2019-11-30: News Headlines

Labor Video Project (2019-11-30). 50,000 Rally & March In Berlin To Defend Planet From Global Warming. indybay.org 50,000 rallied and marched through Berlin, Germany to protest the growing dangers of global warming and continued use of oil and gas around the world.

RT (2019-11-30). US envoy spews vitriol as 6 more EU nations defy sanctions bypass device INSTEX & urge saving Iran nuclear deal. rt.com Six European countries, among them US NATO allies, have joined an EU scheme to bypass Donald Trump's sweeping sanctions, which ban all trade activities with Iran, raising the ire of a notorious American ambassador in Berlin. | Belgium, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, and Sweden released a joint statement relating their intent to connect to INSTEX, short for the Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges, a European special-purpose vehicle. The move is to "facilitate legitimate trade between Europe a…

RT (2019-11-30). Thanks, but we'll keep 'mother' & 'father': Putin rejects politically correct 'parent #1 & #2' titles. rt.com During a discussion on Russian national identity, President Vladimir Putin made sure to politely but firmly reject any notion of replacing traditional family structures with more "progressive" examples implemented in the West. | "You said the word 'mother' cannot be replaced. Turns out maybe it can: they've replaced it in some countries with 'parent number one' and 'parent number two.' I hope that never happens here," Putin said on Friday at the meeting of the Council for Interethnic Relations, a Kremlin advisory body. | His remarks came in response to lawmaker Viktor Vodolatsky, who talked about efforts to cu…

Wiepke (2019-11-29). Apartheid Free Zone Campaign in Italy Has Grown by 50 Percent Since Launch in June. bdsmovement.net Apartheid Free Zone Campaign in Italy Has Grown by 50 Percent Since Launch in June: Update150 commercial, cultural and sporting activities in Italy have declared themselves free of Israeli apartheid Apartheid Free ZonesNovember 29, 2019 | By: | | BDS Italy

Paul Street (2019-11-29). Why the UkraineGate Hearings Didn't Move the Dial. counterpunch.org CNN and MSDNC's talking heads seemed surprised and disappointed that the recent televised impeachment hearings do not appear to have moved any but a small number of Republicans into supporting the impeachment and removal of the demented fascist oligarch Donald Trump. Liberals roll their eyes while discussing surveys showing that Republican voters are unmoved by More

Matthew Stevenson (2019-11-29). Across the Balkans: Banja Luka. counterpunch.org An account of a journey from Croatia to Kosovo, by way of Bosnia-Hercegovina and Serbia, and with a detour into Montenegro. This is part II of a series. The bus to Banja Luka, presumably filled with Bosnian Serbs (perhaps the most unloved people in the Balkans), departed on-time around 3: 00 p.m. On the way to More

RFE (2019-11-29). Eastern Europe Is Turning into an Energy Battleground. globalresearch.ca Bulgaria has agreed to allow NATO to use its Black Sea port for naval coordination efforts as tensions rise between the Western military alliance and Russia. | The agreement was reached following a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Bulgarian…

Steven Sahiounie (2019-11-29). Christians In Syria: From Killed Armenian Priest in Syria to the Roots of Hatred and Genocide. globalresearch.ca Father Hovsep Bedoyan, the head of the Armenian Catholic community in Qamishli, and the priest's father, Abraham Bedoyan, were killed November 11, on the road leading from Qamishli to Deir Ez Zor, were they were headed to …

Andrew Korybko (2019-11-29). The West Has Two Liberalism Problems, and Burning the Quran Is Just One of Them. globalresearch.ca The disgusting burning of a Quran in Norway last week was a rabidly Islamophobic act of hatred that highlighted one of the West's two liberalism problems, with the first being that the aforementioned stunt is supposedly protected by the principle …

IMEMC News & Agencies (2019-11-29). Tell AXA: Stop Financing Israel's Climate Apartheid. imemc.org Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC) / France AXA invests hundreds of millions of dollars in fossil fuels, insures polluting businesses, and invests $91 million in Israel's weapons and its expanding settlements, which destroy the environment. The 4th global Climate Strike today falls on the same day as the UN Day of …

Vicente Navarro (2019-11-29). What is Happening in Spain? counterpunch.org The transition from dictatorship to democracy in Spain (1978) was carried out under conditions very favorable to the profoundly conservative forces that controlled the Spanish state and the majority of the media. The democratic forces (lead by the clandestine left wing parties) were institutionally weak. It is true that popular resistance against the dictatorship had been strong primarily among the working class, the base of these parties. Spain had the largest number of political strikes in Europe during the transition period (1975-1979), which played an important role in forcing the end of the extremely repress…

teleSUR (2019-11-29). Cuba and EU Share Positions About US Blockade. telesurenglish.net With similar positions of rejection of the resurgence of the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the U.S, the second round of dialogues between the European Union (EU) and Cuba on unilateral coercive measures was developed Friday at the National Hotel. | The delegation of the European bloc was headed by Katja Afheldt, head of the Mexico, Central America and Caribbean Division of the European External Action Service, while Rodolfo Reyes, director of Multilateral Affairs and International Law of the Cuban Chancellery. | After welcoming their counterpart, Reyes denounced the significant resurg…

WSWS (2019-11-29). Delay in publication of UK security report used to feed anti-Russian campaign. wsws.org Allegations of Russian attempts to influence the UK's 2016 EU referendum and 2017 general election reveal sharp factional disputes within the British bourgeoisie.

South Front (2019-11-29). Video: Is Northeastern Syria Turning into A Death Trap for Russia? globalresearch.ca The northeastern part of Syria remains one of the main hot points of the conflict despite the ceasefire regime formally declared in the region. | Clashes between Turkish-backed armed groups, on the one side, and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) …

RT (2019-11-29). 3 injured in stabbing attack on shopping street in the Hague (VIDEOS). rt.com Three people have been injured in a stabbing attack in The Hague. The incident took place on a busy shopping street in the center of the city. | Police are still on the lookout for the attacker, who struck at the heart of the city's shopping district during the Black Friday rush. | The suspect is described as a lightly colored man, between 45 and 50 years old, dressed in a gray tracksuit. In the Netherlands, "lightly colored" usually refers to a person of North African or Middle Eastern descent. | Videos…

RT (2019-11-29). Tech companies ask Putin to veto new law banning sales of smartphones without Russian software. rt.com A major industry body, with Google, Apple and Samsung in its ranks, has written a letter to President Putin, warning that a new law will force major players to reconsider their Russian market strategies, and will harm consumers. | A bill obligating all devices sold in Russia to have local applications pre-installed on them has already passed both chambers of the parliament and is only awaiting a signature from the president to become law. | The initiative has been welcomed by Russian internet giants, such as Yandex, Mail.ru and VK, while foreign companies actively have lobbied against it. Fears were voiced tha…

Jake Johnson, staff writer (2019-11-29). Black Friday Protests Across Europe Demand Amazon 'Start Treating Workers Like Humans—Not Robots'. commondreams.org "Workers are breaking bones, being knocked unconscious, and being taken away in ambulances." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/amazon_7.jpg

teleSUR (2019-11-28). Italian Authorities Uncover Plot to Create New Nazi Party. telesurenglish.net Italian police said on Thursday they uncovered a plot to form a new Nazi party and seized a cache of weapons during searches across the country. | RELATED: | Spanish Ship Arrives in Italy With 62 Rescued Migrants | Police in 16 towns and cities from the Mediterranean island of Sicily to the Alps in northern Italy took part in the investigation, which was launched two years. | The probe revealed a "huge and varied array of subjects, residents in different places, united by the same ide…

Jeremy Kuzmarov (2019-11-28). Remember the Oath of the Elbe. progressive.org On April 25, 1945, American and Russian soldiers linked up at the Elbe River and made a pledge for peace that we should heed today.

Isabel Kaplan (2019-11-28). France Debates Single Women's and Lesbians' Access to IVF. thenation.com France Debates Single Women's and Lesbians' Access to IVF…

teleSUR (2019-11-28). Europe Participates in Lunar Orbital Station Construction. telesurenglish.net Soon enough, space "will change our daily lives much faster than we can imagine," Jorge Potti, General Director of Space of the GMV company, predicted adding that among other things, satellite navigation will make possible the expansion of autonomous vehicles with sensors guided from outer space. | RELATED: | Polar Bears in Arctic Forced to Feed on Plastic | In Sevilla the ministers responsible for space activities in European countries have negotiated during the last days the budgets of the…

teleSUR (2019-11-28). Spain: ERC Ratifies Abstention to Sanchez Investiture. telesurenglish.net The first meeting between the delegations of Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE) and Esquerra Republicana de Cataluña (ERC) held in Congress has concluded after two and a half hours of negotiations, made up of three representatives from each party. | RELATED: | Spain: Catalan Leaders Demand Dialogue to Support PM Sanchez | The result of the encounter was as expected: the abstention of the Republicans to the investiture of Pedro Sánchez. Both groups explained, through communiqués that…

RT (2019-11-28). America's presidential candidates hide the knives to deliver Thanksgiving messages. rt.com They say politics is a subject best avoided at the dinner table, and America's presidential hopefuls have taken this advice on board: abandoning the usual attacks to deliver the blandest Thanksgiving messages possible. | First into the dining room was President Trump – America's rowdy, unpredictable uncle. Though Trump seemingly out of nowhere tweeted a meme of his head photoshopped onto Sylvester Stallone's ripped 1980s body on Wednesday, and lit on Democrats during the traditional turkey pardoning, his Than…

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2019-11-28). EU Lawmakers Declare 'Climate Emergency,' But Campaigners Say Only 'Emergency Action' Will Prove They Mean It. commondreams.org After members of the European Parliament on Thursday voted 429 to 225—with 19 abstentions—to declare a climate emergency both on the continent and globally, activists called on the European Union to match those lofty words with deeds and take immediate action to combat the increasingly urgent crisis. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/climate_emergency_foe.jpg

Jon Queally, staff writer (2019-11-28). New Online Tool Aims to Help You Have That Big Medicare for All Talk at This Year's Thanksgiving Feast. commondreams.org "Turkey, mashed potatoes, and arguing politics with your family: the holidays are just around the corner! But talking about politics doesn't have to get heated. The vast majority of people are unhappy with our hugely expensive, profit-driven health care system and are ready for a change." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/medicare_for_all_thanksgiving.jpg

Albert Bender (2019-11-27). A National Day of Mourning for U.S. Indigenous. peoplesworld.org American history books discuss the "Thanksgiving" that took place between the Pilgrims and the Indigenous people in the now-Northeast United States. It can seem consoling, particularly in these times of apparent rising racial conflict, to read stories of Native people and settlers breaking bread, feasting on turkey, cranberry sauce, and other foods from the bounty …

United Nations (2019-11-27). WHO working to save lives following powerful earthquake in Albania. news.un.org Staff from the World Health Organization (WHO) are assisting authorities in Albania following an earthquake which killed at least 25 people and left more than 650 injured.

Staff (2019-11-27). Headlines for November 27, 2019. democracynow.org Trump Knew of Whistleblower Complaint When He Released Ukraine Aid, Colombian Protesters Call for Second General Strike, Chilean President Seeks to Deploy Military to Streets Amid Protests, IACHR Says Commission Should Investigate Human Rights Abuse in Bolivia, Pompeo Calls on Egypt to Respect Press Freedom, After Raid of Mada Masr, Videos Emerge of Iran's Bloody Crackdown Against Protesters, Jeremy Corbyn Condemns Anti-Semitism, After Criticism from Top Rabbi, Chemical Plant Explodes in Texas; Wildfires Rage near Santa Barbara, CA, New York City Council Votes to Ban Flavored E-Cigarettes…

Eds. (2019-11-27). How racism works today. mronline.org With racist speech and sentiments coming more to the fore in current Irish politics, campaigner John Molyneux takes a look at how racist ideas and language work today. | Source

Kim Petersen (2019-11-26). Humans and Their Deadly Military Toys. dissidentvoice.org On 1 March, Russian president Vladimir Putin delivered the annual address to Russia's Federal Assembly. The part of Putin's address that drew the most notice was his revealing the development of new hypersonic weaponry unmatched elsewhere: the Mach 10+ capable Kinzhal and the Mach 9 capable Zircon. Russian military and naval expert Andrei Martyanov examines …

Conn Hallinan (2019-11-26). Nuclear lies and broken promises: Will Turkey get the bomb next? peoplesworld.org When Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoƒüan told an economic meeting in the city of Sivas on Sept. 4 that Turkey was considering building nuclear weapons, he was responding to a broken promise. When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the government of Iran of lying about its nuclear program, he was concealing one of the …

Staff (2019-11-26). "An Attack on the Human Rights Movement": Israel Deports Human Rights Watch Monitor. democracynow.org The Israeli government deported the director of Human Rights Watch's Israel and Palestine office, Omar Shakir, on Monday. The organization said the move places Israel in an "ugly club" of authoritarian regimes. Israel has accused Shakir of supporting the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, a nonviolent global campaign aiming to pressure Israel over its treatment of Palestinians. A 2017 Israeli law bans foreigners from Israel if they publicly support the BDS movement. Omar Shakir joins us from Stockholm to discuss his recent deportation and his plans to address the European Parliament regarding Israel's sy…

RT (2019-11-26). PETA mocked over demand for University of Georgia to retire 'miserable' bulldog mascot. rt.com The militant animal rights group PETA has called for the retirement of University of Georgia's bulldog mascot, posting a video supposedly showing him looking miserable. The message backfired among the offended Dawgs fans. | "He looks miserable," tweeted People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) on Monday, posting a video of Uga X at a rainy-day football game. Uga was sitting dry in a dog house while people around him endured the wet and cold weather. | HE LOOKS MISERABLE! | No dog deserves to be packed up, carted from state to state, and paraded in front of a stadium full of screaming fans. | Animals…

RT (2019-11-26). Fox's Tucker Carlson questions Douma 'chemical attack proof' and roots for Russia on air. Off with his head, cry MSM. rt.com Fox News host Tucker Carlson has crossed an MSM Rubicon and questioned the Douma "gas attack" fraud on air, bringing up the OPCW whistleblower. Then he "rooted for Russia" over Ukraine. Was it a "betrayal," or epic truth-trolling? | Carlson boldly went where no mainstream TV host had gone before, unpacking the explosive story of April 2018's Douma "chemical weapons attack." While the "attack" was attributed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad by an altered report from the Organization for the Prevention of Chemical Weapons, two whistleblowers within the group accused it of omitting evidence to craft a misleadi…

RT (2019-11-26). Sending your kid to college is like playing 'Russian roulette' — 'No Safe Spaces' star Dennis Prager. rt.com Conservative radio host Dennis Prager says respect for free speech in America is dwindling and the roots of this trend is in colleges, so sending your kids there is like playing Russian roulette with their values. | Prager is one of the stars of 'No Safe Spaces', a new documentary lighting up the box office that takes a firsthand look at the erosion of free speech on the modern day US college campus. | The film also stars podcaster Adam Carolla, comedian Tim Allen, and conser…

RT (2019-11-26). 'Erdogan thumbs his nose at Trump': US senator says Turkey crossed 'another red line' with S-400 test, calls for new sanctions. rt.com President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is mocking the US and has crossed a new "red line" as Ankara decided to start testing its S-400 air defense systems, a US senator said, calling for new sanctions against Turkey. | Turkey's persistence in its desire to actually use the armaments it procured from Russia was bemoaned by US Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen in a bitter tweet.The official said that Ankara's push for testing radars of the S-400 systems just two weeks a…

RT (2019-11-26). 'Vultures' already subpoenaed by Schiff: Trump trolls media & Democrats at traditional turkey pardoning ceremony. rt.com While "pardoning" a turkey ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, US President Donald Trump got in a few jabs at the Democrat-led impeachment inquiry and the media. | Two turkeys, named Bread and Butter, were presented to the president on Tuesday at the White House Rose Garden, and Butter received the traditional presidential pardon. With the ceremony itself being tongue-in-cheek, Trump used it to needle the impeachment inquiry, led by House Intelligence Committee chair Adam Schiff (D-California). | Bread and Butter "have already received subpoenas to appear in Adam Schiff's basement on Thursday," he said. "It see…

Dorothee Benz (2019-11-26). Talking Turkey About Impeachment Hearings – NYT coverage teaches us how not to discuss the end of democracy. fair.org Congratulations, you made it through the public hearings of the impeachment inquiry, one eye on the livestream and one eye on your work email, and somehow you met your deadlines even as you followed along blow by blow. So what are you going to say about it around the Thanksgiving dinner table? | There were certainly some moments designed to stoke feelings of patriotism as we head into the heavily mythologized, uniquely American holiday this week. Alexander Vindman (New York Times, 11/19/19): "The uniform I…

United Nations (2019-11-25). Monday's Daily Brief: Colombia marches, major mine action summit, violence against women a barrier to peace, South Sudan update. news.un.org A recap of Monday's stories in brief: ‚ÄØGuterres holds "focused and frank" informal talks over Cyprus, responds to Colombia protests; Violence targeting women impedes peace; UN Mission, community condemn South Sudan violence; UN weather watchdog sounds climate alarm; Norway hosts anti-landmine summit.

United Nations (2019-11-25). Guterres holds 'focused and frank' informal discussions over future of Cyprus. news.un.org The UN Secretary-General held "focused and frank" informal talks with the leaders of the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities on Monday in order to "take stock of efforts" to finally reach a settlement over the divided Mediterranean island.

Caitlin Johnstone (2019-11-25). Surprise! MSM Spins OPCW Leak as Russian Disinfo. theantimedia.com So you know that Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) scandal we've been talking a lot about lately?>

Alan Macleod (2019-11-25). Establishment Dems Demands Trump be Impeached, but Not for War Crimes. mintpressnews.com UkraineGate has so far failed to capture the public imagination precisely because it does not go after Trump for his most egregious and impeachable domestic and foreign policies.

Staff (2019-11-25). Headlines for November 25, 2019. democracynow.org Navy Secretary Ousted amid Dispute over Accused War Criminal Eddie Gallagher, Released State Dept. Emails Implicate Pompeo in Giuliani Ukraine Plot, Bloomberg Jumps into 2020 Race by Buying Millions in Campaign Ads, Sen. Graham Blocked Armenian Genocide Resolution at White House Request, Ruth Bader Ginsburg Released from Hospital in Good Health, Hong Kong: Pro-Democracy Candidates Win Nearly 90% Seats in Local Elections, Security Forces Raid Offices of Egypt's Last Independent Media Outlet, Iraqi Security Forces Kill 13 Protesters amid Anti-Government Demonstrations, Israel Deporting Head of Human Rights Watch's…

Staff (2019-11-25). Pope Francis Calls Nuclear Weapons Immoral as Catholic Activists Face Jail For U.S. Nuke Base Action. democracynow.org Over the weekend, Pope Francis visited Hiroshima and Nagasaki, where the United States dropped the first atomic bombs in 1945, killing more than 200,000 people. Pope Francis said, "A world without nuclear weapons is possible and necessary." The leader of the Cathoilc Church met with survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings and declared the possession of nuclear weapons to be immoral. The Pope's visit comes as a group of seven Catholic peace activists are awaiting sentencing for breaking into the Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base in Georgia on April 4, 2018. The activists, known as the Kings Bay Plowshares 7,…

Yasha Levine (2019-11-23). Yes, Ukraine interfered in the 2016 presidential election. thegrayzone.com Meddling in the 2016 US presidential election by Ukrainian politicians and government agencies did indeed happen. No amount of denial…

Robert Mackey (2019-11-22). "Are You Sure They Did That?" Even Fox Questions Trump's Ukraine Conspiracy Theory. theintercept.com The hosts of "Fox and Friends" appear to be losing patience with Donald Trump's conspiracy theory that Ukraine, not Russia, interfered in the 2016 election.

Staff (2019-11-22). "In Defense of Julian Assange": Why WikiLeaks Founder's Case Threatens Press Freedom. democracynow.org This week Swedish prosecutors dropped an investigation into sexual assault allegations against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, stemming from 2010. Assange, who has always denied the allegations, took refuge inside the Ecuadorian embassy in London for over seven years to avoid extradition to Sweden on the charges. British authorities dragged him out of the Ecuadorian embassy in April and he has since been jailed in London's Belmarsh prison on charges related to skipping of bail in 2012, when he first entered the embassy to avoid extradition to Sweden over the now-dropped sexual assault charges. The United States…

Staff (2019-11-22). U.N. Rapporteur: Julian Assange Has Faced Psychological Torture; He Should Not Be Extradited to U.S. democracynow.org This week Swedish prosecutors dropped an investigation into sexual assault allegations against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, stemming from 2010. Assange, who has always denied the allegations, took refuge inside the Ecuadorian embassy in London for over seven years to avoid extradition to Sweden on the charges. British authorities dragged him out of the Ecuadorian embassy in April and he has since been jailed in London's Belmarsh prison on charges related to skipping of bail in 2012, when he first entered the embassy to avoid extradition to Sweden over the now-dropped sexual assault charges. The United States…

Staff (2019-11-22). Headlines for November 22, 2019. democracynow.org Ex-White House Adviser Warns Impeachment Probe of GOP's "Fictional Narrative" on Ukraine, Senate Republicans May Limit Trump's Impeachment Trial to Two Weeks, Mass Protests in Colombia Oppose Right-Wing Government, Bolivian Soldiers Tear Gas Funeral Procession for Slain Protesters, Iran Continues Internet Blackout After Violently Repressing Protests, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Indicted on Corruption Charges, Protesters Confront Joe Biden Over Obama-Era Deportations, Over 100 Lawmakers Call on President Trump to Fire Stephen Miller, Seven Arrested at UC Berkeley Protest of Ann Coulter Speech, Syracu…

Ed Rampell (2019-11-21). Alex Gibney's Cinematic Notes from Underground: Russia's Dissident Oligarch. progressive.org The title refers to Mikhail Khodorkovsky, an oil oligarch who burst upon…