(2020-01-30). Israeli woman convicted of drug trafficking but pardoned by Putin walks free from Russian prison. rt.com 
Originally facing over seven years behind bars for the illegal possession of drugs, Naama Issachar is going home after President Vladimir Putin pardoned her ahead of a visit by the Israeli premier. | Issachar was officially released from a Russian prison earlier on Thursday, Russia's Federal Prison Service (FSIN) confirmed. The woman is returning to Israel on the plane of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was on a brief visit to Moscow, her lawyer said. | Netanyahu and his wife personally greeted the released woman and her mother before escorting them to the plane. | ‚ù§Ô&p…
(2020-01-30). Growing Up Panther: An Interview With K'sisay Sadiki. counterpunch.org 
K'Sisay Sadiki has lived her life in two worlds. She's attended prestigious dance and film schools, holds down a steady job, pays taxes. And, as the child of Black Panthers, she's lived underground, raised by people dedicated to overturning white supremacy. Her father, Kamau, also has a daughter — K'Sisay's sister — by Assata Shakur, who famously escaped from prison in 1979 and now lives in Cuba as a "dangerous fugitive," hunted by the US government. Kamau is in a Georgia prison, serving a life-plus-ten-years sentence for the 1971 fatal shooting of a police officer — a cold case, resurrected in…
(2020-01-30). Bayer may halt sales of cancer-linked glyphosate products to private users. rt.com 
German pharmaceutical giant Bayer is considering stopping sales of its weedkiller containing glyphosate to individual users. The firm is facing tens of thousands of lawsuits that claim the product causes cancer. | According to German newspaper Handelsblatt, the move is part of Bayer's ongoing talks with plaintiffs in the United States about an out-of-court settlement. | Also on rt.com | | Court-appointed mediator Ken…
(2020-01-30). Boris Mints: Russia seeks arrest of London-based billionaire fugitive wanted for embezzlement. rt.com 
Russian investigators have issued an arrest warrant for businessman Boris Mints, accused of multi-million dollar embezzlement. He has now been placed on the international wanted list. | Mints, together with his sons Alexander and Dmitry, is charged with the theft of $473 million (‚ÇΩ30 billion rubles), as reported by the Moscow business daily Vedomosti, citing Alexander's lawyer Fedor Kupriyanov. Their extradition is also sought. Dmitry's lawyer Elena Kupriyanova says the defendants consider themselves "not guilty." Successful convictions could lead to prison sentences of up to ten years.
(2020-01-30). Soaring levels of self-harm in prisons, new figures show. thecanary.co 
Levels of self-harm behind bars have hit a new record high, with the number of incidents soaring more than 60,000 in a year, official figures show.According to data released by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), there were 61,461 incidents in the 12 months to September, up 16% from the previous period when there were 53,076.This is the highest number of incidents since records began in 2009 (24,471).The number of inmates self-harming also hit a record high after a 2% rise to 12,740 from 12,507 in the previous period. When records began in 2009, the number was 6,385.A prison officer patrols the wings of HMP Manchester…
(2020-01-30). ITV documentary reveals conditions in prison holding WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange. wsws.org Despite going unmentioned, Assange's deteriorating health and the concerns of independent medical professionals about his effective solitary confinement in the health care unit hung silently over the programme.
(2020-01-30). The Government Is Trying to Strip Student Workers of the Ability to Unionize. aclu.org The federal government recently
(2020-01-30). Fiat Chrysler seeks to dismiss GM lawsuit charging it "acquired" the UAW. wsws.org Fiat Chrysler filed a motion to dismiss the GM lawsuit alleging it gained an unfair competitive advantage by bribing United Auto Workers officials.
(2020-01-30). US Navy Settles Lawsuit, Agrees to 10-Year Moratorium on Hull Scraping in Puget Sound. sputniknews.com The US Navy has agreed to a 10-year moratorium on scraping the hulls of decommissioned vessels in the Puget Sound, an inlet of the Pacific Ocean in Washington state.
(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). Coalition to March on DNC threatens lawsuit as Milwaukee government denies democratic rights. fightbacknews.org Milwaukee, WI – On the evening of January 27, organizers for the Coalition to March on the DNC held a press conference outside City Hall to announce their intention to sue the city if their permit to rally and march is not delivered. Despite having reserved the rotunda inside the building, the press conference was forced to be held outside. | This was the result of a city council representative not booking the room for that evening, even after all proper procedures were followed by the Coalition. This is further proof that the City of Milwaukee is trying to silence the freedoms of speech and assembly of the peopl…
(2020-01-29). California Communities, Big Oil Go to Court Over Future of Climate Lawsuits. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2020-01-29). Iran is Not Responsible for US Deaths in Iraq. counterpunch.org Who exactly is responsible for US casualties in Iraq during the Iraq War? The question has been raised thanks to President Trump's decision to assassinate Iranian General Gasem Soleimani. On January 13, the New York Times published a front-page story about a lawsuit filed against Iran in federal court by US veterans and veteran families;
(2020-01-29). Marital-Status Discrimination Reduces Fertility in China. counterpunch.org Building on recent posts by Dean Baker (responding to NYT and Washington Post here and Ross Douthat here) that debunk the idea that there is a "demographic crisis" in China, there's also an important family justice aspect to fertility in China. Although Douthat attributes China's fertility rate (1.6 births per woman) to "cruel policy choices,"
(2020-01-29). Putin Pardons US-Israeli Woman Jailed in Russia on Drug Charges. telesurenglish.net Russian President Vladimir Putin has pardoned the U.S.-Israeli woman that was jailed in Russia for drug-related charges, the Kremlin announced on Wednesday. | RELATED: | According to the Kremlin, Putin signed the presidential decree to pardon the woman, Naama Issachar of New Jersey, a move that received acknowledgement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the eve of their bilateral meeting. | The U…
(2020-01-29). Trump's 'Deal of the Century' Ensures Israeli Domination and Palestinian Oppression. imemc.org Trump's Kushner Plan, also known as the 'Deal of the Century,' gives Israel control of Palestinian land, makes settlements part of Israel, ensures endless Palestinian Occupation, and is a recipe for disaster. | (Transcript unavailable.) |