(2021-04-19). Vienna talks reveal Biden team's attachment to sanctions that would torpedo Iran deal. thegrayzone.com Biden's foreign policy team refuses to relieve Iran from sanctions illegally imposed by the Trump administration, setting the stage for the collapse of negotiations and a major crisis. The Biden administration signaled once again at the April 9 Vienna meeting on the Iran nuclear deal that it intends to maintain Trump-era Iran sanctions in an effort to win political and military concessions going well beyond the original deal itself. Team Biden continued to insist during the conference that Iran return …
(2021-04-19). The Weekly Round-Up: are immigrants and asylum seekers getting their day in court? ukhumanrightsblog.com 
In the news: The rights of immigrants and asylum seekers have been at the forefront of the news this week, with the Home Secretary coming under fire both in the courts and in the political arena. On Wednesday, a landmark court ruling held Ms Patel accountable for failures properly to investigate deaths among asylum seekers at detention …
(2021-04-19). Syria to hold presidential elections in May. peoplesdispatch.org The elections will be held on May 26 amid a deteriorating economic situation, badly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, economic sanctions imposed by the US and the European Union and the decade of war in the country…
(2021-04-19). Latest Law Pod UK episode: 100 days since UK's withdrawal from the EU — a review. ukhumanrightsblog.com 
In her latest episode of 2903cb, Professor Catherine Barnard looks back on the past 100+ days since the UK withdrew from the EU. The dire forecasts of chaos at our borders have not been realised, and the doomsayers of Brexit have probably got it wrong. The Covid effect has obviously been dramatic. The economy is …
(2021-04-19). Meet Cariol Horne, Black Police Officer Fired After Stopping Fellow Cop's Assault on Handcuffed Man. democracynow.org 
Amid nationwide protests over police abuse, we speak with Cariol Horne, the Buffalo police officer whom a New York court has just vindicated for stopping a fellow cop from choking a handcuffed Black man during an arrest. In 2006, Horne, who is Black, saw a white officer repeatedly punching the man in the face before putting him in a chokehold. After Horne heard the man say "I can't breathe," she intervened by grabbing the officer's arm. Horne was sanctioned by the Buffalo Police Department, reassigned, then fired in 2008, just months before she was eligible to receive her full pension. A new ruling makes her elig…
(2021-04-19). Biden Blames Russia For The Exact Same "Interference" That US Corporate Media Is Guilty Of. southfront.org 
Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images | Although obviously not an avid reader or fan of Southfront, Michael Tracey's concise post of April 16th very clearly captures the irony and hypocrisy of the latest round of sanctions announced by the Biden administration. The allegations of "influencing" or "interfering" in the U.S election process that undermined the public's trust in the process was actually carried out on a daily basis by right-leaning corporate media such as Fox News or Newmax. Not to mention corporate media's total censorship of the New York Post's story on the infamous Hunter Biden laptop. Why were…
(2021-04-19). The Spread of Global Hate. counterpunch.org 
One insidious way to torture the detainees at Guantanamo was to blast music at them at all hours. The mixtape, which included everything from Metallica to the Meow Mix jingle, was intended to disorient the captives and impress upon them the futility of resistance. It worked: this soundtrack from hell did indeed break several inmates.
(2021-04-19). Cancel it: Biden pressured to eliminate $50,000 student debt per borrower. peoplesworld.org 
President Joe Biden is under mounting pressure to address the rapidly growing student debt crisis by canceling up to $50,000 in crushing individual student loans. A growing chorus of elected officials and advocates say Biden can cancel the debt through executive action. Also, 415 community, civil rights, climate, health, consumer, labor, food and farm, and …
(2021-04-19). Renegotiating JCPOA: Biden, Europe and Iran. counterpunch.org 
After years of negotiations, the U.S., under President Barack Obama (don't get this writer started on him), Iran and several other nations signed an agreement that limited Iran's nuclear development program, in exchange for the lifting of many sanctions issued against that nation. This was good news all around: many nations had a major new market for their goods, Iran was able to export its own products and services, and the world, bizarrely, breathed a sigh of relief that Iran would not develop the nuclear weapons that its spokespeople always said it never had any interest in anyway; its nuclear program was for…
(2021-04-19). Big Bad SouthFront Is Once Again Threatening The Leadership Of The World's Sole Superpower. southfront.org 
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(2021-04-19). Race report 'attempts to normalise white supremacy' — UN human rights experts. thecanary.co 
A controversial report into racial disparities attempts to "normalise white supremacy" and the Government should reject its findings, human rights experts from the UN have warned. | The UN Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent said it "categorically rejects and condemns" the findings of the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities ( The Government-commissioned report said racism is a "real force" but that Britain is no longer a country where the…
(2021-04-19). China sanctions Icelandic individual over Xinjiang. ecns.cn The Chinese embassy in Iceland on Friday announced sanctions against an Icelandic individual for spreading lies and disinformation on so-called human rights issues in China's Xinjiang without naming the person.
(2021-04-19). Rights experts condemn UK racism report attempting to 'normalize white supremacy'. news.un.org UN independent human rights experts on Monday denounced a government-backed report into racism in the United Kingdom, saying that it further distorted and falsified historical facts, and could even fuel racism and racial discrimination.
(2021-04-19). MYANMAR CRISIS: Stand with the people and protect them, urges UN rights expert. news.un.org The international community has a responsibility to protect the people of Myanmar, under attack from their own military, the UN independent human rights expert on the country argues, in the second part of our in-depth interview, calling also for refuge to be given to those who have fled for their lives to neighbouring countries.
(2021-04-19). Rights experts condemn UK report attempting to 'normalize white supremacy'. news.un.org UN independent human rights experts on Monday denounced a government-backed report into racism in the United Kingdom, saying that it further distorted and falsified historic facts, and could even fuel racism and racial discrimination.
(2021-04-19). Daunte Wright's Killing Makes the Case for Shrinking Police Budgets. counterpunch.org Three weeks into the Minneapolis trial of Derek Chauvin for the killing of George Floyd, a white police officer in the neighboring suburb of Brooklyn Center killed a young Black man named Daunte Wright and illustrated in tragic terms just how law enforcement remains engaged in a racist war on Black America in spite of
(2021-04-19). Minneapolis: Major protest set for closing arguments in case of killer cop Chauvin. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – A coalition of 20-plus Twin Cities organizations plan to protest on Monday, April 19 at 5 p.m. outside the Hennepin County Government Center in downtown Minneapolis, with a call for justice for George Floyd and conviction of Derek Chauvin. April 19 is when closing arguments and as jury deliberations begin. | The evening protest will include speakers with analysis of the day's and week's events. There will be a march – no matter how many streets the city tries to close off. | "We will assert our First Amendment rights," say protest organizers. | The coalition demands are as follows:
| — Con…
(2021-04-19). Michael Somare (1936-2021) and the failure of bourgeois nationalism in Papua New Guinea. wsws.org The "independent" capitalist state in PNG has failed to advance the economic interests and social and democratic rights of the working class and rural masses.
(2021-04-19). Moscow vows tit for tat response to any US sanctions. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 19 (MNA) — Russian authorities stated on Monday that any restrictions imposed by the US administration will trigger a response in kind from Moscow.
(2021-04-19). Russia, US hold meeting on JCPOA in Vienna. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 19 (MNA) — The head of the Russian delegation to the JCPOA talks announced that he met with the US Special Representative for Iran and discuss the lifting of sanctions and the full implementation of the agreement.
(2021-04-19). Do Canada's Unilateral Sanctions Violate International Law? globalresearch.ca Is Canada breaking international law when it applies unilateral coercive economic …
(2021-04-18). Jewish, immigrant organizers hold Passover action in Kenosha, Wisconsin. liberationnews.org 
Activists gathered outside the Kenosha Detention Center April 11 to demand the Biden administration stop the continued detention and dehumanization of immigrants at the U.S.-Mexico border, for legalization of the 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States and for the abolition of ICE.
(2021-04-18). The US-Russia Sanctions War: Symbolic, Substantive, or Strategic? globalresearch.ca The recently intensified "sanctions war" between the US and Russia has …
(2021-04-18). Calls for Biden to Support Covid-19 Vaccine Patent Waiver at WTO. zcomm.org Sen. Bernie Sanders and a group of Democrats on Friday urged President Joe Biden to support an international push to temporarily suspend certain vaccine-related intellectual property rights…
(2021-04-18). There Is No Substitute For The Rank And File. popularresistance.org The Bessemer Amazon unionization effort was full of potential. It held the promise of a union bringing together the Black Lives Matter movement and a struggle for labor rights in order to take on one of the biggest, most odious corporations in the country. Maybe a Southern state would set off a movement again, like West Virginia and Oklahoma kicked off the teachers' spring. | Alongside Left Voice comrades, I decided to go to Bessemer, Alabama the week before voting ended. As I prepared to go, I had a weird feeling. I kept looking at interviews and I saw just two Amazon workers, over and over and over. They were g…
(2021-04-18). Syria Kurds hand over 34 orphans of Islamic State families to Russia. middleeasteye.net 
Syria Kurds hand over 34 orphans of Islamic State families to Russia | The children to be repatriated, aged between three and 14, were handed over to a delegation headed by the Russian president's envoy for children's rights | Sun, 04/18/2021 – 17: 31 | A soldier from the Syrian Democratic Forces stands guard at the al-Hol camp, a Kurdish-run displacement camp for relatives of IS jihadists…
(2021-04-18). Russian Warplanes Rain Hell On ISIS Terrorists In Central Syria. southfront.org 
FILE PHOTO: Sukhoi Su-24 attack aircraft before departing for its permanent base in Russia from Khmeimim Air Base in Syria. © Vadim Grishankin / Sputnik | On April 18, warplanes of the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) carried out a series of airstrikes on ISIS cells in the central region of Syria. | According to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, more than 70 airstrikes hit the central region. The airstrikes targeted the following areas: | The eastern countryside of Hama; | The outskirts of the town of Re…
(2021-04-18). Leaked Documents Revealed 11,000 Syrian Mercenaries Are Still Roaming In Libya. southfront.org 
Illustrative image | More than 11,000 Turkish-backed Syrian militants are still present in Libya despite the recent political settlement in the country, according to leaked official documents released by the Sky News Arabia on April 17. | According to the documents, a total of 11,609 Syrian militants are now in Libya. The number is double that provided by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). | So far, Turkey has withdrawn only 1,226 out of 12,835 militants of the so-called Syrian National Army from Libya.
(2021-04-18). Man who was pulled over for running a red light attacks NYPD officers with chemicals & Molotov cocktail (VIDEO). rt.com 
A routine traffic stop in Brooklyn went awry after a driver attacked NYPD officers with chemicals and a Molotov cocktail. The suspect was detained after a brief chase. | The suspect, identified by local media as Lionel Virgile, was stopped by the cops on Saturday after running a red light. | Bodycam footage released by the NYPD shows an officer approaching Virgile's car and asking for his license and registration. The man answers that he doesn't have the documents, and begins to open the driver's side door. Virgile then lunges towards the cop as he throws a clear liquid on his face. It's unclear what the liqui…
(2021-04-18). The Clarian Call Of The People Of Burma — OpEd. eurasiareview.com When will the free world listen to the clarion call of the people of Burma, who have made 730 supreme sacrifices, 3,152 detained and over 870 arrest warrants issued, not to mention the 40 children killed (as according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners)? The entire country of 55 million plus people are ardently appealing to the arsenals of democratic countries, knowing full well that the leading authoritarian countries are pouring more oil on this burning inferno, not only by using their veto powers at the UN Security Council but also by supplying more lethal heavy weapons to use it on its o…
(2021-04-18). Eritrea acknowledges presence of troops in Ethiopia's Tigray State, commits to withdrawal. peoplesdispatch.org This is the first official acknowledgement by Eritrea of the presence of its troops in Tigray where they have been accused of committing human rights violations…
(2021-04-18). The Extraordinary Rendition of Japanese Latin Americans During World War II. scheerpost.com By Diana Morita Cole / Original to ScheerPost In 2017, Isamu "Art" Shibayama testified before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights of the Organization of American States, marking a milestone in a 74-year journey that began when the United States government kidnapped him and more than 2,260 persons of Japanese ancestry from Latin America during World War II. When he was only 13… |
(2021-04-18). Berliners protest striking down of rent cap law by constitutional court. peoplesdispatch.org Housing rights groups and activists took to the streets after Germany's constitutional court struck down a law passed by the Berlin State government freezing rents at June 2019 levels for five years…
(2021-04-18). Mexico Pauses Pro-Abortion Constitutional Reform. eurasiareview.com By David Ramos | The administration of Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and legislators from his ruling National Regeneration Movement decided to put on hold for now the debate on amending the federal constitution to insert abortion rights and gender ideology. | In an April 14 press conference, López Obrador said that "when there are highly controversial confrontational issues, points of view, the best thing is to consult the citizens." | The president stressed that that his "recommendation" to Mexican legislators "is that citizens be consulted on controversial issues, where there are substantive…
(2021-04-18). Why Xinjiang Is Emerging As The Epicenter Of The US Cold War On China. popularresistance.org On March 22, 2021, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken authorized sanctions against Wang Junzheng, the secretary of the Chinese Communist Party Committee of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC), and Chen Mingguo, director of the Xinjiang Public Security Bureau (XPSB). These sanctions, Blinken said, have been put in place against Wang Junzheng and Chen Mingguo because they are accused of being party to "genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang." The US Treasury Department followed suit with its own sanctions. | Both Wang Junzheng and Chen Mingguo responded by condemning these sanctions th…
(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
(2021-04-18). US not lift sanction unless ensure Iran adheres to commitment. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 18 (MNA) — The US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said that the White House will not lift sanctions imposed against Iran unless it (US) ensures that Iran has complied with its nuclear obligations.
(2021-04-18). Escalate to Deescalate… Then Biden Takes Escalator Sideways. strategic-culture.org Washington must surely know that its escalations will be met with equal force from Russia and China, Finian Cunningham writes. | President Joe Biden wasn't expecting Russia's rapid slap back. He assumed, wrongly, that he could hit Moscow with a new round of sanctions (based on slanderous claims) and look as if he were chewing gum and acting the hard man. | Then slap. Russian responded immediately and firmly. Ten U.S. diplomats are to be expelled in a reciprocal response to Biden's executive order last week to expel Russian diplomats. | Laughably, the Biden administration was aghast at the Russian sanctions. A Sta…