Daily Archives: December 14, 2020

2020-12-14: News Headlines

Defense for Children International, Palestine (2020-12-14). Israel's Isolation of Palestinian Child Prisoners Amounts to Torture. globalresearch.ca Israeli authorities routinely detain Palestinian children in isolation solely for interrogation purposes, a practice that amounts to torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment, Defense for Children International — Palestine said in a report released today. | The 73-page …

Symon Hill (2020-12-14). Ignore the Spin, The Hague's ICC Ruling on British War Crimes in Iraq Is Damning. globalresearch.ca The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court recently reported that there was "reasonable basis to believe" that British troops committed war crimes in Iraq. She declared that there was evidence of crimes including unlawful killing, rape, torture and inhumane treatment …

news.un (2020-12-14). UN human rights chief 'appalled' at Iran execution, questions trial process and verdict. news.un.org Iran's decision to hang media activist Ruhollah Zam on Saturday was an appalling violation of human rights that followed a deeply flawed trial process, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said in a statement on Monday.

WSWS (2020-12-14). UN rapporteur Nils Melzer demands Assange's immediate release after ten years' arbitrary detention. wsws.org Melzer's statement was issued amid a major coronavirus outbreak in Belmarsh Prison, that threatens the WikiLeaks publisher's life, and in the lead-up to a ruling on his extradition to the United States.

Staff (2020-12-14). Vaccine Equity: Why Communities of Color & Incarcerated People Should Get Early Access to Shots. democracynow.org As the first shipments of a federally approved COVID-19 vaccine arrive across the United States, healthcare workers and residents of nursing homes will receive the first shipments, and epidemiologist Camara Phyllis Jones says communities of color with high rates of COVID-19 should also get consideration for early access. "I think that CDC got it right partially in terms of those overexposed because of their work or their living conditions, but they did not include our brothers and sisters in prisons, jails, detention centers, and they did not include those of us who are more exposed and less protected in our work…

John Pilger (2020-12-14). John Pilger: The Most Lethal Virus Is Not COVID. It Is War. mintpressnews.com In the midst of the greatest health emergency in modern times, with more than 4 million surgical procedures delayed by the National Health Service, Britain has announced a record increase of £16.5 billion in so-called defense spending.

MEE staff (2020-12-14). Loujain al-Hathloul: Saudi Arabia uses tweets supporting women's rights as evidence. middleeasteye.net Loujain al-Hathloul: Saudi Arabia uses tweets supporting women's rights as evidence | Activist's support for women's right to drive and criticism of kingdom's guardianship system cited by prosecutor in terrorism court | Mon, 12/14/2020 – 14: 29 | Saudi activist Loujain al-Hathloul is being tried in a terrorism court (AFP) | The Saudi public prosecutor on Monday cited tweets about a campaign to let women drive…

Noriana Radwan (2020-12-14). A Middle Finger Cost Me My Livelihood as a Woman Athlete. aclu.org It took a split second for my whole world to come crashing down. , , My teammates on the University of Connecticut's women's soccer team were jumping and screaming and hugging each other. We had just won a championship game. It was one of the happiest moments of my life — my first championship win at the collegiate level. Without thinking, I flashed a middle finger in celebration as I embraced teammates on camera. I couldn't have known that split-second, mindless gesture of celebration would cause UConn to suspend me from the NCAA tournament, revoke my scholarship, and completely upend my life as I…

Caitlin Johnstone (2020-12-14). Imperialism 2.0: Notes from the Edge of the Narrative Matrix. globalresearch.ca The new imperialism doesn't look like old-school ground invasions, it looks like multi-front cold wars, economic warfare, blockades and starvation sanctions, drone strikes, arming proxy militias, CIA-backed coups, sprawling tech surveillance networks, mass psyops of unprecedented sophistication and narrative management …

Fight Back (2020-12-14). Human Rights Day car caravan rolls through Minneapolis. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – Nearly 100 cars stretched for over a half mile, honking horns in unison and shouting protest chants from rolled-down windows as they slowly drove through the Cedar-Riverside and Seward neighborhoods on December 12. The occasion was Human Rights Day, with car-caravanning protesters demanding respect for human rights at home and abroad from the U.S. government. | | The action was organized by the Minnesota Anti-War Committee (AWC), which has held annual Human Rights Day events for decades. This year it took place during a dramatic spike in infections of the COVID-19 pandemic. A short-range FM ra…

_____ (2020-12-14). Proud Boys Vandalize Churches And Clash With Antifascists In DC. popularresistance.org Washington DC-A night of confrontations and violent clashes followed a day-long rally of MAGA, the followers of the defeated Trump Administration. Proud Boy hate groups led roving groups of pro-Trump MAGA followers through downtown DC, looking to vent their frustration over a lost Presidential election. | Proud Boys tore down Black Lives Matter signs on several churches and businesses and attempted to penetrate police lines to attack anti-fascist opposition. Confrontations began early in the day at Black Lives Matter Plaza where an anti-fascist group, Black Lives Matter Civil Rights organizations, and allied grou…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-12-14). Belgian working class protests persecution of trade unionists. peoplesdispatch.org On International Human Rights Day, workers across Belgium appealed to revoke the sentences against 17 trade unionists for participating in a roadblock as part of a general strike in 2015…

Mehr News Agency (2020-12-14). US imposes sanctions on two Iranian nationals. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 14 (MNA) — US Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions on two Iranian nationals on Monday.

Strategic Culture Foundation (2020-12-14). Europe's Anti-Russia Sanctions Result in Extensive Economic Losses and Growing Tensions with Russia. globalresearch.ca New data out this week indicates that the European Union has suffered aggregate economic losses amounting to over €120 billion due to its policy of imposing sanctions against Russia. That's according to figures

David Gallup (2020-12-14). Building Global Unity through Tolerance and Universal Rights. zcomm.org For our continued existence on our home planet and for a potential interstellar existence, we must realize what it means to be world citizens who exercise tolerance in all aspects of our lives…

RT (2020-12-13). 'Inhumane treatment': Turkey accuses Greece of migrant 'pushbacks' into Turkish waters. rt.com The Greek Coast Guard has been sending illegal migrants stranded on islands in the Aegean back to Turkish territorial waters, Turkey's Interior Minister has said, accusing Athens of "torture." | The Greek coast guards have been engaged in "torture and inhumane treatment every day," Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said in a Twitter post, addressing Greek Minister for Migration and Asylum, Notis Mitarachi. | Dear Minister Your Coast Guard units are leveling up the torture and inhumane treatment everyday. | Watch your forces engaging…

Dr. Pascal Sacré (2020-12-13). 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,…

teleSUR, ce (2020-12-12). Honduran Refugee Caravan Denied at Guatemala Border. telesurenglish.net The caravan of Honduran refugees which left the city of San Pedro Sula on Thursday, headed for the United States, has been prevented from crossing into Guatemala. | RELATED: | The migrant refugees were detained by Honduran riot police and told they were required to have a negative Covid-19 test and a passport to enter Guatemala. | Officials of the migration institute indicated that they would not allow the passage…

Ralph Nader (2020-12-12). Go Vote Yourself a Raise, Georgia—You've Long Earned It. commondreams.org Candidates should be pushed to say if they stand with the super-rich profiteering, callous Big Business tycoons or with the people who work for pitiful wages, on the rugged frontlines, and keep our society running. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

The Canary (2020-12-12). Tory anger over Navy no-deal threat as trade negotiations enter crunch stage. thecanary.co Senior Conservatives have reacted angrily to Boris Johnson's handling of the Brexit trade negotiations and the threat to deploy Royal Navy gunboats to patrol UK fishing waters in the event of no-deal.Dad's Navy: The Ministry of Defence has confirmed that four 80-metre armed vessels have been placed on standby to guard British waters from EU trawlers in the event that there is no new agreement on fishing rights after 31 December when transitional arrangements end.Reports also suggested that military helicopter surveillance will be made available and that ministers are considering beefing-up Navy powers in l…

Julie Burkhart (2020-12-12). Mass protests for reproductive rights erupt in Poland: Why Americans should learn from them. salon.com Poland is a reminder that when authoritarians take power, attacks on reproductive rights often follow…

Jake Johnston (2020-12-09). Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to Hold Hearing on Haiti. cepr.net The follow is a guest post from the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti. On Thursday, December 10, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) will hold a hearing on pervasive impunity and a lack of judicial independence in Haiti. The event will be broadcast live here. The Commission, a quasi‚Äêjudicial body of the …

Dave DeCamp (2020-12-04). US Slaps More Sanctions on Iran, Claiming Tehran Has Secret Chemical Weapons. theantimedia.com Iraq used chemical weapons against Iran in 1980s war while receiving support from the US.

2020-12-14: Social Media Postees

Please be social by posting these 'POSTEES' on social media! (Copy the text of the postee below, then paste it on social media and the story images will also appear.)

Ignore the Spin, The Hague's ICC Ruling on British War Crimes in Iraq Is Damning
Symon Hill | globalresearch.ca | 2020-12-14
The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court recently reported that there was "reasonable basis to believe" that British troops committed war crimes in Iraq. She declared that there was evidence of crimes including unlawful killing, rape, torture and inhumane treatment …
globalresearch.ca/hague-ruling-british-war-crimes-iraq-damning/5732129

Baltimore Amazon workers form rank-and-file safety committee to defend workers and save lives
wsws.org | 2020-12-14
We, the Amazonians of Baltimore, hereby announce the formation of an independent rank-and-file safety committee at the Amazon BWI2 Fulfillment Center. In launching the committee, our goal is to expose the conditions at our facility and the lies of management meant to cover them up. We are an organization of, for, and led by Amazon workers which will defend the rights and safety of our fellow employees.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/12/14/bwi2…

Imperialism 2.0: Notes from the Edge of the Narrative Matrix
Caitlin Johnstone | globalresearch.ca | 2020-12-14
The new imperialism doesn't look like old-school ground invasions, it looks like multi-front cold wars, economic warfare, blockades and starvation sanctions, drone strikes, arming proxy militias, CIA-backed coups, sprawling tech surveillance networks, mass psyops of unprecedented sophistication and narrative management …
globalresearch.ca/imperialism-notes-edge-narrative-matrix/5732184

The Most Lethal Virus Is Not Covid. It Is War
John Pilger | zcomm.org | 2020-12-14
Britain has no enemies other than those within who betray the trust of its ordinary people, its nurses and doctors, its carers, elderly, homeless and youth, as successive neo-liberal governments have done, Conservative and Labour…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/the-most-lethal-virus-is-not-covid-it-is-war/

John Pilger: The Most Lethal Virus Is Not COVID. It Is War
John Pilger | mintpressnews.com | 2020-12-14
In the midst of the greatest health emergency in modern times, with more than 4 million surgical procedures delayed by the National Health Service, Britain has announced a record increase of £16.5 billion in so-called defense spending.
mintpressnews.com/john-pilger-lethal-virus-not-covid-war/273597/

UN rapporteur Nils Melzer demands Assange's immediate release after ten years' arbitrary detention
wsws.org | 2020-12-14
Melzer's statement was issued amid a major coronavirus outbreak in Belmarsh Prison, that threatens the WikiLeaks publisher's life, and in the lead-up to a ruling on his extradition to the United States.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/12/14/assa…

Israel's Isolation of Palestinian Child Prisoners Amounts to Torture
Defense for Children International, Palestine | globalresearch.ca | 2020-12-14
Israeli authorities routinely detain Palestinian children in isolation solely for interrogation purposes, a practice that amounts to torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment, Defense for Children International — Palestine said in a report released today. | The 73-page …
globalresearch.ca/israel-isolation-palestinian-child-prisoners-amounts-torture/5732181

UN human rights chief 'appalled' at Iran execution, questions trial process and verdict
news.un.org | 2020-12-14
Iran's decision to hang media activist Ruhollah Zam on Saturday was an appalling violation of human rights that followed a deeply flawed trial process, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said in a statement on Monday.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/12/1079982

Loujain al-Hathloul: Saudi Arabia uses tweets supporting women's rights as evidence
MEE staff | middleeasteye.net | 2020-12-14
Loujain al-Hathloul: Saudi Arabia uses tweets supporting women's rights as evidence | Activist's support for women's right to drive and criticism of kingdom's guardianship system cited by prosecutor in terrorism court | MEE staff | Mon, 12/14/2020 – 14: 29 | Saudi activist Loujain al-Hathloul is being tried in a terrorism court (AFP) | The Saudi public prosecutor on Monday cited tweets about a campaign to let women drive…
www.middleeasteye.net/news/saudi-arabia-…

Big Pharma Strikes Back
Dean Baker — Arjun Jayadev | counterpunch.org | 2020-12-14
On Monday, we, along with Achal Prabhala, had a column in the New York Times arguing in support of a resolution put forward before the WTO by India and South Africa, which would suspend intellectual property rights related to vaccines and treatments during the pandemic. The main point is that these rights are slowing the…
counterpunch.org/2020/12/14/big-pharma-strikes-back/

Human Rights Day car caravan rolls through Minneapolis
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-12-14
Minneapolis, MN – Nearly 100 cars stretched for over a half mile, honking horns in unison and shouting protest chants from rolled-down windows as they slowly drove through the Cedar-Riverside and Seward neighborhoods on December 12. The occasion was Human Rights Day, with car-caravanning protesters demanding respect for human rights at home and abroad from the U.S. government. | | The action was organized by the Minnesota Anti-War Committee (AWC), which has held annual Human Rights Day events for decades. This year it took place during a dramatic spike in infections of the COVID-19 pandemic. A short-range FM ra…
www.fightbacknews.org/2020/12/14/human-r…

Building Global Unity through Tolerance and Universal Rights
David Gallup | zcomm.org | 2020-12-14
For our continued existence on our home planet and for a potential interstellar existence, we must realize what it means to be world citizens who exercise tolerance in all aspects of our lives…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/building-global-unity-through-tolerance-and-universal-rights/

A Middle Finger Cost Me My Livelihood as a Woman Athlete
Noriana Radwan | aclu.org | 2020-12-14