Category: Protest and Unrest
Anti-war Russian Scientist at Harvard Med Detained by U.S. Border Agents
U.S. immigration authorities detained and revoked the visa of a Russian scientist who opposes the war in Ukraine and had been conducting genetic research at Harvard Medical School, her friends and colleagues said this week. Ksenia Petrova was stopped at Boston Logan International Airport on Feb. 16 after returning from a personal trip in France. U.S. officials revoked her research visa for failing to properly declare frog embryos she had brought with her, according to The Harvard Crimson. U.S. Customs…
US and Germany are torching Tesla cars, US also burning Tesla charging stations and shooting up Tesla dealerships
1. Germany Several Tesla vehicles were set on fire in Germany on Friday, as protests against Elon Musk’s car company continue across the world. German police said that four vehicles were set ablaze in the Plänterwald and Steglitz neighborhoods of Berlin, and that political motives could not be ruled out. Newsweek reports: Tesla sites have been targeted by protesters around the world following Musk’s appointment as head of the Department of Government Efficiency in President Donald Trump’s administration. The electric…
Will Musk avoid all repercussions of bribery in taking Verizon’s FAA contract?
Elon Musk’s satellite company, Starlink, is in talks to potentially take over a $2.4 billion contract from Verizon with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to upgrade airspace management systems. While the contract hasn’t been officially transferred, FAA officials have begun seeking funds for a possible Starlink deal, according to sources familiar with the situation. These instructions were reportedly given verbally, which is unusual and suggests an effort to avoid creating a paper trail. Obtaining a federal contract through ties to…
Trump’s ‘bald power grab’ could set US on path to dictatorship, critics fear
Unusually for him, Donald Trump made no great fuss as he signed one drily worded executive order last Tuesday. Public attention was distracted that day – by the headline-grabbing drama of Elon Musk bludgeoning his way through the federal bureaucracy, by immigrants deported to Guantánamo Bay, and by the torrent of other directives Trump has issued since his inauguration last month. But Trump’s 69th executive order of his second presidency, under the deceptive title of “Ensuring accountability for all agencies”,…
Seized, settled, let: how Airbnb and Booking.com help Israelis make money from stolen Palestinian land
The villa is stunning. The private swimming pool; the lush, landscaped terrace with firepit; the long dining table with its expansive balcony view; the pingpong table; the piano. But the jewel in the crown, according to the Airbnb listing, is the experience of watching the sun rise over the nearby mountains from the luxury of the generous master bedroom. The villa with views of the Judean mountains is in a settlement located on land seized from Palestinians and considered illegal…
J.D. Vance meets leader of far-right German party after complaining free speech in Europe ‘in retreat’
U.S. Vice-President J.D. Vance met the leader of a German far-right party during a visit to Munich on Friday, nine days before a German election and after lecturing European leaders about the state of democracy. Vance met with Alice Weidel, the co-leader and candidate for chancellor of the far-right and anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany party, his office said. Mainstream German parties say they won’t work with the party, a stance often referred to as a “firewall.” Polls put Alternative for Germany, or AfD, in second place going into…
3 senior officials quit after order to drop corruption charges against NYC mayor
Three senior U.S. Justice Department officials, including Manhattan’s top federal prosecutor, resigned on Thursday rather than comply with an order to dismiss corruption charges against New York City’s mayor, according to an internal Justice Department memo seen by Reuters and people familiar with the matter. The departures mark a sign of resistance from career Justice Department officials to U.S. President Donald Trump’s efforts to overhaul the agency to end what he calls its weaponization against political opponents. Critics say Trump’s changes threaten to subject…
(Video) Bernie Sanders: We Are Living in Unprecedented Times
Trump Unlawfully Purges Independent Watchdogs who Police Federal Agencies
Late Friday night, President Trump abruptly fired at least 12 inspectors general, defying a law that requires 30 days’ notice and detailed rationale to be provided to Congress, according to NYT sources. The firings targeted watchdogs in agencies from the departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Labor, Transportation and Veterans Affairs, along with the Environmental Protection Agency and the Small Business Administration. Emails from the White House cited “changing priorities” as the reason for the…
Tennessee Republican Introduces Amendment To Allow A Third Trump Term
A Republican congressman has introduced an amendment to the Constitution that would allow President Donald Trump to seek a third term in office, arguing that it will ensure “we can sustain the bold leadership our nation so desperately needs.” Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee revealed his long-shot measure Thursday that would amend the 22nd Amendment, which sets the current two-term limit for presidents. “He has proven himself to be the only figure in modern history capable of reversing our nation’s…
U.S.: Migrants in handcuffs and chains boarding military aircraft
As reported by RAI News, Italy: About eighty people are seen lined up, handcuffs on their wrists, boarding military planes and being repatriated to Guatemala. “The expulsions have started,” says the White House spokesman. In El Paso, a city in Texas on the border with Mexico, Bishop Mark Joseph Seitz summons the press before the diocese to denounce the social repercussions of this crackdown: “When the government tramples on human dignity we must react.” In one RAI TG1 report, the…
EU foreign policy chief Kallas: legitimate concerns about Syrian sectarian violence
There are legitimate concerns about the risks of sectarian violence in Syria and a resurgence of extremism in the country, the European Union’s new foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Tuesday, while pointing to positive early signals. Syria’s new interim leader announced on Tuesday he was taking charge of the country as caretaker prime minister with the backing of the former rebels who toppled President Bashar al-Assad three days ago. Kallas also told a European Parliament committee session that…
Syrian rebels claim to enter Damascus after lightning offensive
Syrian rebels said they had entered Damascus on Sunday as President Bashar al-Assad’s regime appeared to collapse in the face of the insurgents’ stunning offensive across the country. The rebels said in a statement that “the city of Damascus is free from the tyrant Bashar al-Assad” and that “Assad has fled”. The whereabouts of Assad were unclear, with reports that he had fled, which would bring an ignominious end to a family dynasty that has ruled Syria for more than…
Lebanese family was holding Sunday gathering when Israeli strike toppled their building
AIN EL DELB, Lebanon (AP) — It was Sunday, family time for most in Lebanon, and Hecham al-Baba was visiting his sister. She insisted he and their older brother stay for lunch, hoping to prolong the warm gathering in stressful times. The brother declined. Like many in Lebanon, he hadn’t been sleeping because of Israel’s intensifying airstrikes, so he left to take a nap. The 60-year-old al-Baba, on his annual visit from Germany to see his family in Lebanon, stayed….
Thousands protest in Lisbon against police violence
LISBON – Thousands of people took to the main avenue of downtown Lisbon on Oct 26 to protest police violence, several days after a policeman shot a Cape Verde-born Portuguese resident, triggering a wave of unrest. Rights group Vida Justa, which called the protest, changed the route to avoid clashes with supporters of the far-right anti-immigration party Chega, which held a separate smaller rally also in central Lisbon in support of the police. Violence had broken out on the multi-ethnic…
Tens of thousands of demonstrators march across Italy calling for an end to war worldwide
ROME (AP) — Tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in seven Italian cities on Saturday calling for an immediate cease-fire in the Middle East, Ukraine and all global conflicts. Peaceful rallies were held in Rome, Turin, Milan, Florence, Bari, Palermo and Cagliari, with the support of hundreds of associations committed to peace, disarmament and human rights. The marches came in response to escalating violence in the Middle East and growing conflicts worldwide and denounced the diminished role…