(2018-11-15). South Korea To Resume Iran's Crude Imports From January Onwards. iranian.com South Korea's actual resumption of Iranian oil liftings could come from January onwards as it takes time to make various arrangements, including shipping. According to SPGlobal, South Korea was granted a temporary exemption for crude imports from Iran after agreeing to reduce its purchases "significantly," just as US sanctions against Tehran came into force early […]
(2018-11-15). Venezuela Calls on UN to Break US Blockade and Supply Medical Equipment. mintpressnews.com Venezuela has denounced the freezing of payments of imported medical supplies such as anti-malaria or HIV treatments. The vast majority of Venezuela's medical supplies and equipment are imported, and thus vulnerable to blockading policies by foreign agents.
(2018-11-15). Iran, Turkey Strengthen Trade Relations Despite US Sanctions. iranian.com Iran is seeking to strengthen bilateral trade relations with Turkey during the US sanctions imposed on Tehran which came into force earlier this month. Mohsen Nariman, the managing director of Aras Free Trade-Industrial Zone, said that 60 per cent of the companies operating in the zone are foreign companies while 30 per cent of them are Turkish […]
(2018-11-15). US Sanctions On Iran Depriving Country's Cancer Patients Of Essential Treatment. iranian.com Certain especially vulnerable groups, such as Iran's cancer patients, are bearing the brunt of the burden caused by the new U.S.-imposed sanctions, as the cost of the average cancer treatment has now doubled and the supply of crucial medication has dwindled to new, troubling lows. The recent imposition of crippling sanctions against Iran by the […]
(2018-11-15). Vermont Immigrant Rights Group Sues ICE for Monitoring, Infiltrating & "Hunting Down" Organizers. democracynow.org 
A major new federal lawsuit claims that immigration agents are targeting undocumented organizers for their activism in Vermont. The suit accuses Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Department of Homeland Security and the Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles of carrying out a multiyear campaign of political retaliation against members of the group Migrant Justice. According to the lawsuit, Migrant Justice was infiltrated by an informant, and its members were repeatedly subjected to electronic surveillance. At least 20 active members of Migrant Justice have been arrested and detained by ICE. We speak with Will…
(2018-11-15). 'SBS: Don't screen Eurovision 2019 in Israel'. greenleft.org.au 
Protesters gathered outside the SBS offices in Artarmon on November 15 to urge the national multicultural broadcaster not to screen Eurovision 2019, which will be held in Israel. | They handed out leaflets to SBS staff that read: "We love SBS and we love Eurovision, but is a song contest worth more than human rights? Are advertising dollars worth more than international law? | "We can't celebrate Eurovision in Israel while the Israeli government enforces apartheid and ongoing human rights abuses against Palestinians. | "Just like the campaign that ended apartheid in South Africa, your international solidarity is…
(2018-11-15). PCHR Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (08 — 13 November 2018). imemc.org Israeli forces continued with systematic crimes, in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt), for the week of 08 — 13 November, 2018. New Israeli Military Esclation in the Gaza Strip: Israeli warplanes carried out dozens of airstrikes, launching 197 missiles at civilian buildings and military sites belonging to Palestinian Armed Groups.
(2018-11-15). Ukania: the Land Where the Queen's Son Has His Shoelaces Ironed by His Valet. counterpunch.org 
I've just left Ukania, where I attended the Historical Materialism conference in London. After some much needed psychological decompression, I'm now back in the Land of Caged Toddlers. In the UK at the same time was the UN Special Rapporteur on poverty and human rights, Philip Alston, travelling to some of the UK's poorest areas More
(2018-11-15). Prisoners Are Getting Paid $1.45 a Day to Fight the California Wildfires. aclu.org Incarcerated workers fighting wildfires deserve the same wages and protections that civilian workers receive. | As firefighters in California battle the deadliest wildfires in the state's history, they are joined by unlikely allies against the blaze. About 200 prisoners in California's Conservation Camp program are fighting the fires alongside civilian employees, earning just $1.45 a day for their work. Their pay as workers is a fraction of minimum wage. The hazard to their lives is real, as evidenced by a death toll that has…
(2018-11-15). Venezuela: Workers Rally to Demand 'Revolutionary Exit from Crisis'. venezuelanalysis.com The public sector in Venezuela has been mobilizing for revised wages and labor rights.
(2018-11-15). Adalah Opposes Israel's Death Penalty Bill. imemc.org A press release from Adalah, the Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, stated that the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee of the Israeli Knesset are preparing to debate the controversial new "Death Penalty for Terrorists" bill. According to a report by Ma'an News Agency, former Israeli Minister of …
(2018-11-15). Barber to House Dems: Act to restore voting rights! peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON—U.S. House Democrats must use their new — and growing — majority in the next Congress to act on restoring voting rights and to investigate and expose a variety of ills besetting the country, the Rev. William Barber says. Barber, co-leader of the New Poor People's Campaign and founder of the Moral Mondays movement which …
(2018-11-15). Trump demands end to Florida recount in new attack on voting rights. wsws.org The president's demand that his favored candidates in Florida be declared the victors, regardless of the actual vote, is an ominous warning.
(2018-11-14). US Sanctions on Iran Depriving Country's Cancer Patients of Essential Treatment. mintpressnews.com Certain especially vulnerable groups, such as Iran's cancer patients, are bearing the brunt of the burden caused by the new U.S.-imposed sanctions, as the cost of the average cancer treatment has now doubled and the supply of crucial medication has dwindled to new, troubling lows.
(2018-11-14). Zarif Calls Out Pompeo: Says He Must Take Responsibility For Saying He Wants To Starve Iranians. iranian.com Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Monday said U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo must take responsibility for his own words by announcing that the U.S. is seeking to starve Iranians through sanctions. The remarks by Zarif came after Pompeo made a sharp attack on Newsweek magazine that published his words to starve the […]
(2018-11-14). Iran Could Be The Key To Cementing India And Japan Ties. iranian.com Washington granted a sanctions waiver on the Chabahar port in Iran. That could provide an axis as India, Japan and the US try to counter China's Eurasian reach US President Donald Trump has elevated India and Japan to the top of his list of strategic partners in the Indo-Pacific region. At the same time, US […]
(2018-11-14). Turkey Says In Close Cooperation With EU On Iran Sanctions. iranian.com Turkey is in close cooperation with the United States, the European Union and other parties to reduce the negative impact of Washington's sanctions on its relations with Iran, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said. Cavusoglu was speaking to a parliamentary committee in Ankara on Wednesday, Reuters reported. The US government imposed a new round of sanctions […]
(2018-11-14). SPLC seeks justice for journalist facing deportation. splcenter.org SPLC client Manuel Duran, the Spanish-language journalist who was unlawfully arrested and detained in April in retaliation for reporting on controversial issues related to law enforcement in Tennessee, could be deported at any time.
(2018-11-14). The Outgoing Congress Shouldn't Reward Trump With More Homeland Security Funding. aclu.org The Department of Homeland Security is a moral and fiscal disaster. The lame-duck Congress shouldn't reward it with more taxpayer dollars. | Before Dec. 7, Congress will have to make a decision: Will they reward the department responsible for family separation, jailing immigrants, raids on communities of color, and abuses at the border by increasing their budget? Or will they stand up and rein in Trump's detention and deportation force? | The Department of Homeland Security is currently funded by a continuing resolution, a short-term bill that extends its budget from last year. It
(2018-11-14). Sri Lanka crisis escalates as Supreme Court overturns Sirisena's dissolution of parliament. wsws.org The Supreme Court made its ruling after hearing 12 fundamental rights petitions challenging Sirisena's dissolution of parliament on November 9.
(2018-11-14). ACTA 2.0 — The EU's New Intellectual Property Law Threatens Fundamental Internet Freedom. mintpressnews.com Freedom of expression is a thorn in the side of EU technocrats. A new intellectual property law adopted by the European Parliament in September threatens our fundamental rights.
(2018-11-13). Protesters to Qantas: 'Don't profit at the expense of human lives'. greenleft.org.au 
Thirty refugee supporters protested outside the Melbourne headquarters of Jetstar on November 9, demanding that Qantas (Jetstar's parent company) cease participating in the deportation of asylum seekers. | Tamil Refugee Council member Aran Mylvaganam told the rally that the Australian government has deported hundreds of Tamil asylum seekers to Sri Lanka. Citing a United Nations report, which showed that torture is "endemic and routine" in Sri Lanka, he said Tamils who are sent back are in grave danger. He called on Qantas not to be complicit, saying: "Don't make a profit at the expense of human lives".
(2018-11-13). International speaking tour says reject Trump's attacks on Venezuela. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – On November 10, more than 40 people gathered to hear Steve Ellner, a professor, writer and longtime Venezuela resident speak against U.S. sanctions and the Trump administration's efforts to destabilize Venezuela. | Ellner, who has taught economic history and political science at the Universidad de Oriente in Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela, since 1977, spoke of the devastating toll U.S. sanctions have taken on ordinary Venezuelan people. "Basically, there's a blockade, a financial blockade, on the entire Venezuelan economy," Ellner said. "That is the net effect of these sanctions, and this narrative t…
(2018-11-13). Secret CIA Document Shows Plan to Test Drugs on Prisoners. aclu.org 
New documents reveal the detailed, first-person account of the top CIA medical professional responsible for torturing prisoners. | Thanks to an ACLU victory in federal court, we know much more about how CIA doctors violated the medical oath to "do no harm." | One of the most important lessons of the CIA's torture program is the way it corrupted virtually every individual and institution associated with it. Over the years, we have learned how lawyers …
(2018-11-13). White cop kills Black security guard in Chicago suburb. fightbacknews.org Chicago, IL — Black Community leader Frank Chapman condemned the November 12 killing of an African American security guard, Jemel Roberson, by a white police officer from the Midlothian Police Department in the Chicago suburb of Robbins. | "Every city in the U.S. where Black people live has the same crisis of police accountability. Until Black people have the power to determine who polices them and how they are policed, cops will brutalize, torture and murder us with impunity," said Chapman, of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression. | When he was killed by the police officer, Robers…
(2018-11-13). Trump Lashes Out Against Reproductive Rights After the Midterms. thenation.com Trump Lashes Out Against Reproductive Rights After the Midterms…
(2018-11-12). Twin Cites FRSO holds event on midterm elections. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis MN — More than 50 people packed Mayday book store, Nov. 11, for an event hosted by Freedom Road Socialist Organization on the outcome of the midterm elections. Speakers at the event included leaders of the movements for immigrant rights, labor, and against police terror. | Steff Yorek, the Political Secretary of FRSO told the crowd, "These elections were a referendum on Donald Trump and his policies. Voters provided an important setback to him and reduced the number of friends he has in the House and among state governors." | Brad Sigal, also of FRSO said, "Working people's lives are not getting…
(2018-11-09). NAACP Demands for Georgia Election Officials to Promptly Investigate Pattern of Georgia Students Being Denied the Right to Vote. naacp.org BALTIMORE(November 9, 2018)—NAACP, the nation's foremost civil rights organization, sent a letter to Georgia elections officials just two days after the state's too-close-to-call elections, demanding a prompt investigation into reports that Georgia student voters were turned away from polling stations, unable to vote. Others were improperly required to vote provisional ballots. The letter cites two instances where university students […] | The post
(2018-11-09). President Trump's Proclamation Suspending Asylum Rights Is Illegal, So We're Suing. aclu.org Refugees fleeing violence have a right to declare asylum regardless of how and where they enter the country. | Claiming that the illegal entry of immigrants across the southern border of the United States is a national crisis, President Trump on Friday issued a proclamation purporting to bar the entry of all persons entering the United States at any place other than an official port of entry. | The Trump administration's action is contrary to the founding values of the country — welcoming homeless refugees to our shores. It also violates U.S. law, so we, along with the
(2018-11-09). Civil rights under threat in name of national security. greenleft.org.au 
One of the usual threats trotted out by governments proposing what would otherwise be considered radical attacks on civil liberties is national security. | The Australian newspaper reported on June 8 that Attorney-General Christian Porter was demanding urgent passage of two separate espionage and foreign interference bills following "intelligence advice of an accelerated escalation in hostile foreign activity over the past 12 months". | The Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security had just published a 400-page report containing 60 recommendations, giving the green light to the first bill, the Es…
(2018-11-09). SPLC working to restore voting rights to thousands disenfranchised by Jim Crow-era laws. splcenter.org An "I Voted" sticker stuck prominently to Jazmine Clay's yellow T-shirt as she walked toward a pavilion in Birmingham's Learning Tree Park, next to her polling place.
(2018-11-09). Before Resigning, Jeff Sessions Handcuffed the Justice Department's Ability to Police the Police. aclu.org The former attorney general's last action all but eliminates federal oversight of abusive law enforcement agencies. | In his final move as attorney general, Jeff Sessions on Wednesday issued a new policy that all but eliminates federal oversight of state and local law enforcement agencies that engage in unconstitutional and unlawful policing. While Sessions — a white man with money and political connections — will likely never be personally affected by this policy change, his decision to sabotage the legal instruments of federal civil rights enforcement is going to harm people and communities of color…
(2018-11-09). Government proposes making journalism a crime. greenleft.org.au 
Proposed amendments to the Criminal Code Act of 1995 will make it impossible for media organisations to accurately report on what governments do behind closed doors. | The pretence for this legislative proposal, which was tabled in federal parliament at the end of last year, is supposedly to respond to the growing threat of foreign states influencing Australia's political landscape. | Apparently inspired by the scandal involving Labor politician Sam Dastyari and his alleged links to the Chinese government, the Foreign Influence and Transparency Scheme Bill is in reality an attack on democratic rights and the abil…
(2018-11-09). Trump challenged on trans and gender diverse discrimination. greenleft.org.au 
Trans and gender diverse people in the US are preparing to fight for their lives — literally — against a push by the Republican religious right to quash life-saving laws protecting them from discrimination. | A leaked memo from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) revealed it is pushing for the federal civil rights law that bans gender discrimination in education programs receiving government assistance to redefine sex as binary. If the push is successful, the law wound dictate that the gender assigned at birth cannot be changed. | If successful, this would effectively exclude about 2 mil…
(2018-11-09). Jeff Sessions Was the Worst Attorney General in Modern American History. aclu.org From immigration to transgender rights, Attorney General Jeff Sessions showed contempt for American civil rights and liberties. | On Wednesday, the Trump administration bid farewell to one of its most infamous members: Attorney General Jeff Sessions. In his brief tenure, Sessions managed to dismantle and rescind an astounding range of efforts by prior administrations to protect civil rights and civil liberties and introduced new policies that endanger some of the most vulnerable citizens in the U.S. | From his draconian approach to immigration policy to his efforts to erase protections for transgender people to h…
(2018-11-09). Jeff Sessions Leaves a Dark Mark on the Justice Department. aclu.org Sessions' Justice Department systematically undermined civil liberties and civil rights. | Under almost any other circumstances, the firing of Attorney General Jeff Sessions would be a moment for dancing in the streets. Sessions oversaw a Justice Department that systematically undermined civil liberties and civil rights. | But his departure portends no improvement on these fronts. And the fact that President Trump
(2018-11-07). NAACP LAUNCHES ALL IN CAMPAIGN, TO RECRUIT, RETAIN AND ENGAGE NEW MEMBERSHIPS. naacp.org National membership campaign launches just one day after a momentum building midterm election. BALTIMORE (November 7, 2018) — Just one day after the 2018 midterm elections, NAACP, the nation's foremost civil rights organization, continues the momentum by launching an ALL IN national membership campaign aimed at mobilizing NAACP units to increase their membership at least 20 percent by its […]
(2018-11-07). Venezuela Looks to Dodge Sanctions & Repatriate Gold from Bank of England. venezuelanalysis.com The reported measure will bring US $550m worth of national reserves back to Caracas only days after Washington announced new gold-targeting sanctions.
(2018-11-07). NAACP STATEMENT ON JEFF SESSIONS RESIGNATION. naacp.org "U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions' resignation might be a welcomed reprieve from his jurisdiction over the justice department. His odious record has done little to impact the civil liberties of African Americans, confirming our deepest concerns when it comes to criminal justice and equal rights. However, given the administration's track record on appointing problematic people […]
(2018-11-06). The West is Failing Julian Assange. consortiumnews.com While media focused on Julian Assange's cat rather than his continuing arbitrary detention, evidence shows Britain worked hard to force his extradition to Sweden where Assange feared he'd be turned over to the U.S., as Stefania Maurizi explains. By Stefania… Read more →
(2018-11-05). Maduro: Venezuela Sitting on 2nd Biggest Gold Reserve on Earth. venezuelanalysis.com President Nicolas Maduro described the U.S. sanctions on Venezuela as "crazy" and "criminal."
(2018-11-05). Gasoline Shortages Hit Western Venezuela. venezuelanalysis.com Whilst the government hinted at import problems due to US sanctions, others have cited additional factors, including cross-border smuggling, poor maintenance and increased demand due to the upcoming price hike.
(2018-11-04). Trump's Latin American Sanctions: Clear 'Political Tactic' For Midterms. venezuelanalysis.com VA's Paul Dobson analyzes the latest US sanctions in this Sputnik News report.
(2018-11-03). Assange Case Shows Support for Free Speech Depends on Who's Talking. fair.org 
by Joe Emersberger Julian Assange, whom the UN has declared to be "arbitrarily detained" by Britain and Sweden, is used by the Guardian ( 10/17/18) to illustrate a gag story on "nightmare flatmates." | The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention concluded in February 2016 that the governments of the UK and Sweden had forced WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange into a condition of arbitrary detention in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, where he has been since 2012. The group's …
(2018-10-17). Spain Pushes Dialogue Instead of Sanctions Against Venezuela. venezuelanalysis.com The policy represents a radical change from the sanctions wanted by previous Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, imposed by Brussels last January, and reinforced last June.
(2018-10-17). Venezuela Ditches Dollar as US Sanctions Hit Private Sector. venezuelanalysis.com International financial transactions using foreign currency were reportedly blocked, agroindustrial and pharmaceutical sectors said.