(2021-04-14). Patents and the Pandemic: Can We Learn Anything? counterpunch.org I realize that I may seem obsessed with the topic of patents (and copyrights), but it really is a big deal, and few people seem to appreciate the issue in its larger economic context. I have written about the inefficiency and corruption associated with these monopolies for decades, but if there was ever a time
(2021-04-14). Judge Preska terminates all Zoom access to Donziger trial in effort to limit public access, say lawyers. mronline.org 
U.S. trial judge Loretta Preska has denied all Zoom access to the upcoming contempt trial of human rights lawyer Steven Donziger in a widely condemned move that his lawyers say is designed to limit public access to an unprecedented one-sided trial run by a private Chevron prosecutor. | April 14, 2021 | Newswire…
(2021-04-14). Female union leaders note that labor law reform is a civil rights issue. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON—From better pay to paid sick leave, from due process on the job to wider opportunities, working women, union or not, stand to reap huge benefits if Congress passes the Protect The Right To Organize (Pro) Act, a panel of woman union leaders says. And that prompted AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler, an Electrical Worker and …
(2021-04-14). Demand Biden issue an executive order to implement the PRO Act. workers.org 
The fight of Amazon workers for Union Rights has just begun! Union busting is disgusting. It can be stopped! Sign this message to Biden and raise this demand at protests and rallies. Act now to defend Workers' Right to Organize! The PRO Act — Protecting the Right to Organize Act . . . |
(2021-04-14). Bonaire: BOPEC Bankrupt due to Dutch Inspectorate and Taxation. orinocotribune.com 
By Handsoffvenezuela.nl — Mar 26, 2021 | The sad story for the employees of Bonaire Petroleum Corporation (BOPEC) on the islands of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaàßao ends badly because of Dutch interference. BOPEC, owned by Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA), has been severely harmed by illegal sanctions by US and Dutch institutions, and finally was taken over by the Netherlands, after a claim for bankruptcy by the Dutch tax authority. The hawks in Washington and The Hague can be satisfied, but their interference has been disastrous for many of our overseas compatriots. | Curaàßao | When Shell turne…
(2021-04-14). 'Enables UAE's reckless conduct': Anti-war advocates slam $23bn US arms sale. middleeasteye.net 
'Enables UAE's reckless conduct': Anti-war advocates slam $23bn US arms sale | Citing the UAE's role in Yemen and Libya, arms experts and rights groups say the sale 'undermines stability in the region' | Wed, 04/14/2021 – 16: 22 | Israel is the only other country in the Middle East to be approved for F-35 purchases (AFP/File photo) | When the Biden administration announced in late January that it p…
(2021-04-14). Italy's senate votes to give citizenship to jailed Egyptian activist Patrick Zaki. middleeasteye.net 
Italy's senate votes to give citizenship to jailed Egyptian activist Patrick Zaki | Zaki is a human rights advocate who has campaigned for the truth about the 2016 Cairo murder of Italian student Giulio Regeni | Wed, 04/14/2021 – 15: 41 | Egyptian authorities arrested Zaki on 7 February 2020 upon his return from Italy, where he had been living and studying (Twitter) | The Italian senate on Wednesday voted to a…
(2021-04-14). Egypt releases two journalists after international outcry. middleeasteye.net 
Egypt releases two journalists after international outcry | Solafa Magdy and her husband Hossam el-Sayyad had been held in pre-trial detention for 16 months over their journalism work | Wed, 04/14/2021 – 10: 59 | Solafa Magdy (L) and Hossam el-Sayyad (R) were released on Wednesday (Facebook) | Egyptian authorities released journalists Solafa Magdy and her husband Hossam el-Sayyad on Wed…
(2021-04-14). Russian Forces To Establish Helicopter Pads, New Posts Between Raqqa & Deir Ezzor. southfront.org 
IMAGE: Marina Lystseva/TASS | Russian Forces are building a forward base with a helicopter landing zone along with a number of posts right on the border between Raqqa and Deir Ezzor in central Syria, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported on April 14. | According to the London-based monitoring group, the new base and posts are being built in the outskirsts of the town of Ma'adan Atiq."Russian forces have begun transferring equipment and logistical materials to their new base via helicopters," the group said…
(2021-04-14). Russian Forces Return To Syria's Tell Rifaat After Temporary Withdrawal (Video, Photos). southfront.org 
Sergei Novikov/TASS | Russian forces have returned to the northern Syrian town of Tell Rifaat and its surroundings, which are controlled by Kurdish forces, after a widely-reported withdrawal. | On April 13, the withdrawal of Russian Military Police units was reported by the Hawar News Agency. According to the agency, the units withdrew from Tell Rifaat as well as from the nearby areas of Sherawa and Ksht'ar. | Later, the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that the Syrian Arab Army and Iranian-backed…
(2021-04-14). Russian Forces Return To Syria's Tell Rifaat After Temporary Withdraw (Video, Photos). southfront.org Sergei Novikov/TASS | Russian forces have returned to the northern Syrian town of Tell Rifaat and its surroundings, which are controlled by Kurdish forces, after a widely-reported withdrawal. | On April 13, the withdrawal of Russian Military Police units was reported by the Hawar News Agency. According to the agency, the units withdrew from Tell Rifaat as well as from the nearby areas of Sherawa and Ksht'ar. | Later, the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that the Syrian Arab Army and Iranian-backed…
(2021-04-14). Landmark decision: Brazil Supreme Court sides with Indigenous land rights. nationofchange.org The country's Supreme Court has agreed to review the process around a past case that cancelled the demarcation of an Indigenous territory claimed by the Guarani Kaiowá people.
(2021-04-14). 'Stop violating rights of Iranian people'. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 14 (MNA) — In a letter to the Secretary General of Council of European Union, Secretary General of Iran's Human Rights Office lashed out at irresponsibility in violation of rights of Iranian people by member states of the Council.
(2021-04-14). Why disability rights advocates are pressing the Senate to allow an internet voting option. nationofchange.org The push for voters with disabilities, and for overseas and military voters, pits civil rights activists against cybersecurity advocates.
(2021-04-14). Safely Past Another Election, Israel Turns Attention Back to De-Arabization of The Zionist State. mintpressnews.com The Zionists openly say that they will allow Palestinians to choose whether they remain in "Israel" as residents without rights, leave, or fight and be killed by the Israeli forces — these same forces that have been killing them for more than seventy years.
(2021-04-14). The Coming Decade And Its Implications For LGBTQIA+ Debates — OpEd. eurasiareview.com If the last 10 years give any indication of how the next ten years will unfold, I predict there will be strong and brutal opposition to the advancement of the rights of the LGBTQIA+ people.: | By Angelika Arutyunova* | Let's make something straight from the start of this opinion piece: This will be a very queer perspective. Now that we have gotten the only straight thing out of the way, let's dive in. I believe in the radical ideas that LGBTQIA+ people are people and deserve the right to life, acceptance, and existence without fear of hate and violence. I believe that all policies and agendas must incl…
(2021-04-14). Sunday 4/25: Sanctuary Volunteer Day: One Living Sanctuary. indybay.org 2785 Franklin Canyon Rd, Martinez, CA 94553-9617, United States…
(2021-04-13). UK bill shielding soldiers from war crimes charges challenged in House of Lords. middleeasteye.net 
UK bill shielding soldiers from war crimes charges challenged in House of Lords | Lords vote to amend Overseas Opposition Bill to ensure serious offences by military personnel, including genocide and torture, can be prosecuted | Tue, 04/13/2021 – 16: 51 | British soldiers during a training operation in Basra, southern Iraq, in November 2007 (AFP) | The British government's attempts to shield its armed force…
(2021-04-13). Derek Chauvin Trial Breaks Down "Blue Wall of Silence" as Police Officials Testify Against Ex-Cop. democracynow.org 
We get the latest on the murder trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who killed George Floyd, with Minneapolis-based civil rights attorney Nekima Levy Armstrong. She says prosecutors in the case have successfully chipped away at the "blue wall of silence" by getting current police officials to testify against Chauvin. However, she says it's likely that "the only reason that these officers have testified is because the world is watching."
(2021-04-13). Derek Chauvin Trial Breaks Down "Blue Wall of Silence" as Police Officials Testify Against Ex-Cop. democracynow.org We get the latest on the murder trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who killed George Floyd, with Minneapolis-based civil rights attorney Nekima Levy Armstrong. She says prosecutors in the case have successfully chipped away at the "blue wall of silence" by getting current police officials to testify against Chauvin. However, she says it's likely that "the only reason that these officers have testified is because the world is watching."
(2021-04-13). GOP Smears DOJ Civil Rights Pick Kristen Clarke in Latest Attack on Voting Rights & Racial Justice. democracynow.org 
We look at President Biden's nomination of Kristen Clarke to become the first Black woman to lead the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division and the conservative smear campaign against the veteran civil rights lawyer. The far-right Fox News host Tucker Carlson has devoted at least five segments to attacking Clarke's nomination, including baseless accusations of anti-Semitism. Ben Jealous, president of People for the American Way and former president of the NAACP, says "the right-wing attack machine" springs into action whenever Black nominees are up for confirmation. "They make sport, quite frankly, of trying…
(2021-04-13). GOP Smears DOJ Civil Rights Pick Kristen Clarke in Latest Attack on Voting Rights & Racial Justice. democracynow.org We look at President Biden's nomination of Kristen Clarke to become the first Black woman to lead the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division and the conservative smear campaign against the veteran civil rights lawyer. The far-right Fox News host Tucker Carlson has devoted at least five segments to attacking Clarke's nomination, including baseless accusations of anti-Semitism. Ben Jealous, president of People for the American Way and former president of the NAACP, says "the right-wing attack machine" springs into action whenever Black nominees are up for confirmation. "They make sport, quite frankly, of trying…
(2021-04-13). This isn't a Border Crisis, It's a Poverty, Violence and Climate Crisis. counterpunch.org 
Thousands of desperate migrants, mostly from Central America, are stuck at the U.S.-Mexico border. Most are families and unaccompanied children. Despite their legal rights to apply for asylum, U.S. officials are turning away huge numbers, claiming pandemic restrictions. But thousands of children remain, held in crowded border detention facilities while awaiting transfer to Department of
(2021-04-13). How militarism eats the poor and destroys the planet. therealnews.com 
In this blockbuster episode of "The Marc Steiner Show" (now premiering every Tuesday), we talk to Congressman John Sarbanes about the attack on voting rights, and Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis about the Poor People's Campaign and the fight for a just future.
(2021-04-09). New Revelations on Germ Warfare: It's Time for a Reckoning with Our History from the Korean War. counterpunch.org 
The New York Times, which for years has maintained that U.S. airmen's statements about use of biological weapons during the Korean War were "false confessions" obtained by Chinese and North Korean torture, never acknowledged the following submission sent to its opinion section in November 2020. I am publishing the article instead at CounterPunch, which is
(2021-04-13). Palestinian boy, 14, loses eye after being hit by Israeli rubber bullet. middleeasteye.net 
Palestinian boy, 14, loses eye after being hit by Israeli rubber bullet | Rights groups have long condemned Israel's use of steel-coated rubber bullets, which have repeatedly killed and wounded Palestinians | Tue, 04/13/2021 – 13: 19 | Fourteen-year-old Izz al-Din al-Batsh has been recovering in bed since the incident, surrounded by his family (MEE/Akram al-Waara) | It was a typical Friday after…
(2021-04-13). Egypt: Prominent journalist Khaled Dawoud released from prison. middleeasteye.net 
Egypt: Prominent journalist Khaled Dawoud released from prison | While in detention, the activist and journalist was held in very poor conditions for 18 months | Tue, 04/13/2021 – 13: 24 | Khaled Dawoud was an outspoken critic of the government and was known for his journalism (AFP) | Egyptian journalist and activist Khaled Dawoud was released from prison on Monday, pending investigation o…
(2021-04-13). Mexico arrests 30 marines over alleged forced disappearances in city hit by drug cartel violence. rt.com 
Dozens of marines have been arrested by Mexican police for allegedly playing a part in forced disappearances in 2014 in the northern city of Nuevo Laredo, the navy has said. The border area has been plagued by cartel drug wars. | The attorney general's office ordered the detention of the naval personnel who were carrying out "surveillance and deterrence" work in the city, which borders the US state of Texas, the navy said in a short statement on Monday night. | Mexico's navy has been a key arm of the government's military-led cartel crackdown in the last 15 years, but it has drawn complaints over alleged human…
(2021-04-13). Outrage Over Daunte Wright's Killing Highlights the Risk of Driving While Black. truthout.org 
Protests continue in the Minneapolis area after a white police officer shot and killed a 20-year-old Black man, Daunte Wright, during a traffic stop Sunday in the suburb of Brooklyn Center. The deadly shooting took place about 10 miles from where former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin is on trial for killing George Floyd. Just before he was killed, Wright called his mother to say he was being pulled over — allegedly because an air freshener was obscuring his rearview mirror. The…
(2021-04-13). Chinese people boycott the Xinjiang cotton boycotters. liberationnews.org 
Once again the People's Republic of China is being accused by the U.S. government and its junior imperialist partners of egregious human rights violation against the Muslim Uyghurs of the Xinjiang — Uyghur Autonomous Region. The U.S. Congress recently imposed sanctions on Chinese officials over the alleged use of forced labor in the cotton-rich northwest …
(2021-04-13). Al fin, Perú ha parido una izquierda popular. globalizacion.ca En la década de 1990′. la dictadura de Alberto Fujimori derrotó las organizaciones subversivas armadas y, mediante una combinación de represión, violación de derechos humanos y corrupción desatada en todos los niveles del estado y la sociedad, impuso una constitución…
(2021-04-13). Mexico Detains 30 Military Men Accused Of Forced Disappearance. telesurenglish.net Mexican Attorney General's Office on Monday started investigating 30 Navy soldiers for their alleged involvement in the forced disappearance of people in the Tamaulipas state. | RELATED: | The Navy turned over its 30 members on April 9 because they could be linked to at least 25 disappearances reported in the Nuevo Laredo Municipality in 2014 when a special task force was deployed in that territory to combat crime. | Mexican autho…
(2021-04-13). Ecuador's Comptroller Celi Detained For Alleged Corruption. telesurenglish.net Ecuador's Attorney General Diana Salazar on Tuesday ordered the arrest of Comptroller General Pablo Celi and former Secretary of the Presidency of the Republic Jose Augusto Briones to be investigated in corruption cases. | RELATED: | The Prosecutor's Office executed 25 raids in Quito and Guayaquil in the framework of the "Las Torres" case, an investigation related to organized crime and corruption in the public company Petroecuador, the Comptroller's…
(2021-04-13). Reclaiming Asylum, Rethinking the Border. progressive.org A much different mindset is needed about border issues—one that doesn't treat asylum seekers as criminals and instead keeps them out of detention and in communities.
(2021-04-13). Inter-Parliamentary Union Confirms Preparations for a Mission to Venezuela. orinocotribune.com The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) confirmed today, Monday, April 12, that it is preparing to send a mission to Venezuela to learn firsthand about the situation of the Legislative Power and inquire about complaints of human rights violations against former opposition parliamentarians. | "This is a mission that we have requested for a long time and it seems that it can finally be carried out, because we have received an invitation from [the new] 2020 Parliament," IPU spokesperson Thomas Fitzsimons told news agency EFE. | Last Friday the highest officials of the organization, which brings together parliaments from…
(2021-04-13). President Biden Needs a Middle East-Wide Human Rights Policy. juancole.com Published in: Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN) By Iran Researcher Tara Sepehri Far | @sepehrifar @sepehrifar On the campaign trail and during his first three months in office, President Biden promised a US return to a multilateral foreign policy that supports human rights. That is an important vision for the Middle East, a …
(2021-04-13). Daunte Wright's Death Again Shows Need to Address Failures of Policing. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2021-04-13). Russia, Iran Urge Regional Cooperation To Face US Unilateralism. telesurenglish.net Russia's Foreign Affairs Minister Sergei Lavrov and Iran's President Hassan Rouhani on Tuesday discussed expanding regional cooperation to confront U.S. unilateral sanctions against the Persian country. | RELATED: | During a meeting in Tehran, they called for establishing cooperation mechanisms with Syria, Afghanistan, and Yemen to achieve peace and stability in the Middle East. | Tehran and Moscow agreed to fight jo…
(2021-04-13). Senate Dems Tell Biden Returning to Iran Nuclear Deal Should Be a Top Priority. commondreams.org "Should Iran be willing to return to compliance with the limitations set by the JCPOA, the United States should be willing to rejoin the deal and provide the sanctions relief required under the agreement." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …