Monday, March 1, 2021

White House News (白宮消息) | Mar. 1st, 2021

2 - White House News in Chinese (weebly.com)


The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEAis an international organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy, and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. The IAEA was established as an autonomous organisation on 29 July 1957. Though established independently of the United Nations through its own international treaty, the IAEA Statute,[4] the IAEA reports to both the United Nations General Assembly and Security Council.

The IAEA has its headquarters in Vienna, Austria. The IAEA has two "Regional Safeguards Offices" which are located in Toronto, Canada, and in Tokyo, Japan. The IAEA also has two liaison offices which are located in New York City, United States, and in Geneva, Switzerland. In addition, the IAEA has laboratories and research centers located in Seibersdorf, Austria, in Monaco and in Trieste, Italy.[3]

The IAEA serves as an intergovernmental forum for scientific and technical co-operation in the peaceful use of nuclear technology and nuclear power worldwide. The programs of the IAEA encourage the development of the peaceful applications of nuclear energy, science and technology, provide international safeguards against misuse of nuclear technology and nuclear materials, and promote nuclear safety (including radiation protection) and nuclear security standards and their implementation.


Bushehr Iran's nuclear facility
Iran Threatens to Remove IAEA’s Cameras at Nuclear Sites

Mar. 1 - Tehran - Asharq Al-AwsatIran reiterated its intention to remove the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) surveillance cameras from nuclear facilities if US sanctions are not lifted in three months.


The Head of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), Ali Akbar Salehi, affirmed in remarks on state TV that his country decided to remove the cameras.

Salehi asserted that Tehran is ready for diplomatic talks, but not in the way the United States and the Europeans imagine, insisting that sanctions should be lifted in advance as a precondition for negotiations.


He warned that Iran could increase uranium enrichment to 60 percent relatively quickly.

According to the international nuclear agreement, Iran is only allowed to enrich uranium to a level of less than four percent, while uranium must be enriched to 90 percent for a nuclear bomb.

Meanwhile, an Iranian document revealed that Tehran had threatened to end an agreement concluded with IAEA that temporarily maintains most of its monitoring if the agency’s board adopts a US-led effort to criticize Tehran next week.

Earlier, Tehran scaled back its cooperation with the Agency, ending extra inspection measures introduced by its 2015 nuclear accord with major powers, according to Reuters.

It was the latest of many steps retaliating for the US reimposed sanctions after former President Donald Trump pulled out of the agreement in 2018.


In its own paper sent to other IAEA member states ahead of next week’s quarterly meeting of the 35-nation Board of Governors, Washington said it wants a resolution to “express the Board’s deepening concern with respect to Iran’s cooperation with the IAEA”.

The US paper obtained by Reuters said the board should call on Iran to reverse its breaches of the deal and cooperate with the IAEA to explain how uranium particles were found at old, undeclared sites. The issue was first reported by the media and confirmed in an IAEA report this week.

“Iran perceives this move as destructive and considers it as an end to the Joint Understanding of 21 February 2021 between the Agency and the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Iran said in its own paper sent to other countries and obtained by Reuters.

It said that this could lead to further complications in relation to the 2015 nuclear deal by its full name, adding that France, Britain, Germany, and the US had “revealed their plans” for a board resolution.


Diplomats said it was still unclear whether the board would adopt a resolution.

In June, after the IAEA said Iran had denied it access for snap inspections at two sites where it later found uranium particles, the board passed a resolution calling on Iran to relent, which was opposed by Russia and China.     source from


U.S. government releases report on who was responsible for the murder of Saudi journalist and Virginia resident Jamal Khashoggi
US must hold Mohammed bin Salman accountable for Jamal Khashoggi’s murder, rights groups say

In response to the release of a U.S. congressional report identifying Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as having ordered the operation against journalist Jamal Khashoggi, rights groups call on the Biden administration to impose sanctions on the prince, and suspend arms sales

Date published on Feb. 26, 2021
...“DNI Avril Haines said in her confirmation hearing that the Biden administration would ‘follow the law’ and release this report – the administration has rightly kept its word,” said PEN America’s Thomas O. Melia. “This is an essential starting point in terms of holding accountable those responsible for these heinous crimes, even amidst the United States’ fraught relationship with Saudi Arabia. We welcome today’s announcement of new sanctions and sanction mechanisms and hope that those pave the way toward fuller accountability for all those responsible for Mr. Khashoggi’s brutal murder. We call on the executive and legislative branches to join forces in demanding the release of all Saudi political prisoners from confinement and travel restrictions.”...     quoted from
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Feb 28, 2021


Late journalist Jamal Khashoggi. 
Diplomat says US report on Khashoggi murder is ‘manipulation’ for ‘political gain’

Mar. 1 - The latest report released by the Biden Administration on the murder of late journalist Jamal Khashoggi was “manipulation of intelligence for political gain,” according to former Acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell.

“There is nothing new in the repackaged Khashoggi report released by the Biden team. It was a gratuitous repackaging of intel and therefore a manipulation of intelligence for political gain,” Grenell said in a tweet on Monday.


The report declassified by US President Joe Biden alleged that Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman approved the 2018 operation that led to the murder of Khashoggi in Saudi Arabia’s Istanbul consulate, allegations that Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry denied following the report’s publication.

Saudi Arabia’s government last week released a statement saying it completely rejects the negative, false, and unacceptable assessment made by the US.     more details
《花生漫畫》西元1953年三月/"Peanuts" on Mar. 1, 1953
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Saturday, February 27, 2021

White House News (白宮消息) | Feb.27, 2021

 2 - White House News in Chinese (weebly.com)


Benjamin Gantz (Hebrew: בִּנְיָמִין "בֵּנִי" גַּנְץ‎; born 9 June 1959) is an Israeli soldier and politician serving as Alternate Prime Minister of Israel and Minister of Defense since 2020. He served as the 20th Chief of General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) from 2011 to 2015[1][2] and the 17th Speaker of the Knesset from 26 March 2020[3] to 17 May 2020.[4][5][6]
In December 2018, he established a new political party named Israel Resilience.[7][8] The party later allied itself with Telem and Yesh Atid to form Blue and White (HebrewKaḥol Lavan), the colours of the Israeli national flag.[9] Gantz's Blue and White alliance platform includes introducing prime ministerial term limits, barring indicted politicians from serving in the Knesset, amending the nation-state law to include Israeli minorities, limiting the power of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel over marriages, investing in early education, expanding health care, and re-entering negotiations with the Palestinian Authority for a peace agreement.[10]
On 20 April 2020, Gantz agreed to join a unity government with Prime Minister Netanyahu which would see Gantz serve as prime minister in a rotation deal in 18 months.[11] Gantz was scheduled to become prime minister on 17 November 2021;[12] however, the coalition collapsed with a new election scheduled for 2021.     from Wikipedia


Mr Netanyahu (left) and his political rival Benny Gantz have shared power since April
Israel election: New poll due after unity government crumbles

Israel is to hold its fourth elections in two years after the two main parties in its unity government failed to meet a deadline in a row over state budgets.

Feb. 27 - Voters will return to the polls in March, just 12 months after the last round.

Two previous elections were inconclusive, resulting in a rare government of national unity.


Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on trial for alleged corruption, is hoping to return to office for a sixth time.
He denies the criminal charges against him, dismissing them as politically motivated.     continue to read

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Netanyahu rival launches probe, testing partnership
Israel’s defense minister has appointed a committee to investigate the government’s controversial purchase of German submarines several years ago — a step that further strains his already poor relationship with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu


Feb. 27 - Israel’s defense minister on Sunday appointed a committee to investigate the government's controversial purchase of German submarines several years ago — a step that further strained his already poor relationship with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

The $2 billion purchase of the submarines and warships made by Thyssenkrupp is the focus of a sweeping corruption scandal in which seven businessmen, including confidants of Netanyahu, have been named as suspects.

Netanyahu, who is on trial for his involvement in three other corruption scandals, is not a suspect in the submarine case. But critics, including his defense minister at the time of the purchase in 2015, have said Netanyahu behaved improperly and may have had a conflict of interest.     more to read

More about:
BenjaminNetanyahuSubmarinesBennyGantzCommitteePurchaseGovernmentGermanIsraelAPJerusalemBusinessmenRelationshipCommitteeCommittee


Jamal Khashoggi was killed after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018
Jamal Khashoggi: Joe Biden tells Saudi Arabia's king that he will 'hold them accountable for human rights abuses'

Jamal Khashoggi, an exiled journalist who was a frequent critic of the crown prince, was murdered in October 2018.
Joe Biden has told Saudi Arabia's King Salman that he will "hold them accountable for human rights abuses".

Feb. 27 - The president's warning came after a newly declassified intelligence report concluded that the kingdom's crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, is likely to have approved an operation to kill or capture a US-based journalist inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

Jamal Khashoggi, an exiled journalist who was a frequent critic of the crown prince, was murdered in October 2018.

Speaking to Univision News, Mr Biden confirmed that he had spoken to King Salman on Thursday, and had warned there will be "significant changes" in the country's relationship with the US.

The report, contributed to mostly by the CIA, said the crown prince's "absolute control" of the kingdom's intelligence organisations would make it highly unlikely that such an operation could have been carried out without his authorisation.
Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry rejected the accusation, calling the report's assessment "negative, false and unacceptable" and its conclusion "unjustified and inaccurate".

A statement called the murder "an abhorrent crime and a flagrant violation of the kingdom's laws and values".

The central conclusion of the report was widely expected - given that intelligence officials were said to have reached it soon after the brutal murder of Mr Khashoggi. He had written opinion columns for the Washington Post that were critical of the crown prince's policies.


But it will be seen as an extraordinary rebuke of the ambitious 35-year-old Saudi leader, and is likely to set the tone for the Biden administration's relationship with the kingdom.     more details


Iran’s ambassador and permanent representative to the United Nations has warned of a growing tendency among some countries to resort to threats or use of force under the pretext of exercising their right to self-defense, referring to the assassination by the US of Iran’s Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani as a case in point.
Iran warns US claim of using ‘right to self-defense’ in assassination of Gen. Soleimani

Feb. 7 - AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Iran’s ambassador and permanent representative to the United Nations has warned of a growing tendency among some countries to resort to threats or use of force under the pretext of exercising their right to self-defense, referring to the assassination by the US of Iran’s Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani as a case in point.

“If unchecked, the right to self-defense will not only be abused more frequently by such states, but also they will institute further exceptions to the principle of the prohibition of the threat or use of force,” IRAN quoted Majid Takht-Ravanchi as saying in an address to the UN Security Council Open Arria Formula Meeting on right to self-defense in New York on Wednesday.

He pointed to the US’s brutal assassination of Lt. General Soleimani, the Commander of the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, in Iraq early in 2020 in a gross violation of the basic norms and principles of international law.     continue to read
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Feb 26, 2021

Iraqi President Barham Salih hailed ties with Iran as unique, saying that that Iraqi relations with Iran are helpful for prosperity of Iraqi people and for the Iraqi Government fighting ISIS terrorism.
Iraqi president calls for collective resolve to fight ISIS terrorism

Feb. 27 - Addressing a meeting of US Brookings Institution, he added that during the era of Saddam Hussein, Iraq had turned into a problem for the region and the entire world.

Noting that all Iraq's neighbors should respect its sovereignty and independence, he said that stability in Iraq can help the situation in Syria, which is very important. Stability in Iraq will mean less conflict with Turkey and Iran.

Salih also called for collective resolve with the neighbors to fight terrorism and extremism and participation to modernize economic infrastructures.

Reiterating that Iraq is committed to liberating its entire territory from ISIS, he added that regardless of the US government's decision, Iraq is committed to fighting ISIS to bring terrorism to an end.

He called for regional and international co-operation to fight terrorism, saying that without cooperation of the neighboring states to counter the challenge of extremism and the terrorist groups throughout the Middle East, the humanitarian plight will not end.     source from

Thursday, February 25, 2021

White House News (白宮消息) | Feb.26, 2021

 2 - White House News in Chinese (weebly.com)

History of Armenia: A Captivating Guide to Armenian History, Starting from Ancient Armenia to Its Declaration of Sovereignty from the Soviet Union (Captivating History)

US says Armenian army should not intervene in politics
Washington has been steadfast supporter of development of democratic processes, says State Dept.

Feb. 26 - The US on Thursday urged the Armenia army not to intervene in domestic politics, after its military called for the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan,
State Department spokesperson Ned Price said Washington is closely monitoring the situation and urged all parties to exercise restraint to avoid any violent actions.

"We remind all parties of the bedrock democratic principle that the state's armed forces should not intervene in domestic politics," Price told reporters while adding that the US has been a steadfast supporter of the development of democratic processes and institutions in Armenia.


"We continue to support Armenia's democracy, and its sovereignty, and we urge its leaders to resolve their differences peacefully, while respecting the rule of law, Armenians' democracy, and its institutions," he said.

The Armenian armed forces chief Onik Gasparyan, along with other senior commanders, released a statement Thursday that called for Pashinyan to step down.

Pashinyan blasted demand as a coup attempt and urged his supporters to take to the streets to resist.
Turkey strongly condemned the attempted coup in Armenia.

“We condemn all military coups or coup attempts, no matter where they take place across the world,” Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said at a news conference in Hungary.     source from


EU leaders to discuss security cooperation with NATO chief

Feb. 26 - Brussels (dpa) - The 27 leaders of the European Union are to shift their focus to defence and security issues on Friday when regrouping for a second day of virtual talks.


NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is to join the videoconference for a discussion on cooperation between the bloc and the defence alliance.

The EU has been trying to coordinate more closely on defence and security matters in recent years, for example with plans to jointly fund defence development projects.

The overarching aim is greater strategic autonomy, allowing Europe to project its interests and values on a world stage where the United States seems to be pulling back as China and Russia grow more assertive

EU leaders are to hold a strategic debate on European security and defence policy, according to official information published by the European Council.

They are also discuss how to increase their resilience to cyberattacks and hybrid threats, and debate relations with their southern neighbours.     source from

欧盟27国制裁俄罗斯 普京:做好准备应对最艰巨挑战 20210224 |《今日关注》 CCTV中文国际
Feb 25, 2021


Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian addresses supporters at Republic Square, Yerevan, February 25, 2021.

Armenian PM Nikol Pashinian Warns Of 'Attempted Military Coup' As U.S. And Russia Call For Restraint

​Feb. 26 - Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has rejected calls to resign and warned of "an attempted military coup" as the United States and Russia urged all sides to deescalate an intensifying political crisis.

Speaking to around 20,000 supporters in the center of the capital Yerevan on February 25, Pashinian said Armenians would not allow the armed forces to interfere after top military brass joined opposition demands for his resignation.

“As prime minister, my order to all soldiers, officers and generals of the armed forces is – gentlemen, do your job – the protection of the Armenian borders and its territorial integrity. This is my order, and no one can dare to [violate] this order,” Pashinian told the rally.     continue to read


Merkel rules out border controls with France despite rising cases

Feb. 26 - Berlin (dpa) - Despite the rising number of infections in the French border region of Moselle, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she did not plan to tighten controls on the border, as is the case with the Czech Republic or the Austrian province of Tyrol.

"Border controls are not on the agenda at the moment," Merkel said on Thursday after an EU summit that took place by video.

Referring to other border controls, Merkel said this situation was different and that the German states of Bavaria and Saxony, bordering Austria and the Czech Republic, had called for the border controls.

The district of Moselle borders the western German states of Saarland and Rhineland-Palatinate. There has been growing concern about the situation there in recent weeks, due to the spread of new and more transmissible strains of the coronavirus.
Merkel's comments came as France tightens entry regulations for Germans entering the district.

As of March 1, cross-border commuters who are not travelling for work will have to present a negative PCR test upon arrival that is not older than 72 hours, the French government said in a statement published on Thursday morning.

Health Minister Olivier Veran and Clement Beaune, French secretary of state for European affairs, said that close consultations had been held with the German side in the last days.

"On both sides of the border, we share the goal of maintaining freedom of movement and enabling cross-border workers to pursue their professional activities," they said in the statement.

Until now, the obligation to present a coronavirus test has generally applied for entry into France, but there were a number of exceptions.

The possibility of remote working was also to be strengthened, according to the statement.

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