(2020-02-06). Russia was second-biggest energy exporter to US in Autumn 2019, volumes hit 8-year high. rt.com 
Given the dire state of Russia-US political relations, and Washington's steadfast defense of its alliance with Saudi Arabia, it seems almost unbelievable that Moscow sends more energy exports America's way than Riyadh. | Nevertheless, figures recently published by the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) say it's true: Russia is America's second-biggest source of crude oil and petroleum products. | Despite years of sanctions, the autumn of 2019 saw the amount of Russian 'black gold' sold to the US reach levels not seen since before the 2013/14 Ukraine crisis. Last October, imports sharply increased, with…
(2020-02-06). Nord Stream 2 investors pledge to meet their commitments despite renewed threats of US sanctions. rt.com 
European companies have already invested billions of dollars in the Nord Stream 2 underwater pipeline from Russia to Germany, and are not going to ditch the project despite the threat of new US sanctions. | Washington could be preparing to target the massive Russian-European energy project again after last year's restrictions failed to completely stop it. US lawmakers want to approve another sanctions bill, this time imposing restrictions on the European investors involved in it or the potential buyers of the gas, delivered via the route after its completion, the German business outlet Handelsblatt reported ea…
(2020-02-06). Huawei sues US telecoms provider Verizon for alleged patent violations. rt.com 
Chinese tech giant Huawei has filed a lawsuit against US carrier Verizon, seeking compensation for what it said were infringements of its intellectual property rights. | The company said that Verizon is using technology that is protected by 12 of its US patents. According to the court documents, Verizon "profited greatly" from the technology, with the US firm's Wireline segment generating revenue of $29.8 billion in 2018. | Huawei said it has approached Verizon multiple times to negotiate licensing fees since February 2019, but the two companies were unable to agree on license terms. | Also on rt.com | |
(2020-02-06). Suspect in car ramming attack that left 12 Israeli soldiers injured detained after massive manhunt. rt.com 
Israeli security forces have detained the suspected terrorist who drove his car through a group of IDF recruits, injuring a dozen of them. He is reportedly a Palestinain man from East Jerusalem. | The car ramming attack, that occurred overnight in Jerusalem, left 12 Israeli soldiers injured. While one of them received wounds described as "critical," nine others have already been discharged from hospital. | The attack prompted a massive manhunt, involving various Israeli military and law enforcement units, that ultimately resulted in the arrest of a suspect. The attacker managed to flee the scene of the ramming…
(2020-02-06). Guyana: Global Witness Accuses Exxon of 'Exploitative' Contract. telesurenglish.net Guyana loses $55 billion with its current oil license deal with Exxon shows an analysis of the international human rights and anti-corruption group Global Witness. | RELATED: | The group urged the Guyanese government to renegotiate the deal as they found that the rushed deal left the country with a lower profit share from Exxon's Stabroek oil license than countries generally get from such negotiations. | The investig…
(2020-02-06). Trudeau Government's Effort to Overthrow Venezuelan Government. dissidentvoice.org What's more likely to shape Canadian policy in the Hemisphere: human rights and democracy or bankers' bottom-line? Last week Venezuelan politician Juan Guaidó was fêted in Ottawa. The self-declared president met Canada's Prime Minister, international development minister and foreign minister. Trudeau said, "I commend Interim President Guaidó for the courage and leadership he has shown …
(2020-02-06). Encampment Struggle and Suppression in Santa Cruz. indybay.org The history below was intended as a prologue to an earlier post entitled "Documents on Homeless Encampments and Civil Rights". However its length grew, so I'm posting it separately. For the Documents go to www.indybay.org/newsitems/2020/02/01/188… .
(2020-02-06). Why are Democratic Candidates Taking Money From Union-Busting Lawyers? counterpunch.org The Iron Workers Union endorsed Joe Biden last week, citing his dedication to "defend rights and jobs of American workers", and calling him "a friend to union ironworkers". The union endorsement marks one of many that Democratic candidates are fighting for by unveiling detailed labor plans and promising to overturn "right-to work laws" that weaken
(2020-02-06). Robert Reich: Trump Is Living in an Alternate America. truthdig.com Jobs. Wages. Taxes. Trade. Worker's rights. You name it, the president lied about it in this week's State of the Union address.
(2020-02-06). Austrian OMV Invested $124Mln in Nord Stream 2 Project in 2019 – Report. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Austrian oil and gas company OMV invested 113 million euros, or $124 million, in the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project targeted by US sanctions in 2019, the company said in a report published Thursday.
(2020-02-06). Headlines for February 6, 2020. democracynow.org U.S. Senate Acquits Trump of Two Impeachment Charges, Iowa Caucus: Sanders & Buttigieg Virtually Tied with 97% of Precincts Reporting | , Newborn Baby Becomes Youngest Person Diagnosed with Coronavirus as Death Toll in China Hits 560, Human Rights Watch: 138 Salvadoran Asylum Seekers Killed After Being Deported from U.S., DHS: New York Residents Can No Longer Participate in Trusted Traveler Programs | , Jair Bolsonaro Introduces Bill to Clear Way for Mining, Oil Extraction in Brazilian Amazon | , Nicolás Maduro: Trump Taking U.S. Toward "High-Level Conflict with Venezuela" | , Thousands Protest in Algeria for 50t…
(2020-02-05). Dossier 25: People's Polyclinics: The initiative of the Telugu communist movement. mronline.org 
Under the shadow of the Charter of the United Nations (1945) and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), countries are obliged to guarantee the right to health. The 1946 Constitution of the World Health Organisation (WHO) defines health as 'a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of […] |
(2020-02-05). 'The best is yet to come'? Defiant Trump doubles down in campaign rally-style State of the Union speech. rt.com 
Teased as "low key," US President Donald Trump's annual address to Congress was anything but, with several unprecedented symbolic gestures and a powerful assertion of American triumphalism that put his critics on the back foot. | Trump did not mention impeachment once in the 90-minute speech on Tuesday evening. Instead, he turned his persuasion skills up to eleven, painting a picture of America with a booming economy and infinite opportunities brought about by his administration, and contrasting that with Democrat proposals such as socialized healthcare and sanctuaries for illegal immigrants. | Amid the sta…
(2020-02-05). Trump's 'Deal of the Century': Old Israeli Demands in a New Package. mintpressnews.com Consisting of 80 pages, 50 of which are entirely dedicated to the plan's economic component, Trump's Deal of the Century is little more than a rehash of previous Israeli proposals that have already been rejected by Palestinians, writes Ramzy Baroud.
(2020-02-05). US Blockade to Affect Medical Treatment of Venezuelan Children. telesurenglish.net The Latin American Foundation for Human Rights and Social Development ( RELATED: | The organization explained that the affected children, who are being treated in Italy and Argentina, will rece…
(2020-02-05). A murderous system is being created before our very eyes. mronline.org A made-up rape allegation and fabricated evidence in Sweden, pressure from the UK not to drop the case, a biased judge, detention in a maximum security prison, psychological torture—and soon extradition to the U.S., where he could face up to 175 years in prison for exposing war crimes. For the first time, the UN Special […] |
(2020-02-05). Time to Reverse 'Citizens United' and Corporate Constitutional Rights. thenation.com Time to Reverse 'Citizens United' and Corporate Constitutional Rights…
(2020-02-05). Bolton's Battle With Government Censorship. counterpunch.org Former national security adviser John Bolton is about to learn that the government's pre-publication review process is little more than a violation of the First Amendment's free speech rights. Bolton's book, "The Room Where It Happened," which exposes the perfidy of the Trump administration's orchestrated extortion of the Ukrainian government, is scheduled for release in
(2020-02-05). Refugee resettlement: 'Tremendous gap' persists between needs, and spaces on offer. news.un.org Although around 1.4 million refugees are estimated to be in urgent need of resettlement worldwide, only 63,696 were resettled through the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) last year – that's only 4.5 per cent – due to a continuing shortage of offers of sanctuary from governments across the world.
(2020-02-05). 'Big Win for Justice' as Calif. Gov. Newsom Pardons Late Civil Rights Icon Bayard Rustin. commondreams.org In addition to…
(2020-02-05). Over 60 Green Groups Call on House Dems to Pass Sweeping Worker Rights-Boosting PRO Act. commondreams.org "There is no way to build a greener, more inclusive economy without strong, thriving labor unions." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-02-02). Minneapolis protest rejects Trump's expansion of Muslim ban to six new countries. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – More than 50 people protested Saturday, February 1, outside the Federal Courthouse in downtown Minneapolis to condemn Donald Trump adding six more countries to his administration's travel ban. | The protest was called by the Council on American-Islamic Relations-Minnesota (CAIR) just a day earlier and was endorsed by the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota, Black Immigrant Collective, Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC), Anti-War Committee, among others. | The Minneapolis protest was emceed by Jaylani Hussein of CAIR-MN. State Attorney General Keith Ellison and former State Repre…
(2020-02-02). SPLC and the SPLC Action Fund Hire Internationally Renowned Human and Civil Rights Leader as New President and CEO. splcenter.org Margaret Huang brings 25 years of experience advocating against discrimination and oppression around the world.
(2020-02-01). Mexico: UNICEF calls for implementation of protocol to protect migrant children. news.un.org Authorities in Mexico are being reminded by the UN children's agency, UNICEF, of the need to protect the rights of migrant children who enter the country.
(2020-01-31). Headlines for January 31, 2020. democracynow.org Senate Poised to Acquit President Trump in Impeachment Trial, World Health Organization Declares International Public Health Emergency, U.S. Special Envoy Warns of International Crisis in Idlib, Syria, Britain Formally Withdrawing from European Union Tonight, Pentagon Deploys 1st Low-Yield Nuclear Warhead-Armed Submarine, Trump Admin Poised to Loosen Restrictions on Use of Landmines, Human Rights Groups Condemn Mexico for Crackdown on Central American Migrants, Mexican Butterfly Conservationist Found Dead, Bolivia's Movement for Socialism Candidate Luis Arce Returns to Bolivia, U.S. Pushes EU to End Ban on Chemic…
(2020-01-30). Anti-Trump-themed 'Immigrant Food' restaurant owned by lobbyists for right-wing Latin American coup leaders who fueled migration crisis. thegrayzone.com The shocking story of how wealthy Latin American regime-change hitmen exploited immigrant rights, international food, and a pliant DC media…
(2020-01-29). We're Back in Court this Week Defending Access to Safe Abortion in Kentucky. aclu.org The ACLU is back | in court today once again to stop Kentucky's attempt to block access to | abortion. We've been here before. Over the past three years, the Kentucky | General Assembly has passed bill after bill that limits — and even bans — a | person's ability to get an abortion. And time after time, we've gone to court to | protect people's rights to get the care they need. | At issue this | week is a law that makes it a crime for doctors at Kentucky's last remaining | abortion clinic to perform an abortion procedure that is the standard of care. | In reality, the law is nothing more than a…
(2020-01-29). Headlines for January 29, 2020. democracynow.org McConnell Tries to Secure Votes to Block Impeachment Witnesses, "Our Rights Are Not for Sale": Palestinians Reject Trump's Middle East Plan, Trump Praises Pompeo for Shouting and Cursing at NPR Reporter, WaPo Reinstates Reporter Suspended for Tweeting About Kobe Rape Case, Death Toll from Coronavirus Virus Hits 132, with 6,000 Infected, Over 100,000 Syrian Civilians Flee Regime Offensive in Idlib, Floods Kill 30, Displace 16,000 in Madagascar, Mississippi to Shut Down Unit of Parchman Prison After Deaths of 9 Prisoners, Maryland Cop Charged with Murder for Killing Handcuffed Man in Police Car…
(2020-01-28). Asylum-Seekers Are Being Abandoned in Guatemala in a New Policy Officials Call a "Total Disaster" aclu.org In late November, U.S. immigration authorities began | deporting some Central American asylum-seekers to Guatemala under a new | policy that makes it nearly impossible for them to seek asylum in the U.S. | But Guatemalan human rights workers say that their country's | asylum system isn't capable of handling even the relatively small numbers that | have been sent there so far, and that asylum seekers' precarious status in the | country has already pushed many to leave. | "They're preferring to move on…
(2020-01-28). SPLC sues Alabama school district for violating students' due process rights after cell phone is mistaken for gun. splcenter.org Andre and his friend were taking turns on a cell phone, playing a video game called Last Day on Earth: Survival — about staying alive on a zombie-infested planet — when a real-life gunshot rang out.
(2020-01-16). Conspiracy Theories, Threats of Violence Loom Over Coming Gun Rally in Richmond. splcenter.org Gun-rights activists and antigovernment extremists are planning a protest in Richmond, Virginia, on Monday fueled by antigovernment conspiracy theories and accompanied by online calls for violence.
(2019-06-25). Peace Action Endorses Ilhan Omar for Congress. peaceaction.org Washington, DC — June 25, 2019 — Peace Action has announced its endorsement of Ilhan Omar for Congress in Minnesota's 5th Congressional District. Peace Action is a national grassroots organization working to advance nuclear disarmament, promote government spending priorities that support human needs, encourage real security through international cooperation and human rights, and support nonmilitary …
(2019-06-24). Peace Action Endorses Kara Eastman for Congress. peaceaction.org Washington, DC — June 24, 2019 — Peace Action has announced its endorsement of Kara Eastman for Congress in Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District. Peace Action is a national grassroots organization working to advance nuclear disarmament, promote government spending priorities that support human needs, encourage real security through international cooperation and human rights, and support nonmilitary …