(2021-04-09). 'Sacrifice Zones': How People of Color Are Targets of Environmental Racism. counterpunch.org 
The Black Lives Matter movement and the COVID-19 pandemic have highlighted how systemic racism disproportionately places danger and harm on low-income and minority populations. One harsh reality of this systemic racism is the existence of "sacrifice zones," which are communities located near pollution hot spots that have been permanently impaired by intensive and concentrated industrial
(2021-04-09). China rejects U.S.' human rights hypocrisy, points to repression of Black Lives Matter. peoplesworld.org 
Top officials from China and the United States exchanged verbal blows at the Alaska Summit last week, after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan opened the session by making false and unwarranted accusations about China's governance and international affairs. In the summit's opening remarks, Blinken accused China of …
(2021-04-09). Disappear the System: A Critical Hegemonic Function of Capitalist Media. counterpunch.org 
Something stinks in the wall-to-wall broadcast of every detail in the Derek Chauvin trial. The hegemonic (in a Marxian sense) result of drilling down so microscopically on one racist cop's super-transgression, treating the killer as a rogue anomaly, is to disappear the broader mass-carceral white supremacist police-state and the underlying system of racialized class oppression
(2021-04-09). From His Solitary Confinement, Marwan Barghouti Holds the Key to Fatah's Future. counterpunch.org 
If imprisoned Palestinian leader, Marwan Barghouti, becomes the President of the Palestinian Authority (PA), the status quo will change substantially. For Israel, as well as for the current PA President, Mahmoud Abbas, such a scenario is more dangerous than another strong Hamas showing in the upcoming Palestinian parliamentary elections. The long-delayed elections, now scheduled for
(2021-04-09). From His Solitary Confinement, Marwan Barghouti Holds the Key to Fatah's Future. dissidentvoice.org 
If imprisoned Palestinian leader, Marwan Barghouti, becomes the President of the Palestinian Authority (PA), the status quo will change substantially. For Israel, as well as for the current PA President, Mahmoud Abbas, such a scenario is more dangerous than another strong Hamas showing in the upcoming Palestinian parliamentary elections. The long-delayed elections, now scheduled for May …
(2021-04-09). Charges dropped in multiple cases after PAR investigative reports. therealnews.com 
PAR has three positive updates on cases we've recently covered. We update the case of an Ohio cab driver who was tasered while waiting for a customer, a Texas resident arrested for drugs found in a car he just purchased from a police auction, and the activist grandmother who faced two years in prison for allegedly using a counterfeit $100 bill.
(2021-04-09). Workers Struggles: Europe, Middle East & Africa. wsws.org UK bus drivers 24-hour strike at London United while French drivers at same company walk out over pay and privatisation; strikes in Belgium by childcare workers over Covid safety, prison officers and social workers over workload; resident doctors across Nigeria strike since April 8 over salary arrears…
(2021-04-09). Margaret Sullivan Gets it Wrong, Libel Law Is a Good Thing. cepr.net I was going to let pass this column by Margaret Sullivan, warning us not to applaud Dominion's lawsuit against Fox News. I'm generally a big fan of Sullivan's columns and was willing to look the other way on what I see as a very poorly argued piece. But when a friend sent it to me …
(2021-04-09). Argentina To Penalize Sexual Harassment in Public Spaces. telesurenglish.net Argentina's Senate Thursday approved a bill that seeks to incorporate into the Penal Code sexual harassment in public spaces. | RELATED: | The bill, which was approved with 67 votes in favor and one negative vote, proposes fines and imprisonment to fight and prevent sexual harassment. | Fines of up to US$216 will be imposed on anyone who disturbs another person's dignity and physical, psychological, or sexual integrit…
(2021-04-08). Myanmar: 53 Journalists Detained, Prosecuted Since Military Coup. eurasiareview.com 
A total of 53 reporters have been detained or prosecuted since the military coup on February 1, said journalist U Myint Kyaw, citing data from fellow members of the media. | Twenty-six of them are under detention, 15 of them have been charged under Section 505(a) of the Penal Code, and the rest have been released, said U Myint Kyaw. | "Prosecution is not a good sign for all the journalists. It is no longer safe for them to do reporting. In some cases, family members are urging journalists to quit. In some cases, journalists themselves have concerns for their safety. All these factors contribute to a decline in…
(2021-04-08). PDF of April 8 issue. workers.org 
Download the PDF. NO STALLNG: U.S. out of Afghanistan! Alabama mine workers strike What Bessemer union drive means Philly: Protect Squirrel Hill George Floyd's killer on trial Cesar Chavez Day Georgia anti-vote law strikes out Editorial: Wanna pay no taxes? TEAR DOWN THE WALLS: Detention centers exploit trans people Evaluating . . . |
(2021-04-08). US: Muslim Advocacy Group Sues Facebook Over Hate Speech Use. telesurenglish.net Muslim Advocates, a civil rights organization based in Washington, DC, in the United States, has repeatedly called on the social media giant to take more decisive actions on content displaying anti-Muslim bigotry and white supremacist content. | RELATED: | Muslim Advocates is one of several civil rights organizations that have repeatedly called on Facebook to do more to eliminate anti-Muslim bigotry and white supremacist co…
(2021-04-08). Habitual Felony Offender Act: Alabama law produces long prison sentences for questionable prior convictions. splcenter.org  …
(2021-04-08). Plight of Imprisoned African-Americans Worsens in the U.S. Historical Perspective. globalresearch.ca Romaine "Chip" Fitzgerald was a member of the Black Panther Party …
(2021-04-08). Evolution Of China's Policy On Minorities — Analysis. eurasiareview.com 
Among issues on which China is unsparingly criticized in the Western world is the way it treats its minorities. No doubt, China has problems with its minorities, like other countries. And again, like other political systems, Chinese political systems have, over the centuries, tackled the question in a variety of ways with varying degrees of success. | To put the issue in the contemporary context, Human Rights Watch (HRW), has charged that Beijing's "Strike Hard Campaign against Violent Extremism" has entailed mass arbitrary detention, surveillance, indoctrination, and the destruction of the cultural and religi…
(2021-04-08). "Vaccine Passports": ACLU Warns of Privacy Nightmare That Could Create "Two-Tiered Society" democracynow.org 
As people try to find a safe way to gather and travel during the pandemic, there is growing interest in documenting who has been vaccinated or tested negative for COVID-19. The World Health Organization has warned so-called vaccine passports may not be an effective way to reopen, and healthcare professionals argue vaccine certificates may further exacerbate vaccine inequality. New York is already testing a digital vaccine passport app made by IBM called the Excelsior Pass, while countries including the U.K. and Israel have issued their own versions of electronic vaccine certificates. The U.S. government has ruled…
(2021-04-08). Israel 'flagrantly violated' obligations to vaccinate Palestinians, Amnesty says. middleeasteye.net 
Israel 'flagrantly violated' obligations to vaccinate Palestinians, Amnesty says | Rights group says failure to vaccinate Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza is a sign of 'institutionalised discrimination' | Thu, 04/08/2021 – 16: 52 | For Palestinians living in the occupied West Bank and Israeli-blockaded Gaza, the vaccination rollout has lagged far behind (AFP) | Amnesty International has accused…
(2021-04-08). Russian military build-up a precaution over simmering conflict in 'restless' Ukraine, has nothing to do with Navalny, Kremlin says. rt.com 
Russia is being cautious due to having such a "restless" neighbor as Ukraine, a Kremlin spokesman said, rejecting Kiev's claim that the military buildup at the border is an attempt to divert attention from Alexey Navalny's case. | Ukrainian security chief Oleksiy Danilov suggested on Wednesday that Russia has been massing troops near its border with Ukraine for one sole purpose: to switch focus from domestic problems, which in his view includes the trial and imprisonment of Navalny, an opposition activist who was jailed for 2.5 years in February for parole violations. | The Kiev official was "absolutely wrong"
(2021-04-08). Russian military build-up a precaution over simmering conflict in 'troubled' Ukraine, has nothing to do with Navalny, Kremlin says. rt.com Russia needs to be cautious due to having such a "troubled" neighbor as Ukraine, the Kremlin said on Thursday, rejecting Kiev's claim that a military buildup near their border is an attempt to divert attention from other matters. | Ukrainian security chief Oleksiy Danilov suggested on Wednesday that Russia has been massing troops near its border with his country for one sole purpose: to switch focus from domestic problems, which in his view includes the trial and imprisonment of Navalny, an opposition activist who was jailed for over two and a half years in February for parole violations. | The Kiev official w…
(2021-04-08). Corporate Media Not Gonna Both-Sides Voter Suppression in Georgia, Are They? commondreams.org www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/gettyimages-12278305261.jpg …
(2021-04-08). Facebook sued for 'failing' to stop anti-Muslim hate speech. middleeasteye.net 
Facebook sued for 'failing' to stop anti-Muslim hate speech | US civil rights group asserts Facebook falsely promised to remove content that violated moderation standards | Thu, 04/08/2021 – 21: 01 | Facebook has been accused of providing a platform for the incitement of violence against Muslims across the world (AFP) | A US civil rights group launched legal proceedings against Facebook on Thursday, claiming t…
(2021-04-08). Egypt: Muslim Brotherhood's former acting leader sentenced to life in prison. middleeasteye.net 
Egypt: Muslim Brotherhood's former acting leader sentenced to life in prison | Mahmoud Ezzat, 76, was arrested during a raid on a Cairo apartment last August | Thu, 04/08/2021 – 14: 07 | Former acting leader of the Muslim Brotherhood Mahmoud Ezzat has been sentenced to life in prison (AFP) | An Egyptian court sentenced Mahmoud Ezzat, the former acting leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, to l…