2021-03-08: News Headlines

_____ (2021-03-08). Racial Capitalism And The Betrayal Of Haiti. popularresistance.org The day after his already paper-thin constitutional legitimacy completely eroded, Haitian President Jovenel MoàØse gave significant amounts of the country's land to a light-skinned tycoon working with Coca-Cola. | According to most Haitian constitutional authorities and institutions, MoàØse's presidential mandate ended on Sunday, February 7, 2021. But the next day, Le Moniteur—the official journal of the Republic of Haiti—published a presidential decree gifting 8,600 hectares of the country's agricultural land reserves to produce stevia, a main ingredient in Coca-Cola's zero-sugar bevera…

Online News Editor (2021-03-08). Thousands of Haitians protest against kidnappings. laprensalatina.com Port-au-Prince, Mar 7 (EFE).- Thousands of Haitians demonstrated Sunday in the streets of Port-au-Prince against the increase in kidnappings, general violence and the rule of President Jovenel MoàØse. The protesters responded to the call by health personnel after the murder of a doctor and a nurse in recent days. Along with medical workers, political activists, …

Ramzy Baroud (2021-03-08). "Is This Who We Are?": Gitmo is America's Enduring Shame. dissidentvoice.org "That's certainly our goal and our intention." This was the non-committal answer given by White House Press Secretary, Jen Psaki, when, on February 12, she was asked by a reporter whether the new Joe Biden Administration intends to shut down the notorious Guantánamo Bay Prison by the end of the president's first term in office. …

Ramzy Baroud (2021-03-08). 'Is This Who We Are?': Gitmo is America's Enduring Shame. mintpressnews.com Even if Biden is able to overcome pressure from the military, from the CIA, and from Congress to shut Guantánamo down, justice will still be absent, not only because of the numerous lives that are forever shattered but because America still refuses to learn from its mistakes.

M. K. Bhadrakumar (2021-03-08). Blinken Blinks on Human Rights. counterpunch.org On March 3, the US State Department has put on its website a hilarious statement titled The United States Opposes the ICC Investigation into the Palestinian Investigation. In a nutshell, the statement exposes that the Joe Biden Administration has blinked for a second time on the human rights situation in West Asia by refusing to

teleSUR (2021-03-08). 23 Million LATAM Women Fell Into Poverty in 2020. telesurenglish.net The United Nations Women Regional Director for the Americas and the Caribbean Maria-Noel Vaeza warned that the number of women suffering from violence and poverty in the region increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. | RELATED: | The pandemic produced "a 10-year setback" in the female labor participation rate, which experienced a historic drop of 5.4 percent in 2020. At least 23 million out of 118 million women entered the poverty t…

yenisafak (2021-03-08). Turkey gives 10M COVID-19 vaccine jabs nationwide. yenisafak.com Turkey has so far administered more than 10 million coronavirus vaccine jabs across the country, according to official figures on Monday.According to Turkish Health Ministry data, over 7.57 million people to date have received their first doses of a vaccine against the novel coronavirus, while second vaccine doses were given to more than 2.44 million.In the commercial hub Istanbul, home to nearly one-fifth of Turkey's population, over 1.59 million coronavirus vaccine jabs were administered, including more than 1.17 million first doses and 419,717 second doses.Following Istanbul, more than 823,270 coronavirus vacc…

MEE, agencies (2021-03-08). Syria: Bashar and Asma al-Assad test positive for Covid-19. middleeasteye.net Syria: Bashar and Asma al-Assad test positive for Covid-19 | Assad's office confirmed that the Syrian president and his wife had caught the novel coronavirus | Mon, 03/08/2021 – 12: 11 | Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his wife Asma have tested positive for An official statement confirme…

Sonali Kolhatkar (2021-03-08). Why Big Pharma Shouldn't Have Any Control Over COVID-19 Vaccines. counterpunch.org At a recent virtual gathering of parents and faculty at my children's school, one parent who is a teacher and therefore eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine mentioned that she got her first Pfizer shot at a local pharmacy, and when she asked about a leftover dose that could be given to her husband rather

Paul Dobson (2021-03-08). Venezuela Protests Biden's Extension of Executive Order 13692. venezuelanalysis.com The renewal flies in the face of recent recommendations from independent UN experts.

Eds. (2021-03-08). The birth of Marxism in France: Remembering the Paris Commune and Jules Guesde. mronline.org Guesde (1845-1922) introduced Marxism to France and contributed to building the Socialist Party in the north of the country, where the left, socialism, and then later communism became very strong.

Eds. (2021-03-08). Digital colonialism: the evolution of American empire. mronline.org American "Big Tech" corporations are gaining massive profits through their control over business, labor, social media and entertainment in the Global South.

Eva Bartlett (2021-03-08). Joe Biden Stands for Same Grotesque and Brutal Policies Against Venezuela, Shows Just How Little They Actually Care for People. globalresearch.ca Venezuelan non-president, Juan Guaido, is back in headlines after the …

Staff (2021-03-08). Millions Mark International Women's Day as Pandemic Deepens Inequality, Violence Around the World. democracynow.org Millions of women around the world are taking to the streets today to mark International Women's Day — in a year where women have been disproportionately impacted by rising poverty, unemployment and violence during the pandemic. We hear voices from protests in the Philippines, Mexico and Guatemala.

Staff (2021-03-08). Close Guantánamo: Ex-Prisoner & Torture Survivor Mohamedou Ould Slahi Calls on Biden to Shut Prison. democracynow.org President Joe Biden is facing new calls to close the U.S. military prison in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, an enduring symbol of U.S. abuses in the "war on terror." Since 2002, about 770 men and boys have been held at the prison, and only eight have been convicted of a crime. Three of the convictions were later overturned on appeal. Today the prison's population is down to 40, and shortly after Biden's inauguration, seven former prisoners penned an open letter to the new president pleading with him to finally close the facility. One of the seven authors was Mohamedou Ould Slahi, a Mauritanian man who was held without cha…

Maria Paez Victor (2021-03-08). Eight Years Without President Chávez. counterpunch.org Talk given in Webinar: US/Canada: HANDS OFF VENEZUELA, END SANCTIONS ON VENEZUELA NOW!. March 5th 2021. Today is the 8th anniversary of the untimely death of President Hugo Chávez. Immediately after, the USA, Canada and allies intensified their attempts to overthrow the Venezuelan government, believing his successor, Nicolás Maduro, would be unable to follow in Chávez' shoes

Carlos Fazio (2021-03-08). Biden, remedo de Trump. globalizacion.ca El 4 de marzo, el ministro de Relaciones Exteriores de Venezuela, Jorge Arreaza, rechazó la renovación, por parte de la administración Biden, del decreto que cataloga al gobierno constitucional de Nicolás Maduro como amenaza inusual y extraordinaria para la seguridad…

Calla Randall (2021-03-08). The Weekly Round-Up: Family Benefits and Domestic Abuse (pt. 2). ukhumanrightsblog.com In the news: The High Court will hear a case brought by a mother and her 11-month-old baby, who are arguing that they should not be excluded from the UK government's 'Healthy Start' scheme. The scheme provides vouchers for healthy food, nutritional advice, and vitamins to low-income families, but currently excludes many migrant families, including those who …

MEE, agencies (2021-03-08). Yemen: UN fears many dead after fire in Sanaa migrant detention centre. middleeasteye.net Yemen: UN fears many dead after fire in Sanaa migrant detention centre | Houthis criticised the UN for not deporting migrants, thought to be mainly Ethiopians, detained in the centre | Mon, 03/08/2021 – 15: 21 | Ethiopians in 2018 waiting to be repatriated back to Djibouti from Yemen's Hodeidah (AFP) | Eight people are confirmed dead after a migrant detention centre in Sanaa caught fire on…

Maria Fernanda Marcelino (2021-03-08). Women take the lead in fight to impeach Bolsonaro in Brazil. peoplesworld.org SAO PAULO—Today in Brazil, women are facing the advancement of predatory neoliberalism, imperialism, an anti-democratic state, the politics of death, and the extermination of the people, which has been escalating with the coronavirus pandemic. In 2016, women were the first to rise up and denounce the coup staged against the first female president elected in …

Mehr News Agency (2021-03-08). Latin America to witness slow economic growth. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Mar. 08 (MNA) — The road for Latin America and the Caribbean seems bumpy to economic recovery from the deep scars left by the coronavirus pandemic.

Dean Baker (2021-03-08). Economy Adds 379,000 Jobs in February; Unemployment Edges Down to 6.2 Percent. counterpunch.org The establishment survey showed the economy added 379,000 jobs in February. In addition, the figures from December and January were revised up by 38,000. This brings the average job gain over the last three months to 79,700. Employment in the survey stands at 9,475,000 below its year-ago level. The household survey showed the unemployment edging

Simone Chun (2021-03-08). Biden's Hawkish Cabinet Portends Renewed US Militarism in Northeast Asia. counterpunch.org Although the Biden administration has yet to present its North Korea policy, the new president's cabinet includes many career diplomats and business lobbyists advocating the Cold War policy toward Asia and personnel from hawkish think tanks financed by the military industrial complex, leading many Korea experts to predict that an aggressive militaristic policy with respect

John Clamp (2021-03-08). Somalia: a Knotted Web of Causes. counterpunch.org In one translation of Seneca's Oedipus Rex, the unfortunate (anti)hero laments his dark fate by complaining of being 'tangled in the knotted web of causes'. The words have an aptness far beyond their origin. Somalia is a perfect expression of the metaphor. Its dysfunction has so many potential—nay, likely—causative factors that who the hell knows

Alexandra Kollontai (2021-03-08). Celebrating International Women's Day. liberationnews.org To commemorate International Women's Day, we publishe excerpts from Kollontai's 1920 article, "International Women's Day," written just over two years after the October 1917 socialist revolution in Russia.

Liberation Staff (2021-03-08). Rural Washington state rally demands: "Stop the war on Black America" liberationnews.org Some 50 assembled in solidarity with the Movement for Black Lives Feb. 28 rally in Sequim, a small town in the Olympic Peninsula of Washington state.

Marilyn Bechtel (2021-03-08). The marvelous life of Marvel Cooke, pioneer Black woman journalist. peoplesworld.org At the intersection of African American History and Women's History months is a long list of Black women who have made history as civil rights, labor, and peace activists, educators, scientists, elected officials, physicians, astronauts, artists, and much more. Prominent among them, and combining several of those roles, is the journalist and activist Marvel Cooke. …

Liberation Staff (2021-03-08). Rural Washington state rally demands: 'Stop the war on Black America'. liberationnews.org Some 50 assembled in solidarity with the Movement for Black Lives Feb. 28 rally in Sequim, a small town in the Olympic Peninsula of Washington state.

Chris Orlet (2021-03-08). Did Racist Images in Dr. Seuss Books Contribute to War Crimes? counterpunch.org A friend delights in sending me news stories that demonstrate what he says are the excesses of liberalism. One recent article that arrived in my inbox concerned Dr. Seuss Enterprises' decision to halt publication of six childrens' books it now believes contain racist imagery. "I didn't realize Dr. Seuss made us all racists," he quipped.

Eds. (2021-03-08). Why Cornel West's tenure fight matters. mronline.org I wrote letters for West's hire and renewal at Harvard. The school's administrators completely miss the point of tenure. — ROBIN D. G. KELLEY…

Byul Ryanim (2021-03-08). The Weekly Round-Up: Ministerial Maternity Leave, a New Offence and Guidance on Visiting Gran (pt. 1). ukhumanrightsblog.com On Monday the Ministerial and other Maternity Allowances Act 2021 came into force, allowing the Attorney General, Suella Braverman QC, to be the first minister to take maternity leave. The Act grants cabinet ministers six months' maternity leave whilst retaining their government post, whereas in the past MPs would have to resign to take time off to give …

Eds. (2021-03-08). International Women's Day: A militant celebration. mronline.org Women's Day or Working Women's Day is a day of international solidarity, and a day for reviewing the strength and organization of proletarian women.

Juan A. Lozano (2021-03-08). Deep freeze just latest disaster to befall Houston's needy. peoplesworld.org HOUSTON (AP) — Ernest and Hester Collins already faced their share of hardships before last month's deadly winter storm plunged much of Texas into a deep freeze and knocked out power to millions of homes, including their modest rental in one of Houston's historically Black neighborhoods, Fifth Ward. The brother and sister were getting by …

Tomdispatch (2021-03-08). We're Stalked by the 4 Horsemen of Apocalyptic Media: Rush, Roger, Rupert, and The Donald May Ride Forever. juancole.com By Robert Lipsyte | — ( Tomdispatch.com) — The Four Horsemen of our media apocalypse — Rush Limbaugh, Roger Ailes, Rupert Murdoch, and Donald Trump — have ridden roughshod over us this past half-century leaving their hoofprints on our politics, our culture, and our lives. Two of them are gone now, but their legacies, including …

Nadda Osman (2021-03-08). Saudi Arabia: Online campaign for the release of prominent scholar Safar al-Hawali. middleeasteye.net Saudi Arabia: Online campaign for the release of prominent scholar Safar al-Hawali | Seventy-year-old has been imprisoned for over 1,000 days and reportedly suffers from various health conditions | Mon, 03/08/2021 – 13: 15 | The Saudi scholar was arrested in 2018 and concerns have been raised about his deteriorating health (Screengrab/Twitter) | Activists have launched an online campaign calling for the…

MEE staff (2021-03-08). Lebanon is next for visit, says Pope Francis. middleeasteye.net Lebanon is next for visit, says Pope Francis | Head of Catholic Church tells reporters on his way back from historic Iraq tour that Beirut will be his next destination | Mon, 03/08/2021 – 14: 57 | Pope Francis speaks to reporters during a news conference while in the air aboard the Alitalia papal plane on his flight back from Iraq (AFP) | Pope Francis has said his next trip will be to Lebanon, which is sufferi…

Paul Cochrane (2021-03-08). Saudi Arabia's 'Programme HQ': Can Riyadh rival Dubai as a business hub? middleeasteye.net Saudi Arabia's 'Programme HQ': Can Riyadh rival Dubai as a business hub? | Plans to make access to mega-project contracts conditional on companies establishing regional headquarters in the kingdom are ambitious but ambiguous | Mon, 03/08/2021 – 16: 29 | Riyadh's King Abdullah Financial District in 2018. Saudi Arabia is seeking to persuade more multinational companies to set up shop in the kingdom (…

MEE staff (2021-03-08). France: European Commission urged to investigate Paris over 'imam charter'. middleeasteye.net France: European Commission urged to investigate Paris over 'imam charter' | Civil society groups say a number of French laws disproportionally discriminate against Muslims, violating their fundamental human rights | Mon, 03/08/2021 – 15: 48 | French President Emmanuel Macron wears a mask after delivering a speech in October 2020 (AFP) | A coalition of civil society organisations on Monday urged European Commi…

Tom Westcott (2021-03-08). Iraq: Christians await better future following Pope Francis visit. middleeasteye.net Iraq: Christians await better future following Pope Francis visit | Iraqis express hopes that the Pope's successful visit would send a message that their country is safe for religious and cultural tourism | Mon, 03/08/2021 – 14: 47 | Pope Francis gestures as he bids farewell to his hosts before boarding his Alitalia Airbus A330 aircraft as he departs from the Iraqi capital's Baghdad International Airp…

Staff (2021-03-08). "The Mauritanian": Film Tells Story of Innocent Man Held at Guantánamo for 14 Years Without Charge. democracynow.org A new feature film, "The Mauritanian," tells the story of Mohamedou Ould Slahi, a Mauritanian man who was held without charge for 14 years at the U.S. military prison at Guantánamo and repeatedly tortured. We speak with Mohamedou Ould Slahi, who says the film is not just about his struggle. "This is not my movie. This is the movie of so many people," he says. "Some of the people who were kidnapped after 9/11 were tortured to death. They did not have a chance to tell their story." We also speak with Kevin Macdonald, director of "The Mauritanian"; Nancy Hollander, the lead lawyer for Mohamedou Ould Slahi; and actor…

Martin Downs (2021-03-08). Our first Blogcast: India and the Rule of Law. ukhumanrightsblog.com The UK Human Rights Blog doesn't write about itself. There is too much of interest in the law of Human Rights to cover and the Blog has been providing this service ever since 1998 when Rosalind English and others started the Human Rights Update. With the know-how and energy of Adam Wagner, this developed into …

Kerry-anne Mendoza (2021-03-08). The real reason England's angry white men hate Meghan Markle. thecanary.co Women of colour operate in the arena where two of society's deepest hatreds collide. It's where racism and patriarchy unite and create their beloved bastard: misogynoir. Most women of colour have experienced some version of what Meghan Markle is living right now. England's monarchy and its useful idiots hold a special hatred for women of colour who dare to grow into their own power. Meghan is Black, beautiful, brave, and she owes them nothing. | Misogynoir: | As women of colour, our bodies are simultaneously reviled and hyper-sexualised. To understand better how this works in reality, we can look at the k…

RT (2021-03-08). Texas launches 'Operation Lone Star', sending National Guard & state troopers to secure border after Biden opened floodgates. rt.com Texas Governor Greg Abbott is taking border security into his own hands, sending National Guard troops and state police to combat drug and people smuggling as Biden administration policies spur a surge in illegal immigration. | The new 'Operation Lone Star' initiative will send ground, air, marine and tactical security assets to high-threat areas of the state's border with Mexico to stop cartels and other smugglers from bringing drugs and illegal aliens into Texas. Abbott announced the strategy late on Saturday, one day after former president Donald Trump blasted President Joe Biden for creating a "spiraling t…

RT (2021-03-08). Where's Biden hidin'? EVEN CNN begins asking questions, as president goes record time without press conference with Q&A. rt.com Joe Biden has gone longer without giving a press conference with questions and answers than any US president in modern history. Now the elation of his inauguration's worn off, even his allied media are beginning to wonder why. | Monday marked Joe Biden's 47th day in office, and also his 47th without appearing before the press to take questions. The president has sat down to several taped interviews, and has given brief soundbites to reporters at events, but not a single proper Q&A session has materialized. | He has gone longer without holding a press conference than any of his 15 most recent predecessors, all…

RT (2021-03-08). WATCH: Minneapolis battens down the hatches with extreme security ahead of trial of George Floyd's alleged killer. rt.com Authorities in Minneapolis have erected steel fencing, barbed wire and concrete barricades outside the city's courthouse and local police stations ahead of the Derek Chauvin trial, set to begin Monday. | The former police officer will stand trial for the May 25 killing of George Floyd in an incident which rocked the US to its core and triggered months of unrest and billions of dollar's worth of damage. | An estimated 15 million to 26 million people participated in Black Lives Matter protests in the US in the aftermath of Floyd's death. | Armored personnel carriers have been deployed and local Minneapolis polic…

RT (2021-03-08). South Korea agrees to 'meaningful increase' in payouts for the privilege of hosting 28,500 US troops. rt.com The US and South Korea have finally reached an agreement on "sharing costs" for stationing American personnel, after talks stalled over demands by former president Donald Trump that Seoul quintuples its spending for the privilege. | Seoul currently pays Washington roughly $920 million a year to host some 28,500 American personnel on its soil, but back in 2019 Trump demanded an increase of annual payouts to $5 billion. With a new commander-in-chief in the White House, the US has moved to soothe disagreements with its military allies as part of Joe Biden's commitment to "reinvigorate" Washington's "democratic al…

RT (2021-03-08). Biden preparing to launch series of 'clandestine' cyberattacks against Russia — NYT. rt.com The Biden administration is gearing up to carry out cyberattacks aimed at Russian networks, the New York Times has reported, describing the provocation as a retaliatory measure designed to send Moscow a message. | Citing officials familiar with the operation, the Times

RT (2021-03-08). Three police injured, SWAT vehicle damaged and local cars FLIPPED as Colorado university party turns violent (PHOTOS, VIDEOS). rt.com Three SWAT team officers were injured as violent revellers bombarded first responders with bricks and rocks, setting off fireworks and flipping a car during a wild Colorado university street party which attracted up to 800 people. | The violence occurred in the University Hill neighborhood of Boulder, Colorado on Saturday night, as hundreds of partygoers shot off fireworks and flouted social-distancing rules and mask-wearing advice. | #Boulder police arrived pic.twitter.com/t1Yd7Xkclq— Mitchell Byars (@mitchellbyars) Telesur (2021-03-08). US to Continue Using Guaido to Rob Venezuelan Assets Abroad. globalresearch.ca The conversation held by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken with …

Peoples Dispatch (2021-03-08). Around the World in 8 minutes: Mumia Abu-Jamal's struggle for justice and more. peoplesdispatch.org In this episode of Around the World in 8 Minutes, we look at the struggle of Mumia Abu-Jamal for his rights and health, the development of various vaccine candidates in Cuba and the global mobilizations and preparations ahead of International Women's Day…

2021-03-07: News Headlines

RT (2021-03-07). Mumford & Sons banjo player deemed a 'Nazi sh**bag' for praising book condemning Antifa. rt.com The battle lines of the culture war get redrawn every day. In the latest development, Mumford & Sons banjo player Winston Marshall has now been deemed a "nazi," because he read, and enjoyed, a book critical of 'Antifa.' | Famed for their radio-friendly folk, Mumford & Sons seem a long way from jackbooted Nazis, but a tweet from banjo player Winston Marshall on Saturday changed that, at least in the minds of online leftists. Posting a photo of Portland journalist Andy Ngo's book 'Unmasked,' Marshall congratulated Ngo on his "important book," and called the independent reporter "a brave man." | Congratulations <...

International Workers Committee (2021-03-07). Mumia's COVID-19 infection has been confirmed by prison doctors after initial denial. mronline.org Mumia Abu-Jamal must be hospitalized. He has tested positive for COVID-19 and isbeingwarehoused in a completely inadequate prison infirmary. Given his age, 67, his liver disease, and his blood-pressure challenges, Mumia's life is seriously in danger.

Eds. (2021-03-07). COVID-19: Social murder, they wrote—elected, unaccountable, and unrepentant. mronline.org Murder is an emotive word. In law, it requires premeditation. Death must be deemed to be unlawful. How could "murder" apply to failures of a pandemic response? Perhaps it can't, and never will, but it is worth considering.

RT (2021-03-07). 'Used & betrayed': Pro-life Biden backers say he broke promise to hear them, ramrodded Covid bill with taxpayer-funded abortion. rt.com Pro-life Christians who chose to support Democrat Joe Biden in last November's election said they're feeling "betrayed" after the new president rammed through Covid-19 relief legislation that includes taxpayer-funded abortion. | The $1.9 trillion stimulus package that was passed on Saturday in a party-line vote by the US Senate would allow for billions of dollars to be spent on abortion. Democrats rejected a Republican effort to include the Hyde Amendment, as in previous Covid-19 relief bills, breaking with a 44-year-old policy of giving pro-life taxpayers the solace of knowing their tax dollars weren't spent…

RT (2021-03-07). Democrats turn on Arizona Sen. Sinema after her office frames criticism of her vote against $15 minimum wage as 'sexist'. rt.com Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D-Arizona) has been raked over the Twitter coals after her spokesperson argued that it was sexist to ridicule her theatrical 'no' vote against hiking the minimum wage. | The lawmaker came under fire after she and seven of her Democratic colleagues voted with Republicans to shoot down an amendment to the recently-passed Covid-19 relief bill that would have increased the minimum wage to $15 an hour. | Sinema claimed she voted against the measure because she thought the issue should be more thoroughly debated in the Senate before being put to a vote. However, the way in which she voted dow…

RT (2021-03-07). 'Biden showers money on Americans'?! WaPo mocked for 'Dear Leader' vibes in Covid stimulus story. rt.com Washington Post has been mocked for an overly enthusiastic headline that called the coronavirus relief bill a "defining move" of Joe Biden's presidency, poised to "sharply" cut poverty by "showering money" on Americans. | After the Senate narrowly passed a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill on Saturday, and President Joe Biden promised that eligible Americans will start receiving their $1,400 stimulus checks from this month onwards, the Washington Post tried to explain that the massive rescue package is more than just about this modest handout. | t.co/pAsCyogPJv

Katherine Hearst (2021-03-07). Covid-19: Britain's Muslims in the eye of the pandemic storm once again. middleeasteye.net Covid-19: Britain's Muslims in the eye of the pandemic storm once again | Muslim institutions in the UK struggle to survive a disproportionate death toll and lockdown-induced financial troubles | Sun, 03/07/2021 – 08: 06 | A member of mosque staff prays in the otherwise empty Noor Ul Islam Mosque on the day before Ramadan commences in the UK, in Bury, Greater Manchester (AFP) | On the firs…

MEE, agencies (2021-03-07). Covid-19: Israel begins loosening restrictions with 40 percent of country vaccinated. middleeasteye.net Covid-19: Israel begins loosening restrictions with 40 percent of country vaccinated | Restaurants, bars and cafes are set to open to vaccinated 'green pass' holders | Sun, 03/07/2021 – 11: 30 | Attendees prepare to present their "green passes" (proof of being fully vaccinated against Covid-19) on arriving at Bloomfield Stadium in Tel Aviv on 5 March 2021 (AFP) | Israel began loosening Cov…

Andrew Stewart (2021-03-07). Biden's Commerce Secretary is Pure Clintonism. counterpunch.org Last Sunday, Marie Franco stood at the rear of a Rhode Island state prison building, cradling the portrait of her son Jose, who died needlessly while incarcerated due to contracting COVID-19. As we consider the well-manicured, PR-friendly profile of the subject at hand, keep in mind that Franco's death was caused by this politician's decisions,

Joe Emersberger (2021-03-07). Maria Páez de Victor: Eight Years Without President Chávez. zcomm.org This superb speech by Venezuelan-Canadian scholar Maria Páez de Victor should soon be up on www.NoSanctions.org , but I decided to post it here so I can spreading it around right away. **** Talk given in Webinar: US/Canada: HANDS OFF VENEZUELA, END SANCTIONS ON VENEZUELA NOW! March 5th 2021 Today is the 8th anniversary of the untimely

The Tricontinental (2021-03-07). Dossier No. 38: Uncovering the crisis: Care work in the time of Coronavirus. mronline.org The pandemic has sharpened and transformed pre-existing inequalities, reconfiguring the processes that sustain and guarantee life.

_____ (2021-03-07). VIDEO: Cuba — a Solitary Voice Against Global Inequality. strategic-culture.org The coronavirus pandemic has catapulted Cuba onto the world stage. Watch the video and read more in the

Jack Delaney (2021-03-07). Civil War 2.0. counterpunch.org On May 29, 2020, in the wake of the police murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, a Black Lives Matter (BLM) demonstration marched about a half-mile from Oakland's Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building. Around ten o'clock at night outside the federal building, as the protest continued close by, bullets spewed from a moving vehicle

Tina Ngo, Wai Lee Chin Feman, Bethie Wang (2021-03-07). Why are hate crimes against Asian Americans on the rise? liberationnews.org Over the past year, we have seen an alarming surge in racist violence directed toward Asian Americans.

The Conversation (2021-03-07). The Byzantine Empire was Multicultural, So why are QAnon and White Supremacists Idolizing it? juancole.com By Roland Betancourt | — From Charlottesville to the Capitol, medieval imagery has been repeatedly on show at far-right rallies and riots in recent years. Displays of Crusader shields and tattoos derived from Norse and Celtic symbols are of little surprise to medieval historians like me who have long documented the appropriation of the Middle …

MEE, agencies (2021-03-07). British-Iranian prisoner Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe freed in Iran, says lawyer. middleeasteye.net British-Iranian prisoner Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe freed in Iran, says lawyer | Aid worker has electronic ankle tag removed after end of five-year sentence as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson demands she 'be released permanently' | Sun, 03/07/2021 – 12: 01 | An undated handout image released by the Free Nazanin campaign in London on 10 June 2016 shows Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe posing f…

MEE, agencies (2021-03-07). British-Iranian prisoner Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe freed in Iran. middleeasteye.net British-Iranian prisoner Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe freed in Iran | Lawyer for aid worker says she walked free after end of five-year sentence | Sun, 03/07/2021 – 12: 01 | Iran released British-Iranian aid worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, her lawyer Hojjat Kermani told Iranian website Emtedad on Sunday, after her five years sentence for plotting to overthrow the clerical establishment. | "

MEE, agencies (2021-03-07). British-Iranian prisoner Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe freed in Iran, says lawyer. middleeasteye.net British-Iranian prisoner Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe freed in Iran, says lawyer | Aid worker has electronic ankle tag removed after end of five-year sentence | Sun, 03/07/2021 – 12: 01 | An undated handout image released by the Free Nazanin campaign in London on 10 June 2016 shows Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe posing for a photograph with her daughter Gabriella (AFP) | Iran has released British-…

RT (2021-03-07). New York State legislative leaders say Cuomo 'MUST RESIGN' after embattled governor brands such demands 'ANTI-DEMOCRATIC'. rt.com Leaders of New York's Assembly and Senate called on Governor Andrew Cuomo to resign just hours after he said stepping down because of rising sexual-harassment allegations by former staffers would be "anti-Democratic." | New York Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, who like Cuomo is a Democrat, said Sunday that with new accusers of Cuomo stepping forward seemingly every day and the governor embroiled in multiple scandals, focus is being drawn away from the business of government. "We need to govern without daily distraction," she said. "For the good of the state, Governor Cuomo must resign." | NEW: B…

RT (2021-03-07). New York Times mocked for attempting to downplay 2020 BLM protest violence as 'misinformation'. rt.com The New York Times has been lambasted online for bizarrely claiming that violence surrounding Black Lives Matter protests in 2020 was merely "misinformation" and likening it to Deep State conspiracy theories. | The Gray Lady's Jennifer Medina sought to unravel the mystery behind Latinos in the US voting Republican, in a Friday Medina teased out the motivations of Latino Republicans through a series of interviews, before attempting…

RT (2021-03-07). Fraternity hazing victim's organs are being donated after extreme incident at Ohio university. rt.com The family of a 20-year-old Ohio university student has begun the process of donating his organs after an alleged hazing incident involving alcohol forced the young man onto life support. | The student has been identified as 20-year Stone Foltz who was hospitalized after an off-campus Pi Kappa Alpha event Thursday near Bowling Green State University. Foltz remains in critical condition and on life support having been airlifted to ProMedica Toledo Hospital. | "Not all the facts are out yet, the investigation is obviously ongoing. I'm sure the university and police are doing their investigations which takes time…

RT (2021-03-07). 3 Alabama professors suspended amid probe into their 'racially insensitive' 2014 Halloween costumes with NOOSE & WHIP. rt.com The University of South Alabama has placed three professors on leave and appointed a former federal prosecutor to investigate their wearing of allegedly racist costumes to a 2014 Halloween party on campus. | University President Tony Waldrop The three…

RT (2021-03-07). US will strike 'at a time and place of our choosing' after rocket attacks on bases in Iraq, Defense Secretary Austin says. rt.com US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin won't say who was behind a recent rocket attack on an American airbase in Iraq, but his eyes are on Iran, and he says the US will strike again "at a time and place of our own choosing."

RT (2021-03-07). TWO MORE former aides accuse New York Governor Andrew Cuomo of sexual misconduct. rt.com Two more women have come forward with allegations of inappropriate workplace treatment by Governor Andrew Cuomo, bringing the total number of accusers in the escalating sexual misconduct scandal to five. | Ana Liss, 35, who served as Cuomo's policy and operations aide between 2013 and 2015,

RT (2021-03-07). New York State legislative leaders say Cuomo 'MUST RESIGN' after embattled governor brands such demands 'ANTI-DEMOCRATIC'. rt.com Leaders of New York's Assembly and Senate called on Governor Andrew Cuomo to resign just hours after he said stepping down because of rising sexual-harassment allegations by former staffers would be "anti-Democratic." | New York Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, who like Cuomo is a Democrat, said Sunday that with new accusers of Cuomo stepping forward seemingly every day and the governor embroiled in multiple scandals, focus is being drawn away from the business of government. "We need to govern without daily distraction," she said. "For the good of the state, Governor Cuomo must resign." | @Andre…

RT (2021-03-07). Ex-Republican Senate candidate Witzke banned from Twitter after calling trans activist 'DEMONIC'. rt.com Lauren Witzke, a hardline right-winger who ran unsuccessfully for the US Senate in 2020, has been banned from Twitter. Her ban came after she called a trans activist "demonic" for suggesting that "little girls" can be "kinky." | Witzke's account was suspended on Sunday evening, and in a post to Telegram shortly afterwards, the former Senate candidate from Delaware revealed that her account had violated Twitter's rules against "hateful conduct." | Witzke's last tweet before her suspension was only one word long. Retweeting a post by an anti-trans feminist group that contained a quote by self-described "gender n…

RT (2021-03-07). New York Times falsely claims last year's BLM violence was 'misinformation'. rt.com The New York Times has been lambasted online for bizarrely claiming that violence surrounding Black Lives Matter protests in 2020 was merely "misinformation" and likening it to Deep State conspiracy theories. | The Gray Lady's Jennifer Medina sought to unravel the mystery behind Latinos in the US voting Republican, in a Friday Medina teased out the motivations of Latino Republicans through a series of interviews, before attempting…

Steve Topple (2021-03-07). Marr just witnessed a car crash. It was a Tory minister on NHS pay. thecanary.co The Andrew Marr Show on Sunday 7 March An insult?: | BBC News

Inequality (2021-03-07). If We Want to Renew Democracy, We Need to Tax the Ultra-Wealthy. juancole.com By Madeleine Johnsson | — ( Inequality.org ) — Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Pramila Jayapal's Ultra-Millionaire Tax Act of 2021, introduced March 1, could not be a more timely reminder that the United States needs serious policy changes to address massive wealth and income inequality. While eight million Americans slipped into poverty and half …

Peadar O'Cearnaigh (2021-03-07). This SNP claim may be electioneering, but it highlights the deplorable state of UK pensions. thecanary.co Believe in Scotland ( t.co/QZf1iAUoFg

MEE, agencies (2021-03-07). Switzerland votes to ban wearing of the burqa and niqab in public spaces. middleeasteye.net Switzerland votes to ban wearing of the burqa and niqab in public spaces | Referendum denounced by rights group as 'needlessly fueling division and fear', after Swiss right-wing party had framed it as verdict on the role of Islam in public life | Sun, 03/07/2021 – 19: 27 | People protest in Bern, Switzerland, after a narrow majority of Swiss voted in favour of the so-called 'burqa ban', wh…

MEE, agencies (2021-03-07). Yemen's Houthis target Saudi oil facilities in new escalation. middleeasteye.net Yemen's Houthis target Saudi oil facilities in new escalation | Houthis claim to have fired drones and missiles at Ras Tanura, one of the world's biggest oil ports, and military targets in the eastern area of Dammam | Sun, 03/07/2021 – 22: 49 | Smoke rises over Sanaa after air strikes 'on military targets' by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen (AFP) | A missile and drone attack targeted the…

MEE, agencies (2021-03-07). Iraq: Pope Francis celebrates largest mass of historic trip. middleeasteye.net Iraq: Pope Francis celebrates largest mass of historic trip | In the final event of his visit, in Iraqi Kurdistan's capital Erbil, Francis tells worshippers that 'Iraq will always remain in my heart' | Sun, 03/07/2021 – 18: 19 | Pope Francis blesses worshippers as he arrives to conduct mass at the Franso Hariri Stadium in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan, 7 March 2021 (Handout/AFP) | Pope Francis vo…

MEE, agencies (2021-03-07). Switzerland votes to ban wearing of the burqa or niqab in public spaces. middleeasteye.net Switzerland votes to ban wearing of the burqa or niqab in public spaces | Referendum denounced by rights group as 'needlessly fueling division and fear', after Swiss right-wing party had framed it as verdict on the role of Islam in public life | Sun, 03/07/2021 – 19: 27 | People protest in Bern, Switzerland, after a narrow majority of Swiss voted in favour of the so-called 'burqa ban', whe…

MEE, agencies (2021-03-07). US says it will do what is necessary to defend itself after attack in Iraq. middleeasteye.net US says it will do what is necessary to defend itself after attack in Iraq | Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said his country would act to counter attacks on American interests | Sun, 03/07/2021 – 15: 28 | US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin speaks during President Biden's visit at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia (Reuters) | The US has said it will do what "we need to do" to protect its i…

MEE, agencies (2021-03-07). Saudi-led coalition bombards Yemeni capital after Houthi drone attacks. middleeasteye.net Saudi-led coalition bombards Yemeni capital after Houthi drone attacks | Coalition backing recognised government said it intercepted 12 drones launched by Houthis | Sun, 03/07/2021 – 14: 16 | Smoke rises over Sanaa after air strikes "on military targets" by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen (AFP) | Explosions rocked the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, as the Saudi-led coalition targeted Houthi rebel…

_____ (2021-03-07). This Is Who Democrats Are. strategic-culture.org By Caitlin JOHNSTONE | * | This is who the Democrats are. It's who they always will be. They let you have your Bernies and AOCs to create the illusion that progressives can win if they just vote a little harder, but the corporate elites will always have enough of a congressional majority to kill progress. Don't let them spin this as some sort of freakish anomaly, as the result of not having the right kind of Democrats in office. This is the only way the Democratic Party will ever operate. It's not broken, it's working exactly as it's meant to. | * | Left-wing Democrats who give the party the illusion of legitimac…

_____ (2021-03-07). #BlackLivesMatter — But to Whom? strategic-culture.org Western "big pharma" profit imperative and patent controls inevitably mean that poor countries will always be last on the list to receive supplies of vaccines on a consumer-commodity basis. The wealthier nations are as usual taking the lion's share. Some estimate that at present rate, it won't be until 2024 when African nations will be fully inoculated.

_____ (2021-03-07). Ending Private Prisons Is Not Enough. popularresistance.org President Joe Biden, by executive order, directed the Department of Justice to end its private prison use. It's a step in the right direction and a symbolic moment for this administration to say they are going to take criminal justice reform seriously. While this step decouples the federal government's relationship with private prisons, let's remember that such institutions hold just about 9% of the federal prison population — a little more than 14,000 people. | Profit from incarcerated people doesn't meet the moral standards of justice. However, private prisons aren't even where the biggest profits exist.

José A. Amesty R. (2021-03-07). Para entender Cuba. globalizacion.ca Durante el año pasado 2020 y principios de este, se ha agudizado una campaña contra Cuba heroica, utilizando diversas vías de desestabilización; las líneas a continuación pretenden dar a conocer la estructura política de Cuba (El Sistema Político del Estado…

Julio A. Muriente Pérez (2021-03-07). Venezuela y la prepotencia de una Europa pusilánime. globalizacion.ca Es evidente el afán obsesivo de la Unión Europea (UE) de imponer su manera de pensar y decidir cómo deben hacerse las cosas en América Latina y el Caribe; como si todavía estuviéramos en la época de los grandes imperios…