Daily Archives: November 5, 2020

2020-11-05: News Headlines

MEE staff (2020-11-05). Palestinian prisoner Maher al-Akhras passes 100 days on hunger strike. middleeasteye.net Palestinian prisoner Maher al-Akhras passes 100 days on hunger strike | Taghreed, Akhras's wife, says her husband has been in and out of a coma as his health deteriorates | Thu, 11/05/2020 – 12: 01 | Palestinians carry placards demanding the release of administrative detainee in Israeli custody Maher al-Akhras during a demonstration Hebron, 3 November (AFP) | Palestinian prisoner Maher al-Akhras is on the "ver…

Staff (2020-11-05). Arizona's Blue Shift Rooted in Years of Grassroots Latinx Organizing Against GOP's Xenophobia. democracynow.org One of the crucial states that could decide the presidential election is Arizona, where Joe Biden is leading Donald Trump with thousands of ballots left to count. Trump won Arizona in 2016, and if Biden's lead holds, he will be just the second Democratic presidential candidate to win the state since 1948. "The lion's share of the credit belongs to sustained community organizing in the state," says Marisa Franco, director and co-founder of Mijente, a national digital organizing hub for Latinx and Chicanx communities. She says the Trump administration has been disastrous for immigrants and immigrant rights groups,…

Andre Vltchek (2020-11-05). The Uyghur Issue: How Can the U.S. Dare Lecturing China About the Rights of the Muslims? globalresearch.ca This article by the late Andre Vltchek was first published in 2019. | In 2019, I have written a long analysis about "the Uyghur issue"; analysis which will be soon published as a book. | For some time, I have been warning …

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2020-11-05). The Corona Pandemic and Trump's Trade War against China: America's Dependence on "Made in China". Potential Disruption of the US Economy. globalresearch.ca First published in May 2020, updated June 14, 2020 | What Prospects for trade relations with China, in the wake of the 2020 US November Presidential Election? | Introduction | The US has been threatening China with trade sanctions for several years. At …

Steve Ellner (2020-11-05). Center-Left convergence in Venezuela: A blow to U.S. interventionism. mronline.org Steve Ellner argues that average Venezuelans understand that U.S. sanctions hurt them—and should be resisted.

news.un (2020-11-05). UN rights experts call for release of Saudi activist championing women's right to drive. news.un.org The deteriorating health‚ÄØof Saudi women's rights activist Loujain Al-Hathloul is‚ÄØ"deeply alarming", UN-appointed rights experts said on Wednesday, calling for her release along with "all other women human rights defenders in detention".

Peoples Dispatch (2020-11-05). Chilean protesters demand release of those arrested during October 2019 uprising. peoplesdispatch.org Chilean protesters have been demanding the release of political prisoners who were detained during the October 2019 uprising. The protests last year triggered a movement that led to last month's historic constitutional referendum…

Editor (2020-11-05). Uber and Lyft Bought Their Own Labor Law With a Historic Money Dump. scheerpost.com Stock Catalog / CC BY 2.0] By Brett Wilkins / Common Dreams Shares of Uber and Lyft soared Wednesday after California voters approved Proposition 22, which exempts app-based ride-hailing and delivery driving companies from classifying their workers as employees, allowing the firms to avoid providing basic—but costly—workplace rights and protections. Uber stock was up more than 13% |

Dr. Pascal Sacré (2020-11-05). The COVID-19 RT-PCR Test: How to Mislead All Humanity. Using a "Test" To Lock Down Society. globalresearch.ca The misuse of the RT-PCR technique is used as an intentional strategy by some governments, supported by scientific safety councils and by the dominant media, to justify the violation of a large number of constitutional rights, the destruction of the economy with the bankruptcy of entire active sectors of society,…

NLG-SF (2020-11-05). Bay Area Voter Rights & Election Defense: The NLG's Three Legal Hotlines. indybay.org Election day is here! We will be sending out alerts every day this week with various resources and other announcements associated with voter and election defense. Please be sure to share out these resources to your communities and beyond.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-11-05). Egyptian court orders release of over 600 political prisoners and detainees. peoplesdispatch.org A criminal court in Cairo ordered the release of detainees being held in remand under 19 different cases. As per claims by family members and lawyers, over 300 detainees were released on Tuesday, with more expected to be released in the coming days…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-11-05). Mass detention of health workers in India; union to continue fight. peoplesdispatch.org As many as 2,000 Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) were forcefully detained in the State of Andhra Pradesh on November 2. They were staging protests to demand the implementation of the National Health Mission guidelines…

Mohammed al-Deirawi, Ramzy Baroud (2020-11-04). "They Tried to Freeze Me to Death:" Torture and Resistance in Israeli Prisons. counterpunch.org Mohammad Ibrahim Ali al-Deirawi was born on January 30, 1978 in Nuseirat refugee camp in the Gaza Strip. His family is originally from Bir Al-Saba', an ethnically cleansed Palestinian town located in the southern Naqab desert. Mohammad was arrested by the Israeli army at a military checkpoint in central Gaza on March 1, 2001. He

Mohammad al-Deirawi and Ramzy Baroud (2020-11-04). "They Tried to Freeze Me to Death": Torture and Resistance in Israeli Prisons. dissidentvoice.org Mohammad Ibrahim Ali al-Deirawi was born on January 30, 1978 in Nuseirat refugee camp in the Gaza Strip. His family is originally from Bir Al-Saba', an ethnically cleansed Palestinian town located in the southern Naqab desert. Mohammad was arrested by the Israeli army at a military checkpoint in central Gaza on March 1, 2001. He …

Ali Harb (2020-11-04). US elections 2020: Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar win re-election. middleeasteye.net US elections 2020: Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar win re-election | Tlaib says Covid-19 relief will be her top priority during second term in Congress and vows to continue pushing for Palestinian human rights | Wed, 11/04/2020 – 04: 13 | The Republican opponents of Tlaib and Omar had raised staggering amounts of money despite the non-competitive nature of races (AFP/File photo) | Muslim-American Congresswomen Rashi…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-11-04). Mobilizations in Colombia intensify in defense of life and peace. peoplesdispatch.org In Colombia, mobilizations have intensified demanding an end to escalating violence against social movements and political activists. The objective of is to draw the national government's attention to the humanitarian crisis faced by Afro-descendant, Indigenous, human rights, peasant and social organizations. Meanwhile, ex-combatants of the FARC are demanding that the national government comply with the peace agreements signed between the former government and the FARC in Havana, Cuba, in 2016.

Editor (2020-11-04). How Will the U.S. Election Change the Mideast? scheerpost.com By Juan Cole / Informed Comment If Joe Biden wins the presidency and the Democrats sweep to power in both houses of Congress, it will have a huge impact on domestic policies, on everything from health care to workers' rights to green energy. But the impact on foreign policy would be equally significant. The biggest foreign loser in such a sea change will be Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is a country… |

Ted Kelly (2020-11-04). International calls for release of Palestinian prisoner on hunger strike. workers.org Hunger striker Maher al-Akhras The International Association of Democratic Lawyers, in a resolution released late last month, called for the immediate release of Maher al-Akhras, a Palestinian man imprisoned by Israeli occupation. Detained without charges under the notorious "administrative detention" policy, al-Akhras has been staging a hunger strike for almost . . . |

Kenneth Surin (2020-11-04). The UK's Report on Labour Party Antisemitism. counterpunch.org The UK's Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) report on antisemitism in the Labour party has just been published. It found Labour to have breached the Equality Act of 2010, by virtue of harassment committed by its "agents" and "indirect discrimination", occurring in the form of political interference in investigative procedures, muddled official responses to

Staff (2020-11-04). Election Day Mayhem Began Two Years Ago With Massive Voter Purges. truthout.org You didn't hear this in the cable TV chatter: In the two years leading up to this election, Georgia's GOP secretary of state quietly wiped away the voter registrations of 198,351 voters — based on false information. | Call it "The Great Purge" — overwhelmingly wiping away the voting rights of young voters and voters of color. In other words, voters who might be more likely to vote blue. | I'm not guessing the number of wrongly purged voters. I directed a team of experts that identified each…

commondreams (2020-11-04). On Defending Democracy and Advancing Workers' Rights at the Ballot Box and Beyond. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Mehr News Agency (2020-11-04). NIDC indigenizes know-how for manufacturing highly-used parts. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Nov. 04 (MNA) — After the US reimpostion of sanctions against Iran, indigenizing the know-how for the manufacturing of the parts and equipment applied in different industrial sectors is one of the major strategies of Iran.

Brett Wilkins, staff writer (2020-11-04). Race to the Bottom Continues for Workers as Uber, Lyft Win Prop 22 Passage After Historic Money Dump. commondreams.org One advocacy group called the measure's passage "a huge win for companies whose whole business model is premised on decimating workers' rights." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Megan Sherman (2020-11-04). 5G's Assault on Civil Rights: Let's Not Forfeit Local Power being Trapped into Surveillance. globalresearch.ca Having conquered, colonised and regimented cyberspace and its flow of data, driven away from us and in to orbit in secret stores, telecommunications companies are now looking to occupy public infrastructure with their next generation data network 5G. | Because 5G …

_____ (2020-11-03). 'The Coming War On China' — Watch John Pilger's Powerfully Relevant Documentary. strategic-culture.org Caitlin JOHNSTONE | "The aim of this film is to break a silence: the United States and China may well be on the road to war, and nuclear war is no longer unthinkable," Pilger says in his 2016 documentary The Coming War on China, which "In a few years China has become the world's second-biggest economic power," Pilger's introduction continues. "The United States is the world's biggest military power, with bases and missiles and ships covering ever…

Staff (2020-11-03). "I Am a Citizen": Watch Nikki Giovanni Read Her Poem "Vote" on the Power of the Ballot. democracynow.org Acclaimed poet and activist Nikki Giovanni has a new collection of poems called "Make Me Rain," a celebration of her Black heritage, as well as an exploration of racism and white nationalism. In the poem "Vote," Giovanni offers her thoughts on the importance of voting. It was filmed by The Meteor, a feminist collective of activists, journalists and creators, part of a daily Instagram series focusing on voting rights.

Cooper Feste and Russell Wiley (2020-11-03). Dallas tenants stop an eviction, demand housing rights. liberationnews.org The tenants of Estelle Village apartments are calling for ceased evictions per the CDC moratorium.

Nadda Osman (2020-11-03). Egypt court orders release of more than 600 detainees swept up in crackdown. middleeasteye.net Egypt court orders release of more than 600 detainees swept up in crackdown | The prisoners include journalists, politicians and students who had been in pre-trial detention for over a year | Tue, 11/03/2020 – 14: 50 | A picture taken during a guided tour organised by Egypt's State Information Service on 11 February, 2020, shows the entrance of the Tora prison clinic in the Egyptian capital Cairo (AFP/fi…

Morgan Artyukhina (2020-11-03). Over 100,000 Polish women march against right wing's latest attack on reproductive rights. liberationnews.org For almost two weeks straight, hundreds of thousands of Polish women have marched through the streets of Warsaw and other major Polish cities, protesting the right-wing government's move to ban access to nearly all abortions.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-11-03). Chileans demand release of political prisoners detained in the uprising. peoplesdispatch.org On November 2, relatives and friends and members of various social organizations protested outside the San Miguel prison in Chile's capital Santiago. The demonstration was held to demand the release of hundreds of young protesters, who have spent about a year in preventive detention, after being detained by the national police force in different parts of the country during The protesters also demanded an immediate resumption of visits for inmates in prisons throughout the country. The visits hav…

news.un (2020-11-03). Belarus targets women human rights defenders after disputed August elections. news.un.org Independent UN experts criticized Belarus on Tuesday for persecuting women human rights defenders, who have been involved in the mass protests underway in the country since August's controversial presidential election.

news.un (2020-11-03). Nigerians need justice, UN rights experts say, in call for inquiry into protestor killings. news.un.org The Nigerian Government must establish a credible, independent inquiry into the recent killing of at least 12 peaceful protestors by soldiers, a group of independent UN human rights experts said on Tuesday, as demonstrations against a discredited police unit continue across the country.

CFJPIME (2020-11-03). Canadian Organizations: Maintain Support for Palestinian Self-Determination at UN. globalresearch.ca As the UN General Assembly gears up for a series of votes on 16 annual resolutions in support of Palestinian human rights, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) and the Coalition of Canadian Palestinian Organizations (CCPO) …

news.un (2020-11-03). Cà¥te d'Ivoire: UN reports 3,000 flee abroad amid electoral violence. news.un.org Several thousand people have fled from election-related violence in Cà¥te d'Ivoire to seek sanctuary in neighbouring Liberia, Ghana and Togo, fearing a repeat of the major conflict that followed the election in 2011, the UN refugee agency UNHCR said on Tuesday.

news.un (2020-11-03). UN expert urges Myanmar not to undermine 'very lifeblood of democracy' ahead of polls. news.un.org An independent UN human rights expert has called on the Government and military of Myanmar to stop persecuting opposition supporters, including journalists and student protesters, ahead of next week's general elections.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-11-03). Is the US continuing sanctions against Sudan? peoplesdispatch.org It was understood that sanctions against Sudan were to be lifted when the US removed it from the State Sponsors of Terror (SST) list last week. However, a notice published by the US executive office of the president on Monday renews some sanctions…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-11-03). Widespread condemnation of Israeli raids and arrests of Palestinian leaders, activists. peoplesdispatch.org Organizations have called for the swift and unconditional release of all the Palestinian leaders and activists arrested in the late night raids on Monday, while also demanding freedom for all Palestinian political prisoners and administrative detainees…

Walter Mosley (2020-11-03). To Repair Our Country, Start by Repairing Our Political Language. thenation.com To Repair Our Country, Start by Repairing Our Political Language…

Julia Conley, staff writer (2020-11-03). FBI Investigates Robocalls Aimed at Suppressing Turnout as State Officials Pledge Vigilance Against Attacks on Voting Rights. commondreams.org State officials in Michigan countered robocall misinformation campaigns on Tuesday as the FBI announced it was investigating robocalls that have gone to voters in a number of battleground states and appear to be aimed at suppressing voter turnout. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

_____ (2020-11-03). Innocent Mother Beaten By Philly Cops Filing Lawsuit. popularresistance.org Recorded on cellphone video pulling a mother out of her vehicle and smashing the windows with her toddler inside the backseat, several Philadelphia police officers are under investigation for appearing to assault an innocent woman and her family attempting to drive home during a recent protest. Attorneys representing the victim have confirmed she is filing a civil rights case against the police department. | Shortly before 2 a.m. on Wednesday, Rickia Young was driving home with her 16-year-old nephew and two-year-old son when she became stuck in traffic at a police barricade during a protest against police brutal…

commondreams (2020-11-03). Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law to Provide Live Updates About Barriers Faced by Voters on Election Day. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Thom Hartmann (2020-11-03). This Election Proves the Need for a Right to Vote. commondreams.org America needs a 28th Amendment that establishes an absolute right to vote for all citizens who've achieved the age of majority. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

teleSUR (2020-11-03). Palestinian Prisoner Hits 100 Days of Hunger Strike in Israel. telesurenglish.net The 49-year-old Palestinian Maher Al Akhras reached 100 days on a hunger strike in protest against Israeli administrative detentions, which have hundreds of Palestinians arrested without charge, trial, or release date. | RELATED: | At the end of July, Maher Al Akhras, a father of six, was working as a farmer in a village near Jenin in the occupied West Bank. Today, his name is pronounced by people like Josep Borrell, Europea…

Paul Dobson (2020-11-02). US Cuts Venezuela's Diesel Lifeline with Sanctions Clampdown. venezuelanalysis.com The move is expected to have a "devastating" impact on agriculture, water treatment and electricity generation.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-11-02). 100+ days without Garifuna community members. peoplesdispatch.org Over 100 days have passed since 5 members of the Garifuna community in Triunfo de la Cruz, Honduras were kidnapped by armed men dressed in police uniforms. Four of the five who were abducted are members of OFRANEH, a grassroots organization of the Afro-descendant and indigenous Garifuna community in Honduras. OFRANEH, along with other Honduran and international human rights organizations have been mobilizing to demand their immediate safe return. They have criticized the Honduran government led by Juan Orlando Hernández for its lack of seriousness and will to find those responsible and bring the disappeared home…

Rohollah Faghihi (2020-11-02). Millions of Iranians at Risk as US Sanctions Choke Insulin Supplies. globalresearch.ca A new tranche of sanctions imposed by the US on Iran has exacerbated the insulin shortage crisis in the Islamic Republic and boosted its smuggling, patients and doctors told Middle East Eye. | On 8 October, the US Treasury announced that …

_____ (2020-11-02). How Maher al-Akhras Is Resisting Israel's Administrative Detention. popularresistance.org Facing imminent death, 49-year-old Maher al-Akhras has been refusing to eat in prison for more than three months. The Palestinian father of six has been protesting his repeated arbitrary arrests; he is currently in administrative detention, without charge or trial. | Like many hunger strikers before him, Akhras does not seek death, although he is evidently prepared to die. The hunger strike is his way of refusing to become a modern-day Sisyphus, completing one administrative detention only to begin another. Reclaiming his body from the hands of Israeli authorities, he now wields his own life as a card to make a s…

Mehr News Agency (2020-11-02). 22 Iranian convicts transferred from Iraq to Islamic Republic. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Nov. 02 (MNA) — Iranian Deputy Justice Minister for Human Rights and International Affairs said that 22 Iranian convicts have been transferred from Iraq to Iran.

Brett Wilkins, staff writer (2020-11-02). 'Huge Victory for Texas Voters': Federal Judge Rules in Favor of 127,000 Drive-Thru Ballots. commondreams.org "This is what democracy looks like," said one ACLU lawyer. "Our justice system did its duty today to ensure voting rights are protected and our democracy remains intact." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Keisha N. Blain (2020-11-02). This Election, Black Women Are Leading the Way—Again. thenation.com This Election, Black Women Are Leading the Way—Again…