(2020-08-04). Armenia's Risky Tovuz Strategy Dramatically Backfired. thealtworld.com The latest clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan occurred along their shared border in Tovuz, north of Nagorno-Karabakh. Both sides blame one another but a compelling argument can be made that Armenia was the aggressor. Azerbaijan has no dispute with Armenia over this territory and has nothing to gain by destabilizing this strategy region through which important international energy pipelines and the BTK railway pass. The Mingachevir Dam is also located nearby, and if Armenia attacked it during another war, then the consequences would be disastrous for the millions of Azerbaijanis downstream. | It's actually…
(2020-08-04). Militarized BORTAC Border Patrol Raids & Ransacks Medical Camp on U.S. Border, Arrests 30 Migrants. democracynow.org 
In Arizona, heavily armed Border Patrol officers raided the medical camp of humanitarian group No More Deaths and detained 30 migrants whose whereabouts are now unknown. It was the second raid in just two days on the camp, which provides water, food and medical attention to refugees crossing into the United States through the scorching Sonoran Desert. "Immediately after they entered the camp, the first thing they did was round up all of the No More Deaths aid workers and zip-tie them, remove their phones," says Montana Thames, a humanitarian aid worker with No More Deaths. "It was very clear they didn't want any…
(2020-08-04). Headlines for August 4, 2020. democracynow.org Concerns Mount over Politicization of COVID-19 Vaccine, as Trump Lashes Out at "Pathetic" Dr. Birx, WHO Warns There May Never Be a Coronavirus "Silver Bullet", Trump Threatens to Sue Nevada After It Expands Voter Access, Leaked Video Shows George Floyd Pleaded for His Life, Cooperated with Police, Before He Was Killed, Video Shows LAPD Shot Peaceful Protester in the Head as He Held His Arms in the Air, Prosecutor Clears Arkansas Officers Who Pushed Black Man into the Ground for 6.5 Minutes Before He Died, Census Bureau Cuts Short Collection Efforts by One Month, Mexican Man Dies After Falling from Border Wall, Me…
(2020-08-04). "It's Basically a Death Sentence": Hunger Strikers Demand Release as Virus Surges in ICE Jails. democracynow.org 
People being held in Immigration and Customs Enforcement jails are holding work strikes and hunger strikes over the lack of access to personal protective equipment or quality medical care, and to demand their release. We speak with Joe Mejia, an asylum seeker who was among a group of prisoners at Yuba County Jail in California who led a hunger strike while he was held there for nearly 11 months. "That place is dangerous," Mejia says. "It is a death sentence to detainees, especially right now with the coronavirus."
(2020-08-04). "Release Them All": Calls Grow to Stop Jailing Immigrants as Transfers & Deportations Spread COVID. democracynow.org 
The U.S. government continues to hold tens of thousands of asylum seekers and immigrants in detention centers and jails, ignoring the advice of medical experts as the coronavirus continues to spread. ICE has also continued to transfer and deport people — including those who are infected — making it a global superspreader. We speak with Luis Angel Reyes Savalza, an immigration attorney and co-director of Pangea Legal Services in San Francisco, who himself is undocumented and recently got arrested at a protest outside the mansion of California Governor Gavin Newsom demanding the release of people in sta…
(2020-08-04). Refugees freed from Greek camp 'hell' left homeless. indybay.org When Amir Hussein was finally allowed to leave the horrific migrant camp of Moria on the Greek island of Lesbos, it was supposed to be the end of a year-long odyssey.
(2020-08-04). Israeli warplanes bomb targets in Syria. peoplesdispatch.org Israeli air force fighter jets, attack helicopters and other attack aircraft conducted airstrikes in southern Syria late on August 3, Monday. Israel claimed that the airstrikes were in retaliation to an attempted attack on Sunday along the northern Israel-Syria border in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. | The Syrian government is yet to confirm the specific locations targeted by the Israeli bombings. The official Syrian SANA news agency stated that the airstrikes caused significant material damage to Syrian government property, adding that no Syrians, civilian or military, were injured. | Syrian state media la…
(2020-08-03). Headlines for August 3, 2020. democracynow.org White House's Dr. Birx Warns U.S. Has Entered New Phase in Pandemic as Death Toll Tops 155,000, Lawmakers at Standstill over Coronavirus Bill as Democratic Rep. Grijalva Goes After GOP Response, Worldwide Cases Top 18 Million as Countries Across the Globe Hit Grim New Milestones, Border Patrol Raid Arizona Humanitarian Camp for 2nd Time in 2 Days, Detain 30 Asylum Seekers, SCOTUS Rules Trump Can Move Forward with Border Wall Construction, Trump Admin to Start Charging Fees for Asylum Applications, Islamic State Claims Attack on Afghanistan Jail Which Killed At Least 29 People, Award-Winning Author Tsitsi Dangarem…
(2020-08-03). US Border Patrol raids "No More Deaths" humanitarian aid camp in southern Arizona. wsws.org Last week's operation is presumed to be in retaliation for the organization's recent exposure of the involvement of the paramilitary BORTAC force in a 2017 raid.
(2020-08-03). Saturday 8/8: Shut Down CA's Concentration Camps: Statewide Day of Action for Immigrant Justice (SF). indybay.org There will be an initial meeting/rally at Justin Herman Plaza and then we will march to the ICE building for another rally. | Please stay tuned for details on a supporting car caravan, led by the SF LowRider Council, which will likely start in the mission and meet up with the march at the ICE building. | Please also stay tuned for actions you can take from home in the days before the action. | Thank you for taking action! #FreeThemAll…
(2020-08-03). Former president Medvedev warns Russia set to make it harder for migrants to get work permits as Saudi-style system on cards. rt.com 
In a surprise move, Russia may tighten visa rules for foreign workers. Former President Dmitry Medvedev says the measure is being considered in response to law and order issues exposed by the Covid-19 pandemic. | He told a meeting in Moscow that the possibility of moving to the system favored in Saudi Arabia, where the employer is fully responsible for labor migrants, is being discussed. | "[The expert community] proposes changing the order of entry for migrant workers to Russia," Medvedev explained, the TASS news agency reported. "This means giving such permission to a foreign citizen only in the case of an u…
(2020-08-03). Trump's Withdrawal From WHO: a Cover-Up for His Abject Failure on COVID-19. counterpunch.org 
Microbes do not recognize borders. We are all safe only when everybody is safe. In a pandemic, to attack the only body we have for global cooperation endangers everyone. That is why the U.S. withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO) is dangerous not only for the United States, but for all of the world.
(2020-08-03). Israel strikes Syrian military targets near Damascus, IDF calls it 'response' to failed border attack. rt.com 
Israeli jets bombed several Syrian military sites south of Damascus late on Monday, the IDF has confirmed, saying that the attack had been launched in response to the attempted planting of a bomb in the Golan Heights. | The airstrike took place in the countryside southwest of Damascus, SANA news agency reported, describing explosions being heard in the city. | The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) then said in a statement the attack was a response to an attempted provocation on the Syrian-Israeli border, targeting a fence in the occupied Golan Heights. | The IDF said the strike targeted Syrian army's observation pos…
(2020-08-03). 'You're fired!': Trump sacks federal bosses for outsourcing jobs as he clamps down on visas for foreigners. rt.com 
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order preventing federal agencies from hiring foreign workers via H-1B visas. In addition, Trump fired two federal executives for outsourcing US jobs and "betraying" Americans. | Trump's order, signed on Monday, requires federal agencies to prioritize US citizens and Green Card holders before outsourcing labor to foreign workers — who can come to the US on H-1B visas. Use of these visas is common in the tech sector, and 180,000 of them were issued last year, according to State Department statistics. | Government agencies will now be required to conduct an int…
(2020-08-03). Rights Group Demands ICE End 'Beyond Inhumane' Detention and Deportations as Covid-19 Pandemic Intensifies. commondreams.org Blaming the Trump administration's "irresponsible actions" for the ongoing spread of Covid-19 in immigration detention centers, the International Rescue Committee demanded that people be released from detention immediately to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-1222258669.png …
(2020-08-02). Humanitarian Camp Raided by Border Patrol and BORTAC, 30+ People Arrested. unicornriot.ninja Arivaca, AZ — The government ramped up its efforts to stop humanitarian workers on the U.S.-Mexico border and raided the 'No More Deaths' aid station, Byrd Camp, arresting over 30 people. | The Friday, July 31 raid featured the U.S. Border Patrol, an armored vehicle, two…
(2020-08-02). Border Patrol Agents Raid No More Deaths Migrant Aid Camp. popularresistance.org The humanitarian group No More Deaths said an aid camp it operates for migrants crossing the desert was raided and then surrounded by Border Patrol agents. The group said the move as an escalation of tensions at a time when the aid they provide is vital. | Byrd Camp is located near Arivaca and serves as a medical aid site for people passing through one of the deadliest desert corridors of the borderland. | No More Deaths volunteer Emily Saunders said Border Patrol usually allows activities there to continue. But in late July, agents entered the property and arrested a migrant receiving care.
(2020-08-02). Media's "Cancel Culture" Debate Obscures Direct Threats to First Amendment. commondreams.org A scene from the Netflix documentary Immigration Nation. (Image: screenshot/Netflix) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/immigration-nation.png …
(2020-08-02). 'This Is Terrorism': With No Face Masks and No Warrant, Border Patrol Agents Raid Humanitarian Aid Station in Arizona and Detain 30 Migrants. commondreams.org "As always when humanitarian aid in the borderlands is targeted, those who seek care are the ones that face the brunt of these violent escalations." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/bp_agents.jpeg …
(2020-08-02). Yemen's Houthi rebels say they've downed a US-made spy drone. rt.com 
The Houthi rebels' air defense has shot down a US-made drone over the Jizan Region of Yemen near the border with Saudi Arabia, their spokesman, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, announced. | The small RQ20 Puma hand-launched UAV was hit "by an appropriate weapon," he added. | Saree didn't specify if the drone belonged to Saudi Arabia, which has been waging a US-supported military campaign against the Houthis since 2015, or any other party. | The rebels, who control much of the country, including capital Sanaa, have been shooting down UAVs (unarmed aerial vehicles) quite frequently. The most prominent target they…
(2020-08-02). Israel Thwarts 'Terrorist' Attempt to Place Explosives on Syria-Israeli Border, IDF Says. sputniknews.com The Israeli Defence Forces noted that it "considers [the] Syrian regime responsible for any action taken in its territory", adding that "it will not allow" any violation of the sovereignty of the state of Israel.
(2020-08-01). Lawsuit exposes massive COVID-19 outbreak at privately-run immigrant detention center in Virginia. wsws.org The Farmville Detention Center has the largest COVID-19 outbreak of all immigrant detainment facilities in the United States.
(2020-07-31). Federal judge blocks use of public charge rule against immigrants. peoplesworld.org 
In a new setback to the Trump administration's assault on immigrants, a U.S. district court judge in New York has issued injunctions barring the administration from using its "public charge" rule to deny green cards to immigrants thought likely to use such public benefits as Medicaid, food stamps or housing vouchers. Judge George Daniels of …
(2020-07-31). Will Hezbollah Seek Revenge Against Israel? globalresearch.ca Tensions on the Israel-Lebanon border flared up in recent days due to a confusing July 27 incident near the Sheba'a Farms, a Syrian area occupied by Israel since the 1967 war but is also claimed by Lebanon. Tensions erupted when …
(2020-07-31). Thursday 7/30: #Free The Families: Release the Children, Reunite Families, Close All Border Camps Now. indybay.org Online via Instagram livestream…
(2020-07-31). As COVID-19 Surges, Farmworkers Are Paying A High Price. popularresistance.org Every day, California farmworkers worry that the pandemic plowing through agricultural hubs will catch them and kill them. They also worry that not working will kill them. | The collapse of food service demands when most businesses and institutions shut down has cut farm jobs statewide by 20 percent, or 100,000. Many farmworkers who are still working have had their hours or days reduced, sometimes without warning. Lockdowns have also cost workers second jobs they needed to make ends meet. They are juggling bills and going hungry. | These are some of the findings in a new survey of 900 farmworkers in 21 farm count…
(2020-07-30). 'Even In a Pandemic, We're Still a Minority'. thenation.com 'Even In a Pandemic, We're Still a Minority'
(2020-07-30). Border Tensions: Why India Won't Become Washington's Bulwark Against China. sputniknews.com The US foreign policy establishment is deluding itself if it plans to use the India-China border conflict to pit New Delhi against Beijing while the US State Department is ramping up tensions with the People's Republic, says Suvam Pal, a Beijing-based Indian journalist and author.