Daily Archives: May 7, 2021

2021-05-07: News Headlines

Internationalist 360 ∞ (2021-05-07). Colombia: 471 Persons Disappeared During the Mobilizations that Began April 28th. libya360.wordpress.com The Working Group on Enforced Disappearances in Colombia warned that 471 people disappeared in Colombia between April 28 and May 5, in the framework of the #ParoNacional. 379 of them are still missing. The Working Group on Enforced Disappearances in Colombia — MDTDF, warned about the human rights crisis experienced in the country as a…

Nilesh Kunwar (2021-05-07). America's Inglorious Afghanistan Foray — OpEd. eurasiareview.com Since Washington never ceases waxing eloquent on how its actions are guided by lofty principles and high moral values, recent news reports of an alleged secret deal with its arch enemy Taliban must have come as a big shock to the uninitiated. Those unaware of Uncle Sam's crafty ways would have been further scandalised to learn that under this deal struck in February last year, Taliban would provide protection to American troops deployed in Afghanistan against attacks by other terrorist groups. Even more galling is that Washington made this clandestine deal the cost of its main ally, the Afghan security forces.

_____ (2021-05-07). Activist Confronts Defense Industry CEO For Company's Role In War Crimes. popularresistance.org An anti-war activist confronted General Dynamics CEO Phebe Novakovic on Wednesday during the company's shareholders' meeting, accusing the defense industry giant of profiting off war crimes and arming repressive, undemocratic regimes without "moral reflection." | "I appreciate the care you've taken to keep us safe during COVID," CODEPINK co-founder Medea Benjamin told General Dynamics' board, which included Novakovic and former Defense Secretary James Mattis. "But," she added, "I wonder about the care that this company takes to keep people safe from the bombs and the other weapons that you produce that kill innoc…

Jeffrey St. Clair (2021-05-07). Roaming Charges: We Who Are About to Get Shot, Salute You. counterpunch.org My number had finally been called. Well, texted. No one calls anymore, except sexy robotic voices trying to sell me extended warranties for my car and electric toothbrush. On Monday, I was scheduled for my second dose of Pfizer's COVID elixir, a strange brew which one friend pungently described as a mixture of germs, animal parts, formaldehyde and pus. Yum. My appointment with destiny: High noon at the convention center in Portland, shrouded in tear gas or not. My only choice: right arm or left.

Busra Cicek, Daniel Falcone (2021-05-07). The Fascinating Memoir of a "Citizen Pilgrim": Q&A with Richard Falk. counterpunch.org Richard Falk, the well-known international relations scholar, taught at Princeton University for four decades. Starting in 2002 he has taught Global and International Studies at UC Santa Barbara. Falk is also a chair for the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation. This lengthy interview is about his latest book, a memoir, Public Intellectual: The Life of a Citizen Pilgrim, that explores his

Garron Daniels (2021-05-07). Father Thomas J. Haggerty: A forgotten 'saint' of the working class. peoplesworld.org "The working class and the employing class have nothing in common. There can be no peace so long as hunger and want are found among millions of the working people and the few, who make up the employing class, have all the good things of life." There's no doubt that the first line of the …

Jacques R. Pauwels (2021-05-07). Napoleon Between War and Revolution. counterpunch.org To avoid losing its power to the royalists or the Jacobins, France's well-to-do bourgeoisie turned its power over to Napoleon, a military dictator who was both reliable and popular. The Corsican was expected to put the French state at the disposal of the haute bourgeoisie, and that is exactly what he did. His primordial task was the elimination of the twin threat that had bedeviled the bourgeoisie.

Eds. (2021-05-07). America hasn't reckoned with the coup that blasted the Black middle class. mronline.org In 1898, upwardly mobile Blacks in Wilmington, NC were terrorized and slaughtered in a violent insurrection that set the stage for Jim Crow—and the next 123 years. Hardly anyone really knows about it. | May 7, 2021…

Joe Jurado (2021-05-07). Adventure Through a Galaxy Far, Far Away in This Week's Good-Ass Games at Good-Ass Prices. theroot.com May the, uh, seventh be with you? If you weren't aware, May 4 is considered Star Wars day, and as a result, just about every digital marketplace still has several Star Wars games on sale. While I've talked about EA's Star Wars games ad nauseum, I thought it would be fun to take a trip back and put you on some…

David Macaray (2021-05-07). How We Lost It All: Labor Unions and Taft-Hartley. counterpunch.org It's hard to know precisely what's being asked of them, but opinion polls show that upwards of 50% of working people say they'd be interested in joining a labor union. That much seems to be true. Yet, only 10.8% of America's workforce is unionized. Barely one in ten. Even acknowledging that some of those expressing

Staff (2021-05-07). Venezuela & ALBA-TCP Deliver Humanitarian Aid to Saint Vincent & the Grenadines. orinocotribune.com The Venezuelan Navy, in conjunction with Civil Protection (PC), traveled to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and completed the first phase of humanitarian aid delivery, following the emergency caused by the activity of the La Soufrière volcano. | The work was recognized by the executive secretary of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America-Peoples' Trade Treaty (ALBA-TCP), Sacha Llorenti, in the company of the president of the Bank of ALBA, Raúl Li Causi, who thanked the solidarity of Venezuela and the member countries of the regional body. | En acto de agradecimiento a la tripulación del buque de l…

Anonymous669 (2021-05-07). Sinai Insurgency: ISIS Damaged Four Armored Vehicles, Bulldozers In Recent Clashes. southfront.org Click to see full-size image. | On May 7, ISIS announced that its fighters had thwarted an advance attempt by the Egyptian military in the Sinai Peninsula. | The attack took place on April 29, according to ISIS news agency Amaq. The group's engaged in a fierce battle with Egyptian troops who advanced towards the town of al-Ghurah, south of Sheikh Zuweid city, in order to establish a number of checkpoints."Dozens of vehicles took part in the military campaign under the cover of intense bombardment by Egypt…

Anonymous007 (2021-05-07). France And UK Send Patrol Warships To English Channel Over Fishing Spat. southfront.org Click to see full-size image | The United Kingdom sent patrol warships to the Jersey Island in the English Channel due to a fishing spat with NATO ally and former-EU compatriot France. | In return, France dispatched two maritime patrol boats to the waters off Jersey Island itself. | An official from the French presidential administration said the deployment of the French boats "speaks to our concern, and frustration, and is an appeal, which we will also express, for the correct applic…

Yasuhiro Fujiwara, Yutaka Onda, Shuichiro Hayashi (2021-05-08). [Correspondence] No-fault compensation schemes for COVID-19 medical products. thelancet.com No-fault compensation schemes for severe adverse events can help build confidence in vaccine safety after marketing.1 25 of the 194 WHO member states have implemented such no-fault vaccine injury compensation programmes.2 Although the USA is covering COVID-19 vaccine-associated adverse events with the US Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program (CICP) for the duration of the public health emergency declaration, the country is having challenging issues as CICP does not have the ease of access to, and levels of compensation provided by the US National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program available at normal times…

sputniknews (2021-05-07). USTR Tai Will Meet With Chinese Counterpart 'In the Near Term' for Talks on Trade Deal Phase 1. sputniknews.com Just weeks after the US and China penned the first part of a trade deal intended to settle years of tariff wars, the COVID-19 pandemic hit and shut down the global economy, sending trade into a tailspin. The deal was heavily premised on pledges to buy a minimum volume of goods from the other country.

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2021-05-07). What to know about youth summer camps during COVID-19. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released guidelines to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection at youth summer camp. But what do those guidelines mean for families and children who look forward to the ritual of attending overnight or day summer camp?"There not one strategy that's going to completely eliminate risk. But using multiple …

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2021-05-07). Sharing Mayo Clinic: Cared for in his own workplace for 121 days. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org Robert Pintor works as a scheduling supervisor at Mayo Clinic in Arizona, so he was well aware of the impact of COVID-19 on the community. What he didn't expect was its impact on him and his family. This article is written by Mayo Clinic staff. When Robert Pintor picked up his wife's cough in November, they both …

WSWS Repost (2021-05-07). Amazonians United: A new trap for workers. indybay.org Given the RWDSU's unsuccessful union drive in Bessemer, Alabama—resulting from its obviously top-down, officially-sponsored character—a subtler approach is now being pitched by sections of the union apparatus and their middle-class allies. Writers at the World Socialist Web Site expose some troubling facts which workers should be made aware of.

M. K. Bhadrakumar (2021-05-07). India Will be Front-line State in Myanmar Civil War. asia-pacificresearch.com

WSWS (2021-05-07). President Bukele grabs dictatorial powers in El Salvador. wsws.org As the pandemic demonstrates the inability of capitalism to meet the most basic needs of the working masses, the Salvadoran ruling elite is moving headlong toward dictatorship.

TransConflict (2021-05-07). Cyprus: Toward A Non-Territorial Con-Federation? — OpEd. eurasiareview.com By Rene Wadlow* | Cyprus has been divided between Greek and Turkish Cypriots since 1974, Turkish Cypriots in the north, Greek Cypriots in the south with a U.N. monitored buffer zone separating the two. There are still some 40,000 Turkish troops in the Turkish Cypriot area. The U.N. peacekeeping mission (UNFICYP) has been in Cyprus since 1964 when bad rioting among the Greek and Turkish populations was an indicator that things could get worse and lead to hostilities between Greece and Turkey themselves. | The complex political situation has three States as "guarantor powers" — the United Kingdom which was…

Anthony David (2021-05-08). [Obituary] W Alwyn Lishman. thelancet.com First UK professor of neuropsychiatry. Born on May 16, 1931, in Houghton-le-Spring, UK, he died peacefully of Alzheimer's disease in Kent, UK, Jan 24, 2021, aged 89 years.

David N Durrheim (2021-05-08). [Correspondence] Thwarting the inverse care law through immunisation. thelancet.com The Lancet appropriately celebrated the late Julian Tudor Hart (1927—2018) who is recognised for suggesting the inverse care law (ICL) 50 years ago and astutely observed that "the availability of good medical or social care tends to vary inversely with the need of the population served".1 Richard Cookson and colleagues2 provided a disquieting companion global assessment of the pervasive reality of the ICL in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), evidenced by immensely patchy progress towards achieving universal health coverage (UHC), which the UN General Assembly committed to in December, 2012.

sputniknews (2021-05-07). Netanyahu's Son Ridicules Germany For 'Preaching Ethics' to Jews Over West Bank Construction. sputniknews.com Five European powers have urged the Israeli government to "cease its policy of settlement expansion" across the West Bank as "threatening prospects for a peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict". The statement came after the Israeli District Committee for Jerusalem published plans to approve over 500 housing units in the territory.

Pivotal (2021-05-07). Tuesday 5/25: Choosing Peace with Shalita O'Neale and Pivotal. indybay.org Virtual Event…

Jason Ditz (2021-05-07). Iraqi Shi'ite Militias Distance Themselves From Iran, Fearing Abandonment. news.antiwar.com The schism between Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims has caused tensions for centuries, and has recently been seen as a source of tension between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Iraq, which borders both nations and has populations of both types, has a group of Shi'ite militias that are formally aligned with Iran, and were instrumental in fighting against ISIS. | Iraq, which worries about hosting potential fights, has

Rick Rozoff (2021-05-07). Ukraine Confirms Boost in U.S. Military Aid, Invitation to Biden, Harris During Blinken Visit. news.antiwar.com Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a press conference after a meeting with the two, Ukraine's prime minister and foreign minister and Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland earlier in the day. While acknowledging that it was too early to discuss the matter in detail, Zelensky …

Dave DeCamp (2021-05-07). Blinken: West Must Be 'Very Careful' About Chinese Investments. news.antiwar.com Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday that the US and its allies have to be "very careful" when it comes to Chinese investments in Western economies. | "I think we have to be very careful about exactly what the nature is of that investment," Blinken made the comments when explaining the Biden administration's China policy. He claims th…

Dave DeCamp (2021-05-07). US General Claims China Wants a Military Base on Africa's Atlantic Coast. news.antiwar.com While the US claims China is the top threat to the so-called "rules-based international order," one thing Beijing lacks is a global military presence like Washington has. In fact, Gen. Stephen Townsend, the head of US Africa Command, is warning that Beijing is looking to expand its military presence in Africa and wants to house a military base on the west coast. | "They're looking for a place whe…

Dave DeCamp (2021-05-07). US Accuses Iran of Making 'Unrealistic Demands' for Sanctions Relief. news.antiwar.com Indirect negotiations between the US and Iran that have been ongoing in Vienna to revive the nuclear deal are dragging out due to the fact that the Biden administration refuses to lift all Trump-era sanctions. On Thursday, The unnamed official told reporters that a deal could be reached quickly if Iran has the political will.

Rick Rozoff (2021-05-07). Belarus ready to hold early presidential election same day U.S. does. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Belarusian Telegraph AgencyMay 7, 2021 Lukashenko names conditions for early presidential election in Belarus ==== Belarus thanks U.S. for telling it how to run elections, country — with assistance of Sixth Fleet Top Belarus commander warns of NATO build-up near Belarusian, Russian borders Last bastion: Belarus warns of repetition of 1921, 1941 tragedies Belarus: Wars have taken on …

Paul Cochrane (2021-05-07). Castigating Its Competitors: Western Hypocrisy and China. counterpunch.org The West's political and media assault on China increases week by week. Human rights has become the primary means of criticism and justification for sanctioning China over its actions in Hong Kong and treatment of the Uighers. This info war is creating a divide — those pro-Western 'values' arguing China has to be brought to

Rick Rozoff (2021-05-07). NATO to launch new European war games later this month. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com NATO to launch new European war games later this monthRick Rozoff As the 30,000-troop, 27-nation DEFENDER-Europe 21 exercise continues through to next month in Eastern Europe, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced that Exercise Steadfast Defender 2021 will begin later this month. He specified that the exercise will "test NATO's readiness and military mobility — …

WSWS (2021-05-07). Alabama miners brace for long battle against Warrior Met Coal. wsws.org The five-week strike by 1,100 miners is at a turning point, as both the coal company and the United Mine Workers seek to wear down miners and break their resistance.

Rick Rozoff (2021-05-07). Russian foreign minister to UN Security Council: West imposing totalitarianism, rejecting democracy in global affairs. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com And it's only taken twenty years of wars and color revolutions, sanctions and travel bans, freezing of assets and conspiracy theories about subverting elections in the U.S. and elsewhere, cyber warfare and chemical poisoning accusations, military-build-up along Russia's borders, repeated Security Council votes condemning the nation, isolation of Russia to the point where the West …

WSWS (2021-05-07). Britain ratchets up NATO's war drive against Russia. wsws.org The conflict between Ukraine and Russia and the interests of competing imperialist powers have transformed the Black Sea region into a powder keg that could ignite a worldwide conflagration.

WSWS (2021-05-07). With backing of unions, Pennsylvania public universities to slash over 1,500 jobs. wsws.org The Board of Governors and chancellor of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education is moving forward with a restructuring plan that will merge six universities into two, slashing thousands of jobs and eroding the quality of education, even as tuition continues to rise.

Laura Wells (2021-05-07). Ten Things to Understand about Latin America. counterpunch.org The United States — the land and people — will be a lot better off when the idea of US supremacy is dropped. Toward that end, and toward the goal of a better world, here are ten things for the US to understand about Latin America. 1. Threat of a good example. That is the

Max B. Sawicky (2021-05-07). Postal Service Reform: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back? counterpunch.org Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he. — Proverbs 19: 18 We are starting to see changes come the way of the US Postal Service (USPS). There is a bill from Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and a multitude of co-sponsors to eliminate the arbitrary requirement that

sputniknews (2021-05-07). Pentagon Adds 'Package' of F-18 Jets to Assist With US Troop Withdrawal in Afghanistan. sputniknews.com US President Joe Biden announced in April that the withdrawal of American troops in Afghanistan would not be completed by the previously agreed upon May 1 deadline, declaring instead that the forces would be out of the war-torn country by September 11, marking the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks against the US.

sputniknews (2021-05-07). Ex-Deputy Head of IDF's Intelligence: Situation in Jerusalem is Explosive But Chaos is Controllable. sputniknews.com The recent weeks have seen provocations by both Jews and Arabs. The Israeli police are struggling to keep the flames low and a former Israeli army officer warns it takes only one wrong action for the situation to spiral out of control.

WSWS (2021-05-07). Congressional Republicans move to purge Liz Cheney from leadership. wsws.org The removal of Cheney, daughter of the former vice president and an arch-reactionary and warmonger, is a significant step in the transformation of the Republican Party into the fascistic instrument of Donald Trump.

newsnetwork.mayoclinic (2021-05-07). Consumer Health: Relaxation for stress relief. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org May is Mental Health Awareness Month, which makes this a good time to learn more about managing the stress in your life. Stress is an automatic physical, mental and emotional response to a challenging event. It's a normal part of everyone's life. When used positively, stress can lead to growth, action and change. But negative, …

Luciana Castellina (2021-05-07). Il manifesto at 50: Our responsibility toward this project. zcomm.org I am restless because I am aware of the dramatic nature of all the epoch-making problems we are facing and of the extreme inadequacy of our forces. But at the same time I feel that 'the social movement is much richer in energy than the political avant-garde can express.'

_____ (2021-05-07). History Repeats… Why Washington and London Crave a New Cold War. strategic-culture.org American global power is in direct contradiction to the democratic needs of a multipolar planet. | The United States and its "junior partner" Britain this week expressed their desire for a new Cold War with Russia and China — albeit surreptitiously, and dressed up in virtuous language. | US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was speaking with his British counterpart Dominic Raab ahead of a G7 summit for foreign ministers held in London this week. The two diplomats called for G7 nations and partners to band together more tightly in order to confront China and Russia. To that end, delegates from Australia, Ind…

Staff (2021-05-07). Trade exchange vol. between Iran, Syria in 'upward trajectory. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 07 (MNA) — The Chairman of Iran-Syria Joint Chamber of Commerce said that the trade volume exchange between the two neighboring countries is in upward trajectory.

Kamal Iranidoost (2021-05-07). UK club removes flag from Iranian footballer's pic on website. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 07 (MNA) — In a surprise move, Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club in the UK Premier League has removed the Iran flag and the name of Iran from the profile of the Iranian forward on their website.

sputniknews (2021-05-07). Cummings Roasts Starmer Over Dire Labour Losses, Holds Up 'Vote Leave' as Perfect Strategy. sputniknews.com After Labour's crushing by-election defeat in Hartlepool, formerly one of its safest seats, where a Conservative MP was elected for the first time in 62 years, opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer finds himself fending off awkward questions regarding the direction in which he is taking the party he leads.

May Day in San Francisco (2021-05-07). Call to Support Organized Labor, Free Mumia and Stand Up for Black/Brown/Asian Unity. indybay.org On May 1st, thousands marched to support organized labor in San Francisco. Many unions and workers' groups marched up Market Street to protest racism and call for passage of the PRO Act by the U.S. Congress. Signs said Mumia is a class war prisoner and called for an end to the death penalty. There was new emphasis this year on the importance of Black/Brown/Asian Unity.

teleSUR (2021-05-06). 100 People Injured and 30 Citizens Missing In Pereira, Colombia. telesurenglish.net Colombia's National Strike Committee (CPN) informed that over 100 people were injured and 30 protesters went missing during the demonstrations that have been taking place since last week in Pereira City. | RELATED: | One victim is Lucas Villa, a young student who was shot to death on Wednesday night during a peaceful demonstration. Two other protesters were also hit by gunfire. | Human rights defenders denounced that t…

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