Israel blocks delivery of coronavirus vaccines to Gaza
Peoples Dispatch | peoplesdispatch.org | 2021-02-16
Continuing with the oppressive and discriminatory policies towards Palestinians in the occupied territories, Israeli authorities have now blocked coronavirus vaccine transfers to Gaza. In a press statement issued on Monday, February 15, Palestinian health minister Mai Alkaila said that “Israeli occupation authority is responsible for this arbitrary procedure which is contrary to all customs, laws and international agreements,” Palestinian news agency Wafa reported. | Israeli officials responsible for the decision said that permission to transfer vaccine doses to Gaza has been held pending a “political decision” f…
peoplesdispatch.org/2021/02/16/israel-bl…

Is Biden risking new conflict with Iran by yielding to Dem Hawks and Neoconservatives?
Medea Benjamin and Nicholas J.S. Davies | juancole.com | 2021-02-16
( Code Pink) — As Congress still struggles to pass a COVID relief bill, the rest of the world is nervously reserving judgment on America’s new president and his foreign policy, after successive U.S. administrations have delivered unexpected and damaging shocks to the world and the international system. Cautious international optimism toward Biden is very …
juancole.com/2021/02/conflict-yielding-n…

Is Biden Committing Diplomatic Suicide Over the Iran Nuclear Agreement?
Medea Benjamin, Nicolas J. S. Davies | counterpunch.org | 2021-02-16
As Congress still struggles to pass a COVID relief bill, the rest of the world is nervously reserving judgment on America’s new president and his foreign policy, after successive U.S. administrations have delivered unexpected and damaging shocks to the world and the international system. Cautious international optimism toward Biden is very much based on his…
counterpunch.org/2021/02/16/is-biden-com…

Armenia hosting delegation of Iran Knowledge-based companies
Mehr News Agency | en.mehrnews.com | 2021-02-16
TEHRAN, Feb. 16 (MNA) — In line with the development of Iranian knowledge-based products in global markets, Iran sent a delegation of knowledge-based companies to Armenia, an official in the vice presidency for science and technology affairs said.
en.mehrnews.com/news/170045/Armenia-host…

Azerbaijani veteran receives treatment in Turkey
yenisafak.com | 2021-02-16
Valeh Isayev, 22, a history student in Azerbaijan’s Ganja State University, was wounded by a sniper bullet fired by Armenian forces on Oct. 20 last year after he joined the Azerbaijani army voluntarily.Following his treatment at his hometown for a long time, Isayev came to Turkey through the YASAT Fund, which was established to support wounded soldiers and families of martyrs in Azerbaijan.Currently, under treatment in the northwestern Bursa province, Isayev is waiting for the day when he will regain his health after the physical therapy and rehabilitation.Nurten Kucukcakir, a chief physician of Romatem Bursa Hos…
yenisafak.com/en/news/azerbaijani-vetera…

Azerbaijani veteran receives treatment in Turkey
yenisafak.com | 2021-02-16
Shot by a sniper during fighting against Armenian forces in recently liberated Nagorno-Karabakh, a volunteer Azerbaijani soldier is receiving treatment in Turkey.Valeh Isayev, 22, a history student in Azerbaijan’s Ganja State University, was wounded by a sniper bullet fired by Armenian forces on Oct. 20 last year after he joined the Azerbaijani army voluntarily.Following his treatment at his hometown for a long time, Isayev came to Turkey through the YASAT Fund, which was established to support wounded soldiers and families of martyrs in Azerbaijan.Currently, under treatment in the northwestern Bursa province, I…
yenisafak.com/en/news/azerbaijani-vetera…

Europe Will Redefine Itself Despite Political Shift in the US
Ramzy Baroud | dissidentvoice.org | 2021-02-16
Despite the long-awaited political change in Washington as Democratic President, Joe Biden, has officially become the 46th President of the United States, Europe is unlikely to resume its previously unhindered reliance on its trans-Atlantic partner. The four years of Donald Trump were rife with tension and strife between the US and Europe — in fact, …
dissidentvoice.org/2021/02/europe-will-r…

The Trump Cult and Its Future
Gary Leupp | counterpunch.org | 2021-02-16
I am quite sure the majority of Trump supporters do not embrace the “theory” that the Democratic leaders are pedophile cannibal satanists whom Trump sought to destroy, to protect the children. An amazing minority do, constituting a robust and vital idiot stratum within the Trump coalition. (It is not clear however what QAnon will play…
counterpunch.org/2021/02/16/the-trump-cu…

Rania Khalek slams phony impeachment “soap opera”
Anya Parampil | thegrayzone.com | 2021-02-16
Red Lines host Anya Parampil speaks with Rania Khalek of Soapbox about the drama surrounding the Trump impeachment trial. They reflect on the arguments made by democrats and republicans, the trial’s impact on the reputation of US empire abroad, and its implications for free speech.
thegrayzone.com/2021/02/16/rania-khalek-…

Impeachment fiasco: Trumpism gets new lease on life
Walter Smolarek | liberationnews.org | 2021-02-16
Because of the approach adopted by the Democratic Party in the wake of the Jan. 6 attack, Trump’s acquittal was essentially a forgone conclusion.
liberationnews.org/impeachment-fiasco-tr…

Trump Acquitted (Again), but Trump Hatred Continues
Rep. Ron Paul | globalresearch.ca | 2021-02-16
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). | *** | Last week’s second impeachment trial of former President Trump should serve …
globalresearch.ca/trump-acquitted-again-…

VIDEO: Trump waving to supporters in Florida
Mehr News Agency | en.mehrnews.com | 2021-02-16
TEHRAN, Feb. 16 (MNA) — In a gathering on Presidents Day, former US President Donald Trump waved to his supporters.
en.mehrnews.com/news/170033/VIDEO-Trump-…

E-mail reveals ex-FBI chief Comey signed FISA warrant despite KNOWING he couldn’t verify Steele Dossier on Trump/Russia
rt.com | 2021-02-16
Former FBI Director James Comey is under scrutiny after a newly released email showed he may have signed a warrant based on the Steele Dossier while being unable to verify any of the information in it. | Comey signed a FISA surveillance warrant in January 2017 based on the Steele Dossier, which contained allegations of cooperation and misconduct between Donald Trump and the Russian government, on the same day he reportedly sent an email to then-Director of National Intelligence James Clapper saying he could not verify the information in the document. | “We are not able to sufficiently corroborate the reporting…
rt.com/usa/515736-james-comey-email-stee…

Biden supports 9/11-style commission to ‘investigate’ US Capitol riot, as suggested by Pelosi, Graham, & others
rt.com | 2021-02-16
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki has said President Joe Biden “would support” Congress creating a 9/11-style commission panel to investigate the January 6 US Capitol riot, as numerous lawmakers have suggested. | A commission has been recommended by both Democrats and Republicans in the wake of the Senate acquitting Donald Trump on the article of impeachment that accused him of “inciting an insurrection” and directly inspiring the storming of the Capitol. | “We need a 9/11 commission to find out what happened and make sure it never happens again, and I want to make sure that the Capitol footprint can be be…
rt.com/usa/515755-joe-biden-capitol-comm…

Trump declares war on Senate GOP leader McConnell, calls him ‘dour, unsmiling hack’ & vows to back ‘America First’ primary rivals
rt.com | 2021-02-16
Former US President Donald Trump has launched a blistering attack on Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, calling him a “third rate” leader and pledging to support those challenging establishment candidates in GOP primaries. | “The Republican Party can never again be respected or strong with political ‘leaders’ like Sen. Mitch McConnell at its helm,” the lengthy statement begins. “McConnell’s dedication to business as usual, status quo policies, together with his lack of political insight, wisdom, skill, and personality, has rapidly driven him from Majority Leader to Minority Leader, and it will only get…
rt.com/usa/515762-trump-mcconnell-dour-h…

Trump declares war on Senate GOP leader McConnell, calls him ‘dour, unsmiling hack’ who puts ‘Beltway first’
rt.com | 2021-02-16
Former US President Donald Trump has launched a blistering attack on Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, calling him a “third rate” leader who “doesn’t have what it takes” to do the right thing for America. | “The Republican Party can never again be respected or strong with political ‘leaders’ like Sen. Mitch McConnell at its helm,” the lengthy statement begins. “McConnell’s dedication to business as usual, status quo policies, together with his lack of political insight, wisdom, skill, and personality, has rapidly driven him from Majority Leader to Minority Leader, and it will only get worse.” | The Dem…
rt.com/usa/515762-trump-mcconnell-dour-h…

Trump remains unchallenged frontrunner among potential 2024 Republican presidential candidates – poll
rt.com | 2021-02-16
Despite the former US president’s tumultuous exit from the Oval Office as the first to be impeached – and acquitted – twice, Donald Trump remains the top pick of the majority of Republican voters for president in 2024. | Trump would be a clear favorite to win the Republican primary were it held today, according to a Politico-Morning Consult poll published on Tuesday. Nearly three fifths — 59 percent — of Republican voters want Trump to play a major role in the party going forward, and 54 percent would vote for the ex-president in the primary, the survey revealed. | The former president was acquitted…
rt.com/usa/515757-trump-tops-primary-cha…

NAACP Files Federal Lawsuit Accusing Trump and Giuliani of Inciting U.S. Capitol Riot
commondreams.org | 2021-02-16
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commondreams.org/newswire/2021/02/16/naa…

Federal Court Again Blocks Trump-Era Asylum Transit Ban
commondreams.org | 2021-02-16
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commondreams.org/newswire/2021/02/16/fed…

43 Republican Senators Chose To Stand With the Seditionists Rather Than Defend the Republic
Jesse Jackson | commondreams.org | 2021-02-16
What we saw Saturday was a profile in cowardice. Had there been a secret ballot, the Senate vote to convict Donald Trump likely would have been overwhelming. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
commondreams.org/views/2021/02/16/43-rep…

The 43 Senators of the Republican Sedition Caucus Are Every Bit As Guilty as Donald Trump
John Nichols | thenation.com | 2021-02-16
The 43 Senators of the Republican Sedition Caucus Are Every Bit As Guilty as Donald Trump…
thenation.com/article/politics/sedition-…

The Impeachable Trump
R. Sikoryak | thenation.com | 2021-02-16
The Impeachable Trump…
thenation.com/article/politics/the-impea…

Excuses for Acquittal: The Sequel
Tom Tomorrow | thenation.com | 2021-02-16
Excuses for Acquittal: The Sequel…
thenation.com/article/politics/trump-imp…

The Heat: U.S. Congress acquits Donald Trump
Anand Naidoo | america.cgtn.com | 2021-02-16
The U.S. Senate acquits Donald Trump of inciting the mob that stormed the U. S. Capitol last month. What does it mean for his political future and beyond?
america.cgtn.com/2021/02/16/the-heat-u-s…

The Case for Prosecuting Trump: Elie Mystal on Why Criminal Charges Are Still Possible — and Needed
Staff | democracynow.org | 2021-02-16
Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she has authorized a 9/11-style commission to further investigate the January 6 insurrection and the actions that led up to it, as calls grow for the criminal prosecution of former President Donald Trump after his acquittal in his second Senate impeachment trial. The Nation’s justice correspondent Elie Mystal says House impeachment managers presented “a fairly compelling case for criminal liability” for Donald Trump over the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. “I think there’s a case for indictment. I think we should at least try,” he says.
www.democracynow.org/2021/2/16/elie_myst…

Married Americans Are Different
_____ | strategic-culture.org | 2021-02-16
Polling shows a strong relationship between marriage status and political outlook. | By Samuel J. ABRAMS | As political scientists, pundits, and historians try to make sense of the November 2020 election, a marriage divide in the electorate has emerged. Married Americans were appreciably more likely to vote for Trump than those who were either unmarried and cohabiting or single. As reported last week in TAC, Peyton Roth and W. Bradford Wilcox recently found that marriage was one of the strongest predic…
strategic-culture.org/news/2021/02/16/ma…

Gideon Saar suspends Lincoln Project advisors amid sexual harassment scandal
MEE staff | middleeasteye.net | 2021-02-16
Gideon Saar suspends Lincoln Project advisors amid sexual harassment scandal | Netanyahu rival’s polling has flagged since anti-Trump campaigners came on board | MEE staff | Tue, 02/16/2021 – 15: 42 | Israeli politician Gideon Saar talks to reporters during a visit to an outdoor shopping centre in city of Raanana near Tel Aviv, 8 February 2021 (AFP) | Gideon Saar, one of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s chief r…
www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-gideon…

Giuliani Does Not Represent Trump in Legal Matters, Trump Aide Says
sputniknews.com | 2021-02-16
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – Donald Trump’s long-time lawyer Rudy Giuliani does not represent the former US President anymore, Trump’s adviser Jason Miller said.
sputniknews.com/us/202102161082098156-gi…

Blinken Says US Will Look at Other Ways to Advance Strategic Stability With Russia
sputniknews.com | 2021-02-16
Moscow’s deputy foreign minister for non-proliferation and arms control, Sergei Ryabkov, recently said Russia may be able to return to some of the many treaties shredded by the Trump administration – but not all of them.
sputniknews.com/world/202102161082097821…

Workers Struggles: The Americas
wsws.org | 2021-02-16
The 800 nurses at St. Vincent Hospital in Worcester, Massachusetts voted February 10 by an 89 percent margin to strike over unsafe staffing ratios. The Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA) is seeking to reduce the ratio of nurses to patients from the current one-to-five to a one-to-four ratio.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2021/02/16/wrkr…

Ronald and Nancy Reagan: Fracturing the Working Class — Matt Tyrnauer (pt4)
Paul Jay | theanalysis.news | 2021-02-16
One of Reagan’s geniuses was to convince people to vote against their own self-interest. Racist dog-whistles, union busting, and press-corporatization. Matt Tyrnauer, director of “The Reagans” on Showtime, joins Paul Jay on theAnalysis.news Transcript edited for clarity Paul Jay Hi, I’m Paul Jay. Welcome to theAnalysis. Please don’t forget there’s a donate button at the …
theanalysis.news/interviews/not-published-matt-tyrnauer-part-4/

Ecuador: Indigenous Peoples March To Demand Vote Recount
telesurenglish.net | 2021-02-16
The Confederation of Peoples of Kichwa Nationality (Ecuarunari) on Monday announced a march towards Quito to ensure transparency during the vote recount requested to Ecuador’s National Electoral Council (CNE) by Pachakutik Presidential candidate Yaku Perez. | RELATED: | Ecuador: Presidential Candidate Lasso Refuses Vote Recount | “We will not allow electoral fraud in the country”, said Carlos Sucuzhañay, Ecuarunari’s president during the march beginning at Monday’s midnight. | The C…
telesurenglish.net/news/Ecuador-Indigeno…

Overcoming company hurdles, 6,000 Amazon workers start union recognition vote
Mark Gruenberg | peoplesworld.org | 2021-02-16
BESSEMER, Ala. (PAI)–Overcoming one final company-crafted hurdle, almost 6,000 workers–most of them Black in a 70% Black city–at the Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Ala., are now voting by mail on whether to unionize. Final results of the balloting, on whether the workers will join the Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union (RWDSU), a sector of …
peoplesworld.org/article/overcoming-comp…

Voting Rights Groups Condemn Massive Voter Suppression Push Currently Underway In Arizona
commondreams.org | 2021-02-16
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commondreams.org/newswire/2021/02/16/vot…

Slovenian premier survives confidence vote
yenisafak.com | 2021-02-16
Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa survived a no-confidence vote in parliament over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, local media reported.Opposition parties accused the premier of failing to handle the pandemic as well as weakening the institutions and the rule of law in the country, according to the Slovenian Press Agency.Having survived the no-confidence vote on Monday, with 40 lawmakers voting in his favor and seven against, Jansa will stay in power until the next year’s elections.
yenisafak.com/en/world/slovenian-premier…

Andrés Arauz: Ecuador’s Presidential Front-Runner on COVID, Austerity & Ending U.S. Interference
Staff | democracynow.org | 2021-02-16
Ecuador’s presidential front-runner says the country is facing a “double crisis” of COVID-19 and austerity. “We need a renewal in our politics,” Andrés Arauz tells Democracy Now! The left-wing economist secured nearly 33% of the vote in the first round of Ecuador’s presidential election on February 7 but fell short of the 40% needed to win outright. He will face right-wing banker Guillermo Lasso or Indigenous candidate Yaku Pérez in a runoff election on April 11, depending on the results of a recount after both candidates secured just over 19% of the vote. Arauz has pledged to end austerity measures imposed by Ec…
www.democracynow.org/2021/2/16/andres_ar…

Ecuador’s pro-mining politics dealt a blow by Indigenous, green movement
Miriam Lang | zcomm.org | 2021-02-16
In a historic referendum, more than 80% of the electorate in Cuenca, Ecuador’s third-largest city, voted to ban mining in the area…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/ecuadors-pro-minin…

‘A Clarion Call for Eliminating the Filibuster’
Jake Johnson | zcomm.org | 2021-02-16
“Dear centrist Democrats, you couldn’t even get 10 GOP votes to convict the guy who sent a mob to kill you all. You think you can get them to vote on issues like immigration/climate? Come on,” said one progressive activist…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/a-clarion-call-for…

Ecuador’s pro-mining politics dealt a blow by Indigenous, green movement
Miriam Lang | zcomm.org | 2021-02-16
In a historic referendum, more than 80% of the electorate in Cuenca, Ecuador’s third-largest city, voted to ban mining in the area…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/ecuadors-pro-minin…

US, OAS, Colombia Try To Steal Ecuador’s election
_____ | popularresistance.org | 2021-02-16
Guayaquil, Ecuador – A popular socialist candidate, Andrés Arauz, won the first round of Ecuador’s historic presidential election by a landslide on February 7. The leftist’s overwhelming victory prompted the US State Department, the right-wing government of neighboring Colombia, and the Organization of American States (OAS) to mobilize to prevent him from entering office. | Arauz won the first round of the election with 33 percent of the vote, a full 13 percent greater than the second-place candidate, conservative banker Guillermo Lasso. His opponents are now seeking to force a vote recount under the supervision…
popularresistance.org/us-oas-colombia-tr…

Lawfare Threatens To Derail Presidential Election In Ecuador
_____ | popularresistance.org | 2021-02-16
On February 7, the progressive presidential candidate for the Union of Hope Alliance (UNES) party, Andrés Arauz, won first place in Ecuador’s presidential election; this is uncontested. Arauz garnered 32.71% of the vote; right-wing former banker Guillermo Lasso 19.74%; and the “Indigenous” candidate, Yaku Pérez 19.38%. Since Arauz’s margin of victory was less than the required 40% plus at least ten points more than the closest competitor, a runoff is scheduled for April 11th. With the UN calling for transparency and Pérez contesting the outcome, Ecuador’s National Electoral Council (CNE) has agreed to conduct a p…
popularresistance.org/lawfare-threatens-…

Israel stops Palestinians of Gaza from getting 2K doses of Russian Coronavirus Vaccine
Juan Cole | juancole.com | 2021-02-16
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) — According to AFP Arabic, Palestinian Minister of Health Dr. Mai Al-Kilah announced Monday that Israeli authorities halted a shipment of the Russian Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine sent to the Palestinian Gaza Strip by the Palestine Authority that is based in Ramallah in the Palestinian West Bank. Israel has subjected the …
juancole.com/2021/02/palestinians-gettin…

Zionists preventing COVID-19 vaccine from entering Gaza
Mehr News Agency | en.mehrnews.com | 2021-02-16
TEHRAN, Feb. 17 (MNA) — Spokesman for the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) Fawzi Barhoum said that prevention of Zionists from entry of coronavirus, COVID-19, vaccine to Gaza Strip is a crime against humanity.
en.mehrnews.com/news/170051/Zionists-pre…

Colombia to receive 1st batch of Covid-19 vaccines on Monday
Online News Editor | laprensalatina.com | 2021-02-16
Bogota, Feb 15 (efe-epa).- An initial batch of 50,000 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine developed by American pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and its German partner, biotechnology company BioNTech, will arrive in Colombia on Monday afternoon, President Ivan Duque said in a nationwide address. That Andean nation has lagged behind some of its regional neighbors, including Mexico …
laprensalatina.com/colombia-to-receive-1…

Malaysia to start COVID-19 vaccination drive next week
yenisafak.com | 2021-02-16
The Malaysian prime minister on Tuesday said the first shipment of coronavirus vaccines produced by Pfizer-BioNTech will arrive in the country on Feb. 21, and the inoculation drive will begin five days later.”The vaccination program will be rolled out on Feb. 26,” Muhyiddin Yassin said during the launch of a handbook on the national immunization plan. A web portal has also been created for the public to better understand how the vaccine will be distributed.Muhyiddin said he will be the first to receive the jab to boost public confidence over its safety, and the campaign will be implemented in three phases over a…
yenisafak.com/en/world/malaysia-to-start…

Colombia To Start Its COVID-19 Vaccination Campaign
telesurenglish.net | 2021-02-16
Colombia’s President Ivan Duque on Monday informed that the national vaccination campaign against COVID-19 will start on Feb. 17. | RELATED: | Colombia’s Left Parties Set a ‘Historic Pact’ | The announcement came after the arrival of the first vaccine batch from Belgium, as confirmed by Health Minister Fernando Ruiz Gomez, who had pointed out Feb. 18 as the possible zero-day. | This first batch contains 50,000 Pfizer vaccine doses that will be applied in the Sincelejo, Monteria, Bogota, and Medell…
telesurenglish.net/news/Colombia-To-Star…

Spanish nurses find way to extract additional dose from Pfizer vaccine vials
Online News Editor | laprensalatina.com | 2021-02-16
Valencia, Spain, Feb 16 (efe-epa).- Two Spanish nurses have come up with a way to extract an extra seventh dose from six-dose vials of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine by removing the remnants of the solution with specialized equipment. Ana Sola Martin and Natalia Coll from the Clinic Hospital in Valencia said in an interview with …
laprensalatina.com/spanish-nurses-find-w…

Texas county rushes to distribute thousands of vaccine doses to hospitals, university & jail as power outage knocked out freezer
rt.com | 2021-02-16
Thousands of doses of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine were rushed into distribution after Texas power outages on Monday knocked out frozen-temperature storerooms in Harris County. | Problems arose after the power for the vaccine storage facility was knocked out, like many other places in Texas, due to a heavy winter storm. Wind turbines and solar panels were wiped out of service as snow and ice took over the state. | Read more | | Texas implements rolling blackouts as state hit with most extreme snow & ice in years (VIDEOS) | At least 5,000 out of 8,500 wa…
rt.com/usa/515722-texas-county-rushes-co…

Russian-made Sputnik V and EpiVacCorona vaccines are effective against UK variant of coronavirus — watchdog
rt.com | 2021-02-16
Russia’s Sputnik V and EpiVacCorona vaccines have been proven to be effective against the UK variant of the coronavirus, a government agency has said. | Serum obtained from people who took the Sputnik V and EpiVacCorona vaccines and had antibodies to the novel coronavirus, demonstrated a “protective effect” against the UK variant, Russia’s consumer protection agency, Rospotrebnadzor, said in a statement to the media. | It added that the vaccines have shown to be just as good against the British strain as they are against the ordinary SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes Covid-19. | The research was carried out by th…
rt.com/russia/515754-russian-vaccines-uk…

Venezuela relaxes Covid-19 restrictions to celebrate Carnival
Online News Editor | laprensalatina.com | 2021-02-16
By Bárbara Agelvis Caracas, Feb 15 (efe-epa).- Thousands of Venezuelans have taken to the streets in the last three days for carnival celebrations, which the government says are “safe,” provided that Covid-19 prevention measures are taken. Nicolás Maduro’s administration relaxed confinement measures — seven days of closure followed by another seven open — until Feb. …
laprensalatina.com/venezuela-relaxes-cov…

Palestine confirms first cases of coronavirus strain
yenisafak.com | 2021-02-16
Coronavirus variant first found in the UK has been detected in Palestine, the Palestinian Health Ministry announced on Tuesday. | The UK variant, known as B.1.1.7, was found in 139 people in the occupied West Bank, the official WAFA news agency quoted General Director of Supportive Medical Services at the ministry, Usame en-Neccar, as saying. | Underlining that the new strain can infect also children, Neccar renewed calls for adherence to health protocols issued by the Health Ministry to help stem the virus. | The ministry announced on Feb.4 that Palestine had received 10,000 doses of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine.
yenisafak.com/en/world/palestine-confirm…

Palestine condemns Israel’s blocking of vaccine to Gaza
yenisafak.com | 2021-02-16
The Palestinian government on Tuesday condemned Israel’s blocking of coronavirus vaccines into the blockaded Gaza Strip. | “Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh called on the WHO to stand by its obligations and work towards the entry of the vaccines into the Gaza Strip,” government spokesman Ibrahim Melhem told a press conference. | Health Minister Mai al-Kaila, for her part, said her ministry sent 2,000 doses of the Russian Sputnik-V vaccine to Gaza. | “The [Israeli] occupation, however, refused to let the vaccines into the coastal enclave,” al-Kaila said in statements cited by the official Wafa news agency. | Al-Ka…
yenisafak.com/en/world/palestine-condemn…

Scandal erupts in Peru over privileged access to Covid-19 vaccines
Online News Editor | laprensalatina.com | 2021-02-16
By Alvaro Mellizo Lima, Feb 15 (efe-epa).- Peruvians’ profound mistrust of their political class has extended into a new realm with “Vacunagate,” a scandal involving the secret administering of vaccines to well-connected individuals in the coronavirus-ravaged Andean nation. A series of revelations indicate that a certain number of prominent individuals (it remains unclear how many) …
laprensalatina.com/scandal-erupts-in-per…

Unicef announces agreement with airlines for global vaccine delivery
Online News Editor | laprensalatina.com | 2021-02-16
United Nations, Feb 15 (efe-epa).- The United Nations’ children’s agency on Tuesday announced an agreement with more than a dozen large international airlines to prioritize the delivery of Covid-19 vaccines and medical supplies around the world. Under the recently introduced Humanitarian Airfreight Initiative, the airlines, covering routes to more than 100 countries, will support the …
laprensalatina.com/unicef-announces-agre…

Heavy snow forces a day-long halt to vaccine program in Greece
Online News Editor | laprensalatina.com | 2021-02-16
Athens, Feb 16 (efe-epa).- Greek health authorities on Tuesday suspended the vaccine rollout in the Attica region, which includes the capital Athens, due to persistent adverse weather blown in by a cold front. The conservative government of prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis had initially halted the program until 10.30 am but later scrapped the rollout for …
laprensalatina.com/heavy-snow-forces-a-d…

What is happening in Latin America with vaccine roll-out?
Tanya Wadhwa | peoplesdispatch.org | 2021-02-16
In Latin American and the Carribean region, so far, nine countries have begun inoculating their populations against COVID-19 and all of them are providing free vaccination to all citizens…
peoplesdispatch.org/2021/02/16/what-is-h…

Trouble in Vaccine Land: The Wiliness of South Africa’s Coronavirus Variant
Binoy Kampmark | counterpunch.org | 2021-02-16
It began as a shudder through the scientific and public health establishments. A new variant of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 had been found, mutating in South African climes, potentially outwitting human responses to it. Vaccines such as Oxford-AstraZeneca’s would have to be brushed up. Rollouts would have to be reconsidered. The South African variant has been…
counterpunch.org/2021/02/16/trouble-in-v…

Global South Urges Rich Countries To Lift Monopolies On Covid19 Medical Products
_____ | popularresistance.org | 2021-02-16
This landmark proposal to temporarily suspend the application and enforcement of certain intellectual property obligations under the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS Agreement), or the “TRIPS waiver” is to facilitate the effective prevention, containment, and treatment of COVID-19. | Developing countries have stressed that the “TRIPS waiver” is an essential starting point for countries to ramp up and diversify the production of therapeutics, vaccines and other medical products needed to address the global pandemic. | However, a handful of countries — mostly those…
popularresistance.org/global-south-urges…

Australia approves AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine
Online News Editor | laprensalatina.com | 2021-02-16
Sydney, Australia, Feb 16 (efe-epa).- Australia announced Tuesday the approval of the Covid-19 vaccine from Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford. The Therapeutic Goods Administration said in a statement that it has approved the use of the vaccine for people over 18 for the next two years, which becomes the second to …
laprensalatina.com/australia-approves-as…

Palestinians wait as Israel debates permission of Covid-19 vaccines for Gaza
Online News Editor | laprensalatina.com | 2021-02-16
Jerusalem, Feb 16 (efe-epa).- Palestinians in the Gaza Strip continued Tuesday to wait for the arrival of the first Covid-19 vaccines from the West Bank, as Israel is yet to authorize permission for the shipment to enter the coastal enclave. Israeli security officials told Efe that the National Security Council, a body that belongs to …
laprensalatina.com/palestinians-wait-as-…

Why are Effective and Inexpensive Chinese and Russian Vaccines Unavailable in Much of the West?
Kim Petersen | dissidentvoice.org | 2021-02-16
In 2016, I attended an information session about First Nations in Lax Kxeen (colonial designation Prince Rupert),1 “BC.” During a break, I conversed with some fellow attendees. They expressed skepticism to colonial provincial authorities being behind the intentional spreading of smallpox among First Nations people2 and that a vaccine was withheld from infected Indigenous individuals. …
dissidentvoice.org/2021/02/why-are-effec…

High-Income Countries Have Secured the Bulk of COVID-19 Vaccines
Kuehn BM. | jamanetwork.com | 2021-02-16
High-income countries have reserved more than half of the world’s coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine doses despite representing just 14% of the world’s population, according to an analysis of publicly available data on premarket purchase agreements.
jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticl…

Germany’s Manufacturing Sector Employment Fell in 2020
telesurenglish.net | 2021-02-16
Germany’s Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) on Tuesday announced that the number of employees in manufacturing companies with 50 or more staff last year declined by 2.2 percent year-on-year to around 5.5 million. | RELATED: | Germany Will Not Reject Russian Vaccine if Authorized by the EU | “This is the first time in ten years that the number of employees has fallen compared with the previous year,” Destatis noted. In 2010, the financial crisis had led to a 2.4 percent dec…
telesurenglish.net/news/Germanys-Manufac…

China Becomes EU’s Biggest Trade Partner in 2020
telesurenglish.net | 2021-02-16
The Statistical Office of the European Union (Eurostat) announced that China became the EU’s main trade partner in 2020 despite the COVID-19 pandemic. | RELATED: | Zimbabwe Receives First Donation of Vaccines From China | The EU’s imports from China throughout 2020 grew by 5.6 percent year-on-year to US$465 billion, and exports grew by 2.2 percent to US$246 billion. | At the same time, the trade in goods with the U.S., which had topped the EU’s trade partners list until early 2020, sa…
telesurenglish.net/news/China-Becomes-EU…

Japan’s first Covid-19 jabs will go to 40,000 health workers
Online News Editor | laprensalatina.com | 2021-02-16
Tokyo, Feb 16 (efe-epa).- Japan will begin Wednesday to administer the Covid-19 vaccine to an initial group of 40,000 high-risk health workers, Taro Kono, the minister in charge of vaccination management in the country, said Tuesday. In an information session held on the eve of the start of the vaccination campaign in Japan, Kono said …
laprensalatina.com/japans-first-covid-19…

Johnson & Johnson submits Covid-19 jab for EU approval
Online News Editor | laprensalatina.com | 2021-02-16
The Hague, Feb 16 (efe-epa).- Johnson & Johnson has formally submitted its Covid-19 vaccine for conditional marketing authorization in the European Union, the bloc’s medicines agency (EMA) said Tuesday. The EMA said it will assess the vaccine under an accelerated timeline and could offer an opinion by mid-March. It would become the fourth vaccine to …
laprensalatina.com/johnson-johnson-submi…

Puerto Rico and US Religious Leaders Urge Biden on Jobs, Disaster Aid and SSI
Zach Conti | indybay.org | 2021-02-16
Administration Legal Move Could Release $2.3 Billion for Vulnerable Puerto Ricans, Say Faith Leaders…
indybay.org/newsitems/2021/02/16/1884008…

Biden’s first directive to the war machine
Eds. | mronline.org | 2021-02-16
In his first presidential visit to the Pentagon yesterday, Joe Biden announced the creation of an anti-China task force.
mronline.org/2021/02/16/bidens-first-dir…

Declining Life Expectancy in the United States–The Need for Social Policy as Health Policy
Venkataramani AS, O’Brien R, Tsai AC. | jamanetwork.com | 2021-02-16
This Viewpoint reviews the social and economic drivers of declines in longevity in the US, especially among lower socioeconomic status groups, and proposes policy options for the Biden-Harris administration to mitigate the trend, including an increase in the federally mandated minimum wage.
jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticl…

Biden Takes Steps to Stabilize US Housing Affordability Crisis
telesurenglish.net | 2021-02-16
U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday extended the temporary COVID-19 pandemic mortgage assistance and a moratorium on home foreclosures until the end of June to help citizens struggling to make payments due to the economic crisis. | RELATED: | The US Faces Major Test in Reopening Schools Amid Pandemic | “The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a crisis of housing affordability. Now, homeowners will receive federal assistance in this unprecedented national emergency,” said Biden. | The temp…
telesurenglish.net/news/Biden-Takes-Step…

Yes we need the $1.9 Trillion Stimulus: Real Unemployment is 3 times what they’re telling us
John Buell | juancole.com | 2021-02-16
Southwest Harbor, Maine (Special to Informed Comment) — As Congress gets set to debate the Biden Pandemic relief package, one of the favorite Republican lines is the contention that an economic recovery is already well underway. Pouring more money into an accelerating economy is likely to induce seventies style inflation. It is time, they argue, …
juancole.com/2021/02/trillion-stimulus-u…

The US Faces Major Test in Reopening Schools Amid Pandemic
telesurenglish.net | 2021-02-16
U.S. President Joe Biden faces a major challenge in reopening schools, amid a pandemic that has millions of children staying home and grinds education to a halt. He pledged in December last year to reopen the majority of the country’s schools in his first 100 days after taking office. | RELATED: | Biden Is Expected To Allow Remittances and Flights To Cuba | The closures have a particularly negative impact on minority and lower-income families, as children are missing the free meals…
telesurenglish.net/news/The-US-Faces-Maj…

How Spanish Can Help Us Survive Viral Times
Ariel Dorfman | counterpunch.org | 2021-02-16
“Una nación bajo Diós, indivisible, con libertad y justicia para todos.” When Jennifer López shouted out that last line of the Pledge of Allegiance in Spanish during Joe Biden’s inauguration ceremony, like so many Spanish-speaking Latinos in the United States I felt a sense of pride, a sense of arrival. It was a joy to hear my…
counterpunch.org/2021/02/16/how-spanish-…

Workers press Biden to fight for $15 minimum wage
Will Weissert, Alexandra Jaffe | peoplesworld.org | 2021-02-16
WASHINGTON (AP)–Union activist Terrence Wise recalls being laughed at when he began pushing for a national $15 per hour minimum wage almost a decade ago. Nearly a year into the pandemic, the idea isn’t so funny. The coronavirus has renewed focus on challenges facing hourly employees who have continued working in grocery stores, gas stations, …
peoplesworld.org/article/workers-press-b…

“I Don’t Trust the People Above Me”: Riot Squad Cops Open Up About Disastrous Response to Capitol Insurrection
ProPublica | juancole.com | 2021-02-16
By Joaquin Sapien and Joshua Kaplan | — The Insurrection ( ProPublica) — The Effort to Overturn the Election The riot squad defending the embattled entrance to the west side of the U.S. Capitol was surrounded by violence. Rioters had clambered up the scaffolding by the stage erected for the inauguration of President Joseph Biden. …
juancole.com/2021/02/disastrous-response…

The “Return” of America: Biden’s Maiden Foreign Policy Speech
Binoy Kampmark | dissidentvoice.org | 2021-02-16
Few could have been slack-jawed at the first significant foreign policy speech of US President Joe Biden. It can easily be filed under the “America is back” label. Back as well, as if the previous administration had been incapable of it, was a promise for that practice unflatteringly called jaw-jaw. “Diplomacy,” the President states from …
dissidentvoice.org/2021/02/the-return-of…

Giving Power to the People Most Affected by Climate Change
Rebecca Long | progressive.org | 2021-02-16
In her new book, Shalanda Baker, President Biden’s choice for Deputy Director of Energy Justice, emphasizes the need for an urgent and equitable response.
progressive.org/dispatches/power-to-peop…

It’s a Myth that Presidents Welcome Movement Pressure — and Biden is No Different
Mark Engler, Paul Engler | counterpunch.org | 2021-02-16
In early 2009, as Barack Obama prepared to move into the White House, a particular historical anecdote rapidly gained in popularity, repeated in dozens of talks and articles as a parable for how supporters should respond to the new president taking office. The story related a New Deal-era encounter between Franklin Delano Roosevelt and a group of activists, usually said to have been led by A. Philip Randolph of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. In the meeting, the advocates laid out a vision of bold action for change that the president could advance with his bully pulpit and his executive power. FDR listen…
counterpunch.org/2021/02/16/its-a-myth-t…

Will the War in Afghanistan Ever End?
Edward Hunt | progressive.org | 2021-02-16
President Biden, who pledged to end the war, is being pressured to maintain a U.S. troop presence.
progressive.org/dispatches/war-in-afghan…

Biden Is Expected to Allow Remittances and Flights to Cuba
Telesur | globalresearch.ca | 2021-02-16
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 U.S. National Security Council Director for Western Hemisphere Affairs Juan …
globalresearch.ca/biden-expected-allow-r…

The Biden Era Is Witnessing a Return of the Military-Industrial Complex
Branko Marcetic | globalresearch.ca | 2021-02-16
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). | *** | One of the top national security think tanks backing the Biden …
globalresearch.ca/biden-era-witnessing-r…

The “Return” of America: Biden’s Maiden Foreign Policy Speech
Dr. Binoy Kampmark | globalresearch.ca | 2021-02-16
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). | *** | Few could have been slack-jawed at the first significant foreign policy …
globalresearch.ca/return-america-biden-m…

Netanyahu confesses disagreement between Washington, Tel Aviv
Mehr News Agency | en.mehrnews.com | 2021-02-16
TEHRAN, Feb. 16 (MNA) — Zionist Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has acknowledged that he disagrees with US President Joe Biden over Iran and the Palestinian issues.
en.mehrnews.com/news/170029/Netanyahu-co…

‘Hard hitting journalism’: Newsweek mocked for article on Biden winning Mario Kart race against granddaughter
rt.com | 2021-02-16
Newsweek magazine has found itself the object of ridicule after publishing an article about President Joe Biden winning a Mario Kart race against his granddaughter. | In the Monday article, titled, ‘Joe Biden, playing as Luigi, wins in Mario Kart race against granddaughter at Camp David’, staff writer Marina Watts reported on the details of Biden’s video game victory, prompting critics on social media to accuse the magazine of going easy on the new president. | The magazine gushed that Biden spent his first President’s Day weekend at Camp David with family. “Despite not being at the same gaming level as his gr…
rt.com/usa/515731-newsweek-mocked-biden-…

Kamala Harris, not Joe Biden, makes some of the latest calls to world leaders, White House readouts reveal
rt.com | 2021-02-16
While US President Joe Biden was taking a break at Camp David to play video games with his grandchildren, his VP Kamala Harris phoned the president of France to discuss bilateral relations, in a somewhat unusual turn of events. | According to the White House readout of the Monday call, Harris and President Emmanuel Macron of France “agreed on the need for close bilateral and multilateral cooperation to address COVI…
rt.com/usa/515752-harris-macron-call-rea…

Puerto Rico and US Religious Leaders Urge Biden on Jobs, Disaster Aid and SSI
commondreams.org | 2021-02-16
______________________________…
commondreams.org/newswire/2021/02/16/pue…

A Message to Joe Biden: Stop Line 3
Eric Hansen | commondreams.org | 2021-02-16
Isn’t it time to stop creating dangerous crude oil infrastructure? | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
commondreams.org/views/2021/02/16/messag…

The Head of Every Table: Joe Biden’s Impossible Foreign Policy Aspirations
Katrina vanden Heuvel, Robert L. Borosage | thenation.com | 2021-02-16
Katrina vanden Heuvel, Robert L. Borosage The Head of Every Table: Joe Biden’s Impossible Foreign Policy Aspirations…
thenation.com/article/world/biden-blinke…

Iranians expect Biden to lift sanctions on Tehran
yenisafak.com | 2021-02-16
Suffering for years under tough economic conditions, the Iranian people hope to see the US sanctions against their country lifted by the Joe Biden administration, while appealing to the Tehran government to take a step for the resolution of the problem. | The dispute between Washington and Tehran about the sanctions, Iran’s missile program, the 2015 nuclear agreement and regional issues have not subsided. | Biden ruled out on Feb.7 the prospects of lifting sanctions on Iran until Tehran stops enriching uranium. | In his first interview since taking office last month, Biden said his administration would not ease s…
yenisafak.com/en/news/iranians-expect-bi…

Biden’s Betrayal of the Western Hemisphere
_____ | strategic-culture.org | 2021-02-16
Biden, showing exactly the same legendary independence of mind and intellect that has characterized him since he first became a United States Senator 48 years ago, is boldly going exactly where Bolton insisted on treading. | At my age, I should have known better: Expecting the worst from idealistic American liberal Democrats will always prove you prescient and wise. But giving them the benefit of the doubt or expecting any decision from them that is decent, humane or simple common sense will blow up in your face every time. | On December 10, I suggested in these columns that President-elect Joe Biden might at lea…
strategic-culture.org/news/2021/02/16/bi…

Washington’s Energetic Generals and the Emphasis on Preparation for Nuclear War
_____ | strategic-culture.org | 2021-02-16
The Pentagon’s energetic generals are beating their war drums and the President has as yet done nothing to rein them in, Brian Cloughley writes. | Some senior generals and admirals in and around Washington have been very busy recently, and their activities, while aggressive, have not been associated with directing current combat operations. Rather, they have been directed at attempting to influence the Administration of newly-elected President Joe Biden to restructure military forces, expand the nuclear arsenal and magnify specific warfighting capabilities. All of this is what might be expected of those whose bu…
strategic-culture.org/news/2021/02/16/wa…

Scientists Demand Stop To Tree Burning As A Climate Solution
_____ | popularresistance.org | 2021-02-16
A group of over 500 international scientists on Thursday urged world leaders to end policies that prop up the burning of trees for energy because it poses “a double climate problem” that threatens forests’ biodiversity and efforts to stem the planet’s ecological emergency. | The demand came in a letter addressed to European Commission President Urusla Von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel, U.S. President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, and South Korean President Moon Jae-in. The signatories–including renowned botanist Dr. Peter Raven, president emeritus of the Missouri…
popularresistance.org/scientists-demand-…

First-Person Singular: Biden’s Challenge on Race
Brian Gilmore | progressive.org | 2021-02-16
With Joe Biden in office and Kamala Harris, the nation’s first Black woman Vice President, at his side, there is reason to hope–and reason to doubt–that they are up for the challenge.
progressive.org/magazine/biden-challenge…

Firsthand Report On The Crisis In Haiti: ‘The People Are Screaming For Help’
_____ | popularresistance.org | 2021-02-16
Jovenel MoàØse’s term as president in Haiti ended on Sunday, February 7, but he is refusing to leave office with the support of the Biden administration, the United Nations and other western imperialist countries and institutions. MoàØse was placed in power by the United States and is ruling unilaterally by decree. He is violently repressing anyone who challenges his power. Clearing the FOG speaks with Wilkenson Bruna, a filmmaker and political activist in Haiti, about the dire situation, the events surrounding MoàØse’s refusal to step down and what people in the United States can do to suppo…
popularresistance.org/firsthand-report-o…

For Peace With North Korea, End The US-South Korea Military Exercises
_____ | popularresistance.org | 2021-02-16
One of the thorniest foreign policy challenges the Biden administration will need to face is a nuclear-armed North Korea. Talks between the U.S. and North Korea have been stalled since 2019, and North Korea has continued to develop its weapons arsenal, recently unveiling what appears to be its largest intercontinental ballistic missile. | As a retired U.S. Army Colonel and U.S. diplomat with 40 years of experience, I know all too well how actions by the U.S. military can exacerbate tensions that lead to war. That’s why the organization I am a member of, Veterans for Peace, is one of several hundred civil society…
popularresistance.org/for-peace-with-nor…

Israel threatens to forge own path on Iran if US revives nuclear deal
MEE staff | middleeasteye.net | 2021-02-16
Israel threatens to forge own path on Iran if US revives nuclear deal | Ambassador Gilad Erdan says if US were to lift ‘crippling’ sanctions, Iran will have ‘no real incentive to negotiate’ | MEE staff | Tue, 02/16/2021 – 15: 23 | Israeli Ambassador Gilad Erdan (R) stressed that without sanctions and a ‘credible military threat’, Iran will have no motive to negotiate over its nuclear programme (AFP/File photo) | The Israe…
www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-biden-…

Biden to communicate with Saudi Arabia via King Salman, bypassing MBS
MEE staff | middleeasteye.net | 2021-02-16
Biden to communicate with Saudi Arabia via King Salman, bypassing MBS | White House press secretary says move represents return to ‘counterpart to counterpart’ diplomacy, regarding King Salman as rightful Saudi leader | MEE staff | Tue, 02/16/2021 – 20: 49 | Since taking office, the Biden administration has been pressuring Saudi Arabia to improve its human rights record (AFP/File photo) | President Joe Biden plans to shif…
www.middleeasteye.net/news/biden-communi…

Venezuela Sends Third Oxygen Shipment to Brazil
telesurenglish.net | 2021-02-16
Venezuela’s Foreign Affairs Minister Jorge Arreaza informed that his country sent a third shipment of oxygen to Brazil to continue helping mitigate the health emergency caused by COVID-19 in the Roraima and Amazonas states. | RELATED: | Venezuela to Resume Face-to-Face Classes Partially in March | On Monday afternoon, Bolivar state’s governor Justo Noguera delivered two tanker trucks loaded with oxygen to the Brazilian authorities. A video released by Arreaza shows when the vehicl…
telesurenglish.net/news/Venezuela-Sends-…

South African government puts vaccination programme on hold
wsws.org | 2021-02-16
Ramaphosa’s government faces a mounting public health crisis, widespread criticisms of its handling of the pandemic and the vaccination rollout, allegations of corruption over Covid-19 spending, near-daily electricity blackouts and soaring debt amid shrinking coffers.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2021/02/16/sarf…

The COVID-19 RT-PCR Test: How to Mislead All Humanity. Using a “Test” To Lock Down Society
Dr. Pascal Sacré | globalresearch.ca | 2021-02-16
The misuse of the RT-PCR technique is used as an intentional strategy by some governments, supported by scientific safety councils and by the dominant media, to justify the violation of a large number of constitutional rights, the destruction of the economy with the bankruptcy of entire active sectors of society,…
globalresearch.ca/covid-19-rt-pcr-how-to…

The Weekly Round-up: Phase 2 of the Grenfell Inquiry
Alethea Redfern | ukhumanrightsblog.com | 2021-02-16
In the News: Having been temporarily suspended in early January as a result of an increase in COVID-19 cases, the Grenfell Tower Inquiry hearings resumed on 8 February 2021. The fire killed 72 people. The hearings are being conducted remotely using a Zoom-based video platform, which the Inquiry describes as “a temporary measure to be …
ukhumanrightsblog.com/2021/02/16/the-wee…

Bill Davis–beloved labor and peace activist, Communist leader–lost to COVID
John Bachtell | peoplesworld.org | 2021-02-16
Bill Davis, a long-time trade union and peace activist and Communist Party USA leader, died Jan. 23 in New York while in hospice with COVID-19. He was 78 years old. Davis was a caseworker for the New York City Department of Welfare (later Social Services) and a fixture in the trade union movement. As an …
peoplesworld.org/article/bill-davis-belo…

The Dubious COVID Models, The Tests and Now the Consequences
F. William Engdahl | globalresearch.ca | 2021-02-16
This article by F. William Engdahl first published on April 29, 2020 focusses on the dubious Covid models used to justify the lockdowns and closure of economic activity Worldwide. | The architects of these models were generously funded by the Gates …
globalresearch.ca/models-tests-consequen…

Philadelphians demand COVID safety
Joe Piette | workers.org | 2021-02-16
Several dozen teachers, parents and community activists protested outside Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenny’s home on Feb 12. They were demanding city officials not reopen schools for in-person teaching — until all teachers are vaccinated and all schools are properly ventilated. Educators continue to teach virtually until an arbitrator rules on . . . | Continue reading Philadelphians demand COVID safety at Workers.org…
workers.org/2021/02/54457/?utm_source=rs…

Super Bowl for Sports Team Billionaires: SF Giants owner rakes in $815 million during the pandemic
Marc Norton | dissidentvoice.org | 2021-02-16
Oracle Park The assets of Charles Johnson, the controversial chief owner of the San Francisco Giants, increased by $815 million during the COVID-19 pandemic. In March 2020, his net worth was a mere $4.2 billion dollars. By January 2021 he commanded a fortune of $5.015 billion, an increase just short of 20%. Workers at Oracle …
dissidentvoice.org/2021/02/super-bowl-fo…

Iran COVID-19 update: 8,011cases, 89 deaths in 24 hours
Mehr News Agency | en.mehrnews.com | 2021-02-16
TEHRAN, Feb. 16 (MNA) — The Iranian Health Ministry has confirmed 8,011 COVID-19 infections and 89 deaths due to the disease in the past 24 hours.
en.mehrnews.com/news/170040/Iran-COVID-1…

‘Sickening’: Health inspector caught doing ‘happy dance’ after wrongly shutting down brewery before Super Bowl (VIDEO)
rt.com | 2021-02-16
A Los Angeles County health inspector was caught on camera doing an energetic “happy dance” after she allegedly shut down a brewery on false pretenses right before the Super Bowl. | The health inspector arrived to shut down the establishment at 11am on Super Bowl Sunday, according to Bart Avery, the owner of Bravery Brewery in Lancaster, California, preventing the local craft brewery from making money on one of the most profitable days of the year — because it did not have a food truck. | The inspector allegedly told Avery that according to Covid-19 restrictions, his business could not remain open without…
rt.com/usa/515701-health-inspector-brewe…

Lancet Report: 40% of U.S. COVID Deaths Were Preventable
Mary Bassett | zcomm.org | 2021-02-16
The Country Needs Universal Healthcare Now…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/lancet-report-40-o…

Lancet Report: 40% of U.S. COVID Deaths Were Preventable
Mary Bassett | zcomm.org | 2021-02-16
The Country Needs Universal Healthcare Now…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/lancet-report-40-o…

Secretary-General underscores need for peace and stability in Africa’s Sahel region
news.un.org | 2021-02-16
The UN Secretary-General has underlined his concern for Africa’s Sahel region, where deteriorating security and violence are aggravating an already difficult humanitarian situation that is unfolding amid the COVID-19 pandemic and climate emergency.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2021/02/1…

Protesters in Algeria defy Covid-19 ban to mark second anniversary of uprising
MEE and agencies | middleeasteye.net | 2021-02-16
Protesters in Algeria defy Covid-19 ban to mark second anniversary of uprising | Demonstrators marched in the town of Kherrata, which activists view as the birthplace of the Hirak movement | MEE and agencies | Tue, 02/16/2021 – 13: 28 | Protestors chanted anti-government slogans and held Algerian and Berber flags as they marked the second anniversary of the Hirak movement (AFP) | Hundreds of Algerians defied…
www.middleeasteye.net/news/covid-algeria…

As infections surge, highly contagious strain of COVID-19 confirmed in Sri Lanka
wsws.org | 2021-02-16
Doctors and medical experts have warned that the country could face a health catastrophe due to inadequate health facilities and an acceleration of the pandemic’s spread.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2021/02/16/sril…

Reopening schools: experts urge caution as government aims for March return
Jasmine Norden | thecanary.co | 2021-02-16
Conservative MPs have called for schools to open from 8 March, though unions and medical professionals doubt the safety of this plan. | A group of MPs, calling themselves the COVID Recovery Group, have written to the prime minister to call for schools to open in March, as well as for hospitality venues to open by Easter. | The letter, signed by 63 MPs, said: First, the “national priority” of reopening all schools to all pupils must be achieved by 8 March. Every hou…
thecanary.co/uk/news/2021/02/16/reopenin…

Egypt: Student anger over in-person exams despite Covid-19
Nadda Osman | middleeasteye.net | 2021-02-16
Egypt: Student anger over in-person exams despite Covid-19 | Calls for Minister of Higher Education Khaled Abdel Ghaffar to be dismissed over his comments | Nadda Osman | Tue, 02/16/2021 – 12: 41 | Many have used the minister’s comments to highlight the crowded nature of university education and the threat it could pose to the health of students (Screengrab/Social media) | Egypt’s Minister of Higher Education Khaled A…
www.middleeasteye.net/news/covid-egypt-s…

Online child sexual abuse: a social pandemic fueled by Covid-19
Online News Editor | laprensalatina.com | 2021-02-16
The Hague, Feb 16 (efe-epa).- Child sexual abuse and the distribution of pedophilic material on the internet has increased during the Covid-19 pandemic by over 50% in some European countries, Europol director Catherine de Bolle told Efe in an interview. The spike is a result of a greater online presence of both criminals and victims. …
laprensalatina.com/online-child-sexual-a…

Chile offers drive-up coronavirus vaccination
Online News Editor | laprensalatina.com | 2021-02-16
By Patricia Nieto Mariño Santiago, Feb 16 (efe-epa). — Chile, already Latin America’s leader in the pace of vaccination against Covid-19, is making it even easier to get the shot with a drive-up inoculation site near the National Stadium in Santiago. Personnel at the site, which includes a parking area to accommodate the requirement to …
laprensalatina.com/chile-offers-drive-up…

Andrés Arauz and the progressive bloc are a threat to Ecuador’s right wing
Peoples Dispatch | peoplesdispatch.org | 2021-02-16
David Adler of the Progressive International who was observing the Ecuadorian elections discusses the recent fraud accusations as well as the right-wing’s dirty campaign against Andrés Arauz…
peoplesdispatch.org/2021/02/16/andres-ar…

History of British Rhodesia and Zimbabwe: The First Universal Elections. Rumours of A Coup Against Mugabe. The February 14th 1980 Failed “False Flag” of Selous Scouts Mission
Adeyinka Makinde | globalresearch.ca | 2021-02-16
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). | *** | Robert Mugabe: Why are your men trying to kill me?…
globalresearch.ca/history-of-british-rho…

How a Climate-Justice Champion Won Office in Rural, Working-Class Maine
Wen Stephenson | thenation.com | 2021-02-16
How a Climate-Justice Champion Won Office in Rural, Working-Class Maine…
thenation.com/article/politics/climate-m…

Israel arrests 2 Hamas leaders in West Bank raids
yenisafak.com | 2021-02-16
Israeli forces detained two senior Hamas leaders in overnight raids in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, according to local sources. | Yasser Mansour and Adnan Asfour were arrested when Israeli forces raided their homes in Nablus in the northern West Bank, the sources told Anadolu Agency. | Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, has earlier warned of Israeli plans to stage a mass arrest campaign against the resistance group ahead of the Palestinian elections later this year. | Last month, senior Hamas members Hatem Naji Amr and Omar Barghouthi told Anadolu Agency that they were threatened by the Israeli intelligence…
yenisafak.com/en/world/israel-arrests-2-…

Man arrested for beating president’s effigy in Uganda
yenisafak.com | 2021-02-16
A man in Uganda was arrested for beating an effigy of the country’s President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni in the capital Kampala, police said Tuesday.While flogging the effigy with a cane, the man reportedly chanted in a megaphone, accusing Museveni of rigging the presidential elections held last month.Jessica Nabukeera, a shopkeeper at the scene, told Anadolu Agency: “The man was beating the effigy while shouting that Museveni is a dictator, Museveni is killing Ugandans, and he should be punished for the crimes he has committed.”Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Patrick Onyango, a police spokesman in the capital, said the…
yenisafak.com/en/world/man-arrested-for-…

Tokyo Olympinck with coronavirus 2021 What are your comments?
TOTO | indybay.org | 2021-02-16
Tokyo Olympinck with coronavirus 2021 What are your comments?>…
indybay.org/newsitems/2021/02/16/1884007…

UK vaccination program starting to show results
Online News Editor | laprensalatina.com | 2021-02-16
London, Feb 16 (efe-epa).- The effects of the mass coronavirus vaccination program that began in early December are starting to be felt in the United Kingdom, especially among the elderly, according to a report published on Tuesday by the British Office for National Statistics (ONS). One in five people in England tested positive for coronavirus …
laprensalatina.com/uk-vaccination-progra…

Netherlands court orders government to lift curfew
yenisafak.com | 2021-02-16
A Dutch court on Tuesday ordered that a nationwide coronavirus curfew “must be lifted immediately” since it violates the freedom of movement and privacy.Reminding that the government used a special act for “very urgent and exceptional circumstances” to implement the curfew, the court in The Hague said: “The introduction of the curfew did not imply the particular urgency required.”It said that using such an act to impose curfew is “not legitimate,” requires an “extremely careful decision-making process,” and that the parliament should have been consulted.The case was brought by campaign group Viruswaarheid (Virus…
yenisafak.com/en/world/netherlands-court…

Brazil wraps up odd Carnival without samba but with clandestine parties
Online News Editor | laprensalatina.com | 2021-02-16
Rio de Janeiro, Feb 16 (efe-epa).- Brazil on Tuesday is wrapping up this year’s Carnival, an unusual celebration given the lack of samba school parades, the huge street festivities and other mass gatherings although some clandestine parties were indeed held threatening to worsen the coronavirus pandemic in the South American giant, which has been hard-hit …
laprensalatina.com/brazil-wraps-up-odd-c…

Naugatuck, Conn. students keep Black Lives Matter fight going
Len Yannielli | peoplesworld.org | 2021-02-16
NAUGATUCK, Conn.–What do the police killing of George Floyd and Naugatuck, Conn., have in common? Plenty. In June 2020, there was a March of 1,100 people in Naugatuck in solidarity with the many George Floyd protests and Black Lives Matter (BLM) marches across the country. It gave birth to the peace and solidarity group Naugatuck …
peoplesworld.org/article/naugatuck-conn-…

Issue of BLM’s Relationship to the Democratic Party: Black Lives Matter Inland Empire Announces Departure from BLM Global Network
LEFT OUT Magazine | globalresearch.ca | 2021-02-16
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). | *** | Today Black Lives Matter Inland Empire announced its departure from the …
globalresearch.ca/black-lives-matter-inl…

Geographic Differences in Uncontrolled Chronic Medical Conditions–Reply
Baum A, Siu AL, Schwartz MD. | jamanetwork.com | 2021-02-16
In Reply Dr Tompkins and colleagues suggest additional analyses to clarify the relationship between moving and chronic medical conditions in reference to our recent publication. We would first emphasize that our study does not argue that there is a relationship between moving itself and the prevalence of uncontrolled chronic conditions. Rather, our study sought to estimate the association between changes in individuals’ likelihood of an uncontrolled chronic condition after moving and the difference in the prevalence of the uncontrolled chronic condition between movers’ destination vs origin zip code. Conceptually…
jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticl…

Britain’s queen shields her “embarrassing” wealth from public scrutiny
wsws.org | 2021-02-16
Correspondence between the queen’s private lawyer and civil servants responsible to Edward Heath’s Conservative government in 1973 documents how the monarch objected to anything that might reveal her private investments in listed companies.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2021/02/16/roya…

A Second Civil War?
Winslow Myers | counterpunch.org | 2021-02-16
I believe the Second Amendment, whatever the Founders meant by it, was never meant to result in a nation with more guns than there are people, and that it is common sense to license gun ownership in the same way we require a license to drive. You may believe that the Second Amendment is a…
counterpunch.org/2021/02/16/a-second-civ…

Republican state legislators move to ban the New York Times’ 1619 Project from schools
wsws.org | 2021-02-16
Republican lawmakers, taking advantage of the racialist falsifications of the 1619 Project, are seeking to promote their own backwards and chauvinistic version of US history.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2021/02/16/repu…

ICC to Investigate Israeli War Crimes
Philip Giraldi | globalresearch.ca | 2021-02-16
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). | *** | Well, as usual, there is good news and bad news. The …
globalresearch.ca/icc-investigate-israel…

Lincoln Project leadership knew about harassment accusations against co-founder since March — media
rt.com | 2021-02-16
Despite denying knowledge of allegations that colleague John Weaver was sexually harassing young men, a new report suggests Lincoln Project co-founders Steve Schmidt and Reed Galen were aware for nearly a year. | Schmidt, who stepped away from the group on Monday, said he was not aware of any wrongdoings by Weaver until the first public reports began surfacing in January. | According to a report from The 19th, however, multiple sources have now revealed that Schmidt is among the leadership in the organization to have known about allegations against Weaver for months. In Schmidt and Galen’s case, they could hav…
rt.com/usa/515742-lincoln-project-john-w…

Extracting Punishment from Our Civil Systems: Drug Policy Alliance Launches New Initiative With Series of Reports Illustrating How the Drug War Has Contaminated Six Critical Systems
commondreams.org | 2021-02-16
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commondreams.org/newswire/2021/02/16/ext…

Bill Gates, Climate Warrior. And Super Emitter
Tim Schwab | thenation.com | 2021-02-16
Bill Gates, Climate Warrior. And Super Emitter.
thenation.com/article/environment/bill-g…

Pakistan says envoys’ visit to Kashmir ‘smokescreen’
yenisafak.com | 2021-02-16
India’s move to organize a visit by foreign ambassadors to Kashmir is a “smokescreen” aimed at diverting the world’s attention from its alleged human rights violations in the disputed region, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry has said.In a statement on Monday, it said such guided tours want to create “a false impression of ‘normalcy'” in the Himalayan valley, which is held by India and Pakistan in parts but claimed by both in full.The nuclear arch-rivals have fought two wars over the Muslim-majority state. On Aug. 5, 2019, New Delhi scrapped its autonomy, dividing it into two federally-administered territories.Simultan…
yenisafak.com/en/news/pakistan-says-envo…

Former South Korean sex slave demands matter be taken to int’l court
Online News Editor | laprensalatina.com | 2021-02-16
Seoul, Feb 16 (efe-epa).- A South Korean woman used as a sexual slave by the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II, urged the governments of Tokyo and Seoul on Tuesday to refer the abuses committed by Japan during that period to the International Court of Justice. Lee Yong-Soo, 92, said at a press conference …
laprensalatina.com/former-south-korean-s…

FROM THE FIELD: Life after conflict in the Central African Republic
news.un.org | 2021-02-16
Behind each case brought to the International Criminal Court (ICC), lie countless personal stories of horror, trauma and, sometimes, hope. “Life after conflict”, a photo-led series published by the ICC, shows the devastating impact that war crimes have on people’s lives.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2021/02/1…

Turkey’s dirty war gets dirtier
Susan Price | greenleft.org.au | 2021-02-16
The Turkish state has escalated its war on the Kurds, attacking Garê in Iraqi Kurdistan with airstrikes, writes Sarah Glynn. In Turkey, more Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) representatives and members have been detained in raids around the country.
greenleft.org.au/content/turkeys-dirty-w…

The “For the People Act” Would Make the U.S. a Democracy
Jon Schwarz | zcomm.org | 2021-02-16
The bill is the most crucial legislation considered by Congress in decades and would change the core structure of U.S. politics…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/the-for-the-people…

The “For the People Act” Would Make the U.S. a Democracy
Jon Schwarz | zcomm.org | 2021-02-16
The bill is the most crucial legislation considered by Congress in decades and would change the core structure of U.S. politics…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/the-for-the-people…

“Our Indifference To Ourselves”: Beyond The “Virtue” Of Self-Sacrifice (Part 1)
Media Lens | dissidentvoice.org | 2021-02-16
The name Arnold Ridley will be familiar to many viewers of ‘Dad’s Army’, one of Britain’s best-loved TV comedies, which ran a long time ago (1968-1977) but is still shown on prime time BBC TV. Ridley played Private Godfrey, the loveable, most doddery member of a Second World War platoon of elderly Home Guard troops tasked with …
dissidentvoice.org/2021/02/our-indiffere…

‘I am going to be MMA’s biggest star’: Bellator brawler Valerie Loureda shares snap with 50 Cent as she promises to dominate sport
rt.com | 2021-02-16
Bellator newcomer Valerie Loureda, whose reputation for scantily-clad snaps and regular updates has seen her amass more than 754,000 followers on Instagram, has said she will be “the most respected and honored woman of all time”. | Describing her debut win over Colby Fletcher on a Bellator card in the US in 2019 as “the moment my life changed”, the hugely popular flyweight shared photos of her locker room, walking into the octagon with her name and face in lights and posing with superstar rapper and celebrity 50 Cent having “quickly transformed back to myself” by donning a dress afterwards. | Demonstrating the…
rt.com/sport/515747-valerie-loureda-inst…

Bangladesh court sentences 5 extremists to death for killing blogger
Online News Editor | laprensalatina.com | 2021-02-16
Dhaka, Feb 16 (EFE).- A court in Bangladesh on Tuesday awarded death sentence to five members of a banned Islamist outfit, linked to the al Qaeda terror group, and life imprisonment to one for killing a liberal writer and blogger in 2015. Judge Mojibur Rahman of the Dhaka Anti-Terrorism Tribunal also imposed a fine of …
laprensalatina.com/bangladesh-court-sent…

Militias remain Libya’s main problem one decade after Gaddafi toppling
Online News Editor | laprensalatina.com | 2021-02-16
Tripoli, Feb 16 (efe-epa).- Ten years after the uprising broke out to oust Muammar Gaddafi, Libya still struggles with armed groups, impunity and foreign militias, the Amnesty International has said. “A decade after the overthrow of Muammar al-Gaddafi, justice has yet to be delivered to victims of war crimes and serious human rights violations including …
laprensalatina.com/militias-remain-libya…

Climate Change Affects Argentina’s Main Export Waterway
telesurenglish.net | 2021-02-16
The Parana-Paraguay Waterway, the river route through which 75 percent of Argentina’s foreign trade passes, is suffering a historic decline in operations due to climate change. | RELATED: | Argentina Strengthens Economic and Financial Ties With China | The river route, which is a 3,400-kilometer engineering project on the Parana and Paraguay rivers, allows ships from ports in Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Uruguay to enter and exit the continent. | Its operations have…
telesurenglish.net/news/Climate-Change-H…

Petition For Reinstatement Of Fired Namibian Mineworkers Union Rossing Leaders
repost | indybay.org | 2021-02-16
An international petition has been launched to call on the reinstatement of the leaders of the Namibia Mineworkers Union Rossing branch who were illegally fired by the China National Nuclear Corporation CNNC.
indybay.org/newsitems/2021/02/16/1884008…

Iran-China relations developed significantly in last 50 yrs
Mehr News Agency | en.mehrnews.com | 2021-02-16
TEHRAN, Feb. 16 (MNA) — On the 50th anniversary of the establishment of Iran-China diplomatic relations, the Iranian Foreign Minister hailed the significant development of the Tehran-Beijing relations in the past half-century.
en.mehrnews.com/news/170019/Iran-China-r…

China-Iran energy cooperation relies on strategic partnership
Mehr News Agency | en.mehrnews.com | 2021-02-16
TEHRAN, Feb. 16 (MNA) — Professor Fan Hongda believes that energy cooperation should be one of the basic factors promoting the development of contemporary China-Iran relations.
en.mehrnews.com/news/170044/China-Iran-e…

UN Special Rapporteur blasts ‘devastating’ and ‘illegal’ US and EU sanctions against Venezuela
Venezuela Analysis | peoplesdispatch.org | 2021-02-16
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights has visited Venezuela and blasted Washington’s sanctions regime. | Alena Douhan, who was in Venezuela from February 1-12, published her preliminary findings on Friday after meeting a “wide range of interlocutors,” including from state institutions, a vast variety of political parties, independent grassroots movements, trade unions, business lobbies, the Church and NGOs. She will present her full…
peoplesdispatch.org/2021/02/16/un-specia…

‘Turkish operations in N.Iraq are due to terror harassment’
yenisafak.com | 2021-02-16
Citing regions in northern Iraq near the Turkish border, Suleyman Soylu told parliament: “What do we have to do in Gara? Why do we enter Hakurk and Haftanin? 70% of the terrorist harassment came from those regions in 2019.”Speaking in the wake of the terrorist PKK massacring 13 Turkish citizens held captive in Gara, Soylu said the PKK works to abuse both young people and their families.”After our children were martyred, they tried to abuse their families in their deaths, just as they abused their families for five years after they massacred them,” he said.”The PKK will not gain a victory over our families; our fa…
yenisafak.com/en/news/turkish-operations…

The Consonance Of Proyect and Street
Nick Pemberton | counterpunch.org | 2021-02-16
I feel compelled to write a brief defense of two Marxists recently under attack. Who are they? Louis Proyect, the self-described unrepentant Marxist (according to his website, louisproyect.org). and Paul Street who also has a website (paulstreet.org) with his self-description on Twitter being Scary Radical Left Marxist writer. Immanuel Kant has the following quote we…
counterpunch.org/2021/02/16/the-consonan…

‘I’m Speaking to You, Senator Manchin’: West Virginians Blast Democrat for Opposing $15 Minimum Wage
Andrea Germanos, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2021-02-16
“When will you give us a living wage?” asked one activist with the Poor People’s Campaign. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
commondreams.org/news/2021/02/16/im-spea…

Outrage in Philippines over mass arrest in a sanctuary school for indigenous children
Anish R M | peoplesdispatch.org | 2021-02-16
26 indigenous persons, including 19 children, were taken from a sanctuary school in Cebu City by the police in a supposed rescue operation with child welfare authorities and the military…
peoplesdispatch.org/2021/02/16/outrage-i…

Over Fifty Community Organizations Call On Marin County District Attorney Lori Frugoli to Drop the Charges Against the “Indigenous Peoples Day 5”
commondreams.org | 2021-02-16
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commondreams.org/newswire/2021/02/16/ove…

Guatemala Takes a Hard Line Against Migrants–With US Support
Jeff Abbott | thenation.com | 2021-02-16
Guatemala Takes a Hard Line Against Migrants–With US Support…
thenation.com/article/world/migrants-imm…

Surveillance, Stress, And No Bathrooms
_____ | popularresistance.org | 2021-02-16
The Amazonification of logistics has created a new group of highly exploited workers: delivery drivers. Amazon itself increasingly relies on an expanding network of subcontracted drivers and independent contractors to deliver packages to customers’ doors. | The working conditions facing Amazon’s last-mile drivers are defined by a frantic pace, low wages, and relentless pressure to meet tight delivery deadlines. Workers of color and immigrants are overrepresented, as they are in all the lowest-paying segments of last-mile logistics. | When an Amazon Prime member orders an item, the first step in the delivery proce…
popularresistance.org/surveillance-stres…

Afghan security forces free 42 hostages held by Taliban
Mehr News Agency | en.mehrnews.com | 2021-02-16
TEHRAN, Feb. 16 (MNA) — Afghan Special Forces released 42 persons who were taken hostage by Taliban during a night operation.
en.mehrnews.com/news/170036/Afghan-secur…

Special forces rescue 42 prisoners from Taliban jail in Afghanistan
Online News Editor | laprensalatina.com | 2021-02-16
Kabul, Feb 16 (efe-epa).- Afghan special forces have rescued and freed 42 prisoners, mostly members of the security forces, from a Taliban-controlled jail in the troubled Baghlan province in north Afghanistan, officials confirmed Tuesday. The operation was conducted on Monday night in Ali-Khwaja, a Taliban-controlled area in the province’s Baghlan-e-Markazi district. “Our special forces conducted …
laprensalatina.com/special-forces-rescue…

Video: ISIS-Daesh is Returning To Syria, The “Moderate Opposition” is Fighting against the Syrian Government
South Front | globalresearch.ca | 2021-02-16
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). Mobile version forthcoming. | *** | The further the world comes into 2021, the …
globalresearch.ca/video-russian-winter-s…

Saturday 2/20: February 20: National Day of Solidarity With Alabama Amazon Workers
Aleta Toure | indybay.org | 2021-02-16
Assemble at the Walmart Hilltop Mall Parking lot by 3: 45 pm (1400 Hilltop Mall Rd, Richmond, CA 94806) | (Please decorate your cars with posters and signage that state any combination of words: | Bessemer * Amazon * Solidarity * Unions * #CAstandswithBamazon * | We will then drive at 4: 00 pm together around to the other side of the Mall which Amazon now occupies. We will circle the mall in solidarity with Bessemer Amazon Union! | Support Alabama Amazon Workers – Richmond stands in solidarity with the Amazon workers in Alabama! | This Black History Month, join the national day of solidarity with Alabama Amazon wor…
indybay.org/newsitems/2021/02/15/1884006…

Saturday 2/20: SF Solidarity Action: Victory To Bessemer Amazon Workers-Stop Bezos Union Busting
UFCLP | indybay.org | 2021-02-16
Whole Foods 24th St. Store | 3950 24th St. | San Francisco…
indybay.org/newsitems/2021/02/14/1884004…

The Advantages of Medicare Advantage
Metz S. | jamanetwork.com | 2021-02-16
To the Editor In a recent JAMA Forum, Dr Butler considered the political appeal of Medicare Advantage expansion, including growing enrollment, promotion of managed care, and lower federal spending. However, this appeal misses the purpose of health care reform, succinctly summarized by William Kissick, MD, as the simultaneous achievement of increased access, decreased costs, and improved outcomes. A simpler description is better care to more people for less money.
jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticl…

The Advantages of Medicare Advantage–Reply
Butler SM. | jamanetwork.com | 2021-02-16
In Reply Even though I agree with Dr Metz that a key criterion of health care reform is to provide “better care to more people for less money,” this should not be the only factor considered when choosing a reform strategy. In the US, many people value choice and the avoidance of disruption of familiar forms of health care coverage.
jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticl…

The Reshaping of Global Agriculture: The WEF Agenda Behind India’s Modi Government’s “Farm Reform”
F. William Engdahl | globalresearch.ca | 2021-02-16
For more than 12 years the WEF has pushed a corporate model in Africa, Latin America and Asia. The “big target” has been India, where resistance to corporate takeover of agriculture has been fierce ever since the failed 1960’s Green Revolution of the Rockefeller Foundation.
globalresearch.ca/wef-agenda-behind-modi…

Western Governments Are Killing Their Own People … Again. Experimental mRNA Injections in Nursing Homes
Mark Taliano | globalresearch.ca | 2021-02-16
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). | *** | Western countries, including Canada, are using experimental mRNA injections in nursing …
globalresearch.ca/western-governments-ki…

Selected Articles: The Reshaping of Global Agriculture
Global Research News | globalresearch.ca | 2021-02-16
Western Governments Are Killing Their Own People … Again. Experimental mRNA Injections in Nursing Homes | By Mark Taliano, February 16 2021 | Western countries, including Canada, are using experimental mRNA injections in nursing homes, on the most vulnerable of people. | …
globalresearch.ca/selected-articles-the-…

Chris Hedges: Cancel Culture, Where Liberalism Goes To Die
_____ | popularresistance.org | 2021-02-16
The Rev. Will Campbell was forced out of his position as director of religious life at the University of Mississippi in 1956 because of his calls for integration. He escorted Black children through a hostile mob in 1957 to integrate Little Rock’s Central High School. He was the only white person that was invited to be part of the group that founded Martin Luther King Jr.’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference. He helped integrate Nashville’s lunch counters and organize the Freedom Rides. | But Campbell was also, despite a slew of death threats he received from white segregationists, an unofficial chaplain to…
popularresistance.org/chris-hedges-cance…

States have no inherent ‘right to exist’–but it’s a media fixation on Israel/Palestine
Eds. | mronline.org | 2021-02-16
No state has an intrinsic “right to exist.” As international relations scholar Scott Burchill points out, there is no abstract “right to exist” in international law, or in “any serious theory of international relations.”
mronline.org/2021/02/16/states-have-no-i…

Israel court rules to expel six Palestinian families from East Jerusalem homes
MEE staff | middleeasteye.net | 2021-02-16
Israel court rules to expel six Palestinian families from East Jerusalem homes | The eviction affects 27 people, in a decision NGO Peace Now says is aimed at dispossessing the Palestinian community of Sheikh Jarrah in favour of settlers | MEE staff | Tue, 02/16/2021 – 14: 04 | Protesters near the house of a Palestinian family, which an Israeli court had ordered to be evicted while declaring Israeli settlers to be the lega…
www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-palest…

Frayed Russian Ties with the West. Washington Intent in “Severing Russia from Europe”
Stephen Lendman | globalresearch.ca | 2021-02-16
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). A mobile Translate plugin is envisaged. | *** | While breaking up is hard …
globalresearch.ca/frayed-russian-ties-we…

New Music Releases By Lynda Carson Includes The Pandemic Blues, And 7 Other Songs
Lynda Carson | indybay.org | 2021-02-16
The music being posted here was recorded recently on a wonderful 13 year old iMac computer seen in the photo, with an old wood carving overhead of the winged goddess Dadari, which is a wood carving that is well over 100 years old from the island of Bali.
indybay.org/newsitems/2021/02/14/1884005…

Wednesday 2/17: San Francisco Car Caravan Protest for Gig Drivers’ Pandemic Health & Safety
WDPGWR | indybay.org | 2021-02-16
Meet at SAFEWAY, 2300 16th St, San Francisco 94103; then we’ll car caravan to Uber Headquarters at 1455 Market St. | MASKS AND SAFETY-DISTANCING REQUIRED…
indybay.org/newsitems/2021/02/16/1884007…

Epidemiological Evidence: The “Pandemic” is Over. No “Second Wave” will Follow
Dr. Stephen Malthouse | globalresearch.ca | 2021-02-16
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). | *** | This text, crossposted on GR was first published in October 2020…
globalresearch.ca/epidemiological-eviden…

We Must Put Human Life Before Corporate Profits
Rev Dr Liz Theoharis | commondreams.org | 2021-02-16
Whose rights matter in pandemic America? Not those of poor Americans, that’s for sure. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
commondreams.org/views/2021/02/16/we-mus…

Animal research during a pandemic: new podcast episode goes live
imperial.ac.uk | 2021-02-16
What’s it like to work in animal research during these unprecedented times? A new podcast series explores.
imperial.ac.uk/news/214993/animal-research-during-pandemic-podcast-episode

Cuomo and Newsom symbolize the rot of corporate democrats — and the dire need for progressive populism
Norman Solomon | nationofchange.org | 2021-02-16
Progressive activism and shifts in public opinion have strengthened movements that are recruiting, supporting and sometimes electing candidates who offer far better alternatives.
nationofchange.org/2021/02/16/cuomo-and-…

Cuomo and Newsom Symbolize the Rot of Corporate Democrats—and the Dire Need for Progressive Populism
Norman Solomon | commondreams.org | 2021-02-16
More than ever, many entrenched Democrats are worried about primary challenges from the left. Such fears are all to the good. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
commondreams.org/views/2021/02/16/cuomo-…

Cuomo and Newsom Symbolize the Rot of Corporate Democrats — and the Dire Need for Progressive Populism
Norman Solomon | zcomm.org | 2021-02-16
Progressive activism and shifts in public opinion have strengthened movements that are recruiting, supporting and sometimes electing candidates who offer far better alternatives…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/cuomo-and-newsom-s…

Cuomo and Newsom Symbolize the Rot of Corporate Democrats — and the Dire Need for Progressive Populism
Norman Solomon | zcomm.org | 2021-02-16
Progressive activism and shifts in public opinion have strengthened movements that are recruiting, supporting and sometimes electing candidates who offer far better alternatives…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/cuomo-and-newsom-s…

New guidelines put youth at the forefront of humanitarian response
news.un.org | 2021-02-16
New guidelines published on Tuesday by the UN and partners aim to put young people at the forefront of humanitarian action.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2021/02/1…

Israeli cabinet holds urgent, unscheduled meeting on Syria: Reports
MEE staff | middleeasteye.net | 2021-02-16
Israeli cabinet holds urgent, unscheduled meeting on Syria: Reports | Details of meeting were banned from publication at request of Israeli defence minister Benny Gantz | MEE staff | Tue, 02/16/2021 – 19: 02 | An Israeli flag is seen placed on Mount Bental in the occupied Golan Heights on 10 May 2018 (AFP/File photo) | Israel’s cabinet convened for an unscheduled meeting on Tuesday for urgent discussions regarding a human…
www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-holds-…

Social movements and organizations condemn arrest of 21-year-old Indian climate activist
Peoples Dispatch | peoplesdispatch.org | 2021-02-16
21-year-old Disha Ravi was arrested on charges of sedition and criminal conspiracy for her involvement with a ‘toolkit’ which contained campaign material in support of the the ongoing farmers’ agitation in the country. Two other activists also face arrest…
peoplesdispatch.org/2021/02/16/social-mo…

No rhinos were poached in Kenya last year thanks to better policies
Marlee Kokotovic | nationofchange.org | 2021-02-16
What a huge victory for rhinos!
nationofchange.org/2021/02/16/no-rhinos-…

A Time for Love and Civil Disobedience
John R. Hall | dissidentvoice.org | 2021-02-16
As the doctor approached with his scalpel and began performing ritual genital mutilation, I complained as loudly as an eight pound body is able, but my cries fell upon deaf and unsympathetic ears. Then They destroyed my first line of defense against disease-causing toxins by ripping out my tonsils and adenoids, and once again no …
dissidentvoice.org/2021/02/a-time-for-lo…

More Scrutiny for Laparoscopic Power Morcellator Procedures
Jaklevic M. | jamanetwork.com | 2021-02-16
In an updated safety communication, the FDA recommended that clinicians who perform laparoscopic power morcellation for gynecologic procedures should do so with a legally marketed containment system to prevent unsuspected cancer from spreading within the abdomen and pelvis.
jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticl…

Saturday 2/20: Black History Month educators’ roundtable: Karen Hunter and Greg Carr
David Giesen | indybay.org | 2021-02-16
ZOOM link supplied upon request | (the link camouflaged to frustrate “bombers”)…
indybay.org/newsitems/2021/02/16/1884010…

Four arrested in Iraq over targeted killings of anti-government protesters
Peoples Dispatch | peoplesdispatch.org | 2021-02-16
Protesters, activists and human rights groups have urged successive Iraqi governments to investigate the targeted killings of protesters, opposition activists and critics since the anti-government protests began in the country in October 2019…
peoplesdispatch.org/2021/02/16/four-arre…

Karen Lewis, 1953-2021: Lessons from a teacher, leader and courageous fighter
Otis Grotewohl | workers.org | 2021-02-16
The global working-class, Black liberation and labor movements lost a courageous fighter when Karen Lewis — former president of the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU), who famously led a militant, seven-day strike in 2012 — passed away Feb. 7 after a long battle with cancer. Karen Lewis. Credit: John W. Iwanski . . . | Continue reading Karen Lewis, 1953-2021: Lessons from a teacher, leader and courageous fighter at Workers.org…
workers.org/2021/02/54474/?utm_source=rs…

Associations of Maternal Cardiovascular Health in Pregnancy With Offspring Cardiovascular Health in Early Adolescence
Perak AM, Lancki N, Kuang A, et al. | jamanetwork.com | 2021-02-16
This international cohort study examines associations between the cardiovascular (CV) health of pregnant women (defined by 5 CV risk factors) and CV health of their offspring at ages 10 to 14 years.
jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticl…

Diagnosis and Treatment of Metastatic Colorectal Cancer
Biller LH, Schrag D. | jamanetwork.com | 2021-02-16
This narrative review summarizes treatment options for patients with unresectable metastatic colorectal cancer, focusing on the importance of genomic profiling to identify KRAS/NRAS/BRAF variants to guide immunotherapy.
jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticl…

California protest demands ‘Don’t tax unemployment benefits!’
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2021-02-16
San José, CA – On February 13, the Northern California Unemployed Committee (NCUC) held its first protest in San José. The protest was called for the day after the IRS began accepting 2020 tax returns, to demand that the federal government stop taxing benefits for the unemployed. The protest also called for the restoration of the $600 weekly unemployment supplement. | The protest began at a branch of Bank of America in downtown San Jose. Mike Paradela, of the Unemployed Committee, introduced the protest, saying that Bank of America profits from running the debit card program through which California unemployment…
www.fightbacknews.org/2021/2/16/californ…

60 Past Animal And Plants Rights Victories
Tomorrow Will Be Better Than Today | indybay.org | 2021-02-16
The consciousness of the world is reaching critical mass.
indybay.org/newsitems/2021/02/15/1884005…

Immigration enforcement and the afterlife of the slave ship
Eds. | mronline.org | 2021-02-16
Coast Guard techniques for blocking Haitian asylum seekers have their roots in the slave trade. Understanding these connections can help us disentangle immigration policy from white nationalism.
mronline.org/2021/02/16/immigration-enfo…

California protest demands ‘Don’t tax unemployment benefits!’
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2021-02-16
San José, CA – On February 13, the Northern California Unemployed Committee (NCUC) held its first protest in San José. The protest was called for the day after the IRS began accepting 2020 tax returns, to demand that the federal government stop taxing benefits for the unemployed. The protest also called for the restoration of the $600 weekly unemployment supplement. | The protest began at a branch of Bank of America in downtown San Jose. Mike Paradela, of the Unemployed Committee, introduced the protest, saying that Bank of America profits from running the debit card program through which California unemployment…
fightbacknews.org/2021/2/16/california-p…

Rapper Sentenced To Prison for Insulting the Spanish Crown
telesurenglish.net | 2021-02-16
Police arrested Catalan rapper Pablo Hasel who was sentenced to prison for a song and tweets that Spanish authorities believe promote violent actions, insult the Crown, and glorify “terrorism.” | RELATED: | Mujica Stands in Solidarity With Catalan Political Prisoners | On Tuesday, dozens of security agents entered the Lleida University’s rectorate, where Hasel had been holed up since Friday when the deadline for him to turn himself in voluntarily ended. | The singer locked himsel…
telesurenglish.net/news/Rapper-Sentenced…

Police arrest Spanish rapper Pablo Hasel
Peoples Dispatch | peoplesdispatch.org | 2021-02-16
The Spanish national court served a notice to rapper Pablo Hasel in January asking him to surrender within ten days to face imprisonment. Hasel was convicted on charges of “glorifying terrorism, insulting the crown and state institutions” and faces a two-year prison term.
peoplesdispatch.org/2021/02/16/police-ar…

Over 700 detained after Turkish invasion of Iraq targets PKK
wsws.org | 2021-02-16
The Turkish Interior Ministry has announced that 718 people have been detained as part of “terror operations” in 40 different cities across the country.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2021/02/16/turk…

Mississippi laws threaten protesters with jail
Jeremiah Smith | liberationnews.org | 2021-02-16
In Mississippi, the first of these anti-protest laws was passed in June. The law threatens individuals who protest oil and gas pipelines or other “critical infrastructure” projects with up to 7 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
liberationnews.org/mississippi-laws-thre…

Haiti: The masses are still in the streets
G. Dunkel | workers.org | 2021-02-16
A twitter post showed hundreds of students taking to the streets of Delmas, near Port-au-Prince, on the morning of Feb. 13, some carrying pictures of former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. They were demanding President Jovenel MoàØse, a U.S. puppet, leave office, especially since his term was over Feb. 7. A much . . . | Continue reading Haiti: The masses are still in the streets at Workers.org…
workers.org/2021/02/54485/?utm_source=rs…

GABE ABRAHAMS: HARVARD UTILIZA SUS HERRAMIENTAS EN MàÅS DE 500 CURSOS
Dan Williams | indybay.org | 2021-02-16
indybay.org/newsitems/2021/02/16/1884008…

Unprecedented Threat to the Independent Media: Support Global Research
The Global Research Team | globalresearch.ca | 2021-02-16
Dear readers, | Running an independent counter-current news media in 2021 is no easy feat. We are currently facing an unprecedented threat to the independent media and freedom on the Internet. The ultimate goal is the silencing of any voice of …
globalresearch.ca/unprecedented-threat-t…

Nuclear Rockets to Mars?
Karl Grossman | counterpunch.org | 2021-02-16
A report advocating rocket propulsion by nuclear power for U.S. missions to Mars, written by a committee packed with individuals deeply involved in nuclear power, was issued last week by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. | The 104-page report also lays out “synergies” in space nuclear activities between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the U.S. military, something not advanced explicitly since the founding of NASA as a civilian agency supposedly in 1958.
counterpunch.org/2021/02/16/nuclear-rock…

Severe winter weather leaves millions without electricity during record cold temperatures across the US
wsws.org | 2021-02-16
Texas, in particular, has faced some of the most severe fallout from the storm. Governor Greg Abbott called the storm “unprecedented” and remarked that snow and ice would make travel in the coming days “virtually impossible.”
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2021/02/16/wint…

Tuesday 2/16: Race, Class & Policing: The Economics of Mass Incarceration
Haymarket Books & Spectre Journal | indybay.org | 2021-02-16
Online event (FREE)…
indybay.org/newsitems/2021/02/16/1884008…

Italy: An all-party government against the working class
wsws.org | 2021-02-16
The new Italian government of Mario Draghi contains ministers from all the large parties, alongside so-called “experts.”
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2021/02/16/ital…

A Blueprint for Comprehensive Medicaid Reform
Gee RE, Shulkin D, Romm I. | jamanetwork.com | 2021-02-16
This Viewpoint proposes broad principles to guide Medicaid reform as a means to advance health equity, including stabilization of its funding and coverage; coordination of its infrastructure; alignment of health care and social spending at the point of care; and a value-based approach to benefits.
jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticl…

The Fania All-Stars Founder Johnny Pacheco Dies
telesurenglish.net | 2021-02-16
Dominican composer and producer Johnny Pacheco, one of the creators of the Salsa music genre, died at 85 on Monday in New York, U.S. | RELATED: | Dominican Republic: University Teachers Go on Strike | Singer Eugenio Perez confirmed the death in a message posted on social media, stating that “his loss is a tragedy for the music world.” | On Saturday, the artist’s family informed that Pacheco had to be urgently hospitalized with pneumonia at a New York hospital. “Fans, colleagues, and frien…
telesurenglish.net/news/Salsa-Idol-Johnn…

Haitians march demanding a return to constitutional order
Peoples Dispatch | peoplesdispatch.org | 2021-02-16
Thousands of people took to the streets of Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince on February 14 for a “March against Dictatorship.” The protests were organized in rejection of the illegitimate government of president Jovenel MoàØse.
peoplesdispatch.org/2021/02/16/haitians-…

Immortal Time Bias in Observational Studies
Yadav K, Lewis RJ. | jamanetwork.com | 2021-02-16
This JAMA Guide to Statistics and Medicine explains immortal time bias, an error in estimating the association between an exposure and an outcome that results from misclassification or exclusion of time intervals; explains how this misclassification or exclusion can occur; and presents approaches to minimize or avoid immortal time bias.
jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticl…

Did The Virus Trigger the 2020 Worldwide Economic Crisis? Bankruptcy and Global Enrichment
Michael Welch | globalresearch.ca | 2021-02-16
“You lose your job. Small and medium sized enterprises go bankrupt. Even the whole tourist industry is paralyzed. There’s no air transport. There’s no public transport, in some cases. And then they make us believe that this is required …
globalresearch.ca/did-the-virus-trigger-…

Friday 2/19: SC1.5NCE Not Silence Forum as U.S. Rejoins Paris Climate Agreement
March for Science | indybay.org | 2021-02-16
Online via livestream: www.facebook.com/marchforscience/…
indybay.org/newsitems/2021/02/16/1884009…

Gulf Coast faces high eviction rates, despite CDC moratorium
Jill Marlowe | liberationnews.org | 2021-02-16
Eviction rates in the Southeast region are exceeding national levels.
liberationnews.org/gulf-coast-faces-high…

Tuesday 2/16: Testify & Push Back against Dangerous Chevron Pollution at Richmond Virtual Council Meeting
Richmond City Council | indybay.org | 2021-02-16
Online: Richmond City Council Virtual Meeting…
indybay.org/newsitems/2021/02/16/1884009…

Tuesday 2/23: Phasing Out Fossil Fuels: A Just Transition in the Oil & Gas Sectors
The Climate Center | indybay.org | 2021-02-16
Online event / webinar…
indybay.org/newsitems/2021/02/15/1884005…

Effect of High-Intensity Strength Training on Pain From Knee Osteoarthritis
Messier SP, Mihalko SL, Beavers DP, et al. | jamanetwork.com | 2021-02-16
This randomized trial compares the effects of high- vs low-intensity strength training vs control on 18-mo knee pain and knee joint compressive force among adults with knee pain and radiographic evidence of osteoarthritis.
jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticl…

Hundreds of thousands of renters at risk of losing their homes throughout the US Midwest
wsws.org | 2021-02-16
Such an unprecedented situation is the byproduct of a growing social crisis in which millions have been left without jobs and financial assistance.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2021/02/16/evic…

Wound Dressings for Obese Women After Cesarean Delivery
Vo UG, Richards T. | jamanetwork.com | 2021-02-16
To the Editor In their recent article, Dr Tuuli and colleagues found no difference in the rates of superficial or deep surgical site infection between obese women randomized to prophylactic negative pressure wound therapy vs standard wound dressing after cesarean delivery. We have some concerns, however, about how the standard wound dressings were managed in this study. Negative pressure dressings are designed to be kept intact for a relatively long period on closed incisions, while typical surgical dressings are changed more frequently. In this study, the dressings in the control group were removed after 24 hour…
jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticl…

1,000 Cal/OSHA Inspectors NOW! Workers Over Profits Rally At Oakland OSHA Office
UFCFLP | indybay.org | 2021-02-16
Trade unionists and workers rallied at the Oakland State Building to demand that OSHA hire 1,000 OSHA safety inspectors to enforce health and safety regulations in California work places.There are less than 200 inspectors for 18 million workers.
indybay.org/newsitems/2021/02/16/1884010…

Patient Information: Lateral Internal Sphincterotomy
Lu Y, Lin A. | jamanetwork.com | 2021-02-16
This JAMA Patient Page explains lateral internal sphincterotomy, a surgical procedure used for treatment of anal fissures unresponsive to supportive or medical therapy.
jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticl…