(2021-08-12). The Murder of the "Menacing" Water Technician: On the Shadow Wars in the West Bank. dissidentvoice.org 
There is an ongoing, but hidden, Israeli war on the Palestinians which is rarely highlighted or even known. It is a water war, which has been in the making for decades. On July 26 and 27, two separate but intrinsically linked events took place in the Ein al-Hilweh area in the occupied Jordan Valley, and …
(2021-08-12). Israel's siege of Occupied Palestinian civilians is halving Gaza patients' survival rates. juancole.com 
By Maya Abuali | — ( Middle East Monitor) — Lacking in 60 per cent of appropriate medicine and treatment protocols as a result of the siege, Gaza's already deficient cancer care is slipping further into chaos as restrictions grow harsher. Beyond dealing with the Gaza Strip's already uninhabitable living conditions, Palestinian cancer patients in …
(2021-08-12). Asesinato de Jovenel MoàØse: Premeditación, participación de los EEUU y complicidad del personal de seguridad. cubadebate.cu El informe preliminar elaborado por las autoridades haitianas deja asentadas sus presunciones sobre el magnicidio: la premeditación de los mercenarios colombianos en el plan de asesinato, la participación de dos empresas con sede en EE.UU. y la complicidad del personal de seguridad del mandatario en los hechos porque, cuando se ejecutó el asalto a la residencia de MoàØse, "la puerta principal estaba abierta".
(2021-08-12). Nicaragua: Encuesta confirma al FSLN como favorito a elecciones. cubadebate.cu Una encuesta publicada la víspera en Managua confirmó al gobernante Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional (FSLN) como favorito de cara a las elecciones generales del 7 de noviembre próximo.El estudio realizado solo en Managua reveló que el índice de predisposición política favorece al partido rojinegro, con el 62,7 por ciento.
(2021-08-12). Nearly 1.4 billion covered by health insurance in China. ecns.cn China's healthcare plans had covered 1.36 billion residents by the end of last year after the country worked for decades to create a sturdier insurance safety net in the world's most populous nation, a white paper said on Thursday.
(2021-08-12). Dear CIA Director Burns: Don't Listen to the Israelis on Iran— They just want you to fight a war for them. juancole.com Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) — Jonathan Lis at Haaretz reports that the Israeli government of Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is lobbying the US to get on a war footing with Iran. The Israelis will try to convince CIA director William Burns of their position on Iran in his meetings there on Wednesday. Lis makes 3 …
(2021-08-12). Why It's Time To Adopt The Jerusalem Declaration. popularresistance.org "Thousands of words of criticism have been written (including by Kenneth Stern, its key author) about both the IHRA Working Definition and the way it has been employed. These have focused mainly on two issues: that institutions have come under intense pressure to adopt the definition on pain of being branded antisemitic, and that seven out of the eleven examples seem to elide 'Jews' with 'Israel', designating certain types of criticism of Israel's actions antisemitic but making any criticism of Israel appear suspect."
(2021-08-12). Texas governor says anyone who defies state ban on mask mandates will be taken to court. rt.com 
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has asked an appeals court to strike down a masking requirement imposed by a country judge and promised more lawsuits against officials who rebel against his ban on mask mandates. | Abbot and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced that they had filed a petition asking the 5th Court of Appeals to strike down an order by Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins, who instructed businesses, public schools, child daycare centers and government offices to require indoor mask-wearing. | The governor banned Texas officials from imposing any form of a mask mandate in May, under the threat of a f…
(2021-08-12). Senator Rand Paul accused of 'insider trading' after he belatedly reveals wife invested in pharma firm in early days of Covid-19. rt.com 
Senator Rand Paul was accused of "insider trading" after he revealed that his wife bought stock in the firm that makes antiviral drug remdesivir in early 2020, disclosing the purchase more than a year after the reporting deadline. | The Kentucky Republican acknowledged the stock buy on Wednesday in a Senate filing, the Washington Post According to the filing, the senator's wife invested b…
(2021-08-12). UNHCR objects to renewed U.S. expulsion flights of migrants under public health restrictions. ecns.cn The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) expressed concern on Wednesday over the resumption of the U.S. practice of flying non-Mexican asylum seekers and migrants to southern Mexico after expelling them under a U.S. health law regulation implemented last year amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
(2021-08-12). US Civil Rights Groups Escalate Pressure on Biden to Keep Prisoners at Home Amid Pandemic. sputniknews.com WASHINGTON (Sputnik), Barrington M. Salmon – A coalition of criminal justice activists is upping its campaign to prevent the Biden administration from forcing thousands of inmates to return to prison as COVID-19 infections continue to surge, Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM) President Kevin Ring said.
(2021-08-12). Facts reveal U.S. failing in COVID-19 response: report. ecns.cn Furthermore, the "virus origin-tracing terrorism" that emerged in the country should be investigated as this is an attempt to manipulate "global public opinion," the authors said.
(2021-08-12). Unilateral sanctions against Venezuela "crime against humanity": FM. ecns.cn Imposing unilateral sanctions against Venezuela and other countries is "a crime against humanity" that the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court must investigate, Venezuelan Foreign Affairs Minister Jorge Arreaza said Wednesday.
(2021-08-12). Average life expectancy in China rises to 77.3 yrs: white paper. ecns.cn
(2021-08-12). China has over 1 mln medical, health institutions: white paper. ecns.cn The number of medical and health institutions in China skyrocketed from 170,000 in 1978 to over 1 million in 2020, according to a white paper.
(2021-08-12). China lifts nearly 99 mln rural poor out of poverty in 8 yrs: white paper. ecns.cn By the end of 2020, China had lifted all the 98.99 million rural residents living below the current poverty line out of poverty after eight years of efforts, according to a white paper.
(2021-08-12). Moscow to boost relations with Tehran based on mutual respect. en.mehrnews.com Iran is Russia's friend and neighbor, and the country will continue to strengthen relations based on mutual respect, the RussianEmbassy said.
(2021-08-12). Reportan el asesinato de firmante de la paz en Nariño, Colombia. telesurtv.net Con José Harleyo Popayán serían 34 los firmantes de acuerdo de paz asesinados en 2021.
(2021-08-12). Awkward Moment: Biden –°onfuses Gov. Gretchen Whitmer With Energy Sec Jennifer Granholm – Video. sputniknews.com US President Joe Biden is no stranger to blunders and awkward behaviour: just earlier this week he seemingly took a cue from a Secret Service agent to follow the sidewalk path into the White House and followed the security officer across the lawn, prompting social media users to mock him for "getting lost in the bushes".
(2021-08-12). Denuncian asesinato de líder social en el Meta, Colombia. telesurtv.net Indepaz señala que en lo corrido del 2021 se han asesinado 107 líderes sociales y 1.223 desde la firma de los Acuerdos de Paz en 2016.
(2021-08-11). Palestinians Are Calling For International Support For Those Arrested In May. popularresistance.org The fund's aims are to provide legal representation for defendants and to support the detainees' families, "many of whom already live in dire socio-economic conditions, by ensuring that they do not have to bear the financial burden of these legal costs alone". The fund has already raised over $67k of its $307k goal. Palestinians who joined the May uprising were struggling against Israel's ongoing colonisation and ethnic cleansing of Palestinian land. They were fighting against racism and state brutality, and for freedom and autonomy. They deserve our support.
(2021-08-11). Palestine Action Is Hitting Drone Maker Elbit Hard. popularresistance.org A new short film by Real Media follows the group Palestine Action over the past year. | Palestine Action was founded a year ago by activists in the UK to focus on taking direct action against Israeli arms manufacturer Elbit Systems. | Elbit is Israel's largest private arms manufacturer. It makes the vast majority of Israel's drone fleet and, as the film explains, markets its weapons as "combat proven" — tested on Palestinians. | The company has 10 factories and offices in Britain, which the group has been targeting. | You can watch the full film in the video above. I am one of several people in the film giv…
(2021-08-11). Palestinians Calling For International Support For Those Arrested In May. popularresistance.org Marshood explained that the arrests were not confined to those demonstrating, but also to those who were aiming to document the repression: | Mass waves of arrests were done, either in protests or even to people who were just passing by, people were arrested from their cars. People were arrested from their homes. Even those who were documenting arrests got arrested.[These arrests] included very brutal and violent physical and mental assaults on the detainees. Whether inside the police cars or inside the police station. | A report released in June by Israeli human rights organisation Adalah documented the use of t…
(2021-08-11). Smiling as an act of resistance in Occupied Palestine. roarmag.org Muna El Kurd, activist and Sheikh Jarrah resident smiles as she is arrested in front of her home by Israeli occupation forces. Photo by This essay was produced in collaboration with the Palestinians living in occupied Palestine have been facing ethnic cleansing…
(2021-08-11). Arrests of Palestinian rights defenders part of 'wider crackdown'. news.un.org Israel must safeguard human rights activists in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and within its borders, a UN-appointed expert said on Wednesday.
(2021-08-11). Feminist protests in Palestine. mronline.org 
Mapping the fight for women's liberation in Gaza and the West Bank.
(2021-08-11). Israel uses the Gaza fishing zone as a tool for collective punishment against Palestinians. peoplesdispatch.org Israel often blocks the fishing zone, driving thousands of Palestinians dependent on it for their livelihood and food using the pretexts of rocket attacks…
(2021-08-11). 77% of the residents of the Israeli-Occupied Old City in Jerusalem are Muslims, But for How Long as Israelis demolish Silwan Homes? juancole.com ( Middle East Monitor) — An Israeli writer has said that "the statistical reality in the city of Jerusalem shows that 77% of the Old City's residents are Muslim while only 10% are Jewish." The writer observed that 24 per cent of the Old City's territories in Jerusalem are owned by the Islamic Waqf (Endowment), …
(2021-08-11). After three weeks in the Black Sea, NATO naval group visited Israel. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group Two Visited Israel Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group Two (SNMCMG-2) visited Haifa (Israel) from 2nd of August to 5th of August 2021 and conducted a Passing Exercise (PASSEX) with Israeli Navy units in the vicinity of Haifa, Israel following a successful deployment in the Black Sea. **** Prior to the …
(2021-08-11). At Risk in Israel's Backlash Against Ben and Jerry's? The Right to Protest. thenation.com At Risk in Israel's Backlash Against Ben and Jerry's? The Right to Protest…
(2021-08-11). Pegasus and the Global Surveillance Business. counterpunch.org We have just learned about a powerful spyware known as Pegasus, manufactured and leased by the Israeli company NSO Group and capable of extracting just about every kind of data stored in a smart phone. The Pegasus Project, a consortium of 17 organizations and individuals, mostly journalists, has acquired a leaked list of 50,000 individuals
(2021-08-11). Assange is 'an innocent man accused of practising journalism'. thecanary.co Julian Assange's partner has described him as "an innocent man accused of practising journalism" as she arrived at a legal hearing which will see the US government challenge a judge's decision not to extradite him to the US on espionage charges. | Stella Moris, who has two children by Assange, stood in front of the steps of the High Court and told his supporters: "The US government is exploiting the inherently unfair arrangement between the US and the UK. | "They are exploiting the inherently unfair extradition arrangements with this country in order to arbitrarily prolong his imprisonment. The imprisonment of an…
(2021-08-11). Texan House speaker signs arrest warrant for 52 runaway Democrats after lawmakers fled state to block passage of Republican bill. rt.com 
A senior Texan lawmaker has signed an arrest warrant for 52 Democrats who fled the state to avoid voting on a controversial Republican bill which cannot be passed into law without the presence of five more lawmakers. | Late on Tuesday evening, Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan signed the arrest warrants, understood to be civil not criminal, for 52 Democrat legislators who have avoided their duties in the assembly, according to US news agencies. | The move came after the Texas Supreme Court gave lawmakers permission to use law enforcement to compel the runaway Democrats to return to the House. According to The Da…
(2021-08-11). NYPD spent $159mn on facial recognition, 'stingray' cellphone trackers & X-ray van spy tools using secretive fund, documents show. rt.com 
For years, the NYPD used a "surveillance slush fund" for a range of policing tech with no public oversight — under a shadowy deal with city officials that kept equipment used in "confidential operations" secret. | Newly released documents reveal the New York Police Department (NYPD) has spent at least $159 million in public money since 2007, through a "Special Expenses" fund, on potentially invasive surveillance tools like facial-recognition software, predictive policing programs, "stingray" cellphone trackers — and even vans fitted with X-ray machines to spot weapons. | That year, the force entered…
(2021-08-11). ALL California teachers face Covid vaccine mandate or regular testing, Newsom announces. rt.com 
California Governor Gavin Newsom has announced a Covid-19 vaccine mandate or weekly testing for teachers and school staff, saying it is "the right thing to do" and making his state the first to pass such a requirement. | The mandate will apply to teachers, as well as "custodial staff, the bus drivers, folks that are critical to supporting the entire school ecosystem," Newsom said at a Wednesday press conference at Carl B. Munck Elementary School in Oakland. | "We think this is the right thing to do," the governor continued, "and we think this is a sustainable way to keeping our schools open and to address the…
(2021-08-11). UNHCR alarmed over US 'expulsion flights' to southern Mexico. news.un.org The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) raised concern on Wednesday over a new policy by the United States, using public health orders linked to COVID-19, to expel some asylum-seekers and migrants by flying them to southern Mexico.
(2021-08-11). North Korea eyes stronger cooperation with Russia to resist US — envoy. tass.com According to North Korean Ambassador to Russia Sin Hong-chol, Pyongyang cannot ignore the threats it faces at the backdrop of the hostile policy that the US pursues against North Korea…
(2021-08-11). Punishment of 'innocent civilians' through government sanctions must end: UN experts. news.un.org Unilateral coercive measures by some governments are denying many people around the world the right to personal development, as well as holding back sustainable national development, four independent UN human rights experts said on Wednesday.
(2021-08-11). WHO supports Guinea after detection of first-ever case of Marburg disease. news.un.org The World Health Organization (WHO) is supporting Guinea following a confirmed death from Marburg virus disease, the first known case in the country and West Africa, the UN agency reported on Wednesday.