US ‘Aggressively’ Communicating With Houthis Via Back Channels - US Envoy

Yemen, one of the Arab world’s poorest countries, has been engulfed in a violent conflict between a government-in-exile headed by President Abdrabuh Mansour Hadi and the armed Shiite Houthi movement, also known as Ansar Allah, backed by army units loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, since 2014.

During a briefing at the State Department on Tuesday, US Special Envoy to Yemen Tim Lenderking told reporters that Washington does have means of getting messages to the Houthis, which are backed by Iran.

“We do have ways of getting messages to the Houthis and we are using those channels very aggressively,” Lenderking revealed, Al Arabiyah reported.

“Ending this war through a lasting political solution is the only solution … to end the humanitarian crisis that is devastating,” he added, also noting that the Houthis must halt its attacks on Saudi Arabia. The civil war intensified when a Saudi-led, US-backed coalition launched massive airstrikes against the Houthi political opposition faction in 2015.

However, Lenderking has refused to directly provide answers on what other options the US could pursue if the Houthis continue their attacks.

Also on Tuesday, US State Department spokesperson Ned Price urged the Houthis to end its current offensive in Yemen's Marib, halt all military operations and end all cross-border strikes on Saudi Arabia, Reuters reported.

“The Houthis’ assault on Marib is the action of a group not committed to peace or to ending the war afflicting the people of Yemen,” Price said in a statement obtained by the outlet.

“Marib is controlled by the legitimate government of Yemen. This assault will only increase the number of internally displaced persons and exacerbate the humanitarian crisis in Yemen,” he added.

Earlier this month, US President Joe Biden revised the previous administration’s designation of Houthis as a terrorist group. In a statement at the time, Connecticut Senator Christopher S. Murphy explained that removing the terrorist designation would “save lives.”

“The designation did not impact the Houthis in any practical way, but it stopped food and other critical aid from being delivered inside Yemen and would have prevented effective political negotiation,” Murphy noted, as the New York Times reported.

https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/202102161082098023-us-aggressively-communicating-with-houthis-via-back-channels—us-envoy/

Negotiating with Terrorists FFS

Joe Biden Hobbles Over to Air Force One En Route to CNN Town Hall Event in Wisconsin

78-year-old Joe Biden hobbled over to Air Force One on Tuesday evening en route to Milwaukee, Wisconsin for a CNN town hall event.

Joe Biden will talk to ‘voters’ Tuesday night in a CNN presidential town hall scheduled to begin 9 PM ET.

Notice his gait as he walks to the air craft.

WATCH:

Joe Biden stole Wisconsin with a big vote dump in the middle of the night after Election Day.

No doubt CNN chose Democrat plants to participate in their town hall event this evening.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2021/02/joe-biden-hobbles-air-force-one-en-route-cnn-town-hall-event-wisconsin-video/

Kraft Heinz, Conagra Will Start Passing On Soaring Food Costs To Consumers

Stagflation for the masses?

Cost of living is about to soar and all the average joe has to cover it is a $1400 check from Uncle Joe.

Late last year we noted that SocGen's Albert Edwards warning readers that it could be time to start "panicking" about soaring food prices.

Edwards' research said, "keep a very close eye as to whether we see a repeat of the 2010/11 surge in food prices" because "on the 10th anniversary of the start of the Arab Spring, and with poverty having already been made much worse by the pandemic, another food price bubble could well be the straw to break the very angry camel's back."

While it's not quite the spring of 2021 just yet, there are indications that soaring food costs are about to get passed on to consumers - this is terrible news for working-poor folks who are already suffering from housing and food insecurities.

According to Reuters, Kraft Heinz Co and Conagra Brands Inc warned Tuesday that price increases of wheat, sugar, and other commodities are becoming more expensive due to elevated demand.

https://www.zerohedge.com/commodities/amid-soaring-food-prices-kraft-heinz-conagra-brands-set-raise-prices

WHO sends Ebola alerts to 6 countries after outbreak declared in Guinea, as nations hope to avoid 2014–2016 disaster

The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned several African nations about possible Ebola infections after new cases were found in Guinea and DR Congo. The last major outbreak in the region killed more than 10,000 people.

“We have already alerted the six countries around [them], including of course Sierra Leone and Liberia, and they are moving very fast to prepare and be ready and to look for any potential infection,” WHO spokesperson Margaret Harris said.

Guinea has borders with Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, Mali, Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

An Ebola outbreak was declared in the southern part of Guinea on Sunday – the first time the deadly disease has been recorded in the country since 2016.

Initial suspicions were raised after a nurse working at a local health facility died late last month. Six people who came to her funeral reported Ebola-like symptoms, and two of them have since died. The death toll from Ebola, a hemorrhagic fever virus, in Guinea grew to five by Tuesday.

UN experts and health officials are currently working in Guinea to manage the outbreak. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the global health body has launched efforts to ensure access to Ebola vaccines and treatments. The Guinean government, meanwhile, has banned large gatherings for a month to avoid the spread of the virus.

New cases were also reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where a vaccination campaign was launched.

Ebola is transmitted via direct contact with the body fluids of someone who has the disease. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a person can spread Ebola only after developing symptoms.

Death rates from the virus can vary from 25 percent to 90 percent, according to the WHO.

More than 28,600 people were infected with Ebola during the 2014–2016 outbreak in West Africa, and 11,325 of them died, according to CDC data. It was the largest Ebola outbreak in history.

https://www.rt.com/news/515732-who-ebola-countries-alerted/

NSW Premier will not be among first for vaccine

Gladys Berejiklian has provided some more information about her state’s coronavirus vaccine rollout, noting, unlike in some other countries,she and other leaders will not be among the first to receive the inoculation.

https://www.smh.com.au/national/coronavirus-updates-live-victoria-enters-fifth-day-of-circuit-breaker-lockdown-confirmed-covid-19-cases-worldwide-pass-109-million-20210217-p57361.html

Bill Gates says 'all rich nations should move to 100% synthetic beef' to combat climate change

The Microsoft cofounder insists 'you can get used to the taste difference'

Bill Gates wants wealthier nations around the globe to ditch eating beef and instead switch to lab-grown or plant-based alternative "meats" in an effort to combat climate change.

The Microsoft cofounder sat down with MIT Technology Review to plug his new book, "How to Avoid a Climate Disaster," and provided his views on what possible solutions might be viable — or not.

One area where Gates has become more optimistic is in the idea of transitioning folks away from beef, since cows are notoriously viewed as damaging to the environment due to emissions from their flatulence.

On this topic, Gates told MIT, "In terms of livestock, it's very difficult. There are all the things where they feed them different food, like there's this one compound that gives you a 20% reduction [in methane emissions]. But sadly, those bacteria [in their digestive system that produce methane] are a necessary part of breaking down the grass. And so I don't know if there'll be some natural approach there. I'm afraid the synthetic [protein alternatives like plant-based burgers] will be required for at least the beef thing."

Gates went on to plug a number of firms he invests in that produce meat alternatives, such as Memphis Meats, Beyond Meat, and Impossible Foods, noting that "as for scale today, they don't represent 1% of the meat in the world, but they're on their way."

He added that he does not think that such options would be viable in the world's poorest countries where "we'll have to use animal genetics to dramatically raise the amount of beef per emissions for them."

Gates then declared:

I do think all rich countries should move to 100% synthetic beef. You can get used to the taste difference, and the claim is they're going to make it taste even better over time. Eventually, that green premium is modest enough that you can sort of change the [behavior of] people or use regulation to totally shift the demand.

The tech titan also complained about pushback in Congress over wanting to label the faux meat products as "beef," however, he acknowledge that his idea may not catch on right away. Gates told MIT, "Now I've said I can actually see a path. But you're right that saying to people, 'You can't have cows anymore'—talk about a politically unpopular approach to things."

Anything else?

Gates, one of the richest men on the globe, has become increasingly involved in areas of agriculture in recent years. Last month, The Land Report discovered that he is now the largest private farmland owner in the United States.

https://www.theblaze.com/news/ready-bill-gates-says-all-rich-nations-should-move-to-100-synthetic-beef-to-combat-climate-change