All posts by nedhamson

Activist, writer, researcher, addicted to sharing information and facts.

Exasperated Federal Judge Pokes Holes In Trump Administration’s Refusal To Protect Young Immigrants

Exasperated Federal Judge Pokes Holes In Trump Administration's Refusal To Protect Young Immigrants

Attorneys representing five young adults in New York claimed that it was “arbitrary and capricious” for the Trump administration to deny Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) status to those over 18 last year, because Congress authorized the program in 1990 for immigrants up to the age of 21. [ more › ]

Tommy Robinson banned from Facebook and Instagram

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Far-right founder of English Defence League repeatedly breached hate speech rules

Tommy Robinson, the far-right founder of the English Defence League, has been permanently banned from Facebook and Instagram for repeatedly breaking policies on hate speech, Facebook said.

The company said Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, broke rules that ban public calls for violence against people based on protected characteristics; rules that ban supporting or appearing with organised hate groups; and policies that prevent people from using the site to bully others.

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Gunboat diplomacy can only harm Britain’s relationship with China | Liu Xiaoming

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Our cooperation is like a symphony: it relies on mutual respect and trust to keep out the noises of enmity

• Liu Xiaoming is China’s ambassador to the UK

A certain British politician’s hyping up of the “China threat” in a recent speech struck a discordant note with the mainstream view in the UK that the country has a strong and constructive relationship with China. It has led me to think about how much could be learned from the world-class concerts by London’s leading symphony orchestra that I have attended, the beauty of which comes from the harmony of various sounds and the coordination between the players. If the China-UK relationship were compared to a symphony, its success would depend on close coordination between the two countries and a firm resistance to interruptions and noises.

In this symphony, China and the UK rely on mutual respect and trust to keep us in tune, and keep out the noise of enmity and confrontation.

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Iceberg twice the size of New York City is set to break off of Antarctica

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Once a rapidly spreading rift intersects with another fissure, an iceberg of at least 660sq miles is set to be loosened, Nasa says

An iceberg roughly twice the size of New York City is set to break away from an Antarctic ice shelf as a result of a rapidly spreading rift that is being monitored by Nasa.

A crack along part of the Brunt ice shelf in Antarctica first appeared in October 2016, according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa). The crack is spreading to the east. This rift, known as a Halloween crack, is set to intersect with another fissure that was apparently stable for the past 35 years but is now accelerating north at a rate of around 2.5 miles a year.

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Another referendum has edged closer. With Labour behind it, remain can win | Zoe Williams

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The prospect of a public vote is a triumph for the Labour grassroots. They’ve been preparing for two years

No unnamed Labour source can mask what’s happened, and no professional Corbyn-sceptics can derail it. There is now a real prospect of another referendum. Labour has committed to several parliamentary manoeuvres including one final stab at its own Brexit, which will certainly fail; another to support Yvette Cooper’s attempt to push no deal further into the realm of destructive fantasy, where it belongs; and a vote on an amendment demanding that any Brexit deal approved by the Commons must be ratified in a public referendum. In that public vote, Labour will campaign to remain in the EU.

“Sources” within Labour continue to deny this new reality, even as its senior frontbenchers have announced it. “It’s a disgrace,” one told me, “that unelected, unsourced voices are briefing against Labour’s frontbench.” “If they want to speak for the Labour party,” a staffer said, “they should stand for the Labour party.” The position as it stands now is not the seismic shift some suggest. It is a continuation of the policy adopted at Labour’s party conference last September. And credit for it belongs with the grassroots of the Labour party.

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H.R. 1336: To require the Federal Government to provide mental health services to each child who has been separated from one or more parent as a result of implementation of the Trump Administration’s zero tolerance policy at the United States border, and

Introduced: Sponsor: Rep. Nanette Barragán [D-CA44]

This bill was referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and House Committee on the Judiciary which will consider it before sending it to the House floor for consideration.

Rep. Nanette Barragán [D-CA44] is a member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

H.R. 1346: To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for an option for individuals who are ages 50 to 64 to buy into Medicare, to provide for health insurance market stabilization, and for other purposes.

Introduced: Sponsor: Rep. Brian Higgins [D-NY26]

This bill was referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and House Committee on Ways and Means which will consider it before sending it to the House floor for consideration.

Rep. Brian Higgins [D-NY26] is a member of the House Committee on Ways and Means.

MSF suspends work at Katwa Ebola center as WHO seeks more support | CIDRAP

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said today that it has suspended all activities at the Ebola treatment center in Katwa, following a violent attack over the weekend, severely limiting access to care in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC’s) main hot spot.

Source: MSF suspends work at Katwa Ebola center as WHO seeks more support | CIDRAP

A Groundbreaking Report Goes Deep On Black Homelessness In Los Angeles: LAist

Homelessness disproportionately affects black people in Los Angeles. Though about nine percent of Los Angeles County’s total population is black-identifying, black people make up about 36 percent of the county’s homeless population,

Source: A Groundbreaking Report Goes Deep On Black Homelessness In Los Angeles: LAist