Daily Archives: January 15, 2021

2021-01-15: News Headlines

MEE staff (2021-01-15). Egyptian group Hasm designated 'terrorist organisation' by US. middleeasteye.net Egyptian group Hasm designated 'terrorist organisation' by US | State Department said sanctions 'seek to deny [Hassm] and its leadership the resources to plan and carry out terrorist attacks' | Fri, 01/15/2021 – 16: 27 | Cairo's counterterrorism operation against Hasm and other militants has been criticised for rights abuses against the country's citizens (AFP/File photo) | The United States has designated the…

MEE staff (2021-01-15). Egyptian group Hasm designated 'terrorist organisation' by US. middleeasteye.net Egyptian group Hasm designated 'terrorist organisation' by US | State Department says sanctions 'seek to deny [Hassm] and its leadership the resources to plan and carry out terrorist attacks' | Fri, 01/15/2021 – 16: 27 | Cairo's counterterrorism operation against Hasm and other militants has been criticised for rights abuses against country's citizens (AFP/File photo) | The United States has designated the Egy…

Tamara Pearson (2021-01-15). Absence of Abortion Rights is Depriving Latin America of Agency and the Right to Thrive. counterpunch.org I can't mention her name, because she is a child. Twelve at the time, she was too young to legally work, but not too young to be forced to be a parent. She was a student of mine, and I remember, just a few years ago, playing the bridge game with her. She laughed with

Martin Baur,Carsten Colombier & Sandra Daguet (2021-01-15). How should our economy grow? indybay.org If, on the other hand, the inequality distribution is reduced via increased spending on education, positive growth effects may result. In addition, too much inequality can destabilize the political system through social unrest, creating great uncertainty for investors, for example with regard to the protection of property rights.[12]…

Fight Back (2021-01-15). SEIU Local 73: Statement of support for Human Rights Day 7 in the Philippines. fightbacknews.org Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 73. | | On International Human Rights Day, December 10, the Philippine National Police raided the homes and jailed Dennise Velasco of Defend Jobs Philippines; Romina Astudillo, Deputy Secretary-General of Kilusang Mayo Uno-Metro Manila; Mark Ryan Cruz, Regional Executive Committee of KMU-Metro Manila; Jaymie Gregorio Jr. of KMU-Metro Manila; Joel Demate of Solidarity of Labor Rights and Welfare (SOLAR); Rodrigo Esparago of Sandigang Manggagawa sa Quezon City (SMQC), and journalist Lady Ann…

Fight Back (2021-01-15). SEIU Local 73: Statement of support for Human Rights Day 7 in the Philippines. fightbacknews.org Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 73. | | On International Human Rights Day, December 10, the Philippine National Police raided the homes and jailed Dennise Velasco of Defend Jobs Philippines; Romina Astudillo, Deputy Secretary-General of Kilusang Mayo Uno-Metro Manila; Mark Ryan Cruz, Regional Executive Committee of KMU-Metro Manila; Jaymie Gregorio Jr. of KMU-Metro Manila; Joel Demate of Solidarity of Labor Rights and Welfare (SOLAR); Rodrigo Esparago of Sandigang Manggagawa sa Quezon City (SMQC), and journalist Lady Ann…

Aaron Maté (2021-01-14). UN expert: crippling US sanctions on Syria are illegal and hurting civilians. thegrayzone.com Crippling US sanctions imposed under the Caesar Act are decimating war-ravaged Syrian civilians, are illegal, and should be lifted, the UN Special Rapporteur on sanctions says. An independent United Nations expert is calling on the US to lift its crippling sanctions on Syria. Under the Caesar Act, US sanctions explicitly target Syria's reconstruction in the aftermath of a catastrophic 10-year war. Alena Douhan, the UN Special Rapporteur on the impact of sanctions, says that the US sanctions are illegal and …

news.un (2021-01-14). Israel: Ensure equal COVID-19 vaccine access to Palestinians — UN Independent experts. news.un.org Israel's "impressive" vaccination programme against the COVID-19 pandemic must include Palestinians under occupation, UN independent human rights experts stressed on Wednesday.

Ramzy Baroud (2021-01-14). Covid-19 under Apartheid: How Israel Manipulates Suffering of Palestinians. counterpunch.org Israel's decision to exclude Palestinians from its COVID-19 vaccination campaign may have surprised many. Even by Israel's poor humanitarian standards, denying Palestinians access to life-saving medication seems extremely callous. Amnesty International, among many organizations, condemned the Israeli government's decision to bar Palestinians from receiving the vaccine. The rights group described the Israeli action as evidence

Alex MacDonald (2021-01-14). Arms campaigners call on UK companies to stop supplying Turkish drone parts. middleeasteye.net Arms campaigners call on UK companies to stop supplying Turkish drone parts | British firms urged not to supply parts to Turkish drone giant Baykar Makina over involvement in Nagorno-Karabakh conflict | Thu, 01/14/2021 – 16: 53 | Bayraktar TB2 drone flying at Gecitkale military airbase near Famagusta in self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) (AFP) | Rights groups have called…

Don Fitz (2021-01-14). Two Principles of Racial Equity that Outrage Liberals. dissidentvoice.org The May 25, 2020 murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis sparked a civil rights explosion. It ignited pushes to demilitarize the police, reallocate police over-funding to necessary social services, end economic and power divides, and replace symbols of oppression with recognition of those who have suffered and resisted. In University City, one of the oldest …

Revolution Books (2021-01-14). Sunday 1/17: Andy Worthington on America's Torture Colony: 19 Years of Guantanamo Online Event. indybay.org Revolution Books, 2444 Durant Ave. Berkeley CA 94704…

Martha Stilson (2021-01-14). Human Rights as a Balm for Turmoil, MLK 2021. indybay.org Right now it is good to remember, "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.", Martin Luther King.

_____ (2021-01-14). A Record Of Hawkish Intervention: Biden Picks Samantha Power To Head USAID. popularresistance.org President-elect Joe Biden has selected longtime Democratic insider Samantha Power to lead the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). "There is simply no one better to ensure our development agenda is a core pillar of our foreign policy," the 78-year-old Delawarean said in a video statement, claiming that, under previous Democratic administrations Power, "fought tirelessly to prioritize human rights." USAID styles itself as a human rights organization, a Washington-sponsored group promoting democracy and development around the world. But if one delves deeper than merely the surface level, the organizat…

teleSUR (2021-01-14). Peru's Police Exercised an Excessive Use of Force, UN Says. telesurenglish.net The United Nations High Commissioner of Human Rights Office (OHCHR) published a report stating that the Peruvian Police repressed the November 2020 protests with an "unnecessary and excessive use of force." | RELATED: | Besides the use of prohibited projectiles such as glass marbles, the report pointed out that police officers shot "indiscriminately and at close range" to the head and upper body of the demonstrators. | OHCHR als…

teleSUR (2021-01-14). Chilean Feminists Urge Safe Abortion Bill in Front of Congress. telesurenglish.net Women's rights defenders Wednesday gathered outside the Chilean Congress' headquarters in Valparaiso as it discussed the approval of the Safe Abortion bill. | RELATED: | The demonstrators wore green scarves as they demanded the Commission on Women and Gender Equality to pass the bill that would allow women to end their pregnancy up to 14 weeks. | "Abortion yes, abortion no, that's for me to decide" was the slogan heard du…

teleSUR (2021-01-14). Argentina Enacts Landmark Abortion Law. telesurenglish.net Argentina's President Alberto Fernández enacted the law of Voluntary Interruption of Pregnancy, an unprecedented moment that is set to spark a legal framework securing women's rights across the Americas. | RELATED: | "We are expanding a women's right to choose. Women went out to the street claiming for rights that many people did not even realize they lacked," Fernández said during the ceremony that ends decades of advocacy for a law decrim…

teleSUR (2021-01-14). US Places Sanctions on China, Cuba, Iran, Russia and Venezuela. telesurenglish.net "We cannot allow the foreign military and intelligence organizations of our adversaries in China, Cuba, Russia, Venezuela, and Iran (…) to benefit from U.S. technology," U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said in a statement Thursday. | RELATED: | According to the note, these new controls linked to U.S. technologies prevent those countries' military intelligence industries from "benefiting." | A week before…

Manuela Solé (2021-01-13). Venezuela: Maduro Blasts Sanctions, Sets Sights on Economic Recovery. venezuelanalysis.com Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro presented his annual address to the new National Assembly…

MEE staff (2021-01-13). Rights group calls on US Muslims to be 'extra vigilant' in wake of Capitol riot. middleeasteye.net Rights group calls on US Muslims to be 'extra vigilant' in wake of Capitol riot | Council on American-Islamic Relations says threat posed by far-right white supremacist violence is high and Muslims may be targets | Wed, 01/13/2021 – 21: 17 | CAIR urges mosques and other Islamic institutions to take measures outlined in its safety booklet (AFP) | A leading Muslim-American civil rights and advocacy group urged M…

MEE staff (2021-01-13). Progressive Jewish groups oppose codifying IHRA antisemitism definition into US law. middleeasteye.net Progressive Jewish groups oppose codifying IHRA antisemitism definition into US law | Ten groups warn that IHRA definition is being wrongly used against those who 'oppose the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory' | Wed, 01/13/2021 – 17: 58 | Protesters from multiple Palestinian rights organisations demonstrate outside White House on 15 September in Washington (AFP/File photo) | Almost a dozen pro-Israel…

Ashlie D. Stevens (2021-01-13). Netflix's grisly "Night Stalker" docuseries ensures the victims aren't just a body count number. salon.com In 1985, a serial killer murdered at least 14 people, and raped and tortured at least two dozen more in California…

Pip Hinman (2021-01-13). Refugee rights activist contests 'incitement' charge. greenleft.org.au Chris Slee reports that refugee rights supporters will rally on January 27 outside the Melbourne Magistrates Court to support activists who have been charged for organising safe protests.

Kenny Stancil, staff writer (2021-01-13). To Combat Ongoing 'Human Rights Crisis,' 600+ Groups Urge Biden to Enact Utility Shutoff Moratorium on Day One. commondreams.org "Private power utilities are disconnecting thousands of families every month, while continuing to reward shareholders." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Joseph Nevins (2021-01-13). The Irony Of Calling America A 'Banana Republic'. commondreams.org The history of the banana republic reminds us that the notion of the United States as a beacon of human rights and democracy is, for all too many across the globe, a lie. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Tom Anderson (2021-01-13). 'People need to be prepared for the worst' as fake eviction ban weakens renters' rights. thecanary.co Last week, many UK mainstream media outlets toed the government line and But campaigners have called the ban a 'hoax'.

Peoples Dispatch (2021-01-13). Israel an "apartheid regime" according to B'Tselem report. peoplesdispatch.org Israeli human rights group B'Tselem published a position paper in which it details various laws and policies implemented by the Israeli government which are designed to further Jewish supremacy vis-à -vis Palestinians…

VINS (2021-01-12). Grave Threats to Amazon Rainforest from Domestic Industries and Global Capital. projectcensored.org A 2020 report from Amazon Watch, titled "Complicity In Destruction III," shows how global corporations contribute to the violation of Indigenous peoples' rights in the Brazilian Amazon. The report identifies…

VINS (2021-01-12). Police Drone Surveillance Raises Constitutional Concerns. projectcensored.org Police surveillance by drones is on the rise, posing threats to citizens' rights to free assembly and undermining constitutional protections against unwarranted searches or seizures. As Nick Mottern reported in August…