'St…
rt.com/usa/515996-kathleen-kennedy-gina-carano/

'Immediately Reverse This Decision': Amnesty Rebukes Facebook for Blocking Australian News Outlets
Andrea Germanos, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2021-02-18
"When Big Tech's gatekeeper power is unchecked or a handful of dominant publishers can influence legislation, we get caught in a battle where users always lose." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/facebook_google-australia-news.png
commondreams.org/news/2021/02/18/immediately-reverse-decision-amnesty-rebukes-facebook-blocking-australian-news?cd-origin=rss

Biden's Saudi Game of Thrones: Is he trying to Sideline crown prince Bin Salman?
Juan Cole | juancole.com | 2021-02-18
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) — BBC Arabic reports that Saudi Twitter has gone wild with responses to the apparent sidelining by President Biden of Saudi crown prince Mohammed Bin Salman, with many Saudis considering it a humiliation. White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said this week that Biden wishes to "recalibrate" the U.S. relationship with Saudi …
juancole.com/2021/02/bidens-thrones-sideline.html

Palestinian cancer patient on deathbed after release from Israeli prison
Akram Al-Waara | middleeasteye.net | 2021-02-18
Palestinian cancer patient on deathbed after release from Israeli prison | Hussein Masalmeh lies in critical condition in hospital, as family accuses Israel of medical negligence | Akram Al-Waara | Thu, 02/18/2021 – 12: 01 | Hussein Masalmeh's family say he was gravely ill for two years before being released from Israeli prison (Twitter) | When Bilal Masalmeh, 34, dreamt of the day his older brother Hussein woul…
www.middleeasteye.net/news/palestine-israel-prisoner-cancer-medical-negligence

Stratfor's Decade-Old Geopolitical Map Provoking Russian-Turkish Distrust?
Andrew Korybko | globalresearch.ca | 2021-02-18
The recent viral sharing of the speculative map of Turkey's future regional influence that was first published by Stratfor founder George Friedman in his 2010 book about "The Next 100 Years: A Forecast For The 21st Century" is provoking distrust …
globalresearch.ca/stratfors-decade-old-geopolitical-map-provoking-russian-turkish-distrust/5737755

Capitalism in Crisis: An Absurd & Deadly System
The Socialist Program | liberationnews.org | 2021-02-18
This interview is an episode of The Socialist Program with Brian Becker, a podcast providing news and views about the world for those who want to change it. You can follow the show on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Brian and Prof. Wolff discuss how deeply dependent big banks and corporations are on government assistance, the …
liberationnews.org/capitalism-in-crisis-an-absurd-deadly-system/

'Only the strong will survive': Texas city mayor resigns for lashing out at residents asking for help during deadly storm
Eds. | mronline.org | 2021-02-18
The now former mayor of Colorado City, Texas, Tim Boyd, has resigned after two Facebook posts telling people needing help and without electricity that they are on their own.
mronline.org/2021/02/18/only-the-strong-will-survive-texas-city-mayor-resigns-for-lashing-out-at-residents-asking-for-help-during-deadly-storm/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=only-the-strong-will-survive-texas-city-mayor-resigns-for-lashing-out-at-residents-asking-for-help-during-deadly-storm

Facebook blocks all news content in Australia
wsws.org | 2021-02-18
Facebook has responded to a conflict with the Australian authorities and media corporations over advertising revenue, with what could be described as a declaration of online martial law.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2021/02/18/face-f18.html

Friday 2/19: SC1.5NCE Not Silence Forum as U.S. Rejoins Paris Climate Agreement
March for Science | indybay.org | 2021-02-18
Online via livestream: www.facebook.com/marchforscience/
indybay.org/newsitems/2021/02/16/18840098.php

The Failure of the Media in Responding to the Lying Right
Dean Baker | counterpunch.org | 2021-02-18
I posted this Twitter thread this morning. It should be self-explanatory, but it is more than a little infuriating to see the media (not just Thomas Edsall) act like they are innocent bystanders in the rise of an anti-democratic right-wing movement that constantly lies to advance its agenda. The media have agency, but have thus…
counterpunch.org/2021/02/18/the-failure-of-the-media-in-responding-to-the-lying-right/

Stratfor's Decade-Old Speculative Map Is Provoking Russian-Turkish Distrust
oneworld.press | 2021-02-18
The recent viral sharing of the speculative map of Turkey's future regional influence that was first published by Stratfor founder George Friedman in his 2010 book about "The Next 100 Years: A Forecast For The 21st Century" is provoking distrust between the Russian and Turkish societies since this image predicts that Ankara will eventually exert sway over Crimea and all of southern Russia by 2050.
oneworld.press/?module=articles&action=view&id=1926

Stratfor's Decade-Old Speculative Map Is Provoking Russian-Turkish Distrust
oneworld.press | 2021-02-18
The recent viral sharing of the speculative map of Turkey's future regional influence that was first published by Stratfor founder George Friedman in his 2010 book about "The Next 100 Years: A Forecast For The 21st Century" is provoking distrust between the Russian and Turkish societies since this image predicts that Ankara will eventually exert sway over Crimea and all of southern Russia by 2050.
oneworld.press/?module=articles&action=view&id=1926

Netizens Photoshop Ted Cruz and Bernie Sanders Into First Photos From Perseverance Rover on Mars
sputniknews.com | 2021-02-18
NASA's Perseverance rover successfully landed on Mars on Thursday, marking the end of a seven-month and nearly 300-million-mile journey. The rover, which is said to be the most advanced the agency has ever made, has managed to take two photos of the Martian surface in the first minutes after the touchdown.
sputniknews.com/viral/202102181082120584-netizens-photoshop-ted-cruz-and-bernie-sanders-into-first-photos-from-perseverance-rover-on-mars/

Facebook Blocks Australian News Sites From Being Shared on its Platform
commondreams.org | 2021-02-18
______________________________…
commondreams.org/newswire/2021/02/18/facebook-blocks-australian-news-sites-being-shared-its-platform?cd-origin=rss

Ted Cruz Jets Off for Mexican Vacation While Texas Endures Unprecedented Crisis
Staff | truthout.org | 2021-02-18
This week, while millions of his constituents in Texas suffered under conditions that some have likened to Hurricane Katrina, Sen. Ted Cruz decided to fly to Cancun with his family for a vacation. | After pictures appeared on social media Wednesday night showing Cruz at the airport and on the flight to Mexico, the senator confirmed th…
truthout.org/articles/ted-cruz-jets-off-for-mexican-vacation-while-texas-endures-unprecedented-crisis/

More Policing Is Not the Solution to Anti-Asian Violence
Staff | truthout.org | 2021-02-18
Asian Americans are crying out against an escalation of anti-Asian attacks in San Francisco, San Jose, New York, and all across the United States. In light of the scant media coverage, Asian American celebrities like Daniel Dae Kim, Daniel Wu, and cast members from the blockbuster film Crazy Rich Asians have taken to social media to raise awareness of Asian elders who have been brutalized and…
truthout.org/articles/more-policing-is-not-the-solution-to-anti-asian-violence/

Biden Has the Power to Cancel Student Loan Debt Now. What's Stopping Him?
Staff | truthout.org | 2021-02-18
Image Credit: Facebook: Debt Collective | Students, campaigners and top Democrats have been pushing President Joe Biden to use executive authority to cancel at least $50,000 in student loan debt per person. Student loan debt in the U.S. stands at $1.7 trillion, with some 45 million people owing money. Filmmaker and organizer Astra Taylor, an author, documentary director and organizer with the Debt Collective, says Biden has clear legal authority to cancel student debt. "Not doing this is a choice," sh…
truthout.org/video/biden-has-the-power-to-cancel-student-loan-debt-now-whats-stopping-him/

US congratulates Pakistani students after they best MIT, Stanford in aeronautics contest
yenisafak.com | 2021-02-18
A team of brilliant Pakistani students won second prize in an international aeronautics and astronautics contest, outclassing their peers from the world's top ranking universities.The U.S. Embassy in Islamabad praised the Pakistani youths in a tweet, saying: "Congrats to Team Invictus, a group of Pakistani students from Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute (GIKI) for winning 2nd place in the 2021 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (Design, Build and Fly) competition, beating MIT & Stanford!"Congrats to Team Invictus, a group of Pakistani students from Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute for winning 2nd place in th…
yenisafak.com/en/technology/us-congratulates-pakistani-students-after-they-best-mit-stanford-in-aeronautics-contest-3561052

Donald Trump says he will continue to be in US politics
yenisafak.com | 2021-02-18
Former US President Donald Trump has indicated he will continue to be in American political life, according to three different interviews he gave on Wednesday.Trump left the White House last month amid Capitol riot, for which he was blamed for inciting. Although he went down in history as the only US president that was impeached twice by the House of Representatives, the Senate acquitted him.After the Jan. 6 riot in Capitol building, Trump's Twitter account was suspended indefinitely. While the social media service provider was his foremost choice of communication with the masses, he said he "won't be back on Twi…
yenisafak.com/en/world/donald-trump-says-he-will-continue-to-be-in-us-politics-3561051

ESA to recruit world's 1st disabled 'parastronaut' but it's still not enough for the excruciatingly woke on Twitter
rt.com | 2021-02-18
For the first time in 11 years, the European Space Agency (ESA) is actively recruiting new astronauts, including for the first time in human history, a physically disabled team member. | Applications for aspiring astro- and para-nauts will open on March 31 for a period of eight weeks, after which the six-stage selection process will begin. | "We did not evolve to go to space so when it comes to space travel, we are all disabled," said Captain Samantha Cristoforetti, an Italian European Space Agency astronaut. | Candidates are required to have knowledge of or a degree in at least one of the following: physics,…
rt.com/news/515948-esa-recruitment-disabled-astronauts/

Protests rock Spain for 3rd night in a row after rapper jailed for tweets insulting king & praising terrorist groups (VIDEOS)
rt.com | 2021-02-18
Rallies protesting the arrest of a rapper convicted of insulting the monarchy have continued across Spain for a third straight night. One woman reportedly lost an eye and more than 50 people were detained at demos a day earlier. | Valencia saw some of the worst violence on Thursday, where demonstrators could be seen clashing with riot police in footage posted to social media, while a helicopter appeared to be monitoring the protests from above. | üî¥Cà rregues policials a la concentració…
rt.com/news/515984-spain-pablo-hasel-rapper-protests/

Protests rock Spain for 3rd night in a row after rapper jailed for tweets insulting king & praising terrorist groups (VIDEOS)
rt.com | 2021-02-18
Rallies protesting the arrest of a rapper convicted of insulting the monarchy have continued across Spain for a third straight night. One woman reportedly lost an eye and more than 50 people were detained at demos a day earlier. | Valencia saw some of the worst violence on Thursday, where demonstrators could be seen clashing with riot police in footage posted to social media, while a helicopter appeared to be monitoring the protests from above. | üî¥Cà rregues policials a la concentració…
rt.com/news/515984-spain-pablo-hasel-rapper-protests/

Facebook ban makes supporting independent media even more important
Pip Hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2021-02-18
Green Left is one of the many independent outlets that have become collateral damage in the power struggle between the old media oligarchs and the new media oligarchies. Now is the time to support people-powered media, argue Pip Hinman and Susan Price.
greenleft.org.au/content/facebook-ban-makes-supporting-independent-media-even-more-important

Facebook ban makes supporting independent media even more important
Pip Hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2021-02-18
Green Left is one of the many independent outlets that have become collateral damage in the power struggle between old and new media oligarchs, argue Pip Hinman and Susan Price.
greenleft.org.au/content/facebook-ban-makes-supporting-independent-media-even-more-important

'The one I'll trust my life to': Philippines' FM praises Russian Sputnik V vaccine, pledges to speed up approval process
rt.com | 2021-02-18
The Philippines' foreign minister has voiced his full support for the Sputnik V vaccine, stating he's been "turning every stone" to get it approved. So far, the drug has been caught in a regulatory limbo. | The country's top diplomat, Teddy Locsin, voiced his confidence in the Russian-made vaccine on Thursday, retweeting a message from the Sputnik V official feed about an article on the Phase III trials published in the Lancet journal earlier this month. | I'm turning every stone to get Sputnik V in. It is the…
rt.com/russia/515960-philippines-fm-sputnikv-vaccine/

Thousands of Israelis return to normal life with forged 'Green Pass' as vaccine refuseniks otherwise barred from venues
rt.com | 2021-02-18
While Israel prepares to welcome only vaccine recipients into gyms, hotels, and other venues, thousands have been making their own 'Green Pass,' the easily-counterfeited credential the country is using to prove vaccination. | The Green Pass looks complex enough, with the secure-looking QR code on the lower-right side, but the code is just made up of the same details printed on the pass in normal letters and numbers, cybersecurity expert Ran Bar-Zik revealed in a Facebook post earlier this week. The pass can thus be easily forged by anyone with a graphics program and a printer. | ◊ê◊û;◊&…
rt.com/news/515961-israel-forged-vaccine-certificates-ban/

Stomachs churn after Portland police face-off with crowd picking through mountain of food… tossed during power outage (PHOTOS)
rt.com | 2021-02-18
Portland, Oregon has made headlines after police were called in to stop people from rummaging through a dumpster full of food that allegedly spoiled due to a power outage. Social media users found the incident hard to stomach. | A power outage caused by a winter storm that has wreaked havoc on multiple US states prompted a supermarket to discard perishable items deemed unsafe due to lack of proper refrigeration. After two dumpsters were filled with meat, dairy and other items, a small group of people began to form in the store's parking lot, apparently angry that so much food was being discarded. Photographs s…
rt.com/usa/515886-portland-dumpster-food-police/

'My family freezing, my senator is in Cancun': Twitter explodes as Ted Cruz accused of traveling out of storm-hit Texas
rt.com | 2021-02-18
Anger has been spilling on Twitter over photos that purportedly show Texas Senator Ted Cruz boarding a plane to Cancun, Mexico. People criticized him for "fleeing" when his state has been badly hit with extreme cold. | READ MORE: Senator Ted Cruz ripped for change of flight (& story) after he's caught heading to Cancun amid massive snowstorm in home state | Several photos that have been circulating on social media since Wednesday appear to show Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and his family arriving at the ai…
rt.com/usa/515908-ted-cruz-anger-travel-storm/

'My family freezing, my senator is in Cancun': Twitter explodes as Ted Cruz accused of traveling out of storm-hit Texas
rt.com | 2021-02-18
Anger has been spilling on Twitter over photos that purportedly show Texas Senator Ted Cruz boarding a plane to Cancun, Mexico. People criticized him for "fleeing" when his state has been badly hit with extreme cold. | Several photos that have been circulating on social media since Wednesday appear to show Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and his family arriving at the airport and then boarding a flight — allegedly heading to Cancun, Mexico. | It appears in the middle of the worst energy crisis in the history of Texas, @tedcruz is on his way to Cancu…
rt.com/usa/515908-ted-cruz-anger-travel-storm/

Senator Ted Cruz ripped for change of flight (& story) after he's caught heading to Cancun amid massive snowstorm in home state
rt.com | 2021-02-18
Texas Republican Ted Cruz is being ripped to shreds on social media for apparently covering up a trip to Cancun by recasting it as an overnight and changing his flight — all while his Texas constituents froze in the dark at home. | …
rt.com/usa/515986-cruz-cancun-airport-turnaround-fail/

Bill Gates says Trump should be allowed back on social media 'at some point'
rt.com | 2021-02-18
Microsoft founder and synthetic meat enthusiast Bill Gates has said former President Donald Trump should be let back on social media "at some point." Trump himself thinks that social media has "become very boring" without him. | "I think at some point he probably will be allowed back on and probably should be allowed back on," Gates told CNBC on Thursday, more than a month after Twitter and multiple other social media outlets booted Trump from their platforms, with Twitter's reasoning being that the president's calls to protest the 2020 election results presented a "risk of…violence." | Gates is considered b…
rt.com/usa/515964-bill-gates-trump-twitter/

Taliban hail NZ troops withdrawal plan from Afghanistan
yenisafak.com | 2021-02-17
The Taliban on Wednesday hailed the announcement by New Zealand to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan by May."We welcome the decision by New Zealand that is in line with the Doha agreement," spokesman Zabihullah Mujahed said in a tweet."We urge all countries that have exhausted their troops in a long unwinnable war in Afghanistan to take similar steps," he added, as NATO defense ministers meet in Brussels to decide on the fate of the Afghan mission.Washington struck a deal with the Taliban last year to withdraw all US forces in exchange for security guarantees. But the new US administration led by President Joe…
yenisafak.com/en/news/taliban-hail-nz-troops-withdrawal-plan-from-afghanistan-3560964

Texas disaster is what happens when you DON'T pursue a Green New Deal — AOC
rt.com | 2021-02-17
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) has blasted Texas Governor Greg Abbott and the state's infrastructure planning, claiming her Green New Deal would better prepare areas for extreme weather conditions. | "The infrastructure failures in Texas are quite literally what happens when you *don't* pursue a Green New Deal," Ocasio-Cortez tweeted on Wednesday. | The message appeared to be in response to Abbott criticizing a potential Green New Deal due to many renewable energy sources like solar panels and wind turbines failing in the state's historically cold weather. In an appearance on Fox News on Tuesday ev…
rt.com/usa/515857-aoc-green-new-deal-texas/

COVID-19 Has Made Americans Lonelier Than Ever — Here's how AI can Help
Real Progressives | realprogressives.org | 2021-02-17
Laken Brooks, University of Florida | "How does that make you feel?" | In the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people are missing a sympathetic ear. Would a response like that make you feel heard, less alone, even if it were a machine writing back to you? | The pandemic has contributed to chronic loneliness. Digital tools like video chat and social media help connect people who live or quarant…
realprogressives.org/covid-19-made-americans-lonelier-ai-can-help/

Paraguay to Receive First Batch of Sputnik V Vaccines
telesurenglish.net | 2021-02-17
Paraguay's President Mario Abdo on Wednesday thanked Russia's President Vladimir Putin for supplying his country with Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccines. | RELATED: | Six Inmates Die in a Riot in Paraguay's Main Prison | "I hold an excellent telephone conversation with President Putin. We agreed to push for a shipment schedule for more COVID-19 vaccine batches as soon as possible," Abdo tweeted. | The first 4,000 Sputnik V doses should arrive in this South American country early Friday mo…
telesurenglish.net/news/Paraguay-to-Receive-First-Batch-of-Sputnik-V-Vaccines-20210217-0013.html

Biden promises vaccines available to all Americans by end of July, 'significantly' less social distancing & masks a year from now
rt.com | 2021-02-17
President Biden has predicted a "very different circumstance" for the US' Covid-19 outbreak by Christmas, saying some 600 million vaccine doses will be ready by July while noting that he's been advised against 'over-promising.' | Biden waxed optimistic about the ongoing viral outbreak during a CNN town hall event on Tuesday, declaring that "by next Christmas, I think we'll be in a very different circumstance, God willing, than we are today." He said the improvement would be further helped along if an inoculation developed by Johnson & Johnson receives FDA approval, as it is expected to sometime this month. | "
rt.com/usa/515770-biden-vaccines-masks-pandemic/

'Breathing is optional': Internet groans after NYC requires double-masking inside federal court buildings
rt.com | 2021-02-17
Two masks will now be required for those who want to enter a federal court building in Manhattan — but the new Covid-19 guidance has provoked more mockery than applause on social media. | The Southern District of New York announced the rule last week as part of its "phased re-entry plan." Individuals will need to wear two face coverings or be equipped with an N95 mask. The guidelines also specify that bandanas and coverings with vents will not be considered adequ…
rt.com/usa/515810-nyc-double-mask-court-buildings/

"Palestine Must be Demilitarized". According to Israel, there is no "Occupation" of The West Bank and Gaza
Rima Najjar | globalresearch.ca | 2021-02-17
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). | *** | Soapbox (described on Facebook as Russia state-controlled media) is circulating a …
globalresearch.ca/palestine-must-be-demilitarized-according-to-israel-there-is-no-occupation-of-the-west-bank-and-gaza/5737634

India's trade union demands 'serious action' against Amazon after report alleges it worked to dodge country's regulations
rt.com | 2021-02-17
India's leading trade union has urged the government to punish Amazon after a media report alleged that Jeff Bezos's company has been secretly discriminating small sellers on its platform. | For years, Amazon has been "circumventing" Indian laws to "conduct unfair and unethical trade," the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) tweeted on Wednesday. The umbrella group, which includes over 40,000 local trade associations, demanded that the government takes "serious action" against the corporation. | CAIT chief Praveen Khandelwal said that it is "an open and shut case that Amazon is willfully playing with rul…
rt.com/news/515854-india-amazon-antitrust-law/