(2023-08-05). Correspondence] Women and authorship in the Lancet Series on breastfeeding. thelancet.com On March 8, we celebrated International Women's Day to raise greater awareness of women's rights. The Lancet Series on breastfeeding1 could not have been published at a better time. The Series details the numerous benefits of breastfeeding, for both babies and mothers, and places a particular emphasis on the main obstacle to optimal breastfeeding practices: the negative influence of commercial actors. Evidence from the Series, if translated into public policy, is likely to contribute to the protection and promotion of breastfeeding and, thus, the realisation of human rights for women and children.
(2023-08-05). Correspondence] Women and authorship in the Lancet Series on breastfeeding — Authors' reply. thelancet.com As the authors of the 2023 Lancet Series on breastfeeding, we share Mélissa Mialon's view that women should have the central role in matters affecting their human rights and that more work must be done to ensure that women around the world are leading important global health initiatives, Commissions, and research efforts. However, her assertion that the majority of authors of our Series are White men from high-income countries is factually incorrect. More than half (14/25; 56%) of the Series authors are women, and we represent 11 countries across six continents.
(2023-08-04). The continuity of the lie. indybay.org The U.S. public has once again been wheedled into sinking billions into another endless war. The script by which the pimps of war usually lure us into one military fiasco after another – including Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria, and now Ukraine – always remains the same. "Freedom and democracy are at risk. Evil must be vanquished. Human rights must be protected."
(2023-08-04). UN calls for investigation into police killings in Brazil. plenglish.com Brasilia, Aug 4 (Prensa Latina) The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights asked the Brazilian authorities for an independent, complete and impartial investigation on 45 deaths registered until today, during police operations in this country.
(2023-08-04). End internment of Irish republicans now. thecommunists.org This article is reproduced from Irish Republican News with thanks. ***** Increasing numbers of Irish republicans are being detained without bail and with little prospect of facing trial. Members of the Soaradh leadership have now endured three years of 'internment by remand'. The party is calling on all republicans and human rights groups to speak …
(2023-08-03). Chinese Ministry of State Security unveils channel to report espionage activities. ecns.cn The agency released detailed guidelines on Thursday on how to report and where to report suspected spy activities while emphasizing the importance of punishing espionage and protecting human rights.
(2023-08-03). Hundreds of human rights organizations urge Biden to release Alex Saab. peoplesdispatch.org On August 2, hundreds of social and human rights organizations around the world sent an open letter to US President Joe Biden, calling for the release of imprisoned Venezuelan diplomat
(2023-08-03). North Sea Oil Licenses, Torture in Ukraine, and Abortion Rights in the Court of Appeal. ukhumanrightsblog.com 
In the news Two thinktanks — Civil Exchange and the Sheila McKechnie Foundation — have issued a damning report on the state of freedom of expression and democratic discourse in the UK, condemning the "political attack" on democratic spaces by government ministers. The report, titled "Defending our Democratic Spaces", laments the attempts by Conservative ministers …
(2023-08-04). White House Concerned Over Niger Coup. popularresistance.org A new leader has emerged in the uranium-rich West African state of Niger just two days after the elected head-of-state, President Mohamed Bazoum, was toppled by his special forces. | On July 26, the presidential guard took over the residence of Bazoum and other key government buildings including the national media. | Colonel-Major Amadou Abdramane spoke for the newly established National Council for the Safeguard of our Homeland (CNSP), saying that the president had been detained. Abdramane later claimed that the government had been seized by the presidential guard due to declining security and the economic and s…
(2023-08-03). Another Group Of Child Traffickers Accidentally Detained On Ukrainian Border. southfront.org 
Another group of child traffickers was accidentally detained in Ukraine. According to the Ukrainian media citing the state border service, the criminal group that sold newborn babies abroad was neutralized. | According to the reports, the group of child traffickers consisted of 12 people, including the heads of several medical institutions. They were looking for women who agreed to become surrogate mothers and sell their babies for 12 thousand euros. In their turn, the traffickers sold bab…
(2023-08-03). President Biden Calls for the Immediate Release of Niger's President. news.antiwar.com President Biden on Thursday called for the immediate release of Niger's President Mohamed Bazoum, who's been detained since being ousted by a military coup last week. "I call for President Bazoum and his family to be immediately released, and for the preservation of Niger's hard-earned democracy," Biden said in a statement commemorating Niger's independence day. …
(2023-08-03). Niger Is The Fourth Country In The Sahel To Have An Anti-Western Coup. popularresistance.org At 3 a.m. on July 26, 2023, the presidential guard detained President Mohamed Bazoum in Niamey, the capital of Niger. Troops, led by Brigadier General Abdourahmane Tchiani closed the country's borders and declared a curfew. The coup d'état was immediately condemned by the Economic Community of West African States, by the African Union, and by the European Union. Both France and the United States—which have military bases in Niger—said that they were watching the situation closely. A tussle between the Army—which claimed to be pro-Bazoum—and the presidential guard threatened the capital, bu…
(2023-08-04). Detention limits flood havoc. ecns.cn Hebei province has made use of seven detention areas to effectively reduce floodwater pressure in the basin, a senior official from the provincial water authority said.
(2023-08-03). Palestinian Journalist's Agonizing Detention Spotlights Israel's Crackdown on Free Press. mintpressnews.com The work of Palestinian journalists is frequently stifled by detentions, violence, and movement constraints, all stemming from the pervasive Israeli occupation. As Palestinian self-determination remains elusive, the prospect of an unfettered and equitable press becomes increasingly remote.
(2023-08-03). The Deadly and Tragic Costs of Pretrial Detention. aclu.org 
Content warning: This piece includes disturbing details about the deaths of incarcerated people. |
(2023-08-05). Editorial] Indigenous health: self-determination is key. thelancet.com August 9 marks the UN's International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples, a day to raise awareness and highlight the rights of the 476 million Indigenous people across 90 countries. The anniversary comes in what could be a landmark year for Indigenous people and their health.
(2023-08-04). Trump & the KKK Act: Carol Anderson on Reconstruction-Era Voting Rights Law Cited in Trump Indictment. democracynow.org 
On Thursday, former President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty to trying to overturn the results of his 2020 election loss. Trump appeared before a magistrate judge in Washington's federal courthouse two days after he was indicted. A key part of the election interference charges Trump faces relates to a Civil War-era rights law that protects the right of citizens to have their vote counted. We speak with Carol Anderson, author of One Person, No Vote: How Voter Suppression Is Destroying Our Democracy and White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide, about Trump's attempt to wipe out the votes of…
(2023-08-04). Anti-Affirmative Action Group Sues Venture Capitalist Keshia Knight Pulliam Over Investing in Black Women. moguldom.com Conservative activist Edward Blum, known for opposing affirmative action, has filed a lawsuit against Fearless Fund, an Atlanta-based venture capital firm that supports Black women entrepreneurs. Blum's nonprofit organization, the American Alliance for Equal Rights, claims that Fearless Fund's grant competition, which exclusively targets Black women business owners, violates Section 1981 of the Civil Rights …
(2023-08-04). A Brief Neocolonial History of the Five UN Security Council Permanent Members. scheerpost.com 
By John P. Ruehl / AlterNet Understanding the actions and justifications behind territorial colonial behavior by the UN Security Council since 1945. One of the underlying principles of the UN Charter is the protection of the sovereign rights of states. Yet since 1945, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council (Soviet Union/Russia, France, …
(2023-08-03). Voting Rights Groups File Legal Challenge to Wisconsin's Legislative Maps. truthout.org Voting rights organizations and law firms joined forces Wednesday to file a legal challenge against Wisconsin's aggressively gerrymandered state legislative maps, which have allowed Republicans to cling to power in the Assembly and Senate for more than a decade. Filed by Campaign Legal Center (CLC), Law Forward, the Election Law Clinic at Harvard Law School, Stafford Rosenbaum LLP, and Arnold & |
(2023-08-03). Rights and empowerment principles for family planning — WHO. plenglish.com Geneva, Aug 3 (Prensa Latina) The fundamental right of individuals to decide, freely and for themselves, whether, when, and how many children to have is central to the vision and goals of Family Planning 2020 (FP2020).
(2023-08-03). Rights groups, activists urge singer Christina Aguilera to cancel concert in Israel. peoplesdispatch.org Christina Aguilera's concert is set to take place at Live Park in the city of Rishon LeZion which has been built upon several demolished Palestinian villages. Activists have urged her not to cross the international picket line…
(2023-08-03). 19 Attorney Generals Challenge Idaho's Dangerous "Abortion Trafficking" Law. truthout.org A coalition of attorney generals from nearly twenty states, led by Attorney General Bob Ferguson (D-Washington), filed a friend-of-the-court brief in support of several abortion rights organizations that are suing Idaho for its implementation of the country's first "abortion trafficking" law. Idaho has had an abortion ban in place since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last summer. |
(2023-08-04). Niger suspends military cooperation with France. plenglish.com The spokesman for the junta, Amadou Abdramane, said in a statement broadcast on television that the security and defense cooperation agreements with France were cancelled, given that country's attitude regarding the situation in Niger. | He also announced a decree declaring the end of the functions of the Nigerian ambassadors in France, the United States, Togo and Nigeria. | Abdramane also condemned the initiative to carry out a military intervention and the announcement of a package of sanctions imposed by organizations such as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which issued an ultimatum fo…
(2023-08-04). A Brief Neocolonial History of the Five UN Security Council Permanent Members. scheerpost.com By John P. Ruehl / AlterNet Understanding the actions and justifications behind territorial colonial behavior by the UN Security Council since 1945. One of the underlying principles of the UN Charter is the protection of the sovereign rights of states. Yet since 1945, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council (Soviet Union/Russia, France, …
(2023-08-03). Voting Rights Groups File Legal Challenge to Wisconsin's Legislative Maps. truthout.org Voting rights organizations and law firms joined forces Wednesday to file a legal challenge against Wisconsin's aggressively gerrymandered state legislative maps, which have allowed Republicans to cling to power in the Assembly and Senate for more than a decade. Filed by Campaign Legal Center (CLC), Law Forward, the Election Law Clinic at Harvard Law School, Stafford Rosenbaum LLP, and Arnold & |
(2023-08-03). Rights and empowerment principles for family planning — WHO. plenglish.com Geneva, Aug 3 (Prensa Latina) The fundamental right of individuals to decide, freely and for themselves, whether, when, and how many children to have is central to the vision and goals of Family Planning 2020 (FP2020).
(2023-08-03). Rights groups, activists urge singer Christina Aguilera to cancel concert in Israel. peoplesdispatch.org Christina Aguilera's concert is set to take place at Live Park in the city of Rishon LeZion which has been built upon several demolished Palestinian villages. Activists have urged her not to cross the international picket line…
(2023-08-03). 19 Attorney Generals Challenge Idaho's Dangerous "Abortion Trafficking" Law. truthout.org A coalition of attorney generals from nearly twenty states, led by Attorney General Bob Ferguson (D-Washington), filed a friend-of-the-court brief in support of several abortion rights organizations that are suing Idaho for its implementation of the country's first "abortion trafficking" law. Idaho has had an abortion ban in place since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last summer. |
(2023-08-04). Niger suspends military cooperation with France. plenglish.com The spokesman for the junta, Amadou Abdramane, said in a statement broadcast on television that the security and defense cooperation agreements with France were cancelled, given that country's attitude regarding the situation in Niger. | He also announced a decree declaring the end of the functions of the Nigerian ambassadors in France, the United States, Togo and Nigeria. | Abdramane also condemned the initiative to carry out a military intervention and the announcement of a package of sanctions imposed by organizations such as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which issued an ultimatum fo…
(2023-08-03). Russia's Economy Projected to Grow Despite Western Sanctions. news.antiwar.com The International Monetary Fund has said it expects the Russian economy to grow by 1.5% this year despite the US-led Western sanctions campaign against the country, which President Biden once vowed would "turn the ruble into rubble." The Russian economy shrank by 2.1% last year, but it has bounced back as Russia is adjusting to …
(2023-08-03). Objective Conditions in Venezuela: Maduro's Defensive Strategy and Contradictions Among the People. orinocotribune.com By Steve Ellner — July 2023 | ABSTRACT: In 2020, the Communist Party of Venezuela (PCV) withdrew support for President Nicolás Maduro even though Washington had recently intensified the "war on Venezuela," which included sanctions and military threats. The PCV's decision was in response to Maduro's business-friendly "defensive strategy" in the face of the imperialist aggression, which was more severe than that directed against other progressive Latin American governments, particularly after 2015. Maduro appeared to view the PCV and other critics on the left through the same lenses that he did critics on the…