(2021-03-01). U.S. exceptionalism surges again. Will it fly? mronline.org 
In a statement marking the "return" of the United States to the United Nations Human Rights Council on Wednesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken disclosed that the Biden Administration is placing democracy and human rights at the centre of American foreign policy.
(2021-03-01). Argentines Reject Mock Body Bags Display in Anti-Govt Protest. telesurenglish.net Political leaders and human rights activists on Sunday rejected the display of mock body bags in front of the Argentine government's headquarters (La Casa Rosada) in Buenos Aires, during an opposition protest. | RELATED: | The dozens of bags, stuffed to simulate corpses, were labeled with names of government officials and well-known figures, whom the opposition accuses of having received "special" treatment in the vacci…
(2021-03-01). Biden Jeopardizes Nuclear Talks With Iran by Bombing Militias in Syria. truthout.org 
Image Credit: 2021 Maxar Technologies (photo left) | The Biden administration is facing intense criticism from U.S. progressives after carrying out airstrikes on eastern Syria said to be targeting Iranian-backed militia groups. The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports at least 22 people died. The Pentagon called the assault a response to recent rocket attacks on U.S. forces in northern Iraq. Those attacks came more than a year after Iraq's parliament voted to expel U.S. troops [mda…
(2021-03-01). Burmese Scholar: Military Junta Using Terror Against "Entire Population" to Keep Power After Coup. democracynow.org 
In Burma, mass protests continue after at least 18 people were killed in anti-coup protests, marking the deadliest day since the February 1 military coup which deposed and detained de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Police fired live ammunition into crowds as Burmese forces steadily escalated their crackdown. One local group says 1,000 people were arrested, including journalists and medical professionals. "The coup group and the entire security sector … have essentially terrorized the entire population," says Maung Zarni, a Burmese scholar, dissident and human rights activist. "I have seen absolutely nothing lik…
(2021-03-01). Biden "Illegally" Bombs Iranian-Backed Militias in Syria, Jeopardizing Nuclear Talks with Tehran. democracynow.org 
The Biden administration is facing intense criticism from U.S. progressives after carrying out airstrikes on eastern Syria said to be targeting Iranian-backed militia groups. The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports at least 22 people died. The Pentagon called the assault a response to recent rocket attacks on U.S. forces in northern Iraq. Those attacks came more than a year after Iraq's parliament voted to expel U.S. troops — an order ignored by both the Trump and Biden administrations. "Very quickly the Biden administration is falling into the same old patterns of before, of responding…
(2021-03-01). U.S. Says Saudi Crown Prince MBS Approved Assassination of Khashoggi, But He Avoids Any Sanctions. democracynow.org 
The Biden administration has released a declassified report that finds Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, responsible for the assassination of Saudi dissident and Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018. But the U.S. does not plan to sanction the crown prince, though the administration has announced travel restrictions to dozens of other Saudi officials. The decision is being criticized by human rights groups and friends of the late Khashoggi. "It's important to not point fingers but also to sanction MBS … and to treat him as the pariah he is, like Biden promised during…
(2021-03-01). Bangladesh: UN rights chief urges transparent probe into writer's death, review of law under which he was charged. news.un.org The UN's top human rights official on Monday called for transparent investigation into the death in custody of a writer in Bangladesh, who was held in pre-trial detention for nine months for publishing an article and sharing social media posts critical of the Government's COVID-19 response.
(2021-03-01). 'Mass craziness': Daily Beast uses Al-Qaeda torture survivor to compare Capitol rioters to ISLAMIST TERRORISTS. rt.com 
Mainstream media took its demonization of Donald Trump supporters to a new level, with the Daily Beast using an Al-Qaeda torture survivor to compare the US Capitol rioters to his brutal captors, and the former president to ISIS. | "Most of these MAGA guys, they believe they are on a spiritual quest to make America great," the Daily Beast quoted journalist They have…
(2021-03-01). Saint Petersburg cop arrested after allegedly leaking information about flight on which opposition figure Alexey Navalny fell ill. rt.com 
A Russian policeman has been arrested, suspected of leaking information from the country's centralized database of travel records, which is available only to law enforcement. He is accused of transferring data to a third party. | That's according to Moscow daily Kommersant, which reported that the unnamed St. Petersburg police officer could have handed over information to the team of Alexey Navalny, the Russian opposition figure who was allegedly poisoned and fell ill on a flight from Tomsk to Moscow in August. The newspaper claims that, in September, the individual concerned checked the database for informati…
(2021-03-01). German soldier, relatives arrested over 'hoarding' weapons & ammo, and making 'extremist statements'. rt.com 
In the latest suspected insurgency case, a German Army soldier and two of his relatives were arrested in a special police forces operation. Police say the suspects have been "hoarding" weapons and making "extremist" statements. | On Monday, police in the German western state of Hesse said they arrested two men, including a 21-year-old Bundeswehr soldier, as part of a series of raids over the weekend. While searching their apartments, the Special Forces officers discovered "extensive evidence" of their illegal activities and seized "military-grade weapons, various ammunition and explosives." | Also on rt.com…
(2021-03-01). Russia's wealthiest official, local Sakhalin politician Dmitry Pashov, arrested over links to 'Crab King' murder & smuggling cases. rt.com 
Dmitry Pashov, named by Forbes as Russia's richest official, has been arrested over the case involving Oleg Khan, the man dubbed by the media as the 'Crab King' who is accused of smuggling shellfish and killing an entrepreneur. | In September 2020, Pashov topped Forbes' ranking of the highest-earning civil servants and deputies, with a supposed yearly income of 6.2 billion rubles ($83 million). The businessman is the owner of Moneron, a large crabbing company, and became a member of the Sakhalin Regional Duma in 2017. | Pashov was arrested on January 27 at his island home in Russia's Far East, near Japan. He i…
(2021-03-01). Police 'arrest former Barcelona president Bartomeu and two club bosses' as staff see football giants' offices raided by officers. rt.com 
Josep Maria Bartomeu has been arrested alongside two senior Barcelona officials in the latest development in a police investigation less than a week before the club's presidential elections end, a Spanish news source has said. | Catalonian cops have raided the offices of the Spanish football giants and reportedly swooped on ex-president Bartomeu, who resigned at the end of October along with the club's entire board of directors. | Local force the Mossos d'Esquadra are said to have taken action — moving in just six days before the long-awaited presidential elections to permanently replace Bartomeu end …
(2021-03-01). Two Ukrainian diplomats ARRESTED at border in Poland-bound minibus allegedly packed with cigarettes and gold (PHOTOS). rt.com 
A pair of Ukrainian diplomats have been recalled after being arrested for trying to smuggle 16kg of gold, thousands of packets of cigarettes and tens of thousands of dollars into neighboring Poland, officials said. | A driver for Ukraine's embassy in Warsaw and an attache for consular affairs were detained by Ukrainian border guards on Sunday after being stopped in an official minibus at a checkpoint on their way to Poland. | Two other officials were also allegedly involved in the attempted smuggling, including the attache's father, who works at the embassy, Ukraine's state investigative bureau said in a state…
(2021-03-01). Oman: Crackdown in Dhofar over criticism of plans to develop camel-grazing areas. middleeasteye.net 
Oman: Crackdown in Dhofar over criticism of plans to develop camel-grazing areas | Poet Salem Ali al-Maashani the latest to be arrested as discontent over governor's decision to remove herders grows online | Mon, 03/01/2021 – 13: 07 | A camel walks on a road in Salalah, in Oman's Dhofar governorate, January 2018 (MEE/Joe Gill) | Authorities in Oman have intensified a crackdown on critics of plans to remove camel…
(2021-03-01). Oman crackdown over criticism of plans to develop Dhofar camel-grazing area. middleeasteye.net Oman crackdown over criticism of plans to develop Dhofar camel-grazing area | Poet Salem Ali al-Maashani the latest to be arrested as discontent over governor's decision to remove camel herders grows online | Mon, 03/01/2021 – 13: 07 | A camel walks on a road in Salalah, in Oman's Dhofar governorate, January 2018 (MEE/Joe Gill) | Authorities in Oman have intensified a crackdown on critics of plans to remove camel…
(2021-03-01). 'He'll be like Khashoggi': Wife fears for Saudi-Australian detained in Morocco. middleeasteye.net 
'He'll be like Khashoggi': Wife fears for Saudi-Australian detained in Morocco | Australian consular officials intervene, as fears grow that dual citizen arrested last month may be extradited to Riyadh | Mon, 03/01/2021 – 13: 02 | Osama al-Hasani was arrested on 8 February hours after arriving in Morocco to visit his newborn child (Screengrab/Twitter) | A Saudi-Australian citizen detained in Morocco l…
(2021-03-01). Bartomeu arrested as police raid club offices in 'Baràßagate' investigation. laprensalatina.com Barcelona, Mar 1 (efe-epa).- Police in Catalonia on Monday arrested the former president of Barcelona FC, Josep Bartomeu, as part of an investigation into alleged corruption dubbed "Baràßagate", judicial sources told Efe. The Mossos d'Esquadra also detained another former director Jaume Masferrer and the current chief executive officer, Oscar Grau, after raiding the offices at …
(2021-03-01). Bartomeu arrested as police raid club offices in Baràßagate investigation. laprensalatina.com Barcelona, Mar 1 (efe-epa).- Police in Catalonia on Monday arrested the former president of Barcelona FC, Josep Bartomeu, as part of an investigation into alleged corruption dubbed "Baràßagate", judicial sources told Efe. The Mossos d'Esquadra also detained another former director Jaume Masferrer and the current chief executive officer, Oscar Grau, after raiding the offices at …
(2021-03-01). 'Zionist' is not hate speech, activists say. therealnews.com 
A Saturday Night Live joke about Israel's vaccine apartheid sparked outrage from some ardent supporters of the Israeli government, but the controversy speaks to larger threats to free speech in the digital age, especially when it comes to criticisms of Zionism. At this very moment, tech giant Facebook is considering whether or not to respond to calls to ban the term "Zionist" as anti-Semitic hate speech. | TRNN's Jaisal Noor speaks with Jewish Voice For Peace's Rabbi Alissa Wise about the "Facebook, We Need to Talk" campaign and the long history of tech companies censoring the voices of Palestinians who are…
(2021-03-01). Supreme Court: Shamima Begum may be barred from UK. ukhumanrightsblog.com 
Special Immigration Appeals Commission and Secretary of State for the Home Department v R (Begum) [2021] UKSC 7 Since 2019 when Shamima Begum was found in a camp in north Syria, her hopes of returning to the UK have ebbed and flowed (see here and here). Stripped of her British citizenship, she brought three sets …
(2021-03-01). 'We've made this kind of war invisible'. therealnews.com 
The reality of war has become so distant and abstract for U.S. civilians that most have no idea how many wars we're actually engaged in. And that, as writer and combat veteran Danny Sjursen argues, is by design.
(2021-03-01). Financial Reserves and the Racial Wealth Gap. counterpunch.org 
Why is it that the wealthiest country on earth has the highest death toll of any nation in the world? And why are Black and Latino people among those experiencing the greatest mortality and hardship during the pandemic? There is excellent research on how the Black-white wealth gap left Black households more vulnerable (see resources
(2021-03-01). Does Corona policy threaten our fundamental rights? Scientist warns of "creeping process" indybay.org The state is allowed to restrict citizens in a pandemic so as not to endanger public health. But the state doesn't have the right to harm citizens. It does not get to decide which life is worth protecting and which is not. This article was published in German on 2/22/2021.
(2021-03-01). Illinois Must End Youth Incarceration, Not "Transform" It. truthout.org 
Even amid a deadly pandemic, in the U.S., there are
(2021-03-01). After Mass Closures, Post-Pandemic Child Care Options Will Be Scarce. truthout.org 
Driving to work before dawn last winter, Valerie Norris heard an NPR report about a terrible disease spreading in China — a pandemic, people were starting to call it. It sounded sad but very far from Rocky River, Ohio, where she'd led the Rockport Early Childhood Center for 34 years. | A few weeks later, she knew better. | It was still dark on the chilly morning of March 13 when Norris pulled into the big parking lot at the Rockport United Methodist Church, where her school was based. She always…
(2021-03-01). Beijing accused of using Covid pandemic to control journalists — foreign media group report. rt.com 
The Foreign Correspondents' Club of China (FCCC) has accused Beijing of using Covid-19 as "yet another way to control journalists," curbing visas and surveilling reporters. China says it's protecting its citizens from the virus. | The FCCC, which is the professional association of Beijing-based journalists reporting on China, has argued that 2020 had seen a "rapid decline in media freedom," implemented under the cover of measures that were used to combat the spread of coronavirus. | In its annual report released on Monday the press group claimed these restrictions were placed on journalists to prevent them fro…
(2021-03-01). Rep. Ro Khanna: Democrats Should Ignore the Senate Parliamentarian and Pass $15 Minimum Wage Hike. democracynow.org 
The House of Representatives has voted to pass President Biden's $1.9 trillion pandemic relief package that includes an increase to the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $15 an hour, which could now be stripped out in the final bill after the unelected Senate parliamentarian found it does not comply with budget rules. Democratic Senators Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona have also said they'll oppose the measure. Congressmember Ro Khanna of California says the parliamentarian "misruled" in this case and that Democrats should pass the wage hike anyway. "I don't know any part of this count…
(2021-03-01). CYBERWAR is imminent & will affect ordinary Americans, claims CEO of company that 'discovered' SolarWinds hack. rt.com 
Cybersecurity firm FireEye has warned Americans that they'll be targeted by the next big cyberattack, whether they know it or not. Disrupted supply chains and the chaos of cellular and internet networks crashing will follow. | "The next conflict where the gloves come off in cyber, the American citizen will be dragged into it, whether they want to be or not. Period," FireEye CEO Kevin Mandia told Axios on HBO on Sunday. | "People don't even know all the things they depend on. All of a sudden the supply chain starts getting disrupted because computers don't work," he continued, threatening viewers with his descr…
(2021-03-01). U.S. State Department accusation of China 'genocide' relied on data abuse and baseless claims by far-right ideologue. mronline.org 
The Trump and Biden administrations have relied on the work of a right-wing religious extremist, Adrian Zenz, for their "genocide" accusation against China. A close review of Zenz's research reveals flagrant data abuse and outright falsehoods.
(2021-03-01). Biden ready to 'consider' lifting Venezuela sanctions: report. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Mar. 01 (MNA) — Biden would reportedly consider the move only if it sees certain steps made by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
(2021-03-02). Raise the minimum wage to $15 — at least! workers.org 
A $15-per-hour minimum wage cannot be included in the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill proposed by Congressional Democrats. So ruled the Senate parliamentarian, Elizabeth McDonough, on Feb. 25. This unelected official called it "irrelevant to budget legislation." This edict is a brutal blow to millions of struggling workers. Nevertheless, the . . . |
(2021-03-01). New Haven youth target gun violence, inequality at Black history month march. peoplesworld.org 
NEW HAVEN, Conn.—A caravan of 20 cars and a group of 65 people took to the streets of New Haven on Feb. 20 to call for an end to gun violence and police brutality, taxing the rich, and to demand state and federal relief for communities of color impacted by COVID-19. The Annual Black History …
(2021-03-01). Spring 2021 National Immigrant Solidarity Network News Alert! indybay.org 2021 Can This Could Be An New Era For The Immigrant Rights at this COVID And New President? Yet Many Americans Are Strikingly Tolerant Of Massive COVID-19 Casualties, Why?>
(2021-03-01). Israeli High Court Limits Shin Bet's Controversial Surveillance of COVID-19 Carriers. sputniknews.com In 2020, the Israeli government allowed the nation's Internal Security Agency (Shin Bet) to use cellphone data to retrace the movements of residents who contracted COVID-19, with the ultimate goal being to inform others who came in contact and ordering them to quarantine. The move was immediately slammed by rights-groups over privacy violations.
(2021-03-02). Protest demands freedom for Mumia, suffering COVID symptoms. workers.org 
Political prisoner and Black journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal began experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, including difficulty breathing, Feb 26. Hearing this news, his family and supporters called a protest. Less than 24 hours later, about 70 people turned up outside the office of Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner to call for Abu-Jamal's immediate . . . |
(2021-03-01). Discovery of Brazilian variant in UK won't derail plans to ease Covid lockdown in England, PM Johnson says. rt.com 
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said that the discovery of the highly contagious 'P1' Brazilian variant of Covid-19 will not derail his government's plans to ease lockdown restrictions in England in the coming weeks. | The PM said there is currently no reason to change plans to start reopening England after three months of a third national lockdown. Schools and colleges are set to return to in-person learning from March 8, with restrictions on shops and businesses, pubs and gatherings being eased over the next three months — infection rates permitting. | Earlier on Monday, Prof Graham Medley, who head…
(2021-03-01). Virus reduces fitness of former Covid-19 patients aged 45 to level of 80-year-olds, Israeli researchers discover. rt.com 
One of Israel's top medical centers has published a worrying study about the long-term effects of the coronavirus, revealing that 45-year-old former patients performed during physical tests as if they were aged 80. | Some 30 people aged 45, on average, took part in the survey carried out by the Beilinson Medical Center in Petah Tikva, the Times of Israel Three months after they had been officially cleared of the disease, the former Covid-19…
(2021-03-01). Chinese investment in Australia plunges to RECORD LOW amid escalating trade row. rt.com 
New data from the Australian National University (ANU) showed Chinese investment in Australia dropped by more than 61 percent in 2020, to just over a billion Australian dollars (US$780 million) — the lowest in the past six years. | According to figures from the Chinese Investment in Australia Database (CHIIA), the drop followed a 47 percent fall in 2019, when Chinese investment totaled US$1.57 billion. It was also well short of the peak of US$12.7 billion recorded in 2016. | "It reflects the effects of Covid, but also more scrutiny of foreign investment by the Australian government, particularly that fro…
(2021-03-01). Deep 'psychological pain': Japan urges China to stop subjecting its citizens to Covid-19 ANAL SWABS. rt.com 
Tokyo has requested Beijing stop subjecting Japanese nationals in China to anal swab testing for Covid-19, urging it use alternative methods instead. The procedure is said to inflict "great psychological pain" on test subjects. | The coronavirus testing issue was brought up by Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato during a press conference on Monday. | Some Japanese reported to our embassy in China that they received anal swab tests, which caused a great psychological pain. | Japan has already requested Beijing halt the controversial testing, sticking to other methods instead. So far, China has not re…
(2021-03-02). Johnson & Johnson's newly-approved Covid vaccine met with pushback as Catholic diocese condemns it for 'ties to abortion cells'. rt.com 
As Johnson & Johnson rolls out its freshly approved Covid-19 vaccine in the US, it faces a religious controversy as the Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans has labeled it "morally compromised" over links to abortion cells. | Catholics are advised not to receive the vaccine because Johnson & Johnson used cell lines derived from decades-old abortions in both testing and production of the new product, the Archdiocese Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna have utiliz…
(2021-03-02). Small Acts Can Become A Power No Government Can Suppress. dissidentvoice.org 
The American Rescue Plan (ARP) was passed in the House this past week and now heads to the Senate, where it will no doubt be changed before it becomes law some time in mid-March. The current unemployment benefits expire on March 14. While we don't know what the final bill will look like, at least …
(2021-03-02). Erie, PA: Residents skeptical towards corporation's "green" promises. liberationnews.org 
The plight of this area has left the door open to the opportunism of "green" industry and it is currently being courted by International Recycling Group (IRG).
(2021-03-02). Digamosle a Biden: °Deja de bombardear Siria! workers.org La administración de Biden solo tardó 36 días en el cargo para mostrar al mundo, a través de un bombardeo en Siria, que es beligerante, agresivo y empeñado en la guerra. Solo hubo un breve respiro de las viles palabras y acciones de Trump. Ahora tenemos que enfrentar los viles . . . |
(2021-03-02). Struggle for justice forces reopening of two cases of police violence in Milwaukee. liberationnews.org 
The cases of Christopher Davis, killed by Milwaukee Deputy Juan Ortiz, and Jay Anderson, killed by Wauwatosa officer Joseph Mensah, have been re-opened in the Milwaukee area.
(2021-03-02). Nadezhda Krupskaya: Bolshevik revolutionary and educator. workers.org 
Feb. 14 is the birth date of Nadezhda Krupskaya — Bolshevik revolutionary, educator and library advocate. Although born to a formerly aristocratic family, her family had descended into poverty, which led her to study Marxism. She joined the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party in 1903. Nadezhda Krupskaya In 1905, Krupskaya . . . |
(2021-03-02). Former CIA director John Brennan 'embarrassed to be a WHITE MALE'… and critics agree they're embarrassed he's a white male. rt.com 
John Brennan, the former CIA director and perjurer who's now an MSNBC contributor, apparently found a point on which he and his conservative critics can agree: Both sides are ashamed that he's a white male. | Responding to an MSNBC discussion Monday about Republican claims regarding the January 6 Capitol riot, Brennan said, "I'm increasingly embarrassed to be a white male these days, in light of what I see of my other white males saying." | John Brennan should be ashamed to be John Brennan
(2021-03-02). 'We have to DO STUFF NOW': Biden adviser says White House to start redressing systemic racism, not just wait for reparations study. rt.com 
President Joe Biden will push ahead on making amends for America's "systemic racism," creating more opportunities for black people right away rather than waiting for a reparations study, a White House adviser said. | "We don't want to wait on a study," Cedric Richmond, director of the White House Office of Public Engagement, said in an 'Axios on HBO' | White House press secretary Jen Psaki confirmed on February 17 that Biden s…
(2021-03-02). Attempt at civil discourse on 'Wokeism' ends in Clubhouse room 'coup,' Jewish prof shut down as 'SPICY WHITE' & demands for CASH. rt.com 
Evolutionary biologist Bret Weinstein had to relive his Evergreen College moment whe he was attacked from all sides in a Clubhouse room hijacked by hostile "anti-racist" mob aghast at the idea of white people discussing "wokeism." | The room, dubbed "Is Clubhouse Obsessed with 'Wokeism'?" was created by independent journalist Michael Tracey, who said he thought the Clubhouse chats "almost inevitably evolve into a discussion of 'woke-ism'… but there's seldom anyone in the room who identifies enough with the ideology to give a defense of it." | His attempt to create a safe space for a civil discourse and let b…
(2021-03-02). Twitch reverts back to 'women' after tweet celebrating 'Womxn's History Month' savaged online. rt.com 
Streaming platform Twitch has returned to the conventional spelling for "women" after its social media post hailing "Womxn's History Month" — avoiding any "gender-binary language" — backfired and angered critics on all sides. | Though the company took to Twitter on Monday to inform users that "March is Womxn's History Month," using an alternative styling of "women" in a bid to include non-binary gender identities, it made an abrupt about-face just a few hours later, announcing that it would revert back to the standard spelling. | "While we originally wanted to use a word that acknowledges the short…
(2021-03-02). US won't share Covid-19 vaccines with Mexico as Americans must be inoculated first — White House. rt.com 
The Biden administration has rejected the idea of sharing Covid-19 vaccines with the hard-hit neighbor Mexico, White House press-secretary Jen Psaki said, adding that it can only be discussed after all Americans get their shots. | "The administration's focus is on ensuring that every American is vaccinated. And once we accomplish that objective we're happy to discuss further steps," Psaki said when asked about possible vaccine sharing during a briefing on Monday. | The comments came hours before the virtual meeting between US President Joe Biden and his Mexican counterpart, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. | Also…