2021-01-19: News Headlines

Conn Hallinan (2021-01-19). 'You can't be serious' awards. peoplesworld.org Each year Conn Hallinan gives awards to individuals, companies, and governments that make reading the news a daily adventure. These are the awards for 2020. The Golden Lemon Award goes to Lockheed Martin for its F-35 fifth-generation stealth fighter, at $1.5 trillion the most expensive weapons system in history. The plane currently has 883 "design …

_____ (2021-01-19). Billboards Inform That The Nuclear Ban Treaty Takes Effect. popularresistance.org Beginning January 18th, four billboards around Puget Sound will display the following paid public service announcement (PSA): NUCLEAR WEAPONS BANNED BY NEW U.N. TREATY; Get them out of Puget Sound! Included in the advertisement is a U.S. Navy photo of the Trident submarine USS Henry M. Jackson returning to port following a routine strategic deterrent patrol. | The ad seeks to inform citizens in the Puget Sound region of the pending entry into force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), and also asks citizens to accept their role and responsibility — as taxpayers, as members of a democr…

_____ (2021-01-19). Veteran Celebrates Nuclear Ban Treaty. popularresistance.org As a veteran concerned about issues of war and peace, I am happy to celebrate the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), the important new international peace initiative. The "Nuclear Ban Treaty," as it is also known, was approved 122-1 by the UN General Assembly in July 2017, a clear expression of the will of the world's people. On October 24, 2020, Honduras became the 50th nation to ratify the TPNW, triggering a 90-day period before it goes into force, on January 22. | The International Campaign for the Abolition of Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) was awarded the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize for its leadershi…

Ecumenical Peace Institute (2021-01-18). Friday 1/22: Vigil Opposing Nuclear Weapons. indybay.org UC Berkeley West Gate lawn, Oxford & Addison…

Joanna Frew (2021-01-18). Drone Proliferation Update, January 2021. globalresearch.ca Over the last few months have seen a number of significant developments in relation to the increasing proliferation of armed drones. The most significant of these have been the use of Turkish Bayraktar TB-2's in the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh which …

RT (2021-01-17). 'Absolute nonsense': Iranian FM rejects French claim that Tehran is building up nuclear weapons capacity. rt.com Iran's FM Javad Zarif has blasted France for its continuous support of "Saudi war criminals," dismissing French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian's claims that Tehran is building up nuclear weapons capacity as "absolute nonsense." | The top Iranian diplomat took to Twitter on Sunday, sending an angry message to France's foreign minister. Zarif signaled that Paris is in no position to lecture Tehran on anything, pointing fingers at French arms sales to Saudi Arabia — and getting quite personal with Le Drian as well. | Dear colleague: You kick-started your cabinet career with arms sales to Saudi war criminals.

_____ (2021-01-17). Mariame Kaba Talks Abolition, Mutual Aid And Campus Police. popularresistance.org Activist and prison-industrial complex abolitionist Mariame Kaba celebrated the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by praising NU Community Not Cops and speaking to the importance of mutual aid and political organizing in Wednesday's MLK Dream Week virtual keynote. | The keynote, which was broadcast to over 1,000 attendees, began with a virtual performance of "Lift Every Voice and Sing" by Northwestern Community Ensemble members and alumni. Kaba then delivered her speech in which she laid out core tenets of abolitionist practice, tying the current movement to King's principles. | "Abolitionists have a lot to le…