(2019-07-16). What Right Has Britain to Seize an Iranian Tanker Off Spain? counterpunch.org 
"We have reason to believe that the Grace 1 was carrying its shipment of crude oil to the Banyas Refinery in Syria. That refinery is the property of an entity that is subject to European Union sanctions against Syria." — Fabian Picardo, chief minister of Gibraltar "[Praise for Gibraltar and the British marines] for this More
(2019-07-16). Shocking number of universities won't take action on sweatshops in their supply chains. thecanary.co On July 16, a new league table of universities was published. The league ranks the UK's universities on the strength of their environmental policies and their work to uphold human rights. It's produced by student campaign group People & Planet. | One of its sections focuses on workers' rights. And its findings don't reflect well on the UK's universities. They suggest many universities are failing to take action to defend the rights of workers in their supply chains. | Two-thirds of universi…
(2019-07-16). Hong Kong protests continue amid clashes with police. wsws.org The Hong Kong and central governments are incapable of addressing the real concerns for democratic rights and social equality that are driving the protests.
(2019-07-16). #Resistance fawns over Antifa 'martyr' killed while attempting to set ICE facility on fire. rt.com 
Impassioned tributes for Willem Van Spronsen, the seasoned Antifa activist who was shot dead by police after attacking an ICE detention center in Tacoma on Saturday, have flooded Twitter, praising him as a "hero" and a "martyr."
(2019-07-15). Communities Fight Back as Threat of ICE Raids Terrorizes Immigrant Families. truthout.org This weekend, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents launched a handful of raids across the country as part of President Trump's push to detain and deport thousands of undocumented migrants in 10 major cities. Agents in Chicago reportedly arrested a mother and her children only to quickly release them. Arrests were also attempted in New York City, in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, and Harlem, where immigrants reportedly refused to open their doors to ICE agents because they did not have warrants. Authorities say more raids are planned this week, prompting fear but also generating mass protests on the ground. We sp…
(2019-07-15). UN High Commissioner on Human Rights Bachelet's Gift to the US: Justifying Regime Change in Venezuela. counterpunch.org 
UN High Commissioner on Human Rights Michelle Bachelet's report on Venezuela echoes the US government's talking points, which are designed to terminate the two-decade-old Bolivarian Revolution in Venezuela. The report fails to acknowledge Venezuela's manifest accomplishments or even recognize victims of US-backed right-wing violence in Venezuela. The US economic war against Venezuela, US threats of a More
(2019-07-15). Cruelty Is the Point: Communities Fight Back as Threat of ICE Raids Terrorize Immigrant Families. democracynow.org 
This weekend, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents launched a handful of raids across the country as part of President Trump's push to detain and deport thousands of undocumented migrants in 10 major cities. Agents in Chicago reportedly arrested a mother and her children only to quickly release them. Arrests were also attempted in New York City, in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, and Harlem, where immigrants reportedly refused to open their doors to ICE agents because they did not have warrants. Authorities say more raids are planned this week, prompting fear but also generating mass protests on the ground. We speak…
(2019-07-15). How Some Florida Prosecutors Are Pushing Back Against GOP Voter Suppression Efforts. theintercept.com 
The GOP legislature is trying to take the vote away from people with past legal woes — and some prosecutors are looking for ways around a new restriction.
(2019-07-15). Lights for Liberty give heart to detainees in downtown Los Angeles. peoplesworld.org 
LOS ANGELES—All over America, and in cities abroad, people revolted by the images of small children locked up in cages by the Donald Trump administration gathered Friday, July 12, to lift high their "Lights for Liberty." Perhaps never before in our nation's history has the Lady of the Lamp in New York's harbor needed so …
(2019-07-15). US: Prominent Civil Rights Activist Killed in Louisiana. telesurenglish.net United States police in the state of Louisiana are investigating the murder of Sadie Roberts-Joseph, a prominent civil rights activist and founder of an African-American history museum, whose body was found in the trunk of her car in Baton Rouge, officials reported Sunday. | RELATED: | Trump Says 'The Squad' Hates the US, Asks Them to Leave Again | Sadie Roberts-Joseph, 75, was killed by "traumatic asphyxia, including suffocation" before her body was found in the trunk of her car…
(2019-07-15). The U.S. Is Quietly Opening Detention Camps for Small Children. truthdig.com A new investigative report finds a Phoenix facility is holding 12 boys and girls as young as three months old—all without their mothers.
(2019-07-15). Hundreds gather in Appleton, Wisc. to protest Trump's immigrant concentration camps. peoplesworld.org 
APPLETON, Wisc.— Houdini Plaza here was one of over 700 sites around the world where rallies against immigrant concentration camps and detention centers for those seeking asylum were held under the banner of "Lights for Liberty" this weekend. On Friday, July 12, over 300 participants showed and several speakers shared their thoughts. The speeches were …
(2019-07-15). Anarchist Activist Killed for Fighting US 'Concentration Camps'. telesurenglish.net United States Anarchist and anti-fascist activist, Will Van Spronsen, was killed Saturday by the police in the state of Washington while trying to take direct action against a migration concentration camp, by setting up migrants deportation buses on fire. | RELATED: | Small Scale Immigration Raids in US as Migrants Hide in Fear | The killing occurred a few hours after a peaceful demonstration against the migrants' detention camp when four police officers shot the 69-year-old campaigner in t…
(2019-07-15). Hundreds join united action in Palo Alto, Calif., to shut down Palantir Technologies for complicity with ICE. liberationnews.org 
In a great show of unity in action, more than a dozen groups from all over the San Francisco Bay Area joined together July 19 to protest at Palantir Technologies in Palo Alto for the company's provision of software facilitating ICE raids, detentions and deportations.
(2019-07-15). "We Are in Fear": Undocumented Immigrant in Sanctuary Responds to Raids from Colorado Church. democracynow.org 
As immigrant communities face ongoing raids across the country, we speak with Rosa Sabido, one of dozens of undocumented immigrants living in churches across the United States. She entered sanctuary in May 2017 in the fellowship hall at United Methodist Church in Mancos, Colorado, after being told that her latest request of stay of deportation had been denied by ICE. She first came to the U.S. on a visitor visa in 1987 to see her mother and stepfather, who are both naturalized U.S. citizens. "We are in fear. We are on guard," says Sabido. "We are on constant panic, and we don't know what's going to happen in our…
(2019-07-15). China Reports High Economic Growth of 6.3%. telesurenglish.net Despite the US trade war, China's National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said on Monday that the country has met its growth targets after recording a 6.3 percent rise in GDP and an 8.8 percent rise in average disposable incomes. | RELATED: | Chinese VP Says World Cannot Shut China Out | Analysts awaited the publication of growth figures to see if U.S. sanctions and tariff war would hinder China's ability to reach the government's official growth targets, which were a 6 percent rise in GDP for the f…
(2019-07-15). UN Human Rights Council Adopts Resolution Rejecting US Sanctions. venezuelanalysis.com The draft resolution was approved with 28 votes in favor, 14 against and five abstentions, and was presented by Venezuela and Palestine on behalf of the Movement of Non-aligned Countries.
(2019-07-15). The UN's Free Speech Problem. globalresearch.ca Anyone willing to consult the international law book on the subject of free speech will find it heavy with protections for free speech. The UN Declaration of Human Rights features, in its preamble, the ideal that "human beings shall …
(2019-07-15). Edward Snowden absolutely nails why the 'rinky dink' UK government lives in fear of the left. thecanary.co Whistleblower Edward Snowden was the keynote speaker at the Open Rights Group's (ORG) annual conference on 13 July. During his talk on human rights in the mass surveillance age, Snowden spoke about the difference between 'left' and 'right' activism. | As he did so, the whistleblower nailed what the "rinky dink" UK government fears most about the left. And it's right to fear the 'left' quality that Snowden identified. Because it's ultimately what can shield us from the creeping au…
(2019-07-15). The UN's Free Speech Problem. dissidentvoice.org Anyone willing to consult the international law book on the subject of free speech will find it heavy with protections for free speech. The UN Declaration of Human Rights features, in its preamble, the ideal that "human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want", nothing less than "the …
(2019-07-15). Trump's Fixation on Intellectual Property Rights Serves the Rich. truthout.org Between making threats of actual war with North Korea and Iran, Donald Trump has also gotten us into a trade war with China. Trump's ostensible reason for this trade war — the large US trade deficit with China — actually did have some basis in reality, but in practice the trade war is straying into turf that is likely to offer few gains for US workers and could actually lead to sizable losses. | A major theme in Trump's campaign was that China is a world-class currency manipulator that deliberately keeps down the value of its currency to give its products an advantage in international trade. The ba…
(2019-07-15). The Workers in Our Homes Deserve Rights. commondreams.org Congress should quickly pass this bill so these precarious and undervalued jobs can become good, dignified ones. (Photo: thinkprogress.org) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2019-07-15). Describing 'Future We Want to Live In' Scores of Groups Unveil New Blueprint for Reproductive Rights. commondreams.org "The last two years," says new agenda, "have seen increasingly hostile attacks on reproductive autonomy and rights" | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2019-07-15). War by Other Means: Understanding and Challenging U.S. Sanctions Against Russia (3/3). therealnews.com 
2019 Left Forum panel on US economic war against Russia, presented by Prof. Jeremy Kuzmarov…
(2019-07-15). War by Other Means: Understanding and Challenging U.S. Sanctions Against Venezuela (1/3). therealnews.com 
2019 Left Forum panel on US economic war against Venezuela, presented by TRNN's Greg Wilpert…
(2019-07-15). Decrying Low Wages, Poor Working Conditions, and Support for ICE, Labor Advocates Call for Prime Day Boycott as Amazon Workers Walk Out. commondreams.org As Amazon encourages consumers to buy discounted items during the tech giant's 48-hour "Prime Day" sale on Monday, labor rights advocates are urging support instead for warehouse employees who plan to stage the company's first major strike in the United States. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2019-07-15). Thousands march in Chicago to demand end to US immigrant detention camps, raids and deportations. wsws.org The event was aimed at containing the enormous social opposition to the extreme-right policies of the Trump administration and the Republicans, within the confines of the Democratic Party,…
(2019-07-15). Pompeo's 'Inalienable Rights Commission' — A Conservative Christian Assault on Human Rights? therealnews.com 
The newly-announced State Department "commission on inalienable rights" is a Trojan Horse for the long-planned Conservative Christian attack on human rights.
(2019-07-15). War by Other Means: Understanding and Challenging U.S. Sanctions Against Iran (2/3). therealnews.com 
2019 Left Forum panel on US economic war against Iran, presented by Prof. Reza Ghorashi…
(2019-07-15). Close the concentration camps. mronline.org 
The U.S. government is detaining thousands of migrants, in what can only be described as a system of 21st century concentration camps. Justin Akers Chacón—professor of U.S. History and Chicano Studies in San Diego and author, with Mike Davis, of No One is Illegal—examines the background to this horrific story, suggesting that Trump's detention centres […] | Source
(2019-07-15). 'Racist' and 'Patently Unlawful': Trump Unveils New Rule to Block Asylum-Seekers at Southern Border. commondreams.org Immigrant rights advocates vowed to challenge a new "racist" and "patently unlawful" policy from the Trump administration—set to take effect Tuesday—that aims to block many refugees from being eligible for asylum at the U.S. southern border. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2019-07-14). Activists in Oshkosh, WI call for closure of Trump's concentration camps. fightbacknews.org Oshkosh, WI – On the evening of July 12, the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Students for a Democratic Society (UWO SDS) hosted a Lights for Liberty rally, demanding an end to the Trump administration's detention policy and the closure of the concentration camps, where tens of thousands of immigrants are being held in clear breach of international law. The call to action drew roughly 30 people from Oshkosh and the surrounding Fox Valley area. | The event started with a silent candlelight vigil to help bring awareness to the disastrous conditions in the camps. The action featured 12 different people speaking…
(2019-07-14). Minneapolis stands with Iran, Venezuela, Cuba against U.S. sanctions regime. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – "Workers of the world, unite! Not 'workers of America unite' or 'workers who look like us, pray like us or love like us unite.' It's all workers," said union organizer David Gilbert-Pederson of Minnesota Workers United. "We have more in common with the tailor in Tehran than the bankers who crashed our economy. We have more in common with the bus driver in Caracas than the politicians locking kids in cages." | Gilbert-Pederson spoke to a protest on Lake Street, July 13, of over 80 people gathered to oppose recent U.S. war threats against Iran and Venezuela. Organized by the Minnesota Peace Action…
(2019-07-14). With ICE Raids Expected to Begin Today, the Message is Clear: "Know Your Rights" theantimedia.com The ICE raids are expected to target migrant families in at least 10 cities on Sunday.
(2019-07-14). UN Report on Venezuela Fails to Reflect the Causes and Severity of the Economic Crisis — Why? (2/2). therealnews.com 
Alfred de Zayas says the UN Human Rights Council's report on Venezuela left out essential aspects in its otherwise damning report on Venezuela because the council has increasingly fallen under the sway of the demands of the US government…
(2019-07-14). Nicki Minaj's Boycott of Saudi Arabia Sets a Moral Standard for Artists. therealnews.com 
CodePink's Ariel Gold discusses the decision of Nicki Minaj to withdraw from a festival in Saudi Arabia after a grassroots campaign among her fans made her aware of the human rights violations in the country…
(2019-07-14). US lawmaker Rashida Tlaib compares 'racist' Israel's anti-Palestinian policies to Jim Crow laws. rt.com 
Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (D-Michigan) has denounced Israel's treatment of Palestinians, describing that country's policies as an affront to human rights and comparable to racial segregation in the American South. |
(2019-07-13). Close the immigrant concentration camps, free the children. peoplesworld.org 
In Houston, Texas, a 9-year-old Guatemalan boy sits at the Shiloh Treatment Center, a private facility licensed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection to house detained migrant children. He's likely wondering when, or if, he'll ever see his family again. It's been 14 months since government agents took him from his father at the Arizona …
(2019-07-13). Empire's War under the Radar: Nicaragua. dissidentvoice.org 
In April of 2018 armed and unarmed proxies of the US in collaboration with Nicaraguan elites launched a war against the Nicaraguan state, its government, its economy and its people. It disrupted transportation and communications throughout the country and sabotaged the economy. This was effected through acts of vandalism, arson, assault, beatings, killings, torture and …
(2019-07-13). Embargoes and Other Acts of War. dissidentvoice.org The war between the United States and Japan began with a US-enforced oil embargo against the Japanese Empire. Right now, in the United States, huge detention camps are being constructed for the increasingly criminalized refugee and migrant population, a campaign of government-sponsored domestic terror run by a supposedly temporary, "acting" head of the department created …
(2019-07-13). Human rights report on Venezuela ignores impact of imperialist aggression. mronline.org 
The much anticipated UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights report barely touched upon how the economic sanctions and right-wing violence have impacted the lives of the Venezuelan people | Source
(2019-07-13). San Diego demands closure of Trump's concentration camps. fightbacknews.org San Ysidro, CA – Protesters marched from Larsen Field in San Ysidro to the pedestrian border crossing Friday evening, July 12. The march was led by local Kumeyaay tribal elders, accompanied by the Brown Berets, and local immigrant rights and political organizations in demanding an immediate end to the Trump administration's refugee and immigrant concentration camps. | These camps have been the center of popular outrage, as many reports have surfaced of children being ripped away from their families, sexually assaulted and denied medical treatment. Some even died in custody or immediately following release. S…
(2019-07-12). Venezuela: 'Progress' Reported in Gov't-Opposition Talks as US Sanctions Counter-Intelligence Agency. venezuelanalysis.com The agenda of the talks has not been disclosed but the topic of elections is reportedly being left for last.
(2019-07-12). Then CIA is Invoking Wikileaks to Push for the Expansion of a Cold War Era Secrecy Law. mintpressnews.com 
Three decades ago, the CIA mobilized to protect itself from radical acts of transparency, and now, with the internet and organizations like WikiLeaks, it hopes to be able to further isolate and criminalize those who challenge it.
(2019-07-12). Know Your Rights: How Immigrant Rights Activists Are Preparing for Looming ICE Deportation Raids. democracynow.org 
Immigrant communities across the country and their allies are preparing for nationwide raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement planned to begin Sunday that will target undocumented members of immigrant families in at least nine major cities. The cities where raids will take place are said to be Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York and San Francisco. New Orleans had been on the list, but the city announced this weekend that ICE was temporarily postponing the raids due to Tropical Storm Barry. We speak with a roundtable of immigrants' rights activists: Adelina Nicholls, th…
(2019-07-12). Miscarriage criminalized: racist charges against Marshae Jones. liberationnews.org 
This incendiary indictment marks a fresh level to the ongoing attacks on women's rights.
(2019-07-12). The Glaring Holes in Michelle Bachelet's Venezuela Human Rights Report. mintpressnews.com 
UN High Commissioner on Human Rights Michelle Bachelet's report on Venezuela echoes the US government's talking points, which are designed to terminate the two-decade-old Bolivarian Revolution in Venezuela. The report fails to acknowledge Venezuela's manifest accomplishments or even recognize victims of US-backed right-wing violence in Venezuela. The US economic war against Venezuela, US threats of a "military option," and opposition violence are treated in the Bachelet report as figments of the imagination, "alleged internal and external threats." | Mean…
(2019-07-12). In aftermath of Libya airstrike deaths, UN officials call for refugees and migrants to be freed from detention. un.org "As a priority, we ask that 5,600 refugees and migrants currently held in centres across Libya be freed in an orderly manner and their protection guaranteed" the UN refugee and migrants chiefs said in a joint statement, released on Friday.
(2019-07-12). Friday's Daily Brief: UN chief meets cyclone survivors in Mozambique, Human Rights Council investigates Philippines state violence, UN weather agency tracks Arctic fires. un.org In today's Daily Brief: UN chief António Guterres condemns airstrikes on Syrian hospitals and meets survivors of Cyclones Idai and Kenneth in Mozambique; the UN Human Rights Council votes to investigate the "war on drugs" in the Philippines; and UN weather agency tracks fires…in the Arctic.
(2019-07-12). Pompeo's New "Human Rights" Commission is Up To No Good. aclu.org The Trump administration appears to be trying to find new moral footing for the president's discriminatory policies. | This week, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo formally announced the creation of a "Commission on Unalienable Rights." Its stated purpose, according to a notice published in the Federal Register in May, is to provide "fresh thinking about human rights discourse where such discourse has departed from our nation's founding principles of natural law and natural rights." | Th…