(2021-04-18). Bolton Says he's 'Proud' to be Barred from Entering Russia. orinocotribune.com WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Former US National Security Adviser John Bolton on Friday said he was "proud" to be barred from entering Russia after Moscow's decision to include him on a list of individuals who will be denied entry to the country. | "I have been named on a list of individuals barred from Russia in retaliation for sanctions," Bolton
(2021-04-17). HR 2590 Rep McCollum's Bill Protecting Palestinians. indybay.org As she did in the 115th and 116th Congress, on April 15, 2021, Dem. Rep. of Minnesota, Betty McCollum introduced HR 2590, the Defending the Human Rights of Palestinian Children and Families Living Under Israeli Military Occupation Act which "prohibits Israel from using U.S. taxpayer dollars in the Occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem for: the military detention, abuse, or ill-treatment of Palestinian children in Israeli military detention; to support the seizure and destruction of Palestinian property and homes in violation of international humanitarian law; or, to extend any assistance or support for Israel's u…
(2021-04-17). Social Media and the Spread of Global Hate. juancole.com ( Foreign Policy in Focus ) — Social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter helped right-wing populists take power. Can they now help rein them in? By John Feffer | April 14, 2021 One insidious way to torture the detainees at Guantanamo was to blast music at them at all hours. The mixtape, which included …
(2021-04-17). [Obituary] Carola Eisenberg. thelancet.com Psychiatrist and co-founder of Physicians for Human Rights. Born Sept 15, 1917, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, she died on March 11, 2021, in Lincoln, MA, USA, aged 103 years.
(2021-04-17). Daunte Wright's Killing Makes the Case for Shrinking Police Budgets. zcomm.org How many Black people have to be killed by police before politicians realize that expensive reforms don't work?>
(2021-04-17). AOC Blasts Police Department's "Accident" Excuse in Daunte Wright's Death. zcomm.org "Daunte Wright's killing was not a random, disconnected 'accident' — it was the repeated outcome of an indefensible system that grants impunity for state violence"
(2021-04-17). Dolores Huerta reflects on her decades-long fight for workers' rights. zcomm.org Interview on the ongoing civil rights and labor movements in the U.S., Biden's campaign promises, and more…
(2021-04-17). [World Report] Turkey withdraws from treaty on violence against women. thelancet.com Activists object to Turkey's withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention, amid wider conservative ire over women's rights and attitudes towards gender. Kaya Genàß reports from Istanbul.
(2021-04-17). 'Kill the transphobic bill' urge protesters. greenleft.org.au Protesters took to the streets to support trans people's rights and to oppose moves by NSW MLC Mark Latham to make it illegal for schools to teach inclusiveness and respect. Isaac Nellist reports.
(2021-04-17). Have US Sanctions Been Effective? — Analysis. eurasiareview.com Studies reveal that despite the increasing popularity of sanctions as a US foreign policy tool, their effectiveness is in serious doubt: | On Thursday, April 15, US President Joe Biden imposed a new round of sanctions against Russia. The Treasury Department blacklisted six Russian technology companies that supported the cyber program run by Russia's intelligence services. Eight persons and entities associated with Russia's actions in Crimea were also sanctioned as were 32 entities and individuals who had allegedly carried out Russian government-directed attempts to influence the 2020 U.S. presidential…
(2021-04-17). 'Only removal of sanctions will save Vienna talks': source. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 17 (MNA) — An informed source says that only the removal of all sanctions together against Iran will save the Vienna talks.
(2021-04-17). JCPOA members woking on which US sanctions would lift: China. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 17 (MNA) — China's envoy to the Vienna negotiations said on Sat. that JCPOA parties have agreed to accelerate work on issues including which sanctions the United States would lift.
(2021-04-16). Denis Halliday: A Voice of Reason in an Insane World. counterpunch.org 
Denis Halliday is an exceptional figure in the world of diplomacy. In 1998, after a 34-year career with the United Nations—including as an Assistant Secretary-General and the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Iraq—he resigned when the UN Security Council refused to lift sanctions against Iraq. Halliday saw at first hand the devastating impact of this policy
(2021-04-16). Facebooking While Brown: Indigenous man in Arizona imprisoned for Social Media "shock-talk" about #BLM protest. mronline.org 
Reed has been held in federal pretrial detention without bail for ten months after a prior high school acquaintance reported him to the police for a different satirical social media post about planning a protest or 'riot' at the courthouse that never actually happened. | April 16, 2021 | Newswire…
(2021-04-16). Forced Patriotism is Un-American: Arkansas and the Anthem. counterpunch.org 
Should student-athletes and those attending athletic events be forced into displays of patriotism? Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge thinks so. She recently introduced the "Star-Spangled Banner Act," which would require each public school to play the National Anthem at the beginning of all school-sanctioned sporting events. A second piece of legislation, the "Moment of Silence
(2021-04-16). Anti-Blockade Digital Seminar: How to Turn Sanctions into Opportunities. orinocotribune.com 
With a presentation on the origin and reasons behind the unilateral coercive measures imposed on Venezuela by the US government, Hugbel Roa, Deputy to the National Assembly for the Bloque de la Patria, participated in the anti-blockade digital seminar "Is it Possible to Develop a Besieged Country?" | The event served as a platform to analyze how the financial and commercial attack against Venezuela intensified after Nicolás Maduro won the presidential election with popular support, following the physical departure of Commander Hugo Chávez. | In his speech, Roa detailed that it was Chávez who "guaranteed not only…
(2021-04-16). Biden Sanctions Russia for Cyber Espionage While Remaining Silent over Israeli Cyberattack on Iran. democracynow.org 
The United States has imposed new sanctions on Russia and expelled 10 Russian diplomats after the Biden administration accused Moscow of being involved in major cyberattacks. The Treasury Department claimed Russia interfered in the 2020 election and was behind the SolarWinds hack, which compromised the computer systems of nine U.S. government agencies and scores of private companies. The sanctions target 32 Russian entities and individuals and bar U.S. banks from purchasing Russian government debt. Russia vowed to retaliate against the new sanctions and accused the Biden administration of degrading bilateral rela…
(2021-04-16). Arabic press review: Egypt expects breakthrough for political prisoners. middleeasteye.net 
Arabic press review: Egypt expects breakthrough for political prisoners | Meanwhile, former Yemeni minister blasts Saudi Arabia, Oman seeks release of detained citizens in UAE, and Houthi attacks on Saudi soil escalate | Fri, 04/16/2021 – 14: 01 | Egypt's al-Qanatir women's prison, at the tip of the Nile delta in Qalyoubiya province (AFP) | 'Imminent breakthrough' for Egypt's political priso…
(2021-04-16). Arabic press review: Egypt expects 'breakthrough' for political prisoners. middleeasteye.net Arabic press review: Egypt expects 'breakthrough' for political prisoners | Meanwhile, former Yemeni minister blasts Saudi Arabia, Oman seeks release of detained citizens in UAE, and Houthi attacks on Saudi soil escalate | Fri, 04/16/2021 – 14: 01 | Egypt's al-Qanatir women's prison, at the tip of the Nile delta in Qalyoubiya province (AFP) | 'Imminent breakthrough' for Egypt's political pri…
(2021-04-16). US aid must not fund Israeli abuses against Palestinians, new bill says. middleeasteye.net 
US aid must not fund Israeli abuses against Palestinians, new bill says | Legislation introduced by Congresswoman Betty McCollum prohibits US assistance from contributing to detention of children, home demolitions or annexation | Fri, 04/16/2021 – 19: 10 | The Israeli military detains hundreds of Palestinian children annually (B'Tselem) | Congresswoman Betty McCollum has renewed her efforts to prohibit US taxpaye…
(2021-04-16). Russia to expel ten American diplomats & limit staff, also considering 'painful' measures aimed at US businesses — FM Lavrov. rt.com 
Ten US diplomats will have to leave Russia in response to Washington's expulsion of Russian diplomats, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said, adding that Moscow is looking at other sanction options if unfriendly steps continue. | Lavrov announced the news at a press conference on Friday, adding that Moscow would ban US funds and NGOs from interfering in Russia's internal affairs. Lavrov added that, with the US currently employing 450 diplomatic staff in Russia, and Russia employing 350 in the US, "the Americans will be asked to bring the number of employees in Russia in line with the number of Russians in th…
(2021-04-16). We Are Living in a Climate Emergency. Why Doesn't Nature Have Legal Rights? truthout.org 
This story is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. | Mike Ludwig speaks with journalists Melissa Troutman and Joshua Pribanic about their new documentary, Invisible Hand, which covers the Indigenous-led Rights of Nature movement on the front lines of the climate emergency. | Music by TRANSCRIPT: | This is a rush transcript and has been lightly edited for clarity.
(2021-04-16). Mandatory vaccinations for care home workers — a slippery slope? ukhumanrightsblog.com 
Or, as Andrew Neil put it on the Spectator TV News Channel this week, "A Dripping Roast For Lawyers". To be fair, Neil was referring to the patchwork of mandatory vaccines across the United States. But with the publication yesterday of the Government's consultation paper on vaccine requirements for all staff deployed in a care …
(2021-04-16). Self-Emancipation Continues To Rise At The St. Louis City Justice Center. popularresistance.org In the early morning hours of April 4, 2021, a day that many Christians recognized as Resurrection Sunday, detainees, at the St. Louis City Justice Center moved in the spirit of insurrection to challenge their oppressors and well documented repression at the jail. After the first major rebellion at the jail grabbed national attention on February 6, 2021, government bureaucrats in collaboration with "activists" of the social justice state scrambled to mystify what is really happening to detainees at the city's jails through sham reports and pseudo-independent investigations. | The attempt to paper over the status…
(2021-04-16). Why Disability Rights Advocates Are Pressing the Senate to Allow an Internet Voting Option. counterpunch.org National disability rights organizations are urging the Senate to revise the massive House-passed election reform bill to allow an internet-based voting option for their constituents, who represent one-sixth of the national electorate, and to recognize online voting as a federally sanctioned and regulated voting technology. Their concerns and online voting remedy have come into focus
(2021-04-16). Why Biden's New Russian Sanctions Are Shortsighted. popularresistance.org The Biden administration's decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan is a wise and morally courageous one. It refuses to inherit and continue a disastrous American tradition in foreign and security policy: the obsession with defending meaningless U.S. "credibility" (aka prestige), irrespective of real national interests and of the cost in American lives and money. | Previous U.S. "strategy" in Afghanistan was a kind of zombie policy: in reality dead, but still walking around because nobody in Washington could bring themselves to bury it. | The obsession with mortal threats from Russia is a zombie dating b…
(2021-04-16). Old Customers Impatient to Resume Oil Imports from Iran. orinocotribune.com Demand is rising for Iranian crude oil, with an OPEC report showing a higher output already by Iran which is closely watched by customers as the country is discussing the removal of unilateral US sanctions. | Iran's oil production rose by 137,000 barrels per day to 2.3 million bpd in March, marking the highest crude production growth among OPEC members, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries said in a monthly report. | The higher output by Iran which is exempt from making voluntary cuts because of US sanctions came for the third consecutive month. Iran's oil production had jumped by 62,000 and 35,0…
(2021-04-16). Amid mounting tensions, US imposes sanctions on Russia. wsws.org President Joe Biden announced the expulsion of ten Russian diplomats and the sanctioning of almost three dozen companies.
(2021-04-16). Russia Expels 10 US Diplomats and Intercepts Spy Plane. telesurenglish.net Russia's Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov on Friday announced that his country is expelling ten U.S. diplomats in response to the sanctions that President Joe Biden imposed on this European nation on Thursday. | RELATED: | On Thursday, the United States imposed unilateral restrictive measures on Russia claiming that the Kremlin had encouraged actions contrary to the U.S. interests. | Besides deporting ten e…
(2021-04-16). Russia says U.S. has to pay for new sanctions. ecns.cn Washington must realize that it will "pay a price" for the degradation of U.S.-Russian relations, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Thursday in response to new anti-Russian sanctions and the expulsion of diplomats.
(2021-04-16). White House: Changing Cuba Policy Is Not a Priority for Biden. news.antiwar.com Changing policy towards Cuba and giving the country sanctions relief is not a foreign policy priority for President Biden,
(2021-04-16). US to Withdraw from Afghanistan after Two Decades of War Leaving Behind a Tortured Wasteland and Having Accomplished… Nothing. globalresearch.ca The US decision to leave Afghanistan without any conditions represents a …