Daily Archives: September 30, 2020

2020-09-30: News Headlines

Staff (2020-09-30). "Vigilantism at the Polls": Trump Attacks Election Integrity, Ballots & Backs Illegal Poll Watching. democracynow.org "It's a rigged election," claimed President Trump when he and his Democratic challenger Joe Biden were asked about election integrity during last night's debate as the two men sparred over mail-in voting. Trump ended the debate by calling for poll watchers. We speak with Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, who says Trump is promoting unlawful intimidation and voter suppression, and has vowed to go to court to block any attempt to discourage or block people from freely casting their ballots.

Staff (2020-09-30). Headlines for September 30, 2020. democracynow.org Trump Refuses to Condemn White Supremacists or Rule Out Post-Election Violence, New York City Coronavirus Infections Surge for First Time in Months, Indian Health Officials Claim 60 Million Coronavirus Infections Nationwide, House Democrats Unveil Pared-Down $2.2 Trillion Coronavirus Relief Bill, Texas Sheriff and Prosecutor Indicted for Evidence Tampering in Javier Ambler Police Killing, Kentucky AG Didn't Recommend Murder Charges for Breonna Taylor's Killers, Trump Plans Pre-Election ICE Raids in U.S. Sanctuary Cities, More Women Detail Forced Sterilizations, Unnecessary Surgeries at Georgia ICE Jail, World Hea…

Lucas Leiroz de Almeida (2020-09-30). 5G Technology Cooperation Between Germany and China Is a Major Blow Against American Interests. globalresearch.ca In Germany, a major blow is being delivered against the United States in the trade war between Washington and Beijing. Despite pressures, Berlin is opting for cooperation with China on 5G technology, refusing to impose any sanctions against Huawei, ignoring …

Brigitte Amiri (2020-09-30). Victory: After Three Years of Battling in Court, the Trump Administration Abandons its Policy of Banning Abortion for Unaccompanied Immigrant Minors. aclu.org As a direct result of the immense courage of our clients and three years of litigation, the Trump administration has officially abandoned its policy of preventing young immigrants in its custody from accessing abortion care. Yesterday, the administration adopted a new policy that prohibits Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) staff and staff employed by any ORR-funded shelter from blocking or interfering with unaccompanied pregnant minors' access to abortion. ORR's adoption of this new

Mark Gruenberg (2020-09-30). Barrett on the bench: Bad news for workers. peoplesworld.org WASHINGTON—In her three years as a federal appellate court judge, Amy Coney Barrett, whom GOP Oval Office occupant Donald Trump has nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court, has shown herself to be bad news for workers' rights, legal analysts report. But what may be scarier about the former Notre Dame University law professor is her …

Peoples Dispatch (2020-09-30). War crimes are being committed in Yemen, says report. peoplesdispatch.org A group of eminent experts has demanded that the UN security council refer the situation in Yemen to the International Criminal Court and expand the list of persons sanctioned…

news.un (2020-09-30). Listen to older people's 'suggestions and ideas' for more inclusive societies, urges UN chief. news.un.org Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the world is reckoning with the disproportionate and severe impact that the virus has wrought on the "health…rights and well being" of older persons, the UN chief has said, marking the international day highlighting their issues.

Pepe Escobar (2020-09-30). The Global Semiconductor Market: China Deploys Sun Tzu to Prevail in the Chip War. globalresearch.ca This article was originally published on Let's cut to the chase: with or without a sanction juggernaut, China simply won't be expelled from the global semiconductor market. | The real amount of

yenisafak (2020-09-30). Outrage over Indian rape victims' cremation by police. yenisafak.com The covert cremation by police of the body of a 19-year-old gang-rape victim early Wednesday triggered protests and condemnations by citizens and activists in India.The Dalit (lower caste) woman was tortured and gang-raped by four men from an upper caste at her village in Hathras in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh on Sept. 14. She battled for her life for two weeks before succumbing to her injuries on Tuesday.In a video going viral on social media, the victim's mother is seen pleading with police to allow her to see her daughter one last time, and bring her body home, as the police cremated the body amid tigh…

Jon Queally, staff writer (2020-09-30). 'Fascism at Our Door': Asked to Condemn White Supremacist Groups, Trump Tells Them to 'Stand By' Instead. commondreams.org "Trump fans the flames of racism, embraces white supremacy, and employs state violence against Americans exercising their rights," said Sen. Elizabeth Warren. "That's Donald Trump's America." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

_____ (2020-09-29). Assange Faces 'Torturous' Months In Tiny Cell If Extradited. popularresistance.org The 49-year-old is fighting extradition to the US on charges related to leaks of classified documents allegedly exposing war crimes. | Assange's defence have claimed he is a "high" suicide risk, having already spent 16 months in top security Belmarsh jail in south London. | On Monday, the Old Bailey heard from witnesses with experience of the Alexandria Detention Centre in Virginia, Assange's likely pre-trial destination if he was extradited. | The court heard that due to his high profile and his perceived national security risk, he could be placed in an administrative segregation (ad seg) unit.

_____ (2020-09-29). Unfounded UN Report On Venezuela Used As Regime Change Tool. popularresistance.org The United Nations Human Rights Council issued a report* by the Independent Mission to Determine the Facts in Venezuela (Independent Mission), which accuses Venezuela of "cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment committed since 2014." The veracity, timing, and political intent of this report is best understood in the context of a campaign led by the U.S. to overthrow Venezuela's democratically elected government of President Nicolás Maduro and before him of Hugo Chávez. | Venezuela is a historically petroleum exporting nation and has consequently suffered from the crash in the international oil prices starting in 20…

Maya Manian (2020-09-29). Immigration Detention and Coerced Sterilization: History Tragically Repeats Itself. aclu.org The recent news of a

yenisafak (2020-09-29). Greek Cyprus pushing back migrants, refugees: HRW. yenisafak.com The Greek Cypriot coast guard "summarily pushed back, abandoned, expelled, or returned more than 200 migrants, refugees and asylum seekers," an international rights group said on Tuesday.The US-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) said the group came from Lebanon in seven boats between Aug. 29 and Sept. 7 and was not given "the opportunity to lodge asylum claims."Some migrants were beaten and threatened by the Greek Cypriot administration's marine police, the report said.According to the HRW, Greek Cypriot coast guard vessels circled the migrants at high speeds, swamping their boats, and, in at least one case, abandoni…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-09-29). Feminists march in Mexico City to demand legal right to abortion. peoplesdispatch.org Hundreds of women marched on the streets of Mexico City demanding legal rights to abortion all across the country on the occasion of International Safe Abortion Day, on Monday, September 28. Protests were called by a number of feminist groups in the country such as Ciudad Feminista and others. Some of the protesters clashed with the police personnel who were trying to stop the protesters from marching. | The women, dressed in black and carrying green bandanas raised slogans demanding safe and legal right of abortion. They marched from the city's Monument to the Revolution towards Juarez to meet another group of p…

Rayhan Uddin (2020-09-29). Sadiq Khan to send official to Saudi summit as three major cities lead boycott. middleeasteye.net Sadiq Khan to send official to Saudi summit as three major cities lead boycott | London will send a representative to the 'Urban 20' meeting in Riyadh despite New York, LA and Paris withdrawing from G20 mayor's summit over rights concerns | Tue, 09/29/2020 – 16: 32 | Sadiq Khan, the first Muslim mayor of London, has led the city since May 2016 (AFP/File photo) | A representative from London will atten…

Rayhan Uddin (2020-09-29). Sadiq Khan refuses to denounce Saudi summit despite boycott by three mayors. middleeasteye.net Sadiq Khan refuses to denounce Saudi summit despite boycott by three mayors | London will send a representative to the 'Urban 20' meeting in Riyadh despite New York, LA and Paris withdrawing from G20 mayor's summit over human rights concerns | Tue, 09/29/2020 – 16: 32 | Sadiq Khan, the first Muslim mayor of London, has led the city since May 2016 (AFP/File photo) | A representative from London will at…

RT (2020-09-29). In unprecedented step, UK & Canada impose sanctions on Lukashenko & other Belarus big wigs over 'rigged elections' & 'repression'. rt.com The British and Canadian governments imposed sanctions, on Tuesday, against long-time Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko, along with his eldest son Viktor, and six other high-ranking officials in the state apparatus. | The sanctions mean that those on the list are banned from traveling to the UK and Canada, and any assets they hold in those countries will be immediately frozen. Lukashenko is the first world leader to be targeted by the new UK Global Human Rights sanctions regime. | "Alexander Lukashenko's regime is responsible for a string of human rights violations against opposition figures, media, an…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-09-29). Collective of Sahrawi Human Rights Defenders holds founding congress. peoplesdispatch.org The Collective of Sahrawi Human Rights Defenders or CODESA was first formed in 2007, but could not take formal shape until now due to interference by the occupying Moroccan authorities…

Elijah Magnier (2020-09-29). The USA threatens Iraq: stop the attacks, or else. thealtworld.com The US administration sent an official threat to the Iraqi government requesting it to prevent all insurgency attacks against its forces, especially against the US embassy in Baghdad. Otherwise, the US threatens dire consequences, including the use of military power, economic sanctions and political boycott against Iraq. | According to officials in Baghdad, "US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo informed the President of the Republic, Barham Salih, Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi, and Speaker Muhammad al-Halbousi of the need to stop all attacks immediately, particularly against the US embassy in Baghdad; otherwise,…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-09-29). Public healthcare strikes continue in Kenya as workers demand their rights. peoplesdispatch.org Doctors and nurses at Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi have downed tools. Meanwhile, the strike by medics in Embu county's government hospitals was called off after the government committed to a timeline to address their grievances…

Elijah Magnier (2020-09-29). Les USA menacent l'Irak : Les attaques doivent cesser, sinon… thealtworld.com L'administration américaine a menacé officiellement le gouvernement irakien en le sommant d'empêcher toute attaque d'insurgés contre ses forces, en particulier contre l'ambassade des USA à Bagdad. Sans quoi il s'expose à des conséquences désastreuses, y compris le recours à la force militaire, l'imposition de sanctions économiques et un boycottage politique de l'Irak. | Selon des responsables à Bagdad, ´ le secrétaire d'État des USA Mike Pompeo a informé le président de la République Barham Salih, le premier ministre Mustafa Al-Kazemi et le président du Parlement Muhammad al-Halbousi de la nécessité de stop…

Mehr News Agency (2020-09-29). Rouhani urges Europe to maintain economic relations with Iran. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Sep. 29 (MNA) — Iranian President Hassan Rouhani urged Europe not to allow US illegal and unilateral sanctions to affect its economic relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Fight Back (2020-09-29). Philippines: Human rights are weapons against Duterte's state terrorism. fightbacknews.org Fight Back News Service is circulating the following Sept. 26 statement from Marco L. Valbuena, Information Officer, Communist Party of the Philippines. | Before the entire world, Duterte revealed himself a remorseless fascist when speaking before the United Nations General Assembly a few days ago, he denounced how human rights have been "weaponized" against his regime. Duterte used the term "weaponize" to denigrate human rights as if it were some malevolent tool used for underhanded aims and to denounce the advocates of human rights as subversives. | In fact, human rights are weapons of the people to defend them…

yenisafak (2020-09-29). UK sanctions Belarus leader Lukashenko. yenisafak.com Britain has imposed sanctions on Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, his son and senior members of the government, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said on Tuesday.The new sanctions include a travel ban and asset freeze on eight individuals.Those sanctioned are Lukashenko, his son Viktor, Presidential Chief of Staff Igor Sergeenko, Interior Minister Yuri Karayev, Deputy Interior Ministers Alexander Barsukov and Yuri Nazarenko, Deputy Internal Troop Commander Khazalbek Atabekov and Minsk Riot Police chief Dmitry Balaba."Today the UK and Canada have sent a clear message by imposing sanctions against Alexander…

commondreams (2020-09-29). Appeals Court Rules GTMO Torture Victim Should Be Seen by Independent Medical Experts. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Scott Michelman (2020-09-29). Punished for Reporting Sexual Harassment: How One Law School Almost Got a Student Survivor Banned From the Bar. aclu.org George Washington University law student Dorea K. Batté saw the texts, missed calls, and voicemails pour into her phone by the hundreds. When she blocked the number they were coming from, her stalker found a way to use different numbers to contact her. She kept blocking the numbers; he kept reaching her using new ones. Feeling helpless and overwhelmed and after warning her stalker twice to stop contacting her — to no avail — Batté finally went to her law school's Title IX office to get help. As a reminder, Title IX is the federal law that prohibits sex discrimination — including sexual harass…

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2020-09-28). The Covid-19 Numbers Game: The "Second Wave" is Based on Fake Statistics. globalresearch.ca "Red zones", travel bans, quarantines, "red lists". A "Second Wave". Millions of people are lining up for Covid-19 testing. The "Numbers Game". How statistics and "estimates" are used by politicians to justify the closure of the national economy and the derogation of fundamental civil rights.

Staff (2020-09-28). Planned Parenthood CEO: Trump's SCOTUS Pick Could Overturn Roe v. Wade & Kill Obamacare. democracynow.org President Trump's nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court could threaten reproductive rights across the U.S., according to Planned Parenthood president and CEO Alexis McGill Johnson. Barrett, who once called abortion "always immoral," would give conservatives a decisive 6-3 advantage on the top court if she is confirmed by the Senate, and President Trump has openly promoted her nomination by suggesting she would help overturn the landmark 1973 ruling in Roe v. Wade that legalized abortion in the U.S. Barrett "would be a huge threat to reproductive rights" on the Supreme Court, says McGill Johnson. "R…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-09-28). Progressives demonstrate in Luxembourg demanding housing rights. peoplesdispatch.org The protest was organized by housing rights groups and leftist parties in response to a controversial directive by the Esch City Council to regulate the procedures for renting apartments…

teleSUR (2020-09-28). Venezuela: President Maduro To Present Anti-Blockade Bill. telesurenglish.net Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro Sunday announced that he will present an Anti-Blockade Constitutional Bill to the National Constituent Assembly (ANC). | RELATED: | During his intervention in the meeting of the Presidential Commission for the Control and Prevention of COVID-19, he informed about this initiative to fight the U.S. arbitrary sanctions. | "It is an Anti-Blockade Bill that has been created and studied…

PWCANDH (2020-09-28). Good Riddance Palantir Party at Company's Palo Alto Headquarters. indybay.org CIA-backed data mining company Palantir says its involvement with ICE is in the interest of American citizens. San Francisco Bay Area immigrant rights activists counter that the company's development of technologies to surveil immigrants is immoral; they have protested frequently in front of the Palo Alto HQ. On September 21, demonstrators celebrated Palantir's exit from Silicon Valley with a colorful goodbye party.

Eds. (2020-09-28). Moria tragedy: Chronicle of an imperialist crime. mronline.org Progressive political sections and human rights groups across Europe had issued repeated warnings to the authorities of an imminent human tragedy at the overcrowded Moria camp on the Greek island of Lesbos.

_____ (2020-09-28). Iran Has Been 'Resanctioned' but Do Sanctions Actually Work? strategic-culture.org The Trump administration is seeking international support to turn back the clock on

Peter Koenig (2020-09-28). Is a New Wave of Covid-Fascism Invading Europe? globalresearch.ca He spoke Truth to Power, about the covid-lie and what it did to humanity and to the global economy. And then he was suddenly arrested by police, handcuffed, pushed into a police car and driven to Wandsworth Custody Center, were he was detained for 22 hours, simply for telling the truth about covid-19.

_____ (2020-09-28). Colombia: 'The Number One Demand On The Streets Is For Justice'. popularresistance.org On Wednesday, September 9, a video went viral in Colombia. It depicted a man repeatedly being beaten and tased by the police while he kept pleading "please, no more". In a few hours, the man, Javier Ordóñez, would be dead and thousands would be on the streets of Bogotá and across the country demanding justice for him. | Ordóñez, a lawyer and father of two, had stepped out with his friends when he was accosted by a group of police officers. As Ordóñez was being tortured, his friends begged the officers to lay off even while capturing their cruelty.

news.un (2020-09-28). 'Eyes and ears' of UN Human Rights Council facing funding crisis. news.un.org The work of UN-appointed independent rights experts is at risk from a critical lack of funding, they warned on Monday.

Andrew Emett (2020-09-28). Former corrections officer sentenced to federal prison for assaulting inmate. nationofchange.org "The abuse of authority by this law enforcement officer and the violation of the inmate's civil rights will not be tolerated."

_____ (2020-09-28). US Sanctions Opposition Parties In Venezuela Ahead Of Elections. popularresistance.org Elections for Venezuela's National Assembly are fast approaching. But the United States does not want them to go ahead at all. Sanctions on Venezuela are nothing new. But yesterday Secretary of State Mike Pompeo took the unusual step of sanctioning leaders of local opposition parties in an attempt to pressure them to pull out of the contest in December. | Remarkably, considering the well-documented flaws with the same problems in the U.S., Pompeo's statement dubiously claimed that Venezuelan voting machines are unreliable, that millions of voters remain unregistered, and that the country's supreme electoral counc…

news.un (2020-09-28). Rights experts denounce death sentence against Nigerian singer who posted on WhatsApp. news.un.org Independent UN human rights experts have called on the Government of Nigeria to immediately release a singer sentenced to death over an allegedly blasphemous song he performed and shared on social media.

news.un (2020-09-28). 'Eyes and ears' of Human Rights Council facing funding crisis. news.un.org The work of UN-appointed independent rights experts is at risk from a critical lack of funding, they warned on Monday.

teleSUR (2020-09-28). US Further Restricts Remittances to Cuba By Sanctioning AIS. telesurenglish.net Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted Monday that the sanction against the Cuban remittance company American International Services (AIS) will be effective as of Tuesday, September 29. | The action adds to Washington's unilateral siege against the Antillean nation, rejected by the international community. | RELATED: | Pompeo justified the inclusion of AIS in the List of Restricted Cuban Entities under the pretext that it is a compa…

Mukund Rathi (2020-09-28). The Fate of Our Rights Won't Be Determined by Amy Coney Barrett, But by Popular Struggle. zcomm.org Shaping the law of the land is within the grasp of ordinary people, and it's time for us to close that hand into a fist…

sputniknews (2020-09-28). US Plan Seeks to Isolate Iran From Global Financial System – Reports. sputniknews.com WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – The US administration is considering sanctioning Iran's entire financial system to cut it off from the outside world, Bloomberg news agency reported.

yenisafak (2020-09-28). Police in Belarus detained more than 350 people at Sunday's protests. yenisafak.com Police in Belarus detained more than 350 people at nationwide protests on Sunday, the Interior Ministry said.Masked police dragged people into vans and fired stun grenades and tear gas to disperse crowds as tens of thousands marched for a seventh straight weekend to demand veteran Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko quit.

Joe Emersberger (2020-09-27). Latest UN report on Venezuela is not remotely honest (Part 1). zcomm.org On September 15, UN investigators published a 411 page report about the human rights situation in Venezuela. They were not granted access to Venezuela but conducted hundreds of interviews with opponents of the Maduro government. Venezuela's Foreign Minister Arreaza assailed the report for being done "remotely". It was done separately from the office of Michele

news.un (2020-09-27). Yemen's warring parties agree to free more than 1,000 prisoners. news.un.org At the end of a week-long meeting in Switzerland, the parties to the conflict in Yemen reached what the UN envoy there called "a very important milestone", in agreeing to release a first group of detainees.

Michael Welch (2020-09-27). Coronavirus: Killer Virus or Common Flu? globalresearch.ca "Implementation of the current draconian measures that are so extremely restrict fundamental rights can only be justified if there is reason to fear that a truly, exceptionally dangerous virus is threatening us. Do any scientifically sound data exist to support …

Carla Stea (2020-09-27). The Weaponization of Human Rights. globalresearch.ca China's Communist "Dictatorship" Lifts 700 Million Chinese Citizens Out Of Poverty: Yet India is Adored by Western Pundits, While China is Demonized and Sanctioned | *** | "The first human right is the right to life." Wang Yi, Minister of Foreign …

Nelson Lichtenstein (2020-09-27). Uber and Lyft Try to Strong-Arm California. zcomm.org We need an equally radical rededication to the concept of jobs with rights, and the rewards, monetary and moral, that are their just compensation…