White House News (白宮消息) | Feb.19, 2021

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

Europe countries, US warn against targeting US installations in Iraq

Feb. 18 - Foreign ministers of the US, France, Germany, Great Britain and Italy have released a joint statement condemning the missile attack that hit Erbil, northern Iraq, last Monday.

The joint statement confirmed that the signatory governments are ready to support investigations in Iraq to hold those responsible for the attack accountable.

The foreign ministers who signed the declaration offered their condolences to the families of the victims of the Erbil attack and the Iraqi people.

The statement concluded: "We share the common position that the attacks on US personnel and facilities and the international coalition will not be tolerated."     more details

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​Erbil International Airport (IATA: EBL, ICAO: ORER), is the main airport of the city of Erbil in the Kurdistan Region, Iraq. It is administered by the Iraqi Government and the Kurdistan Regional Government under a committee consisting of the Prime Minister of Kurdistan Region, Masrour Barzani,[citation needed] and is one of two international airports (the other being Sulaymaniyah Airport), with a third in Duhok being under construction. The new modern airport opened in 2010. The airport has one of the longest runways in the world (4800m).    from Wikipedia

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Broken glass is seen at the Bright Castle Motors building after reports of mortar shells landing near Erbil airport, in Erbil, Iraq
US Embassy in Erbil Activates Defense System

Feb. 19 - The US embassy in the Green Zone, central Baghdad, activated Wednesday its own air defense system without announcing the reason for this decision.

The system activation was accompanied by massive reconnaissance helicopters over the Green Zone and came after the missile attack on Erbil which killed one person and injured six US servicemen.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi and conveyed his outrage at the multiple rocket attacks in Erbil.

They discussed efforts underway to identify and hold accountable the groups responsible for the attacks, as well as the Iraqi government’s responsibility and commitment to protecting the US and Coalition personnel in Iraq at the government’s invitation to fight ISIS.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg discussed with Kadhimi increasing NATO presence in Iraq.

Kadhimi’s office said the two sides addressed the joint cooperation and ways to enhance it, especially with regard to providing support to the Iraqi security and military institutions in the areas of training and intelligence.     more details

以色列模拟突袭剑指伊朗 伊核破僵局“核”其难 20210217 |《今日关注》 CCTV中文国际
Feb 18, 2021

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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a visit by US President Joe Biden to the State Department in Washington, DC, on February 4, 2021.
US-Iran ‘path to diplomacy’ now open, says Antony Blinken

​Blinken reaffirmed Biden’s stance that if Tehran resumes compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal, the US would as well

Feb. 19 - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday that “the path to diplomacy is open” with Iran to discuss returning to the 2015 nuclear deal.

But he would not say whether the new administration has had any direct engagement with Iranian officials.

“Iran is still a way away from being in compliance [with the deal]. So we’ll have to see what it does,” Mr Blinken told National Public Radio.

Asked whether a move was under way to resume direct diplomacy, Mr Blinken pointed to US President Joe Biden’s public stance that if Iran resumes compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal, Washington would do the same.

“The president’s been very clear publicly, repeatedly, about where we stand. And we’ll see what, if any, reaction Iran has to that,” he said.

The interviewer said Mr Blinken had not answered the question directly and asked: “But you’re not ruling out that direct diplomacy might be somewhere in the future here?”

Mr Blinken responded: “Well, at some point, presumably, if there’s going to be any engagement on this, that would have to require diplomacy. That’s what we’re in the business of.”      more details

White House News (白宮消息) | Feb. 18, 2021

 

The International Criminal Court (ICC or ICCt)[2] is an intergovernmental organization and international tribunal that sits in The Hague, Netherlands. The ICC is the first and only permanent international court with jurisdiction to prosecute individuals for the international crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression. It is intended to complement existing national judicial systems and it may therefore exercise its jurisdiction only when national courts are unwilling or unable to prosecute criminals. The ICC lacks universal territorial jurisdiction, and may only investigate and prosecute crimes committed within member states, crimes committed by nationals of member states, or crimes in situations referred to the Court by the United Nations Security Council

International Criminal Court

Feb. 17 - The International Criminal Court (ICC) is a court of last resort for the prosecution of serious international crimes, including genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. Its treaty, the Rome Statute, was adopted in July 1998. The court began work in 2003, following ad hoc tribunals set up in the 1990s to deal with atrocity crimes committed in the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda. 20 years after the Rome Statute, the ICC has made significant headway in bringing global attention to accountability. But it has faced setbacks, and as human rights crises marked by international crimes continue to proliferate, its mandate has proven to be both more needed and more daunting than its founders envisioned. To be effective, the court and its member countries will need to rise to the challenge.      source

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More than 70 Non-Governmental Organizations, Faith-Based Groups, and Academic Institutions Call for the Biden Administration to Repeal ICC Sanctions

Feb. 18 - ​We call upon the U.S. government to rescind Executive Order 13928 and all sanctions measures against ICC officials at the earliest possible opportunity. We appeal for constructive engagement with the ICC and we urge the Biden administration and members of Congress to support that approach.
  
This statement was coordinated by the Washington Working Group for the International Criminal Court (WICC), an informal and nonpartisan coalition of diverse NGOs, including human rights organizations, faith based groups, professional associations, and others.     source

Delegates sit at the opening of the 41th session of the Human Rights Council, at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, June 24, 2019.
Biden's Next Steps on Human Rights: Multilateral Institutions

Feb. 18 - The United States government's decision to "reengage" with the Geneva-based United Nations Human Rights Council is a big step toward the multilateral support for human rights that President Joe Biden promised in his major foreign policy speech. Yet key details remain to be worked out for how the Biden administration will engage with the council. The administration has yet to move on another major multilateral human rights institution — the Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC).     more details

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US sailors stand watch at the helm on the bridge as the guided-missile destroyer USS Russell. The warship is deployed to the US 7th Fleet area of operations in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific.
US steps up challenges to Chinese-claimed islands in South China Sea

Feb. 18 - Hong Kong (CNN)A US Navy warship sailed by islands claimed by China in the South China Sea on Wednesday, the second such sailing in as many weeks, as the Biden administration steps up the US' military presence in the disputed waters.

In a so-called freedom of navigation operation, the guided-missile destroyer USS Russell steamed within 12 nautical miles of the Spratly Islands in the southern portion of the 1.3 million square mile waterway, almost all of which China claims as its sovereign territory.

"This freedom of navigation operation ("FONOP") upheld the rights, freedoms and lawful uses of the sea recognized in international law by challenging unlawful restrictions on innocent passage imposed by China, Vietnam and Taiwan," Lt. Joe Keiley, a spokesman for the US Navy's 7th Fleet, said in a statement.

Vietnam, Taiwan and the Philippines also have claims in the Spratly chain, where China has has transformed obscure reefs and sandbars into man-made artificial islands, fortified with missiles, runways and weapons systems.

The Russell's FONOP followed a similar operation conducted by the USS John S McCain in the Paracel Islands in the northwestern area of the sea 12 days previous. It also comes less than a week after two US aircraft carriers, the USS Theodore Roosevelt and USS Nimitz, conducted rare dual-carrier drills in the South China Sea.
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"Unlawful and sweeping maritime claims in the South China Sea pose a serious threat to the freedom of the sea, including freedoms of navigation and overflight, free trade and unimpeded commerce, and freedom of economic opportunity for South China Sea littoral nations," Keiley said in the statement.​     continue to read

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In recent weeks, a number of officials in the Biden administration have expressed support for Taiwan and voiced concern over Chinese provocation.
Foreign Ministry: US-Taiwan relations under Biden off to good start

Feb. 18 - The foreign ministry has hailed the development of US-Taiwan relations as US President Joe Biden approaches the end of his first month in office. The ministry said on Thursday that relations between the two countries “continue to develop steadily”. It says it hopes to build on the good start and continue to promote greater bilateral cooperation.

The ministry also says that a growing number of official platforms for dialogue have had a positive impact. These include the Taiwan-U.S. Economic Prosperity Partnership Dialogue, a new forum for strengthening economic ties. 

In recent weeks, a number of officials in the Biden administration have expressed support for Taiwan and voiced concern over Chinese provocation. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said that the US hopes Taiwan will be able to play a more important role in international affairs. Biden’s pick for UN ambassador, meanwhile, said the US should provide Taiwan with the necessary capabilities to “push against” efforts by China to compromise its security. 

​US officials say the US will continue to abide by the obligations defined in the Taiwan Relations Act and the US-Chinese Three Communiqués. The Three Communiqués are a set of joint statements with China that serve as the basis of US-Chinese relations. The Taiwan Relations Act, meanwhile, came into force in 1979 and loosely states that the US must protect Taiwan.     source from

White House News (白宮消息) | Feb. 17, 2021

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

Security Challenges in the Baltic States, Ukraine and Belarus: Nord Stream-2 Pipeline and Russia

Nord Stream (former names: North Transgas and North European Gas Pipeline; Russian: Северный поток, Severny potok) is a system of offshore natural gas pipelines running under the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany. It includes two active pipelines running from Vyborg to Lubmin near Greifswald forming the original Nord Stream, and two further pipelines under construction running from Ust-Luga to Lubmin termed Nord Stream 2. In Lubmin the lines connect to the OPAL line to Olbernhau on the Czech border and to the NEL line to Rehden near Bremen.
The original Nord Stream is owned and operated by Nord Stream AG, whose majority shareholder is the Russian state company Gazprom, and Nord Stream 2 is owned and will be operated by Nord Stream 2 AG, which is also a wholly owned subsidiary of Gazprom.

The first line of Nord Stream (also known as Nord Stream 1[1]) was laid by May 2011 and was inaugurated on 8 November 2011.[2][3] The second line of Nord Stream was laid in 2011–2012 and was inaugurated on 8 October 2012. At 1,222 km (759 mi) in length, Nord Stream is the longest sub-sea pipeline in the world, surpassing the Langeled pipeline.[4][5] Laying Nord Stream 2 was carried out in 2018–2019, and before the imposition of U.S. sanctions which halted the work, it was expected to become operational in mid-2020.[6]

Nord Stream has a total annual capacity of 55 billion m3 (1.9 trillion cu ft) of gas, and the addition of Nord Stream 2 is expected to double this capacity to a total of 110 billion m3 (3.9 trillion cu ft).[7][8][9]
Nord Stream projects have been opposed by the United States as well as by several Central and Eastern European countries because of concerns that the pipelines would increase Russia's influence in the region. The U.S. resistance to Nord Stream 2 is also influenced by the country's increased production of natural gas, which gives the U.S. Congress economic incentive to resist the Russian supply of gas to the EU, in favour of U.S. shale gas.[10]

The name "Nord Stream" occasionally refers to a wider pipeline network, including the feeding onshore pipeline in the Russian Federation, and further connections in Western Europe. Nord Stream 2 should be completed by the first half of 2021.[11]
source from Wikipedia

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Construction on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline resumed in earnest on Feb. 6 after more than a year. A gas-line facility in Germany was photographed in September.
Biden Administration Reviews Nord Stream 2 Gas Pipeline
U.S. considers whether to waive or impose sanctions on builders of Russian gas pipeline

Feb 17 - WASHINGTON—The Biden administration is reviewing U.S. policy toward a pipeline designed to carry Russian natural gas to Germany beneath the Baltic Sea, under new pressure after construction on the $11 billion project resumed this month, according to people with knowledge of the deliberations.

The undersea pipeline, Nord Stream 2, is more than 90% completed, with about 100 miles remaining. Construction resumed in earnest on Feb. 6, more than a year after it came to a halt in the face of opposition from the Trump administration and acts of Congress authorizing sanctions on companies and individuals involved in the project. The Biden administration hasn’t thus far imposed sanctions required by law.

The Biden administration has opened talks with Berlin on the future of the pipeline, including “threats of sanctions against companies involved in the construction of Nord Stream 2,” a German official said.

The administration on Tuesday faces a deadline to report a list of companies it deems in violation of the U.S. laws aimed at halting the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. Those companies would be potential targets for U.S. sanctions. The Biden administration could also waive the application of sanctions under a national-interest clause, placating Germany, a critical European ally, handing Russia a geopolitical victory, and crossing a bipartisan coalition in Congress.      source

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Workers at the construction site of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline near the town of Kingisepp, Leningrad Region, Russia, June 5, 2019.
Putin’s Corrupt Pipeline Is on Life Support

Unless the Biden administration refuses to enforce the law, the Nord Stream 2 project is going to die. The question is who gets credit for killing it.

Feb. 16 - With the detention and sentencing of Alexei Navalny and the arrest of thousands of peaceful Russian protesters, the divisive Nord Stream 2 (NS2) pipeline has once again returned to the forefront of political discourse in Europe and the United States.

The new Biden team has struck the right rhetorical note, arguing that NS2 is “a bad deal for Europe” and promising that the U.S. will not “roll over” for Russia. Since Navalny’s arrest and sentencing, key European figures have stepped up their rhetoric as well. Tom Tugendhat, who chairs the Foreign Affairs Committee in the U.K.’s House of Commons, has on multiple occasions advocated for NS2 to be killed. By an overwhelming 581–50 margin, the European Parliament passed a resolution calling on the EU to “immediately” halt work on NS2. Even the French, who up until recently backed Germany in support of the project, have changed their tune. When asked earlier this month if France was in favor of abandoning the project, Secretary of State for European Affairs Clément Beaune confirmed that it was.

At this point, the international leaders who support NS2 could very likely be counted on one hand. Among them are German chancellor Angela Merkel; Merkel’s likely successor, Armin Laschet, the leader of Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU); Russian president Vladimir Putin; and the ex-Stasi intelligence officer who is now the pipeline project’s CEO, Matthias Warnig. On February 5, Laschet insisted that Germany would not abandon NS2 in the wake of Navalny’s sentencing and the mass detention of protesters in Russia. “Feel-good moralizing and domestic slogans are not foreign policy,” he said with an obvious note of disdain.     continue to read

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White House News (白宮消息) | Feb. 16, 2021

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

Joe Biden $1.9 Trillion Economic Rescue Plan: THE JOE BIDEN POLICIES, STRATEGIES, TARGET TO COMBACT COVID 19/OTHER CRISIS AND RESCUE AMERICAN ECONOMIC FROM RECESSION

The Group of Seven (G7) is an intergovernmental organization consisting of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. The heads of government of the member states, as well as the representatives of the European Union, meet at the annual G7 Summit.

As of 2018, the G7 represents 58% of the global net wealth ($317 trillion),[1] more than 46% of the global gross domestic product (GDP) based on nominal values, and more than 32% of the global GDP based on purchasing power parity. The seven countries involved are also the largest IMF-advanced economies in the world.     source from Wikipedia

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G7 summit 2021

Date Published on Dec. 8, 2020
Prime Minister Modi was invited by his British counterpart, Boris Johnson to attend the UK-hosted G7 summit to be held in 2021. India is one of the three guest nations alongside South Korea and Australia. The invitation is in line with the UK government’s intension to work alongside like-minded democracies to address common challenges. This year, the grouping is expected to become D10 following its expansion to include 10 democracies.

What is D10 Group of Countries?
The D10 Group of Countries was proposed by United Kingdom. Britain has proposed the formation of D10 by including G7 countries along with India, Australia and South Korea. D10 stands for ten biggest Democracies of the world. D10 is being formed as an alternate to 5G equipment and technologies to avoid the reliance on China’s Huawei. It aims to create alternative suppliers of 5G equipment and other technologies avoiding reliance on China.

About G7
G7 was formed to discuss the political and economic concerns prompted during oil crisis of 1973. It is a group of seven most industrialised countries of the world namely, US, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Canada. It was earlier called G8. It was renamed as G7 after Russia stepped out of the group in 2014. These countries hold the largest gold reserves and are the top contributors of United Nations Funds. Every year, the summit is hosted by one of the members. The hosting members shall invite three more guest countries on its will. This year, UK has invited India, Australia and South Korea.

Background
India and UK are currently putting their efforts to boost their bilateral relationship. This comes at a time when there is a downward side in China-UK relations. The relations between UK and China have slid to the most confrontational levels mainly because of the recent National Security Law imposed by the latter on Hong Kong. Another major irritant between the countries is the decision of UK to ban Huawei 5G Network services.     source

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Biden to join virtual G7 event with global leaders on Covid-19 efforts
The US President will address the G7 meeting on the pandemic and vaccination distribution.

Feb. 15 - US PRESIDENT JOE Biden will speak at a virtual meeting of the world’s major economies on Friday to discuss the coronavirus pandemic and global vaccination distribution, according to the White House.

Biden is expected to speak about the need for a global response to the pandemic and to recommit the US to multi-lateral engagement, a stark contrast from President Donald Trump, who developed an isolationist foreign policy that saw the US withdraw from major global agreements and alliances...

...On the same day, Biden is set to participate in a “special edition” of the Munich Security Conference, a gathering of global leaders focused on defence.     source

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U.S. tells G7 that it is back at the table to help with global recovery

Feb. 13 - WASHINGTON/LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden's administration told allies on Friday it was re-engaging with them to help steer the global economy out of its worst slump since the Great Depression, a contrast with the go-it-alone approach of Donald Trump.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told her peers from the Group of Seven rich democracies that Washington was committed to multilateralism and "places a high priority on deepening our international engagement and strengthening our alliances."     source

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President Donald J. Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi stand together on stage before a cheering crowd at the Namaste Trump Rally Monday, Feb. 24, 2020, at the Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad, India.
US And India: The Nexus Between Identity Politics And Economic Achievements – OpEd

Feb. 16 - According to official estimates, Donald J. Trump obtained a little more than 74 million votes in the November 2020 presidential election losing to Joseph Biden who secured a little more than 81 million votes. Biden won by a comfortable margin, but Trump also performed remarkably well. What explains his performance? Analysis of his performance may reveal the growing influence of a certain combination of forces that may shape elections in not only the United States but also in other parts of the world in the coming years.

Considering that most of the popular media channels, many established business outfits, professional groups, women’s organisations and youth movements were against Trump, how did he succeed in harnessing so much support? Let us not forget that more than the media and various entities, Trump’s failure to handle the coronavirus epidemic which resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and spiralling infections eroded considerably his support base...     more to read

White House News (白宮消息) | Feb. 15, 2021

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The Houthi movement (/ˈhuːθi/; Arabic: ٱلْحُوثِيُّون‎ al-Ḥūthīyūn [al.ħuː.θiː.juːn]), officially called Ansar Allah (ʾAnṣār Allāh أَنْصَار ٱللَّٰه "Supporters of God") and colloquially simply Houthis, is an Islamist political and armed movement that emerged from Sa'dah in northern Yemen in the 1990s. The movement was called Houthis because its founder is from the Houthi tribe.[47] The Houthi movement is a predominately Zaidi Shia force.[48] The Houthis have a complex relationship with Yemen's Sunni Muslims; the movement has both discriminated against Sunnis, but also recruited and allied with them.[49][11][50][51] Under the leadership of Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi, the group emerged as an opposition to former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh, whom they charged with massive financial corruption and criticized for being backed by Saudi Arabia and the United States[36] at the expense of the Yemeni people[52] and Yemen's sovereignty.[53] Resisting Saleh's order for his arrest,[54] Hussein was killed in Sa'dah in 2004 along with a number of his guards by the Yemeni army, sparking the Houthi insurgency in Yemen.[55] Since then, except for a short intervening period, the movement has been led by his brother Abdul-Malik al-Houthi...


Allegations of human rights violations
Houthis have been accused of violations of international humanitarian law such as using child soldiers,[174][175][176] shelling civilian areas,[177] forced evacuations and executions.[139] According to Human Right Watch, Houthis intensified their recruitment of children in 2015. The UNICEF mentioned that children with the Houthis and other armed groups in Yemen comprise up to a third of all fighters in Yemen.[178] Human Rights Watch has further accused Houthi forces of using landmines in Yemen's third-largest city of Taizz which has caused many civilian casualties and prevent the return of families displaced by the fighting.[179] HRW has also accused the Houthis of interfering with the work of Yemen's human rights advocates and organizations.[180]

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More than 60% of civilian deaths have been the result of Saudi-led air strikes, the UN says
Yemen crisis: Why is there a war?

Yemen, one of the Arab world's poorest countries, has been devastated by a civil war. Here we explain what is fuelling the fighting, and who is involved.

Feb. 15 - ...The conflict has its roots in the failure of a political transition supposed to bring stability to Yemen following an Arab Spring uprising that forced its longtime authoritarian president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, to hand over power to his deputy, Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi, in 2011.

As president, Mr Hadi struggled to deal with a variety of problems, including attacks by jihadists, a separatist movement in the south, the continuing loyalty of security personnel to Saleh, as well as corruption, unemployment and food insecurity.

The Houthi movement (known formally as Ansar Allah), which champions Yemen's Zaidi Shia Muslim minority and fought a series of rebellions against Saleh during the previous decade, took advantage of the new president's weakness by taking control of their northern heartland of Saada province and neighbouring areas.

Disillusioned with the transition, many ordinary Yemenis - including Sunnis - supported the Houthis, and in late 2014 and early 2015 the rebels gradually took over the capital Sanaa...     source

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Biden reverses Trump's designation of Houthis as terrorists

Feb. 15 - Biden reverses Trump's designation of Houthis as terrorists

Joe Biden's US Secretary of State Antony Blinken last Friday recognizing the dire humanitarian situation in Yemen, announced the reversal of former President Trump's designation of Ansarallah (the Houthis Movement) as a foreign terrorist organisation and specially designated global terrorist group.  The decision comes into effect on 16 February.     continue to read

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British PM Boris Johnson welcomes "incredibly encouraging" early moves from Biden

Feb. 14 - Washington — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Sunday that early steps taken by President Biden on issues like foreign policy and climate change are "incredibly encouraging" for relations between the U.S. and the United Kingdom.

"There's been some important developments in the way the U.K., U.S. thinking has been coming together in the last few weeks, and particularly on issues like climate change, on NATO, on Iran, but above all, on the ways that the U.S. and the U.K. are going to work together to deal with the environmental challenge that faces our planet," Johnson said in an interview with "Face the Nation." "And there, I think some of the stuff we're now hearing from the new American administration and from the new White House is incredibly encouraging. And we want to work with the president on that."     continue to read