(2022-01-06). Biden's Four Biggest Mideast Challenges in 2022Ôøº. scheerpost.com 
Al-Aqsa Mosque last May. [Screenshot / YouTube] | By Juan Cole | President Biden faces severe challenges this year, but in my view the for-profit news often either focuses on the wrong ones or misinterprets the nature of the obstacles. | Here are some of the major challenges: | 1. Iran While many foreign policy hawks and inside-the-beltway pundits see the Iranian civilian nuclear enrichment program as a major challenge, and while it is an important issue, there are other troubling dimensions of the US-Iran relatio…
(2022-01-05). Kazakhstan's main airport seized by protesters — reports. rt.com 
Almaty transit hub overrun after president promised 'tough as possible' response to unrest | Flights to Kazakhstan are being canceled after Almaty International Airport, the country's busiest, was reportedly seized by protesters on Wednesday, amid mass unrest triggered by a hike in the price of liquefied gas. | While no visual evidence was immediately available from the airport due to a mass internet blackout said to be happening in Kazakhstan, locally-sourced Telegram news channel Orda cited the airport's press service as confirming they were no longer in control of the location. | It claimed the media team h…
(2022-01-05). Sullivan, Nordic Partners Talk Readiness to Impose Costs on Russia Over Ukraine – NSC. sputniknews.com WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – US national security adviser Jake Sullivan and his counterparts from the Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden discussed by telephone each country's readiness to impose consequences on Russia should it escalate tensions with Ukraine, Nation Security Council spokesperson Emily Horne said.
(2022-01-05). Progress 'visible', main stumbling blocks becoming clearer. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jan. 05 (MNA) — As the new round of Vienna talks on the removal of US anti-Iranian sanctions continues, the Russian diplomat said that progress in Vienna talks is visible and main stumbling blocks are becoming clearer.
(2022-01-05). Airport takeover, palace fire & promise of 'tough' response: Here's how Kazakhstan's unrest escalated. rt.com 
The Central Asian state continues its apparent descent into chaos as street protests triggered by a hike in gas prices grow increasingly violent | The situation in Kazakhstan took a sharp turn for the worse on Wednesday, as several cities saw violent unrest, with administrative buildings stormed, a presidential residence set on fire, and the main airport allegedly seized. | The protests began after a twofold hike in the price of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) at the start of the new year. The price caps that had existed in the country for years had turned LPG into an extremely popular type of fuel, widely utili…
(2022-01-05). Kazakh president asks Russia-led bloc for military help. rt.com 
Allied military help needed to quell actions of "terrorist bands" amid violent civil unrest in Kazakhstan, the president insists | The Kazakh president has asked the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) for help amid violent unrest gripping the nation, claiming that "terrorists" were overrunning strategic facilities across the country. | "I believe reaching out to our CSTO partners is appropriate and timely," President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev was quoted as saying by the media late on Wednesday. | The president slammed the violent protesters who have overrun government buildings and other fac…
(2022-01-05). Internet switched off in Kazakhstan amid unrest — reports. rt.com 
TV broadcasting has also been disrupted in the Central Asian country faced with a wave of protests over a spike in fuel prices | The internet was reportedly switched off across Kazakhstan on Wednesday, as the country remains gripped by violent protests that began in response to a hike in fuel prices after the New Year. | NetBlocks, a British organization that monitors internet freedom, has described the situation in the country as "a nation-scale internet blackout." | Access to the web was cut off completely following a day of mobile internet disruptions and partial curbs on Tuesday, it added. | "The incident…
(2022-01-05). Nationwide state of emergency declared in Kazakhstan. rt.com 
President vows 'tough' response to ongoing violent protests | Kazakhstan's authorities have imposed a state of emergency across the country in an attempt to get a grip on a deteriorating security situation, after widespread demonstrations were sparked by a gas price hike. | President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev reached for the sweeping measures late on Wednesday, hours after saying he intended to act "as tough as possible" against the violence. | The state of emergency vastly expands the powers of the country's police and military, as well as allowing the handing down of heavy penalties, including lengthy prison ter…
(2022-01-05). What Does the Statement of the Five Nuclear-Weapon States on Preventing Nuclear War Tell Us? dissidentvoice.org 
The Doomsday Clock has been sitting the past year at 100 seconds to midnight, the closest it has ever been to civilization-ending apocalypse. The United States has done little to quell doomsday apprehensions by ratcheting up tensions with China over Taiwan and its warships in the South China Sea, as well as with Russia over …
(2022-01-05). Kim Philby remembered: A traitor to his class. mronline.org 
Kim Philby, born on January 1st, 1912, is one of the best known double agents of the Cold War era.
(2022-01-05). China to continue contributing to global nuclear governance: FM spokesperson. ecns.cn China believes that this first Joint Statement by the leaders of the five Nuclear-Weapon States demonstrates the States' political will to prevent a nuclear war, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Tuesday, adding that China will continue to contribute its wisdom and proposals to global nuclear governance.
(2022-01-05). Israel's Intel Chief Says Revival of Iran Nuclear Deal Better Than Collapse of JCPOA Talks: Report. sputniknews.com In December, Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid made it clear that Tel Aviv is not opposed in principle to any accord that may be concluded between world powers and Tehran at the ongoing Vienna talks on the possible revival of the Iran nuclear deal.
(2022-01-05). Poisoning ourselves with war. zcomm.org This is not about blame. This is not about shame. This is about change. We still have our finger on the nuclear trigger…