Daily Archives: 2021-01-02

2021-01-02: News Headlines

MEE and agencies (2021-01-02). Algeria clears Bouteflika's brother of conspiracy. middleeasteye.net Algeria clears Bouteflika's brother of conspiracy | While Said Bouteflika remains in detention pending corruption charges, military court frees former spy chief | Sat, 01/02/2021 – 14: 09 | In 19 May 2012 file photo, Said Bouteflika attends the Algiers funeral of the late singer Warda Al-Jazairia (AFP) | An Algerian court cleared former president Abdel-Aziz Bouteflika's once powerful broth…

Marc Norton (2021-01-02). Prisons and Jails are COVID-19 Super-Spreaders. dissidentvoice.org San Quentin Inmates in federal prisons, state prisons and local jails should be in the first cohort of people to be offered COVID-19 vaccinations. One in five prisoners in the U.S. has been reported to have had COVID-19. That's 20% of people behind bars. And that is likely a "vast undercount," according to Homer Venters, …

Editor (2021-01-02). Julian Assange's Imprisonment Exposes U.S. Myths About Freedom. scheerpost.com Assemblea Nacional Catalana / CC BY-NC 2.0] By Glenn Greenwald / SubStack Persecution is not typically doled out to those who recite mainstream pieties, or refrain from posing meaningful threats to those who wield institutional power, or obediently stay within the lines of permissible speech and activism imposed by the ruling class. Those who render themselves acquiescent and harmless that way… |

The Grayzone (2021-01-02). Top 12 The Grayzone stories of 2020: From Julian Assange persecution to Bolivia coup defeat, corporate war on free speech to OPCW cover-up. thegrayzone.com 2020 was a chaotic year for the planet. While the Covid-19 pandemic dominated global politics, The Grayzone continued shining a light on the machinations of empire, from the persecution of imprisoned journalist Julian Assange to the defeat of a US-backed coup regime in Bolivia, from the growing corporate war on free speech to the OPCW's scandalous Syria cover-up. Throughout the year, The Grayzone's website had more than 5.24 million views and 2.48 million unique visitors. Our small, independently funded team …

Michael Knipper, Kayvan Bozorgmehr, Johanna Offe, Miriam Orcutt (2021-01-02). [Correspondence] Germany's new global health strategy: leaving migrants behind. thelancet.com After 3 years of consultation involving various ministries, academia, youth, civil society, private sector organisations, and an international advisory board, the German Federal Government issued its new global health strategy on Oct 7, 2020.1 In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, growing nationalism, and declining support for WHO by some of its member states, Germany emphasises multilateralism and a global health in all policies approach. This statement is strong and timely, underpinned by unequivocal commitments to health as a human right and universal health coverage free of all forms of discrimination.

_____ (2021-01-02). Family Faces Eviction By Agency Meant To Help Them. popularresistance.org Philadelphia, PA – Imagine being a parent, hustling "gig economy" jobs, without a home during the COVID-19 pandemic. For Jasmine and Ariel, this has been the reality since May. They are a couple in their 30s, both with children from previous relationships, and navigating the minefields of poverty and pandemic. They had an apartment, but when Jasmine missed a check-in with her probation officer, she was sent to prison, leaving Ariel with no way to pay the rent and without a home. | According to a recent study conducted by geographers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, there are 10 abandoned properties for eve…

_____ (2021-01-02). Alabama Prisons Are On Strike. popularresistance.org Occupied Muscogee Creek / Cherokee / Yuchi / Choctaw / Shawnee / Chickasaw land – As of Jan. 1, 2021, incarcerated workers in Alabama's odious prison system are on strike! Led by the Free Alabama Movement, incarcerated workers throughout the state of Alabama have put down their work tools and refused to go to work from now until Jan. 31. | The inhumane conditions of Alabama Department of Corrections, their negligence around COVID-19, and their implementation of video visitation equipment in prisons that ADOC claims is "due to COVID," but is really a front for eliminating in-person visitation, has contributed furt…

Alicia Jrapko and Bill Hackwell (2021-01-01). In the Fabric of the Cuban Revolution. dissidentvoice.org Image from the Plaza of the Revolution by Bill Hackwell Time is starting to distance itself from that dramatic moment, 6 years ago today, when the final 3 members of the Cuban Five were freed from the prisons of the Empire after 16 years. Never the less, because of a healthy distrust of the US …

Devin C (2021-01-01). Alabama prisons: ON STRIKE! workers.org Occupied Muscogee Creek/Cherokee/Yuchi/Choctaw/Shawnee/Chickasaw land As of Jan. 1, 2021, incarcerated workers in Alabama's odious prison system are on strike! Led by the Free Alabama Movement, incarcerated workers throughout the state of Alabama have put down their work tools and refused to go to work from now until Jan. 31. The . . . |

Eve Ottenberg (2021-01-01). The Aftermath of the George Floyd Rebellion. counterpunch.org The media may not cover them much anymore, but Black Lives Matter protests have not died out completely. At their height, last summer, multiple cities convulsed in protest simultaneously. Smaller gatherings still trickle into public parks in cities like Washington, D.C., they have not stopped totally; nor, at all, have the police killings that prompted

_____ (2021-01-01). What We Learned In Julian Assange's Extradition Hearing. popularresistance.org The prosecution of WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange would be a landmark test of the First Amendment right to publish if he were brought to trial in the United States, as press freedom groups, constitutional lawyers, and newsrooms across the board have sounded the alarm about the ways in which the U.S. indictment intends to silence investigative journalism around the world. | But Assange would first have to be extradited from the United Kingdom, where he has been imprisoned in HMP Belmarsh for over a year and a half. At Assange's extradition hearing in London, comprising one week of oral arguments in February an…

Editor (2021-01-01). Best of 'Scheer Intelligence' 2020: Chomsky, Abdullah, Prins, and More. scheerpost.com Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, Black Lives Matter protests, and the 2020 general election, Robert Scheer and the "Scheer Intelligence" team made sure to bring you progressive perspectives from a wide range of distinguished voices including Noam Chomsky, Melina Abdullah, Nomi Prins, Oliver Stone, and many more, to grapple with a crisis-ridden year and offer hopeful …

sputniknews (2021-01-01). Wisconsin Pharmacist Jailed After Purposely Spoiling Hundreds of COVID-19 Vaccine Doses. sputniknews.com In mid-December 2020, Americans began receiving vaccines against COVID-19, after the country's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized two jabs — the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, developed in cooperation between the US-based Pfizer and the German-based BioNTech SE companies, and a second vaccine from US-based Moderna.

_____ (2021-01-01). Prisons And Jails Are COVID-19 Super-Spreaders. popularresistance.org One in five prisoners in the U.S. has been reported to have had COVID-19. That's 20% of people behind bars. And that is likely a "vast undercount," according to Homer Venters, the former chief medical officer at New York's Rikers Island jail complex. | If compassion for prisoners does not move policy makers or the general public, then eyes should turn to a pair of recent studies, one by the Prison Policy Initiative and the other by the Marshall Project, focused on prisons and jails in the U.S. According to data in these two reports: | Prisons and jails are "super-spreaders" of the virus, not only among prisoners,…

Brett Wilkins (2021-01-01). National park ranger condemned for attacking unarmed Indigenous man on sacred Native land. nationofchange.org "Public lands are stolen lands," asserted Red Nation. "Indigenous people have the right to practice their culture and spiritual ways on Indigenous land without fear of repression, discrimination, or violence."

Rayhan Uddin (2020-12-31). Saudi preacher Yousef al-Ahmad sentenced to four years in prison. middleeasteye.net Saudi preacher Yousef al-Ahmad sentenced to four years in prison | Charges against the Islamic scholar and academic said to include attending a book fair and visiting detainees in jail | Thu, 12/31/2020 – 13: 50 | Ahmad was detained by Saudi authorities in September 2017 as a part of a widespread crackdown on scholars and intellectuals (Screengrab/Twitter) | Saudi preacher Yousef al-Ahmad has been sen…

_____ (2020-12-31). The Death Of Democracy In Brazil. popularresistance.org The dismantling of Brazil's democracy, which culminated in the jailing of former president Lula Da Silva as he looked certain to be reelected, is the subject of a new English-language investigative podcast. | Cícero Ezequiel Filho lay beneath the sweltering sun of Brazil's capital, Brasilia. He wore khaki shorts, John Lennon glasses and a long white beard, which stretched far below his chin and over a red long-sleeved shirt with the face of former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on the front. | When I met him in August 2018, Cícero had been outside Brazil's Supreme Court for two weeks. He refused to eat until…

Mehr News Agency (2020-12-31). Yemen sets condition for freeing Saudi pilots. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 31 (MNA) — Head of the National Committee for Prisoners Affairs Abdulqadir Al-Murtadha in the Salvation Government said that Saudi pilots will not be released from prison except in exchange for the Palestinian prisoners.

Michael J. Moore (2020-12-31). What an Ex-Cop Learned in Prison About Police Culture. thenation.com What an Ex-Cop Learned in Prison About Police Culture…

Brett Wilkins, staff writer (2020-12-31). Reproductive Rights Advocates Slam 'Unconstitutional and Medically Unnecessary' Fetal Remains Law Signed by Ohio Governor. commondreams.org The ACLU called Senate Bill 27 "just one more transparent attempt to obstruct Ohioans from exercising their constitutionally protected reproductive rights." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/oh.jpg

Online News Editor (2020-12-31). Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy back in jail again. laprensalatina.com Hong Kong, Dec 31 (efe-epa).- Hong Kong's top court on Thursday remanded pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai in custody again after allowing prosecutors to appeal against his bail in a national security law case. The Court of Final Appeal granted an interim order to detain the 73-year-old founder of Apple Daily until a hearing on …

news.un (2020-12-31). Argentina: 'Ground-breaking' new abortion law crucial to ending gender discrimination — UN experts. news.un.org The year drew to a close in Argentina with "a ground-breaking law" that legalizes abortions up to 14 weeks of pregnancy, in a move that independent UN rights experts called on Thursday, "a crucial step in eliminating discrimination against women and girls".

Akram Al-Waara (2020-12-30). A rave, a DJ and a debate. Palestinians outraged over techno party at holy site. middleeasteye.net A rave, a DJ and a debate. Palestinians outraged over techno party at holy site | Despite issuing an event permit, the Palestinian government arrests renowned Palestinian DJ Sama Abdulhadi and extend her detention for 15 days | Wed, 12/30/2020 – 12: 26 | Palestinian DJ Sama Abdulhadi poses outside her Parisian flat during a photo session on 7 December 2017 (AFP) | A dance party on Saturday has c…

Akram Al-Waara (2020-12-30). A rave, a DJ and a debate: Palestinians outraged over techno party at holy site. middleeasteye.net A rave, a DJ and a debate: Palestinians outraged over techno party at holy site | Despite issuing an event permit, the Palestinian government arrests renowned DJ Sama Abdulhadi and extend her detention for 15 days | Wed, 12/30/2020 – 12: 26 | Palestinian DJ Sama Abdulhadi poses outside her Parisian flat during a photo session on 7 December 2017 (AFP) | A dance party on Saturday has caused contro…

Susie Day (2020-12-30). COVID-19, Prison and Another Pandemic Clare Grady Made Me Remember. counterpunch.org Clare Grady is going to prison. On February 10, this nice Irish Catholic lady of 62, who lives with her family in Ithaca, New York will enter Alderson Prison, West Virginia, to begin a one-year-and-one-day sentence. That's because, on April 4, 2018, Clare and six cohorts, also white and Catholic, broke into the world's largest

Sheren Khalel (2020-12-30). Pompeo and State Department face legal action over $23bn UAE arms sale. middleeasteye.net Pompeo and State Department face legal action over $23bn UAE arms sale | New York Center for Foreign Policy Affairs claims in lawsuit that massive weapons sale violates US Arms Export Control Act | Wed, 12/30/2020 – 17: 05 | The $23bn arms sale to UAE includes killer drones and American-made F-35 jets (AFP/File photo) | An American NGO has filed a lawsuit against the State Department and its head,…

Surangya (2020-12-30). Patriarchy and the pandemic: Disentangling the web of oppression. peoplesdispatch.org We discuss Coronashock and Patriarchy, a study done by Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research, with Renata Porto Bugni to understand the impact of the pandemic on women and the LGBTQIA+ community.

Marjorie Cohn (2020-12-30). Civil Rights Groups Fight Back Against Georgia's Voter Purges. zcomm.org The importance of the January 5 Senate runoff elections in Georgia cannot be overestimated…

Reparations Now (2020-12-30). Unreported COVID-19 Outbreak at Santa Rita Jail: 200+ Cases. indybay.org COVID-19 Outbreak happening Right Now in Santa Rita – Unreported, 200+ cases & Jail refuses to uphold safety policies…

WSWS (2020-12-30). Boeing's deadly 737 Max resumes US commercial flights. wsws.org Nearly two years after the 737 Max was grounded, not a single corporate executive or federal regulator has gone to jail for his role in the deaths of 346 people.

teleSUR (2020-12-30). Brazil: Bolsonaro's Remarks Targeting Rousseff Spark Critics. telesurenglish.net Brazil's former President Dilma Rousseff (2011-2016) on Tuesday condemned spiteful comments made by far-right President Jair Bolsonaro who discarded acts of torture committed against her during the dictatorship's rule (1964-1985). | RELATED: | Previously, through a video posted on social networks, Bolsonaro cast doubts on acts of torture committed against Rousseff during her years of imprisonment and requested an X-ray sho…

_____ (2020-12-30). The Activist Roots Of Black Feminist Theory. popularresistance.org The idea that race, class and gender are interrelated dynamics of power and oppression has gained sufficient currency in the academic world to go by the shorthand "intersectionality," or "intersection theory." But the origins of contemporary Black feminist theory are not sufficiently known or acknowledged, and, given the invaluable work of university-based theorists, too many assume that the core concepts of Black feminism were born in the academy. In fact, much can be traced to activists in groups including the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), the Third World Women's Alliance, and the Combahee…

Vijay Prashad (2020-12-29). For the Ruthless Abolition of the Caste System. mronline.org The Communist movement in India celebrated its centenary on October 17, 2020. The party was founded in Tashkent (USSR) in 1920. A decade later, most of the leaders of the Communist Party of India (CPI) were arrested by the British colonial state and imprisoned in Meerut.

Staff (2020-12-29). The DOJ's Antitrust Lawsuit Against Google Is Gaining Ground. truthout.org Janine Jackson interviewed EFF's Mitch Stoltz about breaking up Google for the Janine Jackson: There is such a thing as a company simply having too much power; even without evidence of malign intent, it just isn't healthy. | That's the basic thinking behind antitrust law in this country. And if the power is ove…

Yifat Susskind (2020-12-29). A Feminist Blueprint for Saving Democracy in the U.S.—and Beyond. zcomm.org Feminists know that building transnational solidarity is often crucial when trying to counter domestic oppression…

Julia Conley, staff writer (2020-12-29). Citing Violation of Federal Law, Judge Halts Voter Purges in Rural Georgia Counties Ahead of Senate Runoffs. commondreams.org Officials in two rural counties in Georgia late Monday were ordered by a U.S. District judge to stop invalidating voter registrations due to so-called "unreliable" change of address information, in a ruling that could protect more than 4,000 Georgia residents from voter suppression. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/georgia_0_0_1_0.jpg

Online News Editor (2020-12-29). NGOs denounce holding Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia despite repression. laprensalatina.com Beirut, Dec 29 (efe-epa).- The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and other associated NGOs on Tuesday criticized the decision to hold the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia for a second consecutive year, despite ongoing repression, including the recent jailing of a woman's rights activist. "A year later, the repression orchestrated by the Saudi authorities …