(2021-09-24). US House Passes National Defense Authorization Act to Fund Pentagon in Fiscal Year 2022. sputniknews.com WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – The US House of Representatives on Thursday passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) with which it appropriated funding for the Defense Department for Fiscal Year 2022 and implemented several policies, including imposing sanctions against the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
(2021-09-24). Declaration Issued in NYC by 18 Countries of UN Anti-Sanctions Group. orinocotribune.com The First Ministerial Meeting of the Group of Friends in Defense of the United Nations Charter, also know as the UN Anti-Sanctions Group, was held this Thursday, September 23, in New York, USA, at the Venezuelan Diplomatic Mission to the United Nations. The meeting was attended by representatives of 18 countries that promote multilateralism, compliance with the declarations of the United Nations' founding charter, and denounce illegal coercive measures (or "sanctions"), within the framework of the 76th UN General Assembly in New York. | According to experts, there are more than 33 countries illegally sanctioned b…
(2021-09-24). Turkey, Ukraine preparing groundwork for NATO "humanitarian intervention" in Crimea. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Ukrainian, Turkish ombudspersons discuss observance of citizens' rights Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Liudmyla Denisova and Turkey's Chief Ombudsman Seref Malkoc have discussed the observance of citizens' rights in the two states. **** "I expressed gratitude for the unchanging position of the President of Turkey regarding the illegal occupation of Crimea, assistance and pressure …
(2021-09-24). UN human rights chief slams Ukraine over extrajudicial media crackdown after popular outlet taken offline over undisclosed charges. rt.com 
The United Nations' human rights mission in Ukraine has voiced serious concerns over a decision by top security officials in Kiev to unilaterally restrict access to a number of media outlets deemed critical of the government. | Speaking to journalists at a briefing on Thursday, the head of the team monitoring civil liberties in the Eastern European nation, Matilda Bogner, said that the move to shutter a series of broadcasters and block access to popular news site Strana, as well as a number of Russian publications, is a cause for concern. | Earlier this year, "the National Council for Security and Defense deci…
(2021-09-24). Where Flowers Find No Peace Enough to Grow. dissidentvoice.org 
Milwa Mnyaluza 'George' Pemba (South Africa), New Brighton, Port Elizabeth, 1977. On 13 July 2021, the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) adopted a landmark resolution on the prevalence of racism and for the creation of an independent mechanism made up of three experts to investigate the root cause of deeply embedded racism and intolerance. …
(2021-09-24). Why Ireland's pandering to Israel is treason. electronicintifada.net Dublin government tries to muzzle human rights lawyer.
(2021-09-24). Colombia: The most dangerous country for environmental defenders. greenleft.org.au For the second year in a row, Colombia has been ranked the world's most dangerous country for environmentalists by an international human rights group, reports Ian Ellis-Jones.
(2021-09-24). Tuesday 9/28: Palm Oil & Pulp Fiction: Call out Procter & Gamble's Greenwashing Now! indybay.org Digital rally protest against P&G for driving deforestation & human rights violations…
(2021-09-24). Women's Rights: Afghanistan and Beyond. counterpunch.org Suddenly there's major concern across the country — from the mainstream media to every last rock-ribbed Republican — for the rights of Afghan women and girls to be able to work, to go to school. Oh my God, we've given Afghanistan back to the Taliban! Even George W. Bush found his way back into the
(2021-09-24). Headlines for September 24, 2021. democracynow.org Haiti Envoy Resigns over Mass Deportations, Blasts "Catastrophic" History of U.S. Interventions, Immigrant Rights Activists Demand an End to ICE Jails on Day of Nationwide Action, CDC Dir. Walensky Approves Pfizer Boosters for High-Risk Workers, Overruling Agency Panel, South African and Bolivian Presidents Highlight Global Vaccine Inequity at UNGA, Guyana's President Calls Out Disproportionate Effects of Climate Crisis on Small Island Nations, EPA Slashes Use of Industrial Chemicals Widely Used in Air Conditioners, Refrigerators, House Approves Increased $768 Billion Pentagon Budget, Rejecting Bids to Rein In Mi…
(2021-09-24). Sale of live crabs, lobsters and fur banned in Amsterdam markets. indybay.org Fur and live crabs and lobsters will no longer be allowed to be sold at markets in the Dutch capital from 2022. Amsterdam city council has decided to ban the sale on animal rights grounds, a pledge that was part of the current city coalition agreement.
(2021-09-24). Rep. Maxine Waters: Biden Admin Must End "Inhumane" Deportation & Whipping of Haitian Asylum Seekers. democracynow.org 
Longtime diplomat Daniel Foote, the U.S. special envoy to Haiti, has resigned in protest over the Biden administration's mass deportation of Haitian asylum seekers and meddling in Haiti's political affairs. The resignation comes days after U.S. Border Patrol agents on horseback were filmed chasing, grabbing and whipping Haitian asylum seekers who had gathered in a makeshift camp in Del Rio, Texas. "I am outraged," says Maxine Waters, a Democratic congressmember from California who is a longtime advocate for the rights of people in Haiti. She says refugees must be able to seek asylum in the U.S. without such "inhu…
(2021-09-24). "Our Health or Our Homes": Tenants Facing Eviction Help Introduce New "Keeping Renters Safe Act" democracynow.org 
As the Delta variant continues to surge across the United States, so too has the housing and eviction crisis, with more than 11 million households now behind on rent. Most of those evicted are Black or Latinx, and the majority are single women with children. We speak with a single mother and a high school student who have faced eviction and went to Washington, D.C., this week to help Congressmember Cori Bush and Senator Elizabeth Warren introduce the Keeping Renters Safe Act to reinstate the federal pandemic eviction moratorium. "We need the eviction moratorium and the National Tenant Bill of Rights," says Vivian…
(2021-09-24). Former Member of Afghan Parliament Says U.S. War Ushered in "Another Dark Age" for Women. democracynow.org 
The Taliban are already restricting women's rights in Afghanistan — just a month since they overran the capital of Kabul — by blocking female students from returning to schools and universities, and telling many women workers to stay home. The new Taliban government has closed the Ministry of Women's Affairs that was established soon after the Taliban were toppled in 2001, and replaced it with the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, charged with enforcing strict Islamic law. Former Afghan Member of Parliament Belquis Roshan calls for…
(2021-09-24). U.S. Congress Votes More Sanctions On Nord Stream 2, Russian Officials Including Prime Minister. southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | The House of Representatives of the US Congress has adopted a defense budget providing for tougher sanctions against Moscow. | 316 people voted in favor, and 113 against. | In particular, the document includes amendments on expanding restrictions on Russia's sovereign debt, on the possibility of introducing personal sanctions against a whole list of officials, as well as on new measures against Nord Stream 2. | The defense budget of about $780 billion has yet to pass Senate consideration an…
(2021-09-24). Hezbollah Says Second Iranian Fuel Shipment Meant For Lebanon Has Arrived In Syrian Port. southfront.org 
Illustrative image. | On September 24, Hezbollah announced that a second Iranian tanker carrying fuel meant for Lebanon had arrived in the Syrian port of Banias. | The fuel shipment will be unloaded in Banias port then transported via land to Lebanon in order to avoid any pressure from the US. Washington maintains strict sanctions on Iran. | Hezbollah decided to import fuel from Iran last August to help ease a fuel crisis that effected all of Lebanon. The crisis begin when the Central Bank announced that it will not b…
(2021-09-24). China imposes snapback sanctions on the USA. indybay.org It must be said that the decision taken by Beijing to impose new targeted sanctions against the Americans worsened the already tense atmosphere of the dialog on the eve of the arrival of Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman in Tianjin.
(2021-09-24). Kremlin mouthpiece chasing "spirit of Geneva" antibellum679354512.wordpress.com With a butterfly net. Evidently recent U.S. participation in military exercises in Ukraine, Georgia, Bulgaria, Sweden, Turkey, etc. are in accordance with the "spirit of Geneva," as they certainly don't factor into Peskov's calculations. New US sanctions would wipe out 'spirit of Geneva', Kremlin cautionsDmitry Peskov noted that new sanctions would be a worst-case scenario …
(2021-09-24). Roaming Charges: When the Whip Comes Down. counterpunch.org We reenact our history again and again without even realizing it, so absolutely has the darkest chapters of our nation's past been erased from the collective memory. Our leaders react in mock horror when confronted with the outlandish scenes of torture and gratuitous violence that they themselves have set in motion. The liberal conscience, frail as it is, recoils momentarily at what it has done, then quickly reverts to its default setting of moral superiority by blaming the victims, people so poor and desperate they hold all of their earthly possessions in their hands, if, that is, their hands aren't already hold…
(2021-09-23). Venezuelan Diplomat Alex Saab Must be Released, Reiterates UN's Alena Douhan. orinocotribune.com This Wednesday, September 22, during her speech at the forum "The Negative Impact of Unilateral Coercive Measures on the Realization of the Right to Development," the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Negative Impact of Unilateral Coercive Measures on the Enjoyment of Human Rights, Alena Douhan, stressed that the Venezuelan diplomat Alex Saab must be released. | "I was one of these special rapporteurs who was there and asked for the release of Ambassador Alex Saab," she stated during the event moderated by Venezuela's Permanent Representative to the United Nations based in Geneva, Héctor Constant Rosales.
(2021-09-23). Photo: Armored Vehicles, National Guard Appear on Texas Border Amid Abbott's 'Steel Wall' Deployment. sputniknews.com Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told US senators that he was "horrified to see" viral videos depicting horseback Border Patrol agents chasing down Haitian migrants at the US-Mexico border. Mayorkas also acknowledged that the US would be increasing the frequency and number of repatriation flights for detainees.
(2021-09-23). Gaza: Palestinian fishermen disappeared at sea found detained in Egypt. middleeasteye.net 
Gaza: Palestinian fishermen disappeared at sea found detained in Egypt | The two men had gone missing off the coast of Gaza three weeks earlier | Thu, 09/23/2021 – 14: 00 | Palestinian fishermen pull a boat along a beach in the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Yunis on 22 September 2021 (AFP) | Two
(2021-09-23). 'This Cannot Happen': Biden DHS Seeks Contractor for Migrant Detention Center at Guantánamo Bay. globalresearch.ca
(2021-09-23). Send Haitian migrants to GITMO? Report that small detention facility in Guantanamo Bay will house migrants sparks outrage. rt.com 
The Biden administration is seeking guards fluent in Haitian Creole to staff a detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba — but it is far too small to have an impact on the thousands of Haitian migrants currently camped in Texas. | According to an NBC News report on Wednesday, the Department of Homeland Security posted a contract
(2021-09-23). Headlines for September 23, 2021. democracynow.org Biden Pledges More Vaccine Donations as Poorer Nations Demand Patent Waivers for COVID-19 Shots, Alaska Hospitals, Overwhelmed by COVID-19, Begin Rationing Care, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Taps Anti-Mask Vaccine Skeptic as Surgeon General, DHS Looks to Expand Immigrant Detention at Guantánamo as Humanitarian Crisis at Border Grows, Black Congressmembers Condemn Inhumane, Racist Treatment of Haitian Asylum Seekers, Over 300 Migrant Children Still Separated from Their Families, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro Calls for an End to Sanctions, Respect for International Law, Adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Z…
(2021-09-23). DHS Looks to Staff Gitmo Migrant Facility With Guards Who Speak Haitian Creole Amid US Border Surge. sputniknews.com In the early 90s, US Coast Guard cutters transported thousands of Haitians fleeing the coup-hit country to refugee camps based at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base. At one point, the detention facility came under human rights scrutiny, and was branded an "HIV prison camp" for its quarantining of HIV+ refugees and their relatives.
(2021-09-23). Child Labor is Growing: Which Side Are Democracies On? fpif.org Two years ago, when Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro favorably promoted the idea of labor for children as young as eight or nine, his minister for Human Rights, Family, and Women shot back: "Let us be clear that for children to work is a violation of their rights, something that cannot be allowed." The Brazilian National Forum for the Prevention and Eradication of Child Labour publicly expressed "its vehement repudiation of the statement of Mr. Jair Bolsonaro…The declaration reveals a total disregard for the 1988 Federal Constitution…which prohibits all forms of child labour under the age of 16." | Accordin…
(2021-09-23). Samuel Moyn's Unprincipled Attack On Human Rights Giant Michael Ratner. popularresistance.org Samuel Moyn's vicious and unprincipled attack on Michael Ratner, one of the finest human rights attorneys of our time, was published in the New York Review of Books (NYRB) on September 1. Moyn singles out Ratner as a whipping boy to support his own bizarre theory that punishing war crimes prolongs war by making it more palatable. He disingenuously claims that enforcing the Geneva Conventions and opposing illegal wars are mutually exclusive. As Dexter Filkins noted in the New Yorker, Moyn's "logic would favor incinerating entire cities, Tokyo style, if the resulting spectacles of agony lead more people to oppose A…
(2021-09-23). Chinese diplomat calls on int'l community eliminate legacies of colonialism. ecns.cn Chinese Ambassador to the United Nations at Geneva, Chen Xu, on Wednesday urged the international community to make more efforts to eliminate the negative impact of legacies of colonialism, promote and protect human rights, and enhance international justice.
(2021-09-23). Raj Patel: Climate, Conflict and Capitalism Drive Global Hunger. COVID Made It Worse. democracynow.org 
With hunger growing across the globe during the pandemic, the United Nations is holding its first Food Systems Summit, but the gathering is facing fierce criticism for giving corporations an outsized role framing the agenda. The United Nations' own experts on food, human rights and the environment released a statement warning the summit could "serve the corporate sector" over the needs of workers, small producers, women and Indigenous peoples around the world. U.N. figures show the pandemic has increased the number of hungry people to 811 million, and nearly one in three people worldwide — almost 2.4 billio…
(2021-09-23). Killing of social leaders and human rights defenders continues unabated in Colombia. peoplesdispatch.org 
According to INDEPAZ, as of September 21, 124 social leaders and human rights defenders, and 37 former FARC combatants have been assassinated by illegal armed groups. Additionally, 259 people have been killed in 72 massacres this year…
(2021-09-23). Central Syria: Landmine Explosion Killed Or Wounded Nine Pro-Government Fighters. southfront.org 
File image. | On September 23, three pro-government fighters were killed and six others were wounded while taking part in a combing operation in central Syria as a result of a landmine explosion, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. | The London-based monitoring group said that the incident took place in the outskirts of the town of al-Sukhnah in the eastern countryside of Homs. The landmine was allegedly planted by ISIS cells. | One of the three men killed in the incident was reportedly a commander of…
(2021-09-23). Israel-Palestine: US progressives slam bill promoting two-state solution. middleeasteye.net 
Israel-Palestine: US progressives slam bill promoting two-state solution | Legislation recognises illegality of settlements, but ignores Israel's systemic human rights abuses, pro-Palestinian and progressive Jewish groups say | Thu, 09/23/2021 – 15: 00 | Congressman Andy Levin's bill would require that products made in the Palestinian territories be labelled as either 'made in West Bank' or 'made i…
(2021-09-23). Taliban Cops vs American Cops, Who's Worse? counterpunch.org Journalism needs a new rule. Are you reporting about a human rights violation in another country? If the United States commits the same offense, you should be required to refer to that fact in your article or broadcast. Criticizing how a nation treats its prisoners or responds to internal dissent implies that the behavior being
(2021-09-23). UN Is Prioritizing Corporate Profiteers Over Global Hunger, Activists Say. truthout.org 
With hunger growing across the globe during the pandemic, the United Nations is holding its first Food Systems Summit, but the gathering is facing fierce criticism for giving corporations an outsized role framing the agenda. The United Nations' own experts on food, human rights and the environment released a statement warning the summit could "serve the corporate sector" over the needs of workers, small producers, women and Indigenous peoples around the world. U.N. figures show the pandemic has i…
(2021-09-23). Saturday 10/2: Alameda: Women's March for Reproductive & Human Rights. indybay.org Washington Park (Upper Open Space by BB courts), 740 Central Ave., Alameda, CA 94501 | Wear a Mask. Please follow current COVID guidelines: covid19.ca.gov/safely-reopening/…
(2021-09-23). How Much Do You Know about Redistricting? aclu.org It's official: The once-in-a-decade redistricting process has begun. Communities and jurisdictions across the country are crunching 2020 census data to redraw district lines. The way these lines are drawn will determine political representation, resource allocation, and the weight of your vote. | The stakes are high, so it's critical we watch closely as our district lines take shape. Take this quiz on redistricting to test your knowledge.
(2021-09-23). Inside The Beef Between Marcus Garvey And WEB Dubois: 5 Things To Know About Their Differences. moguldom.com Marcus Garvey and W.E.B. Du Bois were two of the great civil rights leaders and leading pan-Africanists of the 1920s. They each fought in their own way for freedom and justice for Black America but their ways often collided, resulting in a war of words and worse. Some say Du Bois was in part responsible …
(2021-09-23). Jesse Jackson Released From Hospital After Recovering From Covid. moguldom.com Civil rights icon Rev. Jesse Jackson was released from a Chicago rehab facility on Wednesday after a nearly month-long stay. Jackson was receiving speech and physical therapy at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab after a breakthrough case of covid-19 caused complications with his Parkinson's disease. Jackson 79, and his wife, Jacqueline, 77, were first hospitalized in …
(2021-09-23). Civil Rights Leaders Decry Senate's Failure to Pass Police Reform Bill. commondreams.org "Poll after poll tells me, and tells you, that what we are trying to do is enormously popular."
(2021-09-23). Saturday 10/2: El Cerrito: Women's March for Rights to Health Care & Choice. indybay.org Outside of El Cerrito Plaza, 2000-8000 El Cerrito Plaza, El Cerrito, CA 94530 | Wear a Mask. Please follow current COVID guidelines: covid19.ca.gov/safely-reopening/…
(2021-09-23). Nicki Minaj: The Celebrity Who Skipped the Met Gala Over Vaccine Mandate and Unmasked Elitist Hypocrisy. strategic-culture.org 
Although Nicki Minaj may eventually cave in the face of the mob's relentless full court press, her 'fifteen minutes of Covid fame' has awakened many people to their rights. | Occasionally a peek behind the iron curtain of our powerful institutions happens through unorthodox ways, as was the case when a pop star decided to cancel her attendance at one of America's premier social events because of vaccine requirements, thereby unleashing a veritable firestorm from sea to shining sea. | Nicki Minaj, the Trinidad-born rapper who has churned out a string of trashy smash hits over the last decade, is probably the last…
(2021-09-23). Collins Says She's Pro-Choice — But Won't Back Bill to Protect Abortion Rights. truthout.org 
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), a Republican who bills herself as moderate on issues of abortion rights, said on Tuesday that she will not support legislative efforts being proposed by Democrats to codify such rights into federal law. | The Women's Health Protection Act, which is expected to pass in the House of Representatives, is bound to face difficulties in the Senate, as it could be blocked by a Republican filibuster. However, the bill's prospects would have been somewhat better had Collins…
(2021-09-23). 'A Choice Point for Humanity': Women Demand Visionary Shift at UN Climate Talks. commondreams.org One rights group thanked Tlaib "for speaking truth to power" while being attacked "for simply insisting that Palestinians are human beings who deserve safety, security, and freedom from Israeli apartheid."
(2021-09-23). Saturday 10/2: Danville: Women's March for Reproductive Rights. indybay.org Meet outside of Public Library at Danville Green, 400 front street, Danville, CA 94526 | Wear a Mask. Please follow current COVID guidelines: covid19.ca.gov/safely-reopening/…
(2021-09-23). Saturday 10/2: Martinez: Women's March for Women's Rights & Freedom. indybay.org Susana Park, between Susana Street, Estudillo Street, and Henrietta Street in Martinez, CA 94553 | Wear a Mask. Please follow current COVID guidelines: covid19.ca.gov/safely-reopening/…
(2021-09-23). Australia: Why are the socialists leading the fight to defend basic democratic rights? wsws.org The Socialist Equality Party is conducting an intensive campaign against the new anti-democratic electoral laws pushed through the Australian parliament.
(2021-09-23). 30,000 Sri Lankan health workers protest inadequate COVID-19 protection. wsws.org Health workers cannot win their demands by pressuring capitalist regimes, which is why they need to take the struggle for their rights into their own hands.
(2021-09-23). Saturday 10/2: Orinda: Women's March for Reproductive Rights. indybay.org Meet at Downtown Orinda Theatre, 2 theatre square, Orinda, CA 94563, then we'll | march to City Hall and back | Wear a Mask. Please follow current COVID guidelines: covid19.ca.gov/safely-reopening/…
(2021-09-23). NDP Should Push Liberals for Public Hearings on Popular Wealth Tax. commondreams.org The American military, which purports to be supporting women's rights in Afghanistan, could hardly be said to value women's rights in its own ranks. Rape has long been a side effect of militarism and war, and any discussion—let alone investigation—of it has long been avoided.