Daily Archives: July 7, 2020

2020-07-07: News Headlines

WSWS (2020-07-07). Canada's migrant workers protest lack of COVID-19 protections. wsws.org Hundreds of migrant workers and their supporters joined protests Saturday against atrocious working and living conditions—conditions long sanctioned by government and made still worse by the pandemic.

Fight Back (2020-07-07). Roll 4 Justice – Protest on wheels demands justice for all on July 4 in Minneapolis. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – On July 4, more than 200 protesters took the streets on wheels for a new type of march calling for an end to a fundamentally racist criminal justice system and "#Justice4All." Protesters were on bikes, rollerblades, roller skates, skateboards, as well as in a car caravan as they rolled through various neighborhoods in Minneapolis. The protest was organized by Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) along with co-hosts Native Lives Matter, CAIR-Minnesota, LatinoAltRock, and Asamblea de Derechos Civiles. Messaging included slogans such as: "Abolish ICE," "Prosecute the police," and lin…

RT (2020-07-07). Foreign students face mass DEPORTATIONS from US if their universities switch to online-only classes. rt.com US immigration authorities have warned foreign students at colleges offering online-only courses that they must transfer to schools with in-person classes or face deportation. The rule has students and many professors up in arms. | Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has ended the temporary exceptions it granted foreign students during the spring semester, leaving some students whose schools have gone online-only for fall facing removal from the country — or stranded back home. The loophole had permitted non-immigrant student visa holders to stay in the US while taking online courses due to the coro…

RT (2020-07-07). US 'certainly looking' at banning TikTok & other Chinese social media apps, says Pompeo. rt.com US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has confirmed Washington is considering a ban on Chinese social media apps, including the ultra-popular TikTok, apparently inspired by a similar ban in India and Australia's threat to do the same. | Speaking with Fox News, Pompeo affirmed "we're certainly looking at" banning TikTok and other Chinese apps, following the lead of India, which banned 59 Chinese apps after border skirmishes with Beijing, and Australia, which has threatened to do the same. Americans should download the apps "only if you want your information in the hands of the Chinese Communist Party," he smirked.

WSWS (2020-07-07). Dozens of immigrants drown in eastern Turkey's Lake Van. wsws.org Migrants traveling from Central Asian war zones are reportedly forced to travel by boat over Lake Van to bypass police checkpoints on land.

Pan Africanism Today Secretariat (2020-07-07). Xenophobia in South Africa fractures international working-class solidarity. peoplesdispatch.org The COVID-19 pandemic has strongly impacted migrants in South Africa who have been facing increasingly violent attacks and marginalization over the past decade, reinforced by xenophobic rhetoric on a state-level…

Dr. Binoy Kampmark (2020-07-07). The Coronavirus Seal: Victoria's Borders Close. asia-pacificresearch.com

FIRE (2020-07-06). U.S. imperialism means we can't breathe! workers.org Fight for Im/migrants and Refugees Everywhere released this statement on July 5. Fight for Im/migrants and Refugees Everywhere (FIRE) is in solidarity with the global rebellion for Black lives. It is right to rebel against police terror. The same racist, sexist, police violence used to terrorize people at home is . . . |

RT (2020-07-06). 'It is not clear': Putin says Russian tourists are no closer to going abroad as world governments can't figure out what to do. rt.com Russian President Vladimir Putin has no idea when countries will open their borders to Russian tourists, because the world's governments can't work out what they want to do — and other Europeans don't even agree with each other. | That's according to the president himself, speaking with Vitaly Savelyev, head of Russia's flag-carrying airline Aeroflot. | "It is not clear what our partners in many countries of the world will do, including in Europe, as they still can't figure out between themselves," he said. "And it is not clear when they will open their borders and territories to third-country nationals,…

WSWS (2020-07-06). New Jersey growers refuse to test migrant farm workers for COVID-19. wsws.org The decision not to test these laborers, many of whom have traveled from states with rising rates of infection, creates the conditions for a public health disaster.

Lucas Leiroz de Almeida (2020-07-06). British Government Encourages Mass Emigration from Hong Kong to Affect China. globalresearch.ca In late June, China's National People's Congress passed Hong Kong's new national security law, later signed by Chinese President Xi Jinping. The new law imposes a special security regime in the autonomous territory of Hong Kong, prohibiting foreign interference …

yenisafak (2020-07-06). Greece closes its borders to Serbia amid pandemic. yenisafak.com Greece has temporarily closed its borders to Serbian citizens on Monday morning in response to the rapid rise of COVID-19 cases.Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic described the decision as "unfortunate.""The decision will be periodically reviewed by Greece… we hope that other facts will be taken into account. It is obvious that Greece has an interest in foreign tourists coming, and most tourists are just coming from Serbia," said Dacic.Tourist operators in Serbia have also expressed frustration over the decision, describing it as unfair, and calling on tourist organizations in Greece to react.Greece's decisio…

yenisafak (2020-07-06). China retreats from border clash site: Indian Army. yenisafak.com Indian army sources claimed on Monday that Chinese troops began to withdraw from the Galwan Valley area in the northern Himalayan region of Ladakh, where recent clashes took place between the two sides.In a first sign of disengagement from the site of the June 15 clash Chinese troops were seen "dismantling tents and moving back in vehicles," an official from the Indian Army told Anadolu Agency on condition of anonymity.Defensive structures at patrolling point 14, the main site of the June 15 clash that killed 20 Indian soldiers including a colonel, were removed and the Chinese army moved back by "at least a mile…

en.mehrnews (2020-07-06). Border Guards first defensive stronghold of country: cmdr. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 07 (MNA) — The commander of IRGC Ground Force, Brigadier General Mohammad Pakpour said on Monday that Border Guards are the first defensive stronghold of the country.

en.mehrnews (2020-07-06). China, India to complete troop pullback from disputed border. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 06 (MNA) — China and India have agreed to complete troop pullback from the disputed border as soon as possible, Beijing says.

Julia Conley, staff writer (2020-07-06). As Colleges Resort to Online Learning, ICE Issues 'Needlessly Cruel' Rule Pushing International Students Out of US. commondreams.org Immigrant rights advocates expressed shock on Monday after Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced international students whose U.S. schools are moving to an online-only model for the Fall 2020 semester will no longer be welcome in the United States. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-1212026889_1.jpg

yenisafak (2020-07-05). Turkey seizes large amount of PKK ammunition in N.Iraq. yenisafak.com The Turkish military seized a large amount of ammunition as part of its anti-terror operation in northern Iraq, said the Turkish National Defense Ministry on Sunday.The ministry said in a written statement that search and sweep activities by commandos as part of the Operation Claw-Tiger seized four AK-47s, 40 hand grenades, as well as ammunition for RPG-7 rocket launcher and mortars, grenade throwers along with many others.The operation is successfully ongoing, it said.Turkey's operations Claw-Tiger and Claw-Eagle were launched last month to ensure the safety of the Turkish people and borders by neutralizing the…

RT (2020-07-04). Wacky Hollywood: Tim Robbins blasts ICE as 'SS' in charge of 'ethnic cleansing'. rt.com 'Shawshank Redemption' star Tim Robbins has compared US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to Nazis, and claimed the agency's goal is to target people of color and give America an "ethnic cleansing." | "ICE are massively funded, militarized police whose function is to deport people of color. Ethnic cleansing in America," tweeted the actor in reaction to a story about President Donald Trump designating ICE a "security agency" in an effort to protect the identities of its employees. | "Now they are a massively funded, militarized SECRET police (SS) that don't have to identify themselves or answer to anyon…

Tom Juravich (2020-07-04). They're Back: Concessions Are Coming. zcomm.org We must stand up against blaming downwards—the demonization of immigrants, poor folks, and people of color…

_____ (2020-07-04). Release The Prisoners: Ohio Jail 100 Percent Positive For Covid. popularresistance.org In a recent report, the Ohio Immigrant Alliance stated that the Morrow County Correctional Facility in Mt. Gilead is the first county jail in the state to be 100 percent COVID-positive. The jail, holding local prisoners as well as Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees, is also the first 100 percent COVID-positive ICE detention center in the U.S. | The Alliance accuses jail authorities of failing to follow their own protocols as well as ICE standards. | According to the Alliance report, "None of the inmates and detainees at Morrow County have been seen by a doctor in the facility, despite their COVID diagn…

a guest author (2020-07-03). On the Road to Justice with im/migrant TPS holders. workers.org By G. Lechat Inspired by the great Civil Rights Movement and in solidarity with Black Lives Matter, immigrant Temporary Protected Status recipients organizing with Alianza TPS Nacional are forging a "Road to Justice." This is the name they gave their 200+ car caravan that converged on Washington, D.C., June 23-24 . . . |

RT (2020-07-03). Iraqi military sets up border posts to prevent Turkish advance as Ankara targets Kurdish rebels. rt.com Iraqi troops are enforcing positions along the border with Turkey to prevent Turkish forces from advancing deeper into Iraqi territory, officials said on Friday. Ankara has been conducting airstrikes for two weeks, targeting Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq. | Security officials said Turkey has established at least a dozen posts inside Iraqi territory as part of a military campaign to rout members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK. The air-and-land campaign Operation Claw-Tiger began on June 17, when Turkey airlifted troops into northern Iraq. | Since then, at least six Iraqi civilians have been killed as…

Paul Antonopoulos (2020-07-03). The China-India Trade War: Indian Boycott of Chinese Goods. globalresearch.ca The level of India's economic boycott against Chinese imports will depend on how the two countries resolve their border conflicts and if Indian industry is capable of offsetting the shortage of Chinese goods entering the country. Although the call to …

news.un (2020-07-03). Protecting migrant workers in Kuwait: a Resident Coordinator's blog. news.un.org In Kuwait, the UN has played an important role in countering xenophobic rhetoric, falsely blaming the spread of COVID-19 on migrant workers. In this opinion piece, Tarek El Sheikh, the United Nations Resident Coordinator in the country, highlights the efforts being made to safeguard the rights of foreign residents.

WSWS (2020-07-03). More migrants speak out against New Zealand's visa-processing delays. wsws.org There is growing support for a petition urging the government to immediately process tens of thousands of residency applications which have been left in limbo.

_____ (2020-07-03). Black Immigrants On The Front Lines Of COVID-19. popularresistance.org As the country continues to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, Black immigrants — immigrants who identify as Black regardless of country or region of birth — are playing an important role on the front lines in healthcare, food supply, education, and biomedical industries. Black immigrants make up a significant portion of healthcare workers. In 2018, there were more than 560,000 Black immigrant workers in the healthcare sector. These workers made up 3.4 percent of all healthcare workers, a share almost three times their share of the U.S. population. In the food industry at large, there are over 223,000 Black immigrant…

_____ (2020-07-03). Trump Used Looted Venezuelan Public Money To Build Border Wall. popularresistance.org Since the United States initiated a coup attempt against Venezuela's elected leftist government in January 2019, up to $24 billion worth of Venezuelan public assets have been seized by foreign countries, primarily by Washington and member states of the European Union. | President Donald Trump's administration has used at least $601 million of that looted Venezuelan money to fund construction of its border wall with Mexico, according to government documents first reviewed by Univision. | During his 2016 presidential campaign, Trump insisted countless times that he would "make Mexico pay" to build a gargantuan wall…

yenisafak (2020-07-03). Growing number of mercenaries to Sirte deepens conflict in Libya: Analysis. yenisafak.com By Ferhat Polat – The writer is a researcher at the TRT World Research CentreOver the past two months, there has been a drastic change on the ground in Libya as forces loyal to the internationally recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) have pushed Haftar's self-declared Libyan National Army (LNA) to the borders of the coastal city of Sirte, some 450 km east of Tripoli, and Al-Jufra airbase in central Libya.Since January this year, Turkey has intervened determinedly in the Libyan conflict, providing air support, weapons, and technical assistance to the UN-backed government, and this Turkish support has rec…

yenisafak (2020-07-03). Indigenous leaders angry about coronavirus risk from Brazilian military visit. yenisafak.com Leaders of an isolated indigenous Yanomami community in Brazil have complained that a military mission to protect them from the coronavirus brought greater risk of infection to their people through contact with outsiders including journalists.Federal prosecutors said they were investigating the visit for ignoring the wishes of Yanomami communities to remain isolated from society, violating rules of social distancing and distributing chloroquine to indigenous people.On Tuesday and Wednesday, soldiers brought medical supplies by helicopter to outposts on the border with Venezuela and assembled Yanomami families to…

sputniknews (2020-07-03). China's WTO Threat to India on App Ban 'Untenable' Amid Beijing Internet Censorship: Experts. sputniknews.com New Delhi (Sputnik): On 29 June, India banned 59 Chinese mobile apps in a move widely perceived as a response to the border dispute in the Galvan valley of Ladakh. On 15 June, twenty Indian soldiers were killed in violent clash between patrol parties belonging to both sides. Since then, India is in arms against China on the economic front.

Julia Conley, staff writer (2020-07-03). Citing 'Unconscionable and Irresponsible Omission,' ACLU Demands Equal Covid-19 Protections for Immigrants. commondreams.org The ACLU on Thursday launched a new digital ad campaign calling on the U.S. Senate to correct the "unconscionable" omission in the nation's coronavirus testing strategy, demanding that all immigrants be made eligible for Covid-19 testing and treatment in any upcoming legislation. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-1222924566_1.jpg