Daily Archives: 2021-02-02

2021-02-02: News Headlines

David Rovics (2021-02-02). November 17th, 1973 and the Legacy of State Terror. counterpunch.org In a prison hospital in Athens, Greece, a man named Dimitris Koufontinas lies unconscious most of the time. Almost a month into a water-only hunger strike, one of his tremendously weakened organs could fail, and he could die at any moment. As always, there's a lot happening in the world. Ongoing wars between countries, civil

NDR (2021-02-02). Facility for 'Quarantine Objectors' in Germany Ready for Inmates. anti-empire.com Machine translated from German | Today is the official start, but so far the rooms have not been used. Until Friday afternoon it was not foreseeable that the districts would already make use of the accommodation, said a spokeswoman for the district assembly. In the building on the grounds of the Moltsfelde juvenile detention center in Neumàºnster, there is space for up to six quarantine objectors. The cells are each twelve square meters in size and the facility is closed from the outside. The operator is the Segeberg district and makes them available to the other districts and independent cities. | Housi…

AFP (2021-02-02). Germany Rejects French Call to Scrap Russia Gas Pipeline Over Navalny. anti-empire.com France on Monday urged Germany to scrap a major gas pipeline project with Russia in protest over the detention in Moscow of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, but the plea fell on deaf ears in Berlin. | "We have always said we have the greatest doubts on this project in this context," European Affairs minister Clement Beaune told France Inter radio. | Asked specifically if France wanted Berlin to drop the project, Beaune said: "Indeed, we have already said this." | Nord Stream 2 is a 10 billion euro ($11 billion) pipeline that will run beneath the Baltic Sea and is set to double Russian natural-gas shipments to Ge…

Staff (2021-02-02). Alexei Navalny Faces "Kafkaesque" Charges in Russia for Breaking Parole While in Poison-Induced Coma. democracynow.org Russian authorities have arrested thousands of people during anti-government protests in support of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who has been held in jail since returning to Russia on January 17 after recovering in Germany from an attempt on his life in August using the nerve agent Novichok. Navalny has accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of being behind the poisoning that nearly killed him. While Navalny has emerged as Russia's leading opposition figure and anti-corruption campaigner, his political roots have links to right-wing nationalist and anti-immigrant causes. Joshua Yaffa, Moscow corresp…

Staff (2021-02-02). Illinois May Be First State to Eliminate Money Bail, But the Fight Isn't Over. truthout.org On January 13, the Illinois legislature passed the Once fully implemented in 2023, the Pretrial Fairness Act will make Illinois's pretrial syste…

Steve Sweeney (2021-02-02). 'Slow-motion genocide': West Papuan liberation leader describes Indonesian occupation. peoplesworld.org This article was first published in Morning Star on Jan. 29, 2021. It has been an incredible journey for exiled West Papuan leader Benny Wenda. From a childhood spent living in poverty in the mountains where he witnessed his auntie being raped by Indonesian soldiers to a daring escape from prison in 2002, his "long …

WSWS (2021-02-02). Defend Boƒüaziàßi University students against police state repression! wsws.org The Socialist Equality Group in Turkey condemns the police attacks and detention of more than 150 students yesterday at Boƒüaziàßi University and in ƒ∞zmir.

Jesse Jackson (2021-02-02). The nation can't afford Republicans' stimulus sabotage. peoplesworld.org In his first ten days in office, Joe Biden launched an intense effort to address the "cascading crises" that America faces. In addition to issuing executive orders to reverse several of Trump's most poisonous acts—ending federal contracting with private prisons, reviving enforcement of discrimination laws, ending the Muslim ban, re-entering the Paris Climate Accord, and …

RT (2021-02-02). Google agrees to $3.8 million payout to settle US discrimination lawsuit. rt.com Tech giant Google has agreed to a $3.8 million settlement with the US Department of Labor after a lawsuit accusing the company of "systemic compensation and hiring discrimination" with thousands of women and Asian applicants. | The Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs investigated Google's actions between September 1, 2014 and August 31, 2017, finding differences in the company's hiring rates between female and Asian individuals and other potential employees. | Google will distribute $1.3 million in backdated pay to 2,565 employees, and $1.2mn to over 3,000 applicants, as part o…

yenisafak (2021-02-02). Google agrees to pay over $2.5M for job discrimination. yenisafak.com American tech firm Google has agreed to pay over $2.5 million in total in a job discrimination case to more than 5,500 female employees and overlooked Asian applicants.In a case against the US Department of Labor, the California-based firm will pay a total settlement amount of $2.58 million, according to the document released by the department on Monday.The settlement includes payments of over $1.3 million to 2,565 female engineers, and more than $1.2 million to 1,757 female engineering applicants along with 1,219 Asian engineering applicants for "engineering positions not hired."The company will also set more th…

UC Berkeley Nikkei Student Union (2021-02-02). Friday 2/19: UC Berkeley Day of Remembrance of E.O. 9066 Japanese American Prison Camps WWII. indybay.org Virtual event…

SJUECP (2021-02-02). Wednesday 2/3: Black Lives Matter At School: California Schools Edition. indybay.org Online event…

Jeffrey Sachs (2021-02-02). Trump's White Mob. indybay.org Trump may have been unusually heavy-handed in his race-baiting. But his approach fits perfectly with the party's approach, which it has taken at least since Republicans adopted the "Southern Strategy" in the 1968 election in the wake of the Civil Rights Acts.

Chris Dickerson (2021-02-02). West Virginia Newspaper Company Accuses Google, Facebook of Digital Advertising Antitrust Violations. globalresearch.ca All Global Research articles can be read in 27 languages by activating the "Translate Website" drop down menu on the top banner of our home page (Desktop version). | *** | The state's largest newspaper company has filed a federal antitrust lawsuit …

Peoples Dispatch (2021-02-02). Protests take place in Spain against persecution of rapper Pablo Hasel. peoplesdispatch.org The Spanish national court served a notice to Hasel last week asking him to surrender within ten days to face imprisonment. Hasel was convicted on charges of "glorifying terrorism, insulting the crown and state institutions", and faces a two-year prison term…

RT (2021-02-01). Germany rejects France's call to halt construction on Nord Stream 2 pipeline over Navalny detention. rt.com Germany said it plans to complete the Russian-led Nord Stream 2 offshore gas pipeline project despite opposition from France over Moscow's jailing of opposition figure Alexey Navalny. | The stance of the German government "has not changed" in recent days, deputy government spokeswoman Martina Fietz said on Monday in Berlin, after France's secretary of state for Europe Clément Beaune asked Germany to halt the project. | A spokesman for Germany's Federal Foreign Office in Berlin told Die Welt that although the project is going ahead, the German government was aware of the French position and having a "ver…

Asha Ramachandran (2021-02-01). COVID behind bars: Infected prisoners work for next to nothing. peoplesworld.org EL PASO, Texas — The county jail was using incarcerated labor to move the corpses of COVID-19 patients into mobile morgues in El Paso, Texas last fall. Media coverage focused on inmates "helping" and "volunteering," even as they were being paid only $2 per hour. Incarcerated people at Airway Heights Correction Center in Washington state …

Asha Ramachandran (2021-02-01). COVID behind bars: Infected prisoners work for next to nothing. peoplesworld.org EL PASO, Texas—The county jail was using incarcerated labor to move the corpses of COVID-19 patients into mobile morgues in El Paso, Texas last fall. Media coverage focused on inmates "helping" and "volunteering," even as they were being paid only $2 per hour. Incarcerated people at Airway Heights Correction Center in Washington state are being …

RT (2021-02-01). Ground control to major lawsuit? Dubai launches 'space court' to settle celestial corporate disputes. rt.com The UAE has staked its claim to the emerging market of space-based lawsuits, unveiling a global Courts of Space to get ahead of what it hopes will be a raft of new litigation as commercial activity in the celestial realm grows.

Staff (2021-02-01). 'Bring Sundiata home': The case for freeing elderly political prisoners. therealnews.com Sundiata Acoli has been locked up for 48 years. At 84 years old, and after contracting COVID-19 in prison, Acoli's health is suffering—and a coalition of friends, family, and faith leaders are calling for him to be released before it's too late.

Umar A Farooq (2021-02-01). Rights groups say Biden should reveal vaccine plan for Guantanamo prisoners. middleeasteye.net Rights groups say Biden should reveal vaccine plan for Guantanamo prisoners | Pentagon decided to pause plan to offer coronavirus vaccines to Guantanamo detainees following criticism from Republican lawmaker | Mon, 02/01/2021 – 20: 38 | It is not known how many people at Guantanamo have contracted Covid-19 (AFP) | Rights groups are calling on the Biden administration to publicly reveal its Covid-19…

Umar A Farooq (2021-02-01). Rights groups say Biden should reveal vaccine plan for Guantanamo prisoners. middleeasteye.net Rights groups say Biden should reveal vaccine plan for Guantanamo prisoners | Pentagon decided to pause plan to offer coronavirus vaccines to Guantanamo detainees following criticism from Republican lawmaker | Mon, 02/01/2021 – 20: 38 | Detainees line up at a chain link fence for library books and magazines inside Camp VI at Guantanamo Bay prison in 2010 (AFP/File photo) | Rights groups are calling…

Franziska Kleiner (2021-02-01). For the German left, this is a moment of reckoning. peoplesdispatch.org An annual socialist demonstration in Berlin was the target of police brutality. The left must unite against this unwarranted suppression and the practice of banning socialist organizations behind it…

_____ (2021-02-01). Demand Mass Clemency On 'National Freedom Day'. popularresistance.org As supporters of the #CagingCOVID campaign, the Antistasis Project is calling for decentralized actions on February 1st across the so-called United States, and internationally, in support of mass clemency for people held in jails, prisons and detention centers. | Reports updated as of Jan. 19, show at least 355,957 prisoners have gotten the virus, and more than 2,232 died as a result of it. . The pandemic has resulted in prisons and jails abusing isolation more than ever before. Social distance is necessary but solitary confinement is torture. | Crowded quarters, a lack of PPE, inadequate medical care, an aging p…

RT (2021-02-01). Kremlin dubs some protesters 'hooligans & provocateurs,' says appeal for US sanctions proves Navalny's team are 'foreign agents'. rt.com Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman has defended the police's decision to take tough measures to detain and disperse supporters of jailed opposition figure Alexey Navalny at rallies across the country over the weekend. | Speaking to journalists on Monday, Dmitry Peskov said that the demonstrations attracted "quite a large number of hooligans and provocateurs," which, he argued, explained the violent clashes with authorities. However, he added, the use of force had to be carefully monitored, even if it was necessary in the face of "illegal actions." | The Kremlin press secretary added that there was no…

RT (2021-02-01). Navalny press secretary Yarmysh is latest associate put under house arrest, gets two months over alleged role in opposition protes. rt.com Kira Yarmysh, a close ally of imprisoned opposition figure Alexey Navalny, will be confined to her home until late March, a court ruled on Monday, amid a wave of restrictions aimed at the organizers of nationwide protests. | Moscow's Basmanny Court ordered the activist to remain under house arrest until March 23 while charges are prepared by prosecutors. A spokesman for the judges told RIA Novosti that investigators had requested the "preventative measure" because of allegations that Yarmysh was involved in "creating the threat of mass disease" after crowds gathered to demonstrate for Navalny's release earlier…

Mustafa Dahnon (2021-02-01). Syria: Activist's arrest by Turkish-backed forces raises concerns over freedoms. middleeasteye.net Syria: Activist's arrest by Turkish-backed forces raises concerns over freedoms | Hayyan Ibrahim Hababa was detained for nearly two weeks before his release, with relatives fearing for his safety in detention | Mon, 02/01/2021 – 14: 16 | A social media picture of Hayyan Ibrahim Hababa (Facebook) | The arrest of a prominent media activist by Turkish-backed rebel forces has raised concerns about f…

news.un (2021-02-01). Arrests, military control 'a serious blow' to democratic reforms in Myanmar: UN chief. news.un.org The United Nations Secretary-General has strongly condemned the detention of Myanmar's top political leaders and government officials, including State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint, by the country's military.

sputniknews (2021-02-01). Trump Nominated for Nobel Peace Prize Over War-Free Presidential Tenure. sputniknews.com The Nobel Peace Prize committee is set to convene in October to vote on the laureates for the prestigious award. Among this year's nominees, applications for which had to be submitted by 1 February, is the Black Lives Matter movement which rocked the world with protests throughout 2020.

Mehr News Agency (2021-02-01). VIDEO: Myanmar after military coup. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Feb. 01 (MNA) — After the detention of Leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other senior government leaders on Monday, Myanmar's powerful military has taken control of the country in a coup and declared a state of emergency.

Online News Editor (2021-02-01). Moscow doubles down on arrests of peaceful pro-Navalny protesters. laprensalatina.com Moscow, Feb 1 (efe-epa).- The Kremlin on Monday defended the actions of Russian police during peaceful protests a day early in over 140 cities across the country that led to the arrests of over 5,400 people. Moscow says the detentions were justified as none of the protests were legally authorized. "The police act in a …

Online News Editor (2021-02-01). Navalny supporters keep the pressure on Putin in new wave of protests. laprensalatina.com By Celine Aemisegger Moscow, Jan 31 (efe-epa).- Supporters of Alexei Navalny on Sunday kept the pressure on President Vladimir Putin by turning out for large protests all across Russia to demand the release from jail of the opposition leader and to express their indignation with the country's economic and social situation, and they did so …

commondreams (2021-02-01). ACLU, Sierra Club, and SBCC Respond to the Biden Administration's Request to Delay Border Wall SCOTUS Arguments. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Jeffrey Sachs (2021-02-01). Trump's White Mob. indybay.org Trump may have been unusually heavy-handed in his race-baiting. But his approach fits perfectly with the party's approach, which it has taken at least since Republicans adopted the "Southern Strategy" in the 1968 election in the wake of the Civil Rights Acts.

SJUECP (2021-02-01). Wednesday 2/3: Black Lives Matter At School: California Schools Edition. indybay.org Online event…

_____ (2021-01-31). On Contact: Radical As Reality Itself. popularresistance.org On the show this week, Chris Hedges talks to Michael Smith about civil rights attorney Michael Ratner's recently published memoir, "Moving the Bar — My Life as A Radical Lawyer". Smith was a close friend and collaborator of Ratner's for over three decades. | Michael Ratner was one of the most important civil rights attorneys in our era. He spent his life fighting on behalf of those who state and empire sought to crush, from the leaders of the prison uprising at Attica to Muslim prisoners held in Guantanamo, to Julian Assange.

_____ (2021-01-31). Students Continue To Pressure Northwestern University To Abolish The Police. popularresistance.org After several months of continuous pressure on Northwestern administration to abolish University Police and divest from policing and other militarized entities, NUCNC is continuing their work into the new quarter. | Since their campaign of more than 30 days of consecutive actions, the group has not held any mass protests or demonstrations, but they continue to pressure the University and practice mutual aid — a core tenet of prison-industrial complex abolition. | "Prisons are the biggest social service we have," NUCNC member Eliza Gonring said. "So poor people, homeless people, Black people are just getting…

_____ (2021-01-31). Policing And Punishment In Minneapolis' 'SafeZone'. popularresistance.org The criminal "justice" apparatus faces increasing criticism for emphasizing punishment, violent abuse and incarceration of criminals rather than rehabilitation. However, few observers recognize the active role community "justice" programs and businesses play in this displacement. The public/private SafeZone initiative launched in downtown Minneapolis in 2004 serves as an instructive example of how programs lauded as reforms can still impose punitive "law and order" tactics onto targeted populations. | "A month ago I was driving down Nicollet going to pick up my girl, somebody shot at me, twice!" Demetri (whose re…

news.un (2021-01-31). Hopes of fresh momentum in fight against leprosy, but stigmatization persists. news.un.org Progress is being made in the fight against leprosy, but millions are still affected by the disease, and many sufferers have to contend with social exclusion. On World Leprosy Day, marked annually on 31 January, experts are calling for an end to ongoing discrimination and stigmatization.

Online News Editor (2021-01-31). Hundreds detained in Russia ahead of fresh pro-Navalny protests. laprensalatina.com Moscow, Jan 31 (efe-epa).- Russian police detained hundreds of protesters across the country on Sunday ahead of demonstrations in support of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who was detained after he returned to Russia earlier this month from Germany, where he had been recovering from a poisoning. OVD-Info, which specializes in tracking police detentions in Russia, …

Marjorie Cohn (2021-01-30). George Floyd "narrated his death," says attorney at International Inquiry. mronline.org George Floyd, who was publicly tortured and lynched by Minneapolis police officers on May 25, 2020, narrated his own death, legendary civil rights lawyer Benjamin Crump told the International Commission of Inquiry on Systemic Racist Police Violence Against People of African Descent in the United States at its January 25 hearing.

Staff (2021-01-30). New Surge of COVID Is Spreading "Like Wildfire" in Illinois Prisons. truthout.org With COVID-19 raging throughout the United States, there is a growing sense of desperation among people in prison. Pablo Mendoza, who recently got out of prison, said that those inside "are tired of the lockdown." They spend 23.5 hours a day in their cells. They have not had visits from their loved ones for almost a year. | Those who have caught COVID and are believed to be immune get out for yard time. Others are "weighing options," according to Mendoza: "Stay safe, or get the virus so they can get som…

RT (2021-01-30). Beauty queen cheerleader sues uni over drunk football fans who 'treated her as a sex object' by 'groping her breasts and buttocks'. rt.com A cheerleader and beauty pageant contestant has reportedly filed a lawsuit against a university in the US, claiming that dancers at football games were "presented as sex objects" to "titillate" men who made advances towards them. | 2019 Miss Nebraska entrant Hayden Richardson is said to have launched a 58-page federal suit against Northwestern University, where she said she had been groped by sozzled fans and alumni during university events and alleged that female cheerleaders had been told by the team's head coach to "mingle" with powerful figures. | After sending in videos of her stunts, Richardson was accep…

_____ (2021-01-30). ACLU Pressing Biden To Stick To His Promise Of Decarceration. popularresistance.org The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is launching a six-figure ad buy featuring both digital and print spots calling for President Biden to adhere to his campaign promise of decreasing the number of incarcerated persons in the country. | Specifically, the ACLU wants Biden to grant clemency to thousands of people who meet certain criteria, something that he could do through executive powers. | "We use criteria that reflect an evolution in our thinking around criminal justice," Cynthia Roseberry, deputy director of the ACLU's justice division, told The Hill. | "For example, calling for those who are now incarc…

Noa Yachot (2021-01-30). Fears Grow that Efforts to Combat US Domestic Terrorism Can Hurt Minorities. zcomm.org Civil rights advocates worry that moves to fight far-right extremism will be used against communities of color and leftwing activists…

yenisafak (2021-01-30). Amnesty slams Houthi ban on Yemeni women. yenisafak.com Amnesty International has condemned a Houthi decision banning Yemeni women from working in restaurants, calling it "shameful and discriminatory".In a thread on its Twitter account, the human rights organization said it stands with all Yemeni women "in their fight for their rights"."Institutionalizing discrimination increases oppression on women and impedes the foundation for sustainable and gender-equitable recovery and reconstruction in Yemen," it said.Amnesty stressed that UN efforts to achieve a "peaceful reconciliation" in Yemen are impossible "without safeguarding and protecting women's rights".There was no…

Online News Editor (2021-01-30). Xiaomi sues US government over blacklist inclusion. laprensalatina.com Shanghai, China, Jan 30 (efe-epa).- Chinese technology firm Xiaomi has filed a lawsuit against the United States' defense and treasury departments over its inclusion on a blacklist of companies with alleged links to the Chinese military. In the move confirmed by Chinese state media Saturday, Xiaomi joins other Chinese technology companies such as ByteDance and …

Andrew Emett (2021-01-30). Former Atlantic City Mayor sentenced to federal prison. nationofchange.org "The mistake that I made is not something that I am proud of. It is something that I'm very ashamed of…I want to apologize to this court for being in front of you when I knew better."

commondreams (2021-01-29). Vilsack's Disturbing Suppression of USDA Science. commondreams.org ______________________________…

teleSUR (2021-01-29). Paraguay: Opposition Leader Efrain Alegre Faces Jail. telesurenglish.net A Paraguayan judge Thursday ordered pre-trial detention for the former presidential candidate Efrain Alegre, who is under investigation for an alleged corruption scandal related to his 2018 election campaign. | RELATED: | According to Guarantees Judge Cynthia Lovera, the Authentic Radical Liberal Party (PLRA) leader failed to comply with the alternative measures to prison imposed on him 20 days ago. | "Alegre syste…