Daily Archives: January 18, 2021

2021-01-18: News Headlines

Human Rights Watch (2021-01-18). Israel must Provide Vaccines to Occupied Palestinians: HRW says Over 4.5 Million in West Bank, Gaza Excluded From Vaccination Push. juancole.com ( Human Rights Watch) — (Jerusalem) — Israeli authorities should provide Covid-19 vaccines to the more than 4.5 million Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, Human Rights Watch said today. While Israel has already vaccinated more than 20 percent of its citizens, including Jewish settlers in the West Bank, it has not …

MEE staff (2021-01-18). Israel bans schools from hosting rights groups critical of occupation. middleeasteye.net Israel bans schools from hosting rights groups critical of occupation | The announcement came after Likud complained about the director of rights group B'Tselem who was scheduled to give a talk at a school in Haifa | Mon, 01/18/2021 – 14: 48 | Despite the order on Sunday, the director of B'Tselem, Hagai El-Ad, gave a scheduled lecture to students in the Hebrew Reali School in Haifa (AFP) | Israel's Education M…

MEE and agencies (2021-01-18). Saudi executions at record low as five convicted as minors still on death row. middleeasteye.net Saudi executions at record low as five convicted as minors still on death row | Rights groups fear that five people convicted as juveniles could still face the death penalty despite changes in law

| Mon, 01/18/2021 – 12: 06 | Supporters in Greece protesting the execution of prominent Saudi Shiite cleric and activist Nimr al-Nimr during a demonstration near Saudi Arabia's embassy i…

Rayhan Uddin (2021-01-18). UN urged to take action against France over 'entrenching Islamophobia'. middleeasteye.net UN urged to take action against France over 'entrenching Islamophobia' | Coalition of 36 organisations submits complaint to UN Human Rights Council, accusing France of violating international law over treatment of Muslims | Mon, 01/18/2021 – 12: 59 | French police outside the Great Mosque in Paris amid a heightened risk of terror attacks on places of worship, October 2020 (AFP/File photo) | A coalitio…

Staff (2021-01-18). Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as a Fierce Critic of US Foreign Policy. truthout.org Today is the federal holiday that honors Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He was born January 15, 1929. He was assassinated April 4, 1968, at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. He was just 39 years old. While Dr. King is primarily remembered as a civil rights leader, he also championed the cause of the poor and organized the Poor People's Campaign to address issues of economic justice. Dr. King was also a fierce critic of U.S. foreign policy and the Vietnam War. We play his "Beyond Vietnam" spe…

Staff (2021-01-18). MLK Day Special: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in His Own Words. democracynow.org Today is the federal holiday that honors Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He was born January 15, 1929. He was assassinated April 4, 1968, at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. He was just 39 years old. While Dr. King is primarily remembered as a civil rights leader, he also championed the cause of the poor and organized the Poor People's Campaign to address issues of economic justice. Dr. King was also a fierce critic of U.S. foreign policy and the Vietnam War. We play his "Beyond Vietnam" speech, which he delivered at New York City's Riverside Church on April 4, 1967, as well as his last speech, "I've Been to…

WSWS (2021-01-18). Indiana lawmakers propose new law shielding businesses from COVID-19 liabilities. wsws.org The proposed law seeks to remove legal rights from workers if they get sick or die from contracting COVID-19 at work.

Yohuru Williams (2021-01-18). Martin Luther King Jr.'s Message for Us in this Moment. progressive.org The civil-rights leader's words can help us build a democracy that reflects our ideals, not our ugly history.

MEE and agencies (2021-01-17). Australian father and son released by Qatar after months jailed without charge. middleeasteye.net Australian father and son released by Qatar after months jailed without charge | Advocacy group says the two men, one a professor who had been on Doha's Covid-19 task force, were secretly detained and tortured | Sun, 01/17/2021 – 09: 59 | Professor Lukman Thalib (right) received a teaching award at Qatar University in 2018. He is a public health expert and helped Qatar with its Covid-19 re…

RT (2021-01-17). Russia's FM spokeswoman urges US & other countries decrying Navalny's detention 'not to interfere' with Russian law. rt.com Instead of rushing to condemn the detention of Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny upon his return to Moscow, foreign politicians should focus on domestic issues at hand and respect the Russian law, Maria Zakharova has said. | In a Facebook

RT (2021-01-17). Russian opposition figure Navalny detained at passport control after returning to Moscow following almost five months in Germany. rt.com Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny has been detained by police at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport after returning from Germany, where he had been recovering following an alleged poisoning attempt last summer. | Navalny and his wife Yulia left the plane together on Sunday evening with the rest of the passengers and drove to the terminal in a bus. The activist was arrested at the immigration desk. | Russia's prison authority has confirmed the detention. Navalny, who was wanted for breaching the terms of his probation from a previous criminal case, will remain in custody until the court rules on pre-trial res…

RT (2021-01-17). WATCH Russian opposition figure Navalny leave plane in Moscow before being detained. rt.com Alexey Navalny has arrived in Moscow after spending several months recuperating in Berlin. He was detained at the airport for violating probation terms. | The plane carrying Navalny was due to land in Moscow's Vnukovo Airport, but it was instead diverted to the capital's Sheremetyevo Airport. The airliner told the media that the last-minute change happened due to "technical issues" on the ground. | The activist left the plane and entered the airport via shuttle bus. He was then detained by police during documents check at the arrivals terminal. | The Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) confirmed to the medi…

_____ (2021-01-17). Migrant Caravan Heads To United States From Honduras. popularresistance.org On Tuesday, the outgoing US president, Donald Trump, known for his tough stance on immigration, warned that if his policies are reversed, as Biden has pledged to do, "a tidal wave" of illegal migration will follow. | A migrant caravan of reportedly thousands is heading to the United States from Honduras, asking the incoming Biden administration to "honor its commitments", apparently referring to the president-elect's pledges to reverse most of Trump's immigration policies, according to media reports. | According to a statement issued by the migrant rights group Pueblo Sin Fronteras ["People Without Borders"], and…

Sophia Purdy-Moore (2021-01-17). This Martin Luther King Jr. Day, let's not whitewash what he stood for. thecanary.co As we approach Martin Luther King Jr. Day on 18 January, it's important to challenge the dominant narratives that surround him. His history as a radical, anti-racist, anti-war, anti-capitalist leftist has been whitewashed to produce something more palatable for the mainstream. However, the iconic civil rights leader posed a legitimate threat to America's white supremacist, militaristic, imperialist, materialistic status quo. | King stood firm

teleSUR (2021-01-17). Evo Morales Remembers Congolese Revolutionary Patrice Lumumba. telesurenglish.net Bolivia's former President Evo Morales (2006-2019) Sunday reminisced on the 60th anniversary of the assassination of Congolese leader Patrice Lumumba who was murdered by Katanga region's separatists and Belgian mercenaries on 17 January 1961. | RELATED: | "On a day like today in 1961, Congolese leader Patricio Lumumba, who fought for the liberation and independence of his people, was tortured and killed. Our homage…

Jon Queally, staff writer (2021-01-17). 'A Jim Crow Relic That Must Be Abolished': Demand to End Filibuster Grows. commondreams.org "Do Senate Democrats want to keep the filibuster or do they want to pass comprehensive democracy, anti-corruption, and voting rights legislation to realize the promise of a multi-racial democracy?" said one progressive organizer. "I don't see a way they can do both." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

_____ (2021-01-17). The Jewish Supremacist State. popularresistance.org The respected Israeli human rights organization, B'Tselem, has now officially reached this conclusion: "[T]he entire area between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River is organized under a single principle: advancing and cementing the supremacy of one group—Jews—over another—Palestinians"; "A regime that uses laws, practices and organized violence to cement the supremacy of one group over another is an apartheid regime." | The B'Tselem position paper focuses on four aspects of Israeli apartheid. Two aspects—Jewish-only immigration and Jewish-only land development—operate in the…

sputniknews (2021-01-17). Zakharova Calls For Respecting International Law After Sullivan Comments on Navalny. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) – In response to comments on the detention of Russian opposition vlogger Alexey Navalny made by Jake Sullivan, the National Security Advisor for US President-elect Joe Biden, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova advised foreign officials to respect international law and focus on domestic issues.

Question Unjust Authority (2021-01-17). 5 Of The Issues In Which The Mayor is On The Wrong Side. indybay.org Shutdown of restaurants, denial of 1st amendment rights of assembly and of worship, coverup of Hunters Point radiation, CCSF… 5 issues in which the mayor seems to be on the wrong side…

teleSUR (2021-01-17). The Economy Took Center Stage in Ecuador's Presidential Debate. telesurenglish.net On Saturday night, 16 presidential candidates attended a mandatory debate organized by the National Electoral Council (CNE). | RELATED: | Their debate is scheduled to take place over two days and will cover four topics: health, education, and vulnerable groups; economy and employment; corruption and democratic institutions; and international relations and human rights. | The candidates were divided into two groups of e…

Peoples Dispatch (2021-01-16). Peruvian healthcare workers strike for rights. peoplesdispatch.org In this episode of Around the World in 8 Minutes we take you to Peru, where healthcare workers have embarked on an indefinite strike. We also take you to India, where farmers continue their protest for the withdrawal of the three controversial farm laws and a segment from Brasil de Fato on the future of the COVID-19 vaccine in Brazil.

Pierre Tristam (2021-01-16). No, Open Sedition Is Not a First Amendment Right. commondreams.org The right to protest is not in dispute. If that's all the mob had done, its rights would certainly be defensible and protected. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

_____ (2021-01-16). UN Expert: End US Sanctions On Syria. popularresistance.org 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 depriving Syrian civilians of their basic needs. | "People shouldn't die, people shouldn't suffer, and people shouldn't fear whether they can survive after tomorrow, because they have neither medicine or food, because of the sanctions applied," Douhan says.

teleSUR (2021-01-16). US Places Sanctions on Cuba's Minister & Ministry of Interior. telesurenglish.net Without presenting any evidence, the pretext for this action is the alleged responsibility of the minister of that ministry, General Lázaro àÅlvarez Casas, in alleged violations of human rights, a pretext that the US government repeatedly uses to justify its actions against countries that do not surrender to its dictates. | RELATED: | According to an official statement by the Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, the measure is ad…

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 [Hasm] 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 Egyp…

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

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2021-01-15). US Fast Food Workers Strike, Demanding Congress #RaiseTheWage to $15 an Hour and Union Rights. commondreams.org "As President-elect Joe Biden prepares to take office," said one McDonald's worker, "we're urging the nation's leaders to pass a $15 minimum wage in the first 100 days of the new administration." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

WSWS (2021-01-15). Detainees on Australia's Christmas Island continue protests against appalling conditions. wsws.org The Australian Border Force has responded to the protests with violence and punitive segregation measures.

Jon Skolnik (2021-01-15). Rudy Giuliani's terrible, horrible, no good, very bad week. salon.com Treasury Dep. slaps sanctions on Giuliani's cronies, NY Bar considers expelling him and Trump won't pay his bills…

sputniknews (2021-01-15). US National Rifle Association Files for Bankruptcy, Will Relocate to Texas Amid Troubles. sputniknews.com The National Rifle Association (NRA), which is headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia, recently came under fire by the office of New York Attorney General Letitia James after an 18-month investigation revealed that the gun rights group was "fraught with fraud and abuse."

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…

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 …

_____ (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…

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…

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…