Daily Archives: June 27, 2020

2020-06-27: News Headlines

Sonali Kolhatkar (2020-06-27). Trump Using Pandemic to Wage War on Immigrants and Separate Families. zcomm.org It looks like the president's goal is to make America white…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-06-27). Rights groups condemn harassment of journalists in Sri Lanka. peoplesdispatch.org Several international human rights groups released a statement on June 24, Wednesday, calling on the Sri Lankan government led by Gotabaya Rajapaksa to stop the harassment and targeting of journalists in the country. The joint statement by Amnesty International, Front Line Defenders, Reporters Without Border, the Committee to Protect Journalists and Human Rights Watch demanded that the government ensure the safety of senior journalist

yenisafak (2020-06-27). 'Existing tensions surfacing in new China-India row'. yenisafak.com The recent clashes between China and India are a manifestation of long-standing tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, according to an expert on South Asian geopolitics."The Himalayan border problem between Pakistan, India, and China is not a new issue — it goes back at least 70 years," Umit Alperen, a researcher and professor, said in an online discussion with Cemal Demir, head of the Istanbul-based South Asia Strategic Research Center (GASAM).China and India's military clash can be seen as the surfacing of a tension that has been there for some time, and an escalation accelerated by domestic, r…

yenisafak (2020-06-27). EU holds off decision on borders, Americans set to be excluded. yenisafak.com European Union countries failed to settle on Friday on a final "safe list" of countries whose residents could travel to the bloc from July, with the United States, Brazil and Russia set to be excluded.Ambassadors from the 27 EU members convened from Friday afternoon to establish criteria for granting quarantine-free access from next Wednesday.A redrawn text of 10-20 countries was put to them, but many said they needed to consult first with their governments, diplomats said. The list did not include the United States, Brazil or Russia, one diplomat said.Discussions were continuing overnight, with the EU countries…

en.mehrnews (2020-06-27). Iran accounts for 90% of global opium confiscation. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jun. 28 (MNA) — Commander of the Border Guard of the Law Enforcement Force of the Islamic Republic of Iran (NAJA) Second Brigadier General Ahmad Ali Goudarzi said on Sat. that Iran accounts for 90% of global opium confiscation.

United We Dream & others (2020-06-27). Thursday 7/2: Tackling Anti-Blackness in Immigrant Communities Discussion w/ United We Dream. indybay.org Online…

Pepe Eggers (2020-06-27). End of a Career. Obituary The "Swabian housewife" indybay.org The "Swabian housewife" dominated politics. Now she is buried by her inventors, of all people. | The state is not a business or a housewife but can borrow and become indebted to help present and future generations. | Systemic change, not climate change! Fight ignorance, not immigrants!

RT (2020-06-26). Facebook bends the knee, agrees to censor Trump ads after mass advertiser boycott. rt.com Facebook will change its policies to ban "hate speech" in advertisements on the platform, CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced, after activists brigaded a number of major corporations to pull their ads from the platform. | "I am committed to making sure Facebook remains a place where people can use their voice to discuss important issues," Zuckerberg said on Friday. "But I also stand against hate or anything that incites violences or suppresses voting, and we're committed to removing that content too, no matter where it comes from." | This will include ads critical of "immigrants, migrants, refugees and asylum seeker…

B. Prasant (2020-06-26). COVID-19 death march: India's migrant workers head home, heralding virus surge. peoplesworld.org DELHI—The thin emaciated woman lay on her back by the side of the highway that leads away from Delhi towards Kolkata. Her arms akimbo, her knees folded together and drawn up, her body barely covered in a torn-to-strips cloth that had once been a red saree. Her eyes drew attention because they were wide open—death …

RT (2020-06-26). 8,000km from home: WATCH Russian Su-30 intercept US spy planes over Black Sea. rt.com The Russian military has published video footage showing the moment a Su-30 fighter jet intercepted a group of US spy planes over the Black Sea on Friday. | The Aerospace Force scrambled a Su-30 to escort three American planes away from the nation's southern border, Russia's Ministry of Defence said in a statement to the media, adding that the incident unfolded over neutral waters. | The American planes were identified as a R-8A Poseidon patrol aircraft, an RC-135 strategic reconnaissance jet, and a KC-135 refueling plane. The group immediately changed the direction of its flight away from the Russian borde…

RT (2020-06-25). Bitcoin bolivars? Venezuela reportedly accepting crypto as payment for passport applications. rt.com Venezuela's passport service is accepting Bitcoin as payment for some applications, according to people using the online system. The move suggests an increased shift to alternative payment systems in the South American state. | A screenshot of a Bitcoin (BTC) payment prompt on Venezuela's Administrative Service for Identification, Migration and Foreigners (SAIME) was posted to

Anand Naidoo (2020-06-25). The Heat: U.S. immigration and DACA ruling. america.cgtn.com U.S. President Trump temporarily suspends new work visas, barring foreigners from seeking employment in the United States.

Samantha Ortega (2020-06-25). The U.S. Has always exploited immigrants during pandemics. nationofchange.org As our country continues to grapple with the coronavirus, we must ensure that the health of everyone, including migrants, is prioritized and protected.

yenisafak (2020-06-25). EU covering up Greek human rights violations, says Turkish spox. yenisafak.com Turkey on Thursday slammed remarks by Greek and EU officials critical of Ankara's handling of the migrant issue along its borders, calling them an attempt to whitewash Athens' human rights violations.The remarks this Wednesday by Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell at the Turkish-Greek border show Greece's effort to cover up its crimes against asylum seekers under the EU umbrella, said Hami Aksoy, Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman."The fact that the EU Commission is a partner to this is exemplary," Aksoy said.Aksoy cited the words of Dunja Mijatovic, the Council of Euro…

yenisafak (2020-06-25). At least 250 Indians stranded in Pakistan return home. yenisafak.com At least 250 Indian nationals stranded in Pakistan due to coronavirus restrictions were repatriated on Thursday.A total of 748 Indian nationals will return home over three days until June 27, Pakistan's Interior Ministry said in a statement.It said 250 more Indians will cross over from the Wagah-Attari land border near the northeastern city of Lahore on Friday, and the remaining 248 will go back on Saturday.The Indian citizens, some of them Kashmiri students studying in Pakistan, were stranded in different cities, including Lahore and the capital Islamabad, due to coronavirus-related lockdown.From March to May, P…

yenisafak (2020-06-25). India says China amassed troops along border in violation of agreements. yenisafak.com China has deployed large numbers of troops and weapons along a disputed Himalayan border in violation of bilateral agreements, India's foreign ministry said on Thursday, accusing Beijing of escalating tensions and triggering a deadly clash last week."At the heart of the matter is that since early May the Chinese side had been amassing a large contingent of troops and armaments along the LAC," ministry spokesman Anurag Srivastava said in a briefing in New Delhi, referring to the Line of Actual Control, the de facto border."This is not in accordance with the provisions of our various bilateral agreements," he said,…

yenisafak (2020-06-25). Global drug use soars 30% in 10 years: UN. yenisafak.com Around 269 million people used drugs worldwide in 2018, 30% more than in 2009, while over 35 million people suffer from drug use disorders, a UN report said on Thursday.The report released by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Vienna also analyses the impact of COVID-19 on the drugs markets.While the pandemic effects are not yet fully known, the report said that border and other restrictions linked to the pandemic have already caused shortages of drugs on the street, leading to increased prices and reduced purity.The report noted that rising unemployment and reduced opportunities caused by the pandemic a…

sputniknews (2020-06-25). India, Pakistan Engage in Mortar Shelling, Firefight at Border. sputniknews.com New Delhi (Sputnik): India and Pakistan, at odds over Jammu and Kashmir since independence, have been accusing each other of constant ceasefire violations across the Line of Control (LoC). While India claimed that Pakistan has violated the ceasefire over 2,000 times in 2020, Islamabad accused New Delhi of breaking the pact over 957 times.

sputniknews (2020-06-25). India, China Swear Upon Past Agreements, New Confidence-Building Measures to Break Stand-off. sputniknews.com New Delhi (Sputnik): India and China have been in a border stand-off along the 4,057km long Line of Actual Control since the last week of April. The tensions between the neighbours escalated last week when 20 Indian soldiers were killed in a violent face-off between the Indian Army and PLA.

sputniknews (2020-06-25). India Urges Russia to Deliver Igla-S Missile System ASAP Amid Border Tensions, Media Claims. sputniknews.com New Delhi (Sputnik): Media outlets earlier reported that Indian authorities have decided to "pressure" Russia into expediting the delivery of its S-400 air defence missile system to New Delhi amid the latter's ongoing border face-off with China.

sputniknews (2020-06-25). Two Terrorists Killed, 5 Members of Pakistan-Based Terror Group Lashkar-e-Taiba Arrested in Kashmir. sputniknews.com New Delhi (Sputnik): Indian security forces have been engaged in major counter-terror operations in the Kashmir Valley since April of this year. Security forces have eliminated more than 110 terrorists so far, with intelligence services claiming that infiltration attempts from the Pakistani border may witness a sharp increase this summer.

RT (2020-06-24). Anti-racism protesters in Wisconsin tear down statue of… anti-slavery hero (VIDEOS). rt.com With vandals targeting 'problematic' statues across the US, a crowd in Madison, Wisconsin vented their fury on an unlikely target: A memorial to Hans Christian Heg, an immigrant who died fighting against the Confederacy. | Born in Norway in 1829, Heg arrived in the US 11 years later. He later joined the Republican Party and became known as an anti-slavery activist, as well as the leader of an anti-slave catcher militia. Fighting for the Union during the civil war, Heg was fatally wounded at the Battle of Chickamauga, and had a statue erected in his honor in 1924. | That same statue was lashed with chains and t…

Mark Gruenberg (2020-06-24). Trump touts fake wall; EU mulls real 'wall' to bar Americans. peoplesworld.org On Tuesday in Arizona Trump had his picture taken at the phony prop he calls his "beautiful wall," one of the props along the border with Mexico that he runs to every time he wants to stir up fear of immigrants. While he was doing that the European Union was drafting plans to establish a …

Stephen Lendman (2020-06-24). Troubling India-China Border Skirmishes. Dangerous Game. Was Washington Involved in Spearheading Conflict? globalresearch.ca A longstanding line of control dispute along the border separating China and India flared up weeks earlier. | Both countries claim sovereignty over the disputed territory. Until April, forces of both countries hadn't used live fire for decades. | According to Indian …

Peoples Dispatch (2020-06-24). Immigration groups slam US decision to suspend immigration visas. peoplesdispatch.org The Trump administration on Monday decided to suspend a variety of immigration visas until the end of the year. The National Immigration Forum has decried the order as an attempt to divide communities.

WSWS (2020-06-24). Trump signs reactionary proclamation expanding immigration restrictions. wsws.org The order extends and expands anti-immigrant restrictions on workers coming to the US for jobs in multiple industries.

WSWS (2020-06-24). The COVID-19 pandemic and the global plight of refugees and migrant workers. wsws.org As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to tear through the global population, the disease is having an especially devastating impact on the tens of millions of displaced people throughout the world.

Daniel Costa (2020-06-24). Trump's Ban on Temporary Work Visas Is an Attempt to Scapegoat Immigrants During an Economic Collapse. commondreams.org The new proclamation looks to be mostly symbolic and is likely a political tactic to blame immigrants for high unemployment, despite that fact that they had nothing to do with causing it. (Photo: David McNew/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/weareallimmigrants.jpg

WSWS (2020-06-24). Antigone from Canada recounts the struggle of an immigrant youth to defend her brother against state violence. wsws.org Unlike insipid mainstream Canadian cinema, Antigone deals honestly with critical issues such as the oppression of immigrants, police violence, a mounting youth revolt and, to some extent, social inequality.

Tony Cartalucci (2020-06-24). China vs India: Who Benefits? US Meddling. globalresearch.ca A recent border dispute between China and India have resulted in multiple casualties including deaths. It is the first time in decades that this scale of violence has been seen between the two nations. Western headlines have immediately tried to …

yenisafak (2020-06-24). Italy says 28 migrants test positive to COVID-19 on quarantine ship. yenisafak.com Dozens of migrants rescued in the Mediterranean have tested positive for the new coronavirus while held in a quarantine ship off the southern Italian coast, Sicily's regional leader Nello Musumeci said on Wednesday.In April Italy banned migrant rescue ships from docking in its ports until July 31 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It now transfers all those saved at sea onto large ferries which must wait off its coast.After saving more than 200 people stranded at sea last week, the Sea-Watch 3 charity boat arrived on Sunday in the Sicilian town of Porto Empedocle.The mainly African passengers were immediately moved to…

yenisafak (2020-06-24). Top Turkish, Spanish diplomats talk COVID-19, tourism. yenisafak.com Mevlut Cavusoglu and Arancha Gonzalez Laya discussed the latest developments on the outbreak in both countries, effort to bring back tourism, and Turkish-EU relations, said the sources, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.As tourism worldwide ground to a halt due to the coronavirus pandemic, Turkey's new case numbers are falling, and the country is looking to bring back tourists by restarting flights and issuing certificates for businesses that have taken necessary steps against the outbreak.Spain is also seeking to reassure tourists as its numbers fall and its borders reopen.

sputniknews (2020-06-24). India to Use Naval Helicopter to Kill Second Wave of Locusts Entering From Pakistan. sputniknews.com New Delhi (Sputnik): India has been witnessing the worst locust attack in decades this year. Farmers in border states have suffered heavy losses due to the damage inflicted by the migratory pests.

sputniknews (2020-06-24). Despite Border Tensions Between India and China, Russia to Ensure RIC Remains Viable, Experts Say. sputniknews.com New Delhi (Sputnik): The foreign ministers of Russia, India, and China on Tuesday participated in a special videoconference session called by Moscow to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in the Second World War and the creation of the United Nations.

en.mehrnews (2020-06-24). Rouhani calls for expansion of border security cooperation with Pakistan. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jun. 25 (MNA) — Iranian President Hassan Rouhani expressed hope that Iran and Pakistan would expand cooperation in ensuring the security of common border areas.