(2019-12-18). Workers' militant resistance in France confronts gov't intransigence. workers.org 
Dec. 16 — The general strike in France has lasted 12 days as of today. Transportation is barely hanging on, with just 10 to 30 percent of scheduled trains running. Cars and buses spend hours in traffic jams. Bicycle lanes are jam-packed. Cafés, restaurants, hotels and stores report losing major . . . | Continue reading Workers' militant resistance in France confronts gov't intransigence at Workers.org
(2019-12-18). Protests against Eurozone bailout fund reform hit Rome. peoplesdispatch.org Adherence to the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) by Italy is likely to make way for more austerity measures and policies of structural adjustments, as stipulated by the European Union…
(2019-12-18). Turkey's Operation Kƒ±ran neutralizes 139 PKK terrorists. yenisafak.com total of 139 terrorists have been neutralized and over 300 caves, shelters, and warehouses destroyed in the last four months during Operation Kiran, according to Turkey's Interior Ministry.On Aug. 17, Turkey launched Operation Kiran in the country's southeast against YPG/PKK terrorists in the Van, Hakkari and Sirnak provinces, followed by the launch of Operation Kiran-2 on Aug. 27 in the Mardin, Sirnak and Batman provinces. Six more iterations of the operation followed, including Operation Kiran-8 which is underway in rural areas of the eastern Bitlis and Siirt provinces.With Turkey ramping up its fight against…
(2019-12-18). Turkey's education spending goes up in 2018. yenisafak.com Turkey's education expenditures increased nearly 22% year-on-year in 2018, the country's statistical authority announced on Wednesday.The country spent 214.6 billion Turkish liras ($44.5 billion) last year, up from 176.5 billion Turkish liras ($48.3 billion) in 2017, the Turkish Statistical Institute said.The figure rose most for pre-primary education by 27.3% and upper secondary education with 24.3% during the same period.The share of education spending on Turkey's GDP stood at 5.8% in 2018, compared to 5.7% a year earlier.Public sources financed 72.9% of the education expenditure in Turkey last year. The larges…
(2019-12-18). Istanbul Photo Awards 2019 exhibition opens at UN. yenisafak.com Anadolu Agency on Tuesday launched an exhibition at United Nations headquarters in New York featuring the works of award-winning photojournalists who competed in the international Istanbul Photo Awards 2019.The event, hosted by high-level Anadolu Agency executives, opened with the attendance of Turkey's UN Ambassador Feridun Sinirlioglu.Addressing the opening ceremony, Sinirlioglu said: "We are very pleased to see the growing interest that Anadolu Agency's annual photo awards have enjoyed over the years."Some 15,000 people from over 100 countries applied for this year's competition, he called, and congratulated t…
(2019-12-18). Merkel opposes US sanctions against Nord Stream 2. yenisafak.com The U.S. Senate on Tuesday passed legislation to slap sanctions on companies building the massive underwater pipeline to bring Russian natural gas to Germany, but it was uncertain whether the measures would slow completion of the project.
(2019-12-18). At least 12,000 people flee Idlib amid regime, Russian attacks. yenisafak.com Fleeing attacks by the al-Assad regime and its allies, at least 12,000 civilians have been forced to abandon what is supposed to be a cease-fire zone in northwestern Syria and headed for the Turkish border. | Mohamed al-Hallaj, director of the Response Coordinators Team, told Anadolu Agency that the regime, Russia, and Iranian-backed foreign terror groups have struck civilian settlements in the past 24 hours.The southern Marratinnuman district, located east of Idlib city, faced the highest migration rates, and fleeing families are in dire need of items such as shelter, blankets, beds and tents, he added.A total o…
(2019-12-18). US sanctions won't stop completion of Russian natural gas pipeline to Europe — Kremlin. rt.com 
The latest US sanctions targeting Russia's Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which will deliver natural gas to Germany, will not stop the project, presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday. | "We assume that [Nord Stream 2] will be completed," he told journalists when asked whether Washington's potential sanctions might result in construction being suspended. | Peskov's comments followed the approval of a bill by the US Senate, which would sanction companies involved in the construction of Nord Stream 2. It is expected to be signed by US President Donald Trump later this week. | Also on rt.com…
(2019-12-18). Poland may leave EU due to simmering row over judicial reform — supreme court. rt.com 
Poland may be forced to part ways with the EU if a controversial judicial reform championed by the ruling Law and Justice party (PiS) comes to fruition, despite vocal opposition from Brussels, Poland's Supreme Court warned on Tuesday. | "Contradictions between Polish law and EU law… will in all likelihood lead to an intervention by the EU institutions regarding an infringement of the EU treaties, and in the longer perspective [will lead to] the need to leave the European Union," said the court, which has been at odds with the right-wing government since 2015, when PiS rose to power. | EU institutions, namely…
(2019-12-18). US opposes lifting UN sanctions on key Pyongyang exports. rt.com 
The United States opposed on Tuesday a draft resolution proposed by China and Russia that would terminate UN sanctions on key North Korean exports. Washington called the measure "premature," citing Pyongyang's threat to conduct "an escalated provocation," AP reports. | The draft resolution circulated to UN Security Council members would terminate sanctions on North Korean exports including textiles and seafood with the intent of enhancing the livelihood of the civilian population. | It would also lift a ban on North Koreans working overseas and terminate a decision to repatriate all those earning income abroad…
(2019-12-18). Russia's crude oil output could surpass 12 million bpd by 2035. rt.com 
Russia's crude oil and condensate production could rise to more than 12 million bpd by 2035, if global demand for liquid hydrocarbons continues to grow, Russia's second-largest oil producer, Lukoil, said in a new forecast. | In the report 'Major Trends in the Global Liquid Hydrocarbon Market to 2035,' Lukoil has modeled three different scenarios for Russia's opportunities and challenges in oil production in the long term. | The 'Equal Opportunities' scenario considers that global oil and gas demand will rise and Russia ca…
(2019-12-18). That's what the man says: Kremlin backs top general's assessment that NATO is drilling for large-scale war. rt.com 
The Kremlin has said that it trusts the opinion of a senior Russian general, who has said that NATO's intensified drills this year are an indication that the military bloc is preparing for a major conflict. | Valery Gerasimov, the chair of the Russian General Staff, shared the wary view that the Russian military have about NATO's maneuvers on Tuesday as he gave a year-end briefing to foreign military attaches in Moscow. | Also on rt.com | | Intensified drills on Russia's doorstep indicate NATO is gearing up for major conflict — Moscow's top general
(2019-12-18). Germany's Spiegel brushes off Browder's complaint about 'misrepresenting' Magnitsky story. rt.com 
British investor Bill Browder has lashed out at Der Spiegel weekly by accusing it of distorting the story of the death of his auditor Sergey Magnitsky. The outlet maintains it is Browder who has some questions to answer. | Der Spiegel published an investigative bombshell last month, detailing various flaws in the story about Magnitsky's death that Browder — a US-born investor who became Russian President Vladimir Putin's self-proclaimed "enemy number one" — used to convince Western governments to impose sanctions against Russian officials over supposedly endemic human rights violations. | Also on rt.
(2019-12-18). Russia's new 5gen supersonic stealth Su-57 fighter jets ace all objectives in Syria trials — Chief of Staff. rt.com 
The testing of Russia's most advanced combat aircraft has yielded superb results, a senior military official has revealed, as the stealth aircraft enters its mass-production phase. | The jets "have successfully accomplished all of their tasks" during trials in Syria, Chief of General Staff General Valery Gerasimov told a group of foreign military attachés on Wednesday. | Gerasimov said that the campaign against militants in Syria has provided a "new impetus for further improvement" of all types of weaponry, including airborne. He added that the Air Force has taken delivery of 139 warplanes of various de…
(2019-12-18). Fake GRU agent with crush on last Tsar detained over weapons & accused of raping own daughter he fathered with cousin 'wife'. rt.com 
A seemingly respectable religious family is suspected of hiding a despicable story of domestic abuse and incestuous rape. Police have already arrested the father for stashing an illegal arsenal of firearms. | If all details about the 10-member family at the center of the story currently floating around in the media are confirmed, it may well give fodder to a horror movie script. Officials have, so far, been restrained in their reporting, but what they said is already disturbing. | On Monday evening, police went to the family home in the village of Khimozi, which is located some 30km (18.6 miles) south of St. P…
(2019-12-18). President of China Media Group: Western Media are 'going too far' in their coverage of Hong Kong. rt.com 
According to a Sino-Italian news app, on December 15, the head of China Media Group, Shen Haixiong, gave an exclusive interview to TGCOM 24, a channel owned by Italy's largest commercial broadcaster, ‚ÄéMediaset S.p.A.‚Äé | When asked whether Chinese and Western media were covering the events in Hong Kong in an unbiased and objective manner, Shen Haixiong replied that some Western broadcasters are "going too far" in their reporting of the situation, clearly favoring one side over the other. | "For example, they don't show you young people picking fights with the police or ot…
(2019-12-18). China withdraws request for UNSC meeting over Kashmir after France says it's a bilateral issue — report. rt.com 
Beijing reportedly withdrew its request for a UN Security Council meeting on the Kashmir issue after other members, led by France, shot down the proposal, insisting the dispute should thrashed out between India and Pakistan. | The meeting was slated for Tuesday and would have been the second closed-door meeting of the UNSC on Kashmir since consultations were first held on August 16. The situation has flared up since India revoked the region's decades-old special autonomy on August 5. New Delhi argued that the move would help to combat terrorism and boost the region's economy as a result of better integration w…
(2019-12-18). Macron 'will not abandon' pension reforms, but may 'improve' retirement age — Elysee. rt.com 
French President Emmanuel Macron is "willing to improve" some areas of the controversial pension reform plans such as the age of retirement, his office said on Wednesday. | The country has been plagued by mass protests against the proposed reforms for almost a fortnight, with strikes seriously affecting transport in particular. | Wednesday's comments from the president's office are the first signs of Macron conceding ground after he and his government repeatedly refused to accede to union concerns over the sweeping reforms. | The president "will not abandon the project, nor will he distort it, even if he is wi…
(2019-12-17). Around 9,000 nurses to take strike action in the north of Ireland. thecanary.co 
A last-ditch meeting is aiming to prevent around 9,000 nurses from taking the UK's first 12-hour strike action over pay on Wednesday.The unprecedented walkout in the north of Ireland will see them leave wards with the solidarity of thousands of other healthcare workers.Stormont's political parties are expected to meet the head of the civil service at Stormont in an appeal for more cash.Unison union regional secretary Patricia McKeown said: "As we enter this significant period in the industrial struggle the consequences lay firmly on the shoulders of the UK government, our elected politicians and the leadership of…
(2019-12-17). Dublin's anti-racist march for peace emphasizes 'no room for hate' in Ireland. peoplesdispatch.org The Irish government launched a public consultation earlier in October to strengthen the country's existing laws regulating hate speech and hate crimes, and the right wing forces have opposed the move.
(2019-12-17). France: Workers Start 13th Day of Strike Against Pension Reform. telesurenglish.net Through demonstrations and the stoppage of public transport, French unions Tuesday carry out the thirteenth consecutive day of a national strike against President Emmanuel Macron's pension reform. | RELATED: | France: Unions Keep Pressure Against Macron's Pension Reform | Their protests, which happen on the eve of a Christmas holiday, will measure the…
(2019-12-17). Video: Douma 'Chemical Attack' Narrative Collapses, Russia Trains New Militia in Hasakah. globalresearch.ca Russia has started creating a local force that will operate in northeastern Syria areas abandoned by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, several Syrian media outlets claim. | According to reports, the Russian military will train and equip a new pro-government militia …
(2019-12-17). Bulgaria's Willingness to Host NATO Naval Center Is Aimed at Containing Russia in the Black Sea. globalresearch.ca In a joint statement between NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, the latter announced last Thursday that the Bulgarian Black Sea city of Varna is a willing new home of NATO's Naval Force Coordination …
(2019-12-17). Europe Is Lost. counterpunch.org When the tribesmen are dead in their deserts To make room for alien structures Develop, develop And kill what you find if it threatens you —Kate Tempest, Europe Is Lost For four years, Jeremy Corbyn was smeared in a relentless and savage campaign of vilification and outrageous slander by the British press, much of it More
(2019-12-17). The So-called "China Threat": NATO and America's "New Cold War" on China. globalresearch.ca The powers that be in the US are now viewing China as a deadly rival in a duel for global supremacy. Their aim at the summit was to draw their European allies into their China containment strategy. This was made …
(2019-12-17). While the Northern Ireland health service is in crisis, a DUP MP wants Boris Johnson to build a bridge to Scotland. thecanary.co As the health crisis worsens in the north of Ireland, DUP MP Sammy Wilson has called on Boris Johnson to build a bridge between the north and Scotland. According to Wilson, this would help Johnson "win back the trust" of the DUP. But the response from people living in the north is clear — it's healthcare that matters, not bridges.Stormont talks: On 15 Dec…
(2019-12-17). Spain's Sanchez Reaches Out to Catalan Leader For Support. telesurenglish.net Spain's acting President and leader of the Socialist Party (PSOE) Pedro Sanchez spoke on the phone Tuesday with the President of Catalonia's Generalitat Quim Torra to reach out and establish joint plans aiming to get out of the political impasse facing Spain and the semi-autonomous region. | RELATED: | Spain: Catalan Leaders Demand Dialogue to Support PM Sanchez | The call lasted for about 15 minutes in a effort to seek alternatives to provide stability to the country as Sanchez…
(2019-12-17). Trump Decries 'Attempted Coup' as Impeachment Highly Likely. telesurenglish.net United States President Donald Trump accused Democrats of pursuing an "illegal, partisan attempted coup" Tuesday and declaring war on "democracy" as they seek to remove him from office for pressing Ukraine to investigate Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden. | RELATED: | U.S. House Committee Approves Charges For Trump Impeachment | "This is nothing more than an illegal, partisan attempted coup that will be based on recent sentiment, badly fail at the voting booth," Trump's let…
(2019-12-17). Domestic Violence Is Russia's Shame. thenation.com Domestic Violence Is Russia's Shame…
(2019-12-17). Two Huge Suppressed News Reports Display Corrupt US and Allied Mainstream Press. globalresearch.ca On Friday, December 12th, Glenn Greenwald at The Intercept reported and documented that the mainstream U.S. press has lied through its teeth about "Russiagate," and Zero Hedge reported and documented that not only had the U.S., UK, and France, committed …
(2019-12-17). Germany's Left Party hails new SPD leadership and grand coalition. wsws.org The efforts to present Saskia Esken and Nobert Walter-Borjans as fighters for a "left-wing camp" that will introduce a new era of social democracy are patently absurd.
(2019-12-17). Finland-Estonia Relations: Estonian Interior Minister Was Kinda Right but Also Kinda Wrong About Finland. globalresearch.ca The Estonian Interior Minister was correct in calling out the new Finnish government's extreme Europhilia which he fears is destined to turn the country into a so-called "euro-province" at the expense of its national sovereignty, but his invocation of Lenin …
(2019-12-17). Huge Climate Victory! Denmark Mandates Global Warming Cure…By Law! globalresearch.ca Friday, Dec 6, 2019, saw the most important victory to date in the battle against Global Warming. Denmark's "Climate Act" will entirely revamp Denmark's climate policy — by law- and thrust it onto the world's centre stage by showcasing the …
(2019-12-17). Nestlé and the Privatization of Water: A Tale of Many Cities. globalresearch.ca On November 14th the Canadian group Wellington Water Watchers organized the "All Eyes on Nestlé" conference in the city of Guelph, Ontario, bringing together indigenous' peoples and citizens' movements fighting Nestlé's water takings from Canada, the US, France and Brazil. …
(2019-12-17). France's Pension Battle Heats Up. thenation.com France's Pension Battle Heats Up…
(2019-12-17). Manafort's deputy sentenced to 45 days in jail & 3yrs' probation for lying to FBI and stashing Ukraine lobbying cash. rt.com 
Former Donald Trump deputy campaign chairman Rick Gates has been sentenced to 45 days in jail for lying to the FBI and conspiracy against the US, his sentence reduced after cooperating in the case against his boss Paul Manafort. | Gates, 47, pleaded guilty to Special Counsel Robert Mueller's charges in February 2018. He was also sentenced to three years of probation, 300 hours of community service, and a $20,000 fine. | "I wish to express to this court that I accept complete responsibility for my actions that have led me here," Gates said before the sentencing, adding that he "greatly regrets the mistakes" he…
(2019-12-17). Intensified drills on Russia's doorstep indicate NATO is gearing up for major conflict — Moscow's top general. rt.com 
The increased intensity and scale of US-led NATO military exercises in the Baltics and Black Sea suggest the alliance is preparing for a major military conflict, said General Valery Gerasimov, chief of the Russian General Staff. | NATO's ramping up of large-scale war games in the Baltics, Poland and the Black Sea region show that it is gearing up for a major confrontation, Gerasimov said on Thursday, briefing foreign military attaches in Moscow. | "The scenario [of the drills] point that NATO is purposefully training its troops to be engaged in a major military conflict." | Gerasimov pointed out that in additi…
(2019-12-17). "One Country, Two Systems"? Britain and Northern Ireland on Brexit. globalresearch.ca One country, two systems. Britain is leaving the European Union. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is not leaving on the same terms. | In the UK election, more Irish nationalists than Unionists were elected in Northern Ireland …
(2019-12-17). Democrats Should Go After Trump's Full Corruption, Not Just Ukraine. zcomm.org Congress has "come forward with a very narrow hand … for the most impeachable president of all time"
(2019-12-16). Fresh bid to restore powersharing at Stormont gets under way. thecanary.co 
A fresh bid to restore Stormont's crisis-hit institutions is under way.Northern Ireland secretary Julian Smith has embarked on a round of bilateral meetings with the leaders of the five main parties, in an effort to kick-start a new talks process ahead of a looming deadline in January.If a devolved executive is not resurrected by 13 January, legislation that gives the civil service extra powers to run the region's floundering public services will expire, and Smith will be under a legal duty to call a snap Assembly election.Campaigners for an Irish Language act protest outside Parliament Buildings (Niall Carson/PA…
(2019-12-16). Greenland's ice melting at rate that surpasses scientists' expectations. peoplesworld.org 
The rate that Greenland's ice sheet is melting surpassed scientists' expectations and has raised concerns that their worst-case scenario predictions are coming true, Business Insider reported. A new study published in the journal Nature from a team of scientists at NASA and the European Space Agency looked at satellite imagery from 1992 to 2018 from 26 independent data sets. The images revealed …
(2019-12-16). Democrats push the GOP for a fair Senate impeachment trial. peoplesworld.org 
(2019-12-16). IG report exposes FBI, Congressional, and media deceit in Russia probe. thegrayzone.com A new report from DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz confirms that the FBI relied on the Steele dossier — a…
(2019-12-16). What's scarier than racists and Russian trolls on Instagram? Why, 'Russian-influenced racist trolls,' of course! rt.com 
The mainstream media censors have hit a brick wall smearing their quarry as "racists" – the overused term no longer packs much of a punch. To really work up a good scare, they're calling the erstwhile racists "Russian-inspired." | The 2020 US election is just around the corner and social media is crawling with wrongthink, according to the Daily Beast. This time, it's not Russian trolls – it's worse. The Russian trolls' ideas have infected so-called "American neo-confederates" and created an unholy hybrid of racist Russian trolls who are unstoppable by the usual mass-deplatforming solutions used to wipe out ent…
(2019-12-16). Trump's mean words harm our agency, says former FBI Director — just don't ask about our past! rt.com 
President Donald Trump's verbal attacks on the FBI are a "dire threat" to the rule of law in America, according to former FBI Director William Webster. But the agency has a scandal-rich history and needs more, not less, scrutiny. | Trump has referred to certain FBI officials as "scum" and former agency Director James Comey as a "slimeball." He's accused Comey of launching the 2016 'Russiagate' investigation against his campaign for nakedly partisan reasons, and his Attorney General, William Barr, has accused the agency of acting in "bad faith" in its handling of the 2016 probe. | This renewed attention on the…
(2019-12-16). Johnson's Brexit deal to be brought before Commons this week. thecanary.co 
MPs will be asked to vote on the prime minister's Brexit deal this week as the government begins its push to take Britain out of the European Union next month.The Withdrawal Agreement Bill (WAB) will be brought before the commons on Friday — and could be debated at first and second reading in one day, if the Speaker agrees to the timetable.Boris Johnson said during the general election campaign that he would kick-start the process of exiting the EU before families tuck into their turkeys on Christmas Day if he was re-elected.The prime minister's official spokesperson told a Westminster briefing: "We plan to…
(2019-12-16). COP25 Was a Failure, But Activists' Collective Organizing at the Talks Was Unprecedented. democracynow.org 
The COP25 United Nations climate summit ended in failure Sunday, after negotiators failed to agree to a deal that would limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels — a key goal of the Paris Agreement. Scores of civil society groups condemned governments in the European Union, Australia, Canada and the U.S. for a deal that requires far less action than needed to avert catastrophic climate change. Indigenous leaders and environmentalists blasted the United Nations for marginalizing civil society groups over two weeks of negotiations at the climate summit, while welcoming polluters.
(2019-12-16). Ralph Nader on Impeachment: Democrats Should Go After Trump's Full Corruption, Not Just Ukraine. democracynow.org 
Donald Trump is set to become the third president to be impeached when the Democrat-controlled House votes Wednesday on two charges related to his attempts to pressure Ukraine to investigate his political rival Joe Biden. The vote will send the charges to the Republican-controlled Senate, which will then hold a trial on whether to remove Trump from office. Witnesses who could be called to testify include former national security adviser John Bolton and acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney. Early Monday, the House Judiciary Committee released its full report on Trump's impeachment that is nearly 700 pag…
(2019-12-15). US Treasury chief applauds sanctions as ALTERNATIVE to military conflicts…but it hardly sits well with those sanctioned. rt.com 
Sanctions imposed on some stubborn countries are a better option than military conflicts, Steve Mnuchin claimed, just as the US rolled out fresh penalties against Iran and EU firms helping build a German-Russian pipeline. | "The reason why we're using sanctions is because they are an important alternative for world military conflicts. And I believe it's worked," Mnuchin told CNBC's Hadley Gamble at the Doha Forum in Qatar on Saturday. He singled out North Korea and I…
(2019-12-15). 'Where's my apology, Jim?' Trump taunts Comey after former FBI chief says sorry for 'sloppy' Russia investigation. rt.com 
President Donald Trump took to Twitter to demand a personal apology from former FBI Director James Comey, after Comey apologized on TV for his (mis)handling of the 'Russiagate' probe. | "So now Comey's admitting he was wrong," Trump tweeted on Sunday. "Wow, but he's only doing so because he got caught red handed. He was actually caught a long time ago. So what are the consequences for his unlawful conduct. Could it be years in jail? Where are the apologies to me and others, Jim?" | So now Comey's admitting he was wrong. Wow, but he's only doing so because he got caught red handed. He was actually caught a long…