(2022-02-22). US imposes sanctions on Donbass republics. rt.com 
Washington reacts to Moscow's decision to recognize the DPR and LPR | US President Joe Biden has announced sweeping new sanctions on the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics, following the decision of Russian President Vladimir Putin to recognize them as independent and sovereign states. | The text, published to the White House's website on Monday evening, seeks to economically stifle the two Donbass republics. | "The Russian Federation's purported recognition of the so-called Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) or Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) regions of Ukraine contradicts Russia's commitments under the Mins…
(2022-02-22). US, NATO 'Far More Concerned' About Russian Maneuvers Than Safety of Those in DPR & LPR – Expert. sputniknews.com Several countries, including the US, have committed to imposing sanctions on Russia in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin recognising the independence of the People's Republics of Donetsk and Lugansk. According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the move translates to Russia's withdrawal from the Minsk Agreements.
(2022-02-22). Biden signs decree on sanctions over Russia recognizing Donbass sovereignty. tass.com The US president's executive order prohibits "new investment in the so-called DNR or LNR regions of Ukraine or such other regions of Ukraine, as may be determined by the Secretary of the Treasury, by a United States person wherever located"
(2022-02-22). UK sanctions Putin's 'inner circle' over Donbass. rt.com 
Britain has sanctioned five Russian banks and three "high net worth" people in response to Moscow's recognition of the breakaway republics
(2022-02-22). Putin Recognizes Ukraine Separatists; Khrushchev's Great-Granddaughter Says War Can Still Be Avoided. democracynow.org 
Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered troops into two separatist regions in eastern Ukraine, drawing sharp rebukes from the U.S. and other Western countries that have warned for weeks of a Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Biden administration issued new sanctions, and Germany has stopped the certification of Russia's Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in an attempt to quash the country's dependence on Russian natural gas. We speak with Nina Khrushcheva, professor of international affairs at The New School, who says she remains skeptical that Russia will launch an all-out war against Ukraine. She also s…
(2022-02-22). Headlines for February 22, 2022. democracynow.org Putin Orders Russian "Peacekeepers" into Ukraine Separatist Regions, U.N. Rebukes Russia over Violations of Ukraine's Territorial Integrity, Florida Senate Advances Bill to Ban Nearly All Abortions After 15 Weeks, Colombia Legalizes Abortion During First 24 Weeks of Pregnancy, Dominican Republic Begins Construction of High-Tech Border Wall with Haiti, Dr. Paul Farmer, Who Brought Free, Quality Healthcare to World's Poorest, Dies at 62, Mali's Military Rulers Cement Hold on Power, Leak Reveals Credit Suisse Ties to Dictators, Torturers and Organized Crime, Wildfires Burn Nearly 2 Mill…
(2022-02-22). Russia sends troops into East Ukraine, Biden announces sanctions. wsws.org Monday's escalation comes after weeks in which the US and NATO recklessly ratcheted up tensions with Russia, including by sending 5,000 troops of the airborne division to Poland and 300 Javelin missiles to Ukraine, and unleashing a torrent of war propaganda.
(2022-02-22). Biden tells Zelensky about US plans on imposing sanctions on Russia. tass.com US President strongly condemned Russian President Putin's decision to purportedly recognize the "independence" of the so-called DNR and LNR regions of Ukraine"
(2022-02-22). Biden to sign decree on sanctions, investment bans, trade with DPR, LPR. tass.com This will also provide authority to impose sanctions on any person determined to operate in those areas of Ukraine, the statement noted…
(2022-02-22). US Signals Putin's Donbas Troop Deployment Might Not Trigger Massive 'Invasion' Sanctions. news.antiwar.com A US official on Monday The US has long accused Russia of having troops deployed in the Donbas, which Moscow has denied. A senior administration official told reporters on Monday that Putin's peacekeeping deployment would "not be a new step" and would only make the Russian pres…
(2022-02-22). Switzerland could be blacklisted as money-laundering state. rt.com 
The financial hub is dealing with the fallout from a huge leak of Credit Suisse banking data | The European People's Party (EPP), the largest political grouping in the European Parliament, called for a review of Switzerland's banking practices on Monday, and for the country to be included on the EU's dirty-money blacklist after leaked Credit Suisse documents revealed the bank's dealings with shady clientele. | The Swiss banking giant has reportedly served a motley client roster for decades, which included heads of state and spy chiefs, as well as human rights abusers and sanctioned individuals. | "The 'Swiss S…
(2022-02-22). Forgive Thyself and Others: Reparations Now! dissidentvoice.org The question of Reparations for the historical crime of slavery is not primarily about money. Rather it is about spiritual cleansing and healing. It is about recognizing the fact that systemic physical and mental torture have long hands that stretch out across time and space. It is about acknowledging the attempted physical and spiritual destruction …
(2022-02-22). Beijing Warns US That 'Bitter Competition' With China May Escalate Into Full-Fledged Confrontation. sputniknews.com Chinese authorities previously announced that they will take countermeasures in response to US weapons sales to Taiwan and promised to slap sanctions on Lockheed Martin and Raytheon Technologies.
(2022-02-22). Vienna Talks to Revive Iran Nuclear Deal Might Be 'Finalised Within Next Couple of Days'. sputniknews.com In May 2018, the Trump administration unilaterally withdrew the US from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and reimposed sanctions on Tehran, who responded by abandoning its commitments under the agreement. Since April 2021, Vienna has been hosting talks to restore the accord.
(2022-02-21). US plans to impose restrictions on international transactions of Russian banks — Reuters. tass.com The final list of banks subject to sanctions is yet to be formed…
(2022-02-21). With Its Doomsday Clock at 100 Seconds to Midnight, The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists Calls for Escalating US Aggression against Russia. transcend.org 15 Feb 2022 – Citing the Atlantic Council, the US-based think tank for NATO, the Bulletin explains that the sanctions they advocate would cause the Russian economy to "experience significant chaos." Instead of supporting peaceful measures in the Ukraine, it has become a cheerleader for Washington. From an organization run by scientists, the current governing board of the Bulletin has hardly a scientist in sight.
(2022-02-21). US Preparing Sanctions That Would Target Russian Banks, Reports Say. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The administration of US President Joe Biden could block US financial institutions from processing transactions for Russian banks as part of a sanctions package that will be implemented if Moscow decides to "invade" Ukraine, Reuters reports, citing anonymous sources.
(2022-02-21). Russia Destroys 2 Ukrainian Combat Vehicles, Killing 5 Intruders. telesurenglish.net Russia's Defense Ministry announced on Monday that its forces destroyed two Ukrainian combat vehicles that violated the Russian state border earlier in the day. | RELATED: | At about 6 a.m. Moscow time in the border area of Russia's Rostov region, Federal Security Service (FSB) officers discovered the penetration of a sabotage and reconnaissance group from Ukraine. To detain the intruders, the FSB border detachment requ…
(2022-02-21). A Growing Wave Of Litigation Spurs Climate Action. popularresistance.org In France, three non-governmental organizations sued the oil company Total over alleged "inadequate" environmental and human rights assessments of its oil project in Uganda and Tanzania. In Australia, a student filed a consumer complaint with Ad Standards against the financial services organization HSBC for claiming to support the protection of the Great Barrier Reef despite its links to fossil fuel operations. In South Africa, three civil society organizations launched a case alleging that the government's plans to obtain new coal power threaten various constitutional rights. | These are just a handful of the hu…
(2022-02-21). Nicaragua Condemns New Interference Attempt By OAS. popularresistance.org The Nicaraguan delegation to the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) firmly and categorically denounced, on Friday, February 18, the OAS' notification for scheduling a special session of its member states to address "the situation in Nicaragua." | Previously, the OAS had issued a declaration condemning alleged lack of legal guarantees in Nicaragua and what it considered as human rights violations perpetrated by the government of Nicaragua. Such declarations of the OAS referred to the judicial procedures being carried out in Nicaragua against some of the promoters of the violent 2018 cou…
(2022-02-21). Sri Lankan human rights lawyer Hejaaz Hizbullah released after 20 months. peoplesdispatch.org Hizbullah was arrested in April 2020 and accused of being involved in the 2019 Easter bombings in Sri Lanka. His release comes at a time when there is mounting global pressure on the Rajapaksa government to reform the existing anti-terror law in the country…
(2022-02-21). At OAS, Nicaragua condemns US police brutality, racism, torture in Guantánamo prison. multipolarista.com Nicaragua condemned the hypocrisy of the OAS "Ministry of the Colonies" for obsessively demonizing his country while doing nothing about racist US police brutality and torture at Guantánamo or the mass graves of Indigenous children in Canada.
(2022-02-21). UN special rapporteur on torture Nils Melzer speaks on book, The Trial of Julian Assange. wsws.org Melzer provided a devastating indictment not only of the treatment of Assange, but of contemporary capitalist society and its claim to democratic rule based on "checks and balances".
(2022-02-21). Striking for Freedom: Why Palestinian Detainees are Boycotting Israeli Courts. orinocotribune.com 
Following hunger strike victories last year, Palestinians hope collective action will force Israel to abolish its practice of indefinite detention without trial. | By Yuval Abraham — Feb 17, 2022 | For the past six weeks, hundreds of Palestinian administrative detainees have been boycotting Israeli military courts over their indefinite imprisonment with no trial or indictment. Since January 1, the prisoners have announced that they will not arrive for hearings at courts, and that they are refusing to allow attorneys to represent them in absentia until Israel ceases its use of administrative detention. | Isra…
(2022-02-21). Venezuela Attends 6th Summit of Gas Exporting Countries in Qatar. orinocotribune.com The Foreign Affairs Minister of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Félix Plasencia, participated this Sunday, February 20, at the 6th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) in Qatar, on behalf of President Nicolás Maduro. | "We are proud to be part of the 6th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF), an event that promotes a model of peace, freedom, and development, supporting the sovereign rights of its members over their natural gas resources," stated the Venezuelan top diplomat through his Twitter account. | Estamos orgu…
(2022-02-21). Afghanistan on the Brink of Disaster. transcend.org 16 Feb 2022 – Gay rights, women's rights — in reality, these are a nuisance to many U.S. conservatives, but purporting to protect these rights on the other side of the world is a great excuse to play war.
(2022-02-21). Tuesday 3/8: Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights on International Women's Day! indybay.org Rally starts at noon in Sproul Plaza on UC Berkeley Campus (public welcome) | Entrance near Telegraph and Bancroft | One hour rally to be followed by march through the city of Berkeley.
(2022-02-21). Advances and setbacks in the struggle for abortion access in Ecuador. peoplesdispatch.org Feminist and women rights movements rejected the approval of a bill with inhibitory deadlines and condemned that it would force women to continue to seek clandestine abortions in unsafe conditions…
(2022-02-21). "Who Killed Our Father?": 57 Years After Malcolm X Assassination, Family Wants Fed Probe into Cover-Up. democracynow.org 
On the anniversary of the assassination of Malcolm X, we speak with the civil rights leader's daughter Ilyasah Shabazz about her family's call for a federal probe into his murder, following the exoneration of two men who were wrongfully convicted. "We want to know who killed our father, and we want to make sure that it is properly recorded in history," says Shabazz. "We want Congress to document the truth," says Benjamin Crump, who represents the family of Malcolm X.
(2022-02-21). CA SEIU Tops Pushing Union Busting 2 Tier "Non-Profits" Like HealthRight360 Harming Workers. indybay.org Top SEIU California officials are pushing a statewide privately run "non-profit" health system called HealthRight 360 which is undermining thousands of SEIU public healthcare workers. They are supporting a two tier healthcare system with lower wages and benefits than those in the public sector. They are doing the same work as public worker with lower pay, benefits and rights.
(2022-02-21). Law Pod UK: Latest Episode. ukhumanrightsblog.com 
"A Decent Death" is the title of an article written by former Court of Appeal judge Stephen Sedley, and published in the London Review of Books, to which Sir Sedley is a frequent contributor. In Episode 158 of Law Pod UK, Rosalind English considers the points made by Sir Stephen in his erudite and forthright …
(2022-02-21). Court of Appeal refuses permission to judicially review infected blood compensation schemeÔøº. ukhumanrightsblog.com 
CN v Secretary of State for Health and Social Care [2022] EWCA Civ 86 Judgment here, hearings here: part 1 and part 2. In a judgment handed down on 4 February 2022, the Court of Appeal dismissed an appeal for permission to apply for judicial review concerning the lawfulness of the England Infected Blood Support …
(2022-02-21). The Weekly Round-Up: restrictions, refugees and the right to privacy. ukhumanrightsblog.com 
In the news: Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to announce the removal of the last remaining COVID-19 restrictions this afternoon. It is expected that the legal requirement to self-isolate after testing positive will be scrapped alongside free PCR and lateral flow tests. Mr Johnson is set to announce the end of restrictions to be a …
(2022-02-21). China slaps sanctions on US companies over Taiwan arms deal. rt.com 
Lockheed Martin and Raytheon Technologies have drawn Beijing's ire for supplying weapons to Taipei | China has imposed sanctions on two major American arms manufacturers, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon Technologies. The decision, which was announced by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin on Monday, targets the two companies over their involvement in the "supply of American weapons to Taiwan." | The measures seek to "protect the sovereignty and security interests" of Beijing, the diplomat explained, as China considers Taiwan to be part of its territory. | The official stopped short of clarifying wha…