The Yellow Vest Insurgency — What's Next?
Robert Hunziker | counterpunch.org | 2018-12-14
Paris, France, April 2017: Macron Unveils Assault on Workers' Rights. Paris, France, December 2018: A potential worldwide insurgency of the working class starts in France as Yellow Vests occupy the streets. "Some 75% of the French back the gilets jaunes. And this support has held up despite the violence." (Source: La République en Flammes, The…
counterpunch.org/2018/12/14/the-yellow-vest-insurgency-whats-next/
Principles and Morality Versus Cash and Profit? No Contest
Brian Cloughley | counterpunch.org | 2018-12-14
Imagine Western reaction if a British or American citizen had been detained in Russia or China then subjected to months of solitary confinement followed by being put on trial for less than five minutes without legal representation or an interpreter, and finally sentenced to life imprisonment. The media in Britain and the US would have gone berserk…
counterpunch.org/2018/12/14/principles-and-morality-versus-cash-and-profit-no-contest/
Guatemalan Girl Dies of Dehydration in US Custody
teleSUR | telesurenglish.net | 2018-12-14
A 7-year-old Guatemalan girl, who traveled to the United States with the Central American caravan, died of dehydration while in U.S. custody. She had been detained last week for crossing the U.S. border illegally. | RELATED: | Caravan Couple Awaits Asylum Bid After Son's Birth in US | The girl and her father were detained by immigration authorities on Dec. 6 in New Mexico as part of a group of 163 people who approached U.S. agents to turn themselves in, the Washington Post reported. | O…
telesurenglish.net/news/Guatemalan-Girl-Dies-of-Dehydration-in-US-Custody-20181214-0001.html
EU Extends Economic Sanctions Against Russia for 6 Months
teleSUR | telesurenglish.net | 2018-12-14
The European Union decided Thursday to extend the economic sanctions against Russia for six more months. Sanctions were implemented in 2014 due to Russia's involvement in the eastern Ukraine conflict. | RELATED: | 'Undiplomatic': Russia Rejects US Reaction to Military Cooperation with Venezuela | "The EU unanimously prolongs the economic sanctions against Russia, given that progress was not made in the implementation of the Minsk agreements," Donald Tusk, presiden…
telesurenglish.net/news/EU-Extends-Economic-Sanctions-Against-Russia-for-6-Months-20181214-0003.html
Every Single Member of US Congress Approved Crushing Sanctions on Nicaragua
Ben Norton | grayzoneproject.com | 2018-12-14
After defeating a violent US-backed coup attempt, Nicaragua's elected government faces the NICA Act. The bill aims to force the… | The post Every Single Member of US Congress Approved Crushing Sanctions on Nicaragua appeared first on Grayzone Project.
grayzoneproject.com/2018/12/14/congress-sanctions-nicaragua-nica-act/
Paul Rosenberg on GOP Power Grabs, Mariana Viturro on Domestic Workers Bill of Rights
CounterSpin | fair.org | 2018-12-14
Media…
fair.org/home/paul-rosenberg-on-gop-power-grabs-mariana-viturro-on-domestic-workers-bill-of-rights/
Every Single Member of US Congress Approved Crushing Sanctions on Nicaragua
Ben Norton | mintpressnews.com | 2018-12-14
After defeating a violent US-backed coup attempt, Nicaragua's elected government faces the NICA Act. The bill aims to force the Sandinistas from power by ratcheting up economic despair. | The post Every Single Member of US Congress Approved Crushing Sanctions on Nicaragua appeared first on MintPress News.
mintpressnews.com/the-nica-act-us-congress-approves-crushing-sanctions-on-nicaragua/252977/
Know Your Rights or You Will Lose Them
John W. Whitehead | counterpunch.org | 2018-12-14
If a nation expects to be ignorant and free in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be." –Thomas Jefferson We are approaching critical mass, the point at which all hell breaks loose. The government is pushing us ever closer to a constitutional crisis. What makes the outlook so much…
counterpunch.org/2018/12/14/know-your-rights-or-you-will-lose-them/
Berta Cáceres supporters: Additional evidence forces Honduran officials to act
Mark Gruenberg | peoplesworld.org | 2018-12-14
WASHINGTON–The public revelation of additional evidence of higher-up involvement in the 2016 murder of Honduran human rights activist Berta Cáceres has forced Honduran officials to reopen their investigation of the crime, her daughters and their supporters say. But they still aren't sure the criminal justice system in the Latin American country will bring those high-level …
peoplesworld.org/article/berta-caceres-supporters-additional-evidence-forces-honduran-officials-to-act/
"Five Eyes" Intelligence Agencies Behind Drive Against Chinese Telecom Giant Huawei
Nick Beams | globalresearch.ca | 2018-12-14
Evidence has come to light that US operations against the Chinese telecommunications giant HuaWei (Âçé‰∏∫) and the arrest and detention of one of its top executives, Meng Wanzhou, to face criminal charges of fraud brought by the US Justice … | The post "Five Eyes" Intelligence Agencies Behind Drive Against Chinese Telecom Giant Huawei. appeared first on Global Research.
globalresearch.ca/five-eyes-intelligence-agencies-behind-drive-against-chinese-telecom-giant-huawei/5662933
In Plea Deal, Russian Admits Being a Secret Agent
STAFF | truthdig.com | 2018-12-14
WASHINGTON — A Russian gun-rights activist admitted Thursday that she was a secret agent for the Kremlin who tried to infiltrate conservative U.S. political groups as Donald Trump rose to power. | Maria Butina, 30, agreed to plead guilty to a conspiracy charge as part of a deal with federal prosecutors. | "Guilty," Butina said in a slight accent when asked how she wanted to plead. Dressed in a green jail uniform with her red hair pulled into a long ponytail, Butina spoke softly and mostly kept her eyes on the judge. | The Butina case has provided a vivid glimpse into Russia's influence operations in the Uni…
truthdig.com/articles/in-plea-deal-russian-admits-being-a-secret-agent/
Sustainable Activism Workshop: Berkeley, CA #ChangeMakersTour
Direct Action Everywhere | indybay.org | 2018-12-14
Berkeley Animal Rights Center | 2425 Channing Way, Berkeley, CA 94704…
indybay.org/newsitems/2018/12/14/18819797.php
Advanced Leadership Training: DxE's History and Vision
Direct Action Everywhere | indybay.org | 2018-12-14
Berkeley Animal Rights Center | 2425 Channing Way, Berkeley, CA 94704…
indybay.org/newsitems/2018/12/14/18819790.php
Advanced Chicken Care Training
Direct Action Everywhere | indybay.org | 2018-12-14
Berkeley Animal Rights Center | 2425 Channing Way, Berkeley, CA 94704…
indybay.org/newsitems/2018/12/14/18819794.php
Animal Rights Meetup: Organization & How to Become a Leader
Direct Action Everywhere | indybay.org | 2018-12-14
Berkeley Animal Rights Center | 2425 Channing Way, Berkeley, CA 94704…
indybay.org/newsitems/2018/12/14/18819793.php
Animal Rights Meetup: The Power of Nonviolence
Direct Action Everywhere | indybay.org | 2018-12-14
Berkeley Animal Rights Center | 2425 Channing Way, Berkeley, CA 94704…
indybay.org/newsitems/2018/12/14/18819791.php
January Vegan Pop-Up
Direct Action Everywhere | indybay.org | 2018-12-14
Berkeley Animal Rights Center | 2425 Channing Way, Berkeley, CA 94704…
indybay.org/newsitems/2018/12/14/18819792.php
Advanced Leadership Training: Emergent Leadership
Direct Action Everywhere | indybay.org | 2018-12-14
Berkeley Animal Rights Center | 2425 Channing Way, Berkeley, CA 94704…
indybay.org/newsitems/2018/12/14/18819789.php
Animal Rights Meetup: The Legal Case for Animal Rights
Direct Action Everywhere | indybay.org | 2018-12-14
Berkeley Animal Rights Center | 2425 Channing Way, Berkeley, CA 94704…
indybay.org/newsitems/2018/12/14/18819795.php
Animal Rights Meetup: New Community Member Celebration
Direct Action Everywhere | indybay.org | 2018-12-14
Berkeley Animal Rights Center | 2425 Channing Way, Berkeley, CA 94704…
indybay.org/newsitems/2018/12/14/18819796.php
Julian Assange denounces his illegal detention in Ecuadorian embassy
WSWS | wsws.org | 2018-12-14
The WikiLeaks publisher, whose health appears to be deteriorating, made the comments at a hearing against the Ecuadorian government's "Special Protocol," aimed at forcing him into British and US custody.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2018/12/14/assa…
Nearly 15,000 children held in detention camps across the US
WSWS | wsws.org | 2018-12-14
The growth of the child detainee population and the Trump administration's escalation of workplace raids represent an attack on the entire working class.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2018/12/14/immi…
France: Police Crowd Control Methods Maim People
Human Rights Watch | hrw.org | 2018-12-14
Riot police barricade, Jardin des Tuileries, Paris, December 8, 2018. | © 2018 Human Rights Watch | (Paris) — French police used crowd control and anti-riot tactics during demonstrations in Paris in November and December 2018 that caused physical harm to peaceful demonstrators, including high-school students, and journalists, Human Rights Watch said today. Law enforcement should exercise greater restraint in demonstrations planned to take place on D…
hrw.org/news/2018/12/14/france-police-crowd-control-methods-maim-people
Hungary's Latest Assault on the Judiciary
Human Rights Watch | hrw.org | 2018-12-14
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban addresses the supporters after the announcement of the partial results of parliamentary election in Budapest, Hungary, April 8, 2018. | © 2018 Reuters | This week, Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his ruling party Fidesz rammed a law through parliament that poses a new threat to the independence of the country's judiciary. | The law creates a separate administrative court system that will handle cases directly affecting basic human rights, such as elections, right to a…
hrw.org/news/2018/12/14/hungarys-latest-assault-judiciary
7-Year-Old Migrant Girl Dies in US Border Patrol Custody
Human Rights Watch | hrw.org | 2018-12-14
The headline alone made my heart sink. "7-year-old migrant girl taken into Border Patrol custody dies of dehydration, exhaustion." I felt a wave of deep sadness, but no surprise. | A girl stands in the lobby of the Adelanto immigration detention center, in Adelanto, Californ…
hrw.org/news/2018/12/14/7-year-old-migrant-girl-dies-us-border-patrol-custody
Australia: Vet Foreign Soldiers Receiving Training
Human Rights Watch | hrw.org | 2018-12-14
The Philippine Navy band welcomes the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) vessel Her Majesty's Australian Ship (HMAS) Adelaide (III) upon arrival for a goodwill visit as part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) Joint Task Group, Indo-Pacific Endeavour 2017, at the Pier 15, south harbor in Metro Manila, Philippines on October 10, 2017. | © 2017 Reuters/Romeo Ranoco | (Sydney) — The Australian government should require human rights vetting for all foreign military…
hrw.org/news/2018/12/14/australia-vet-foreign-soldiers-receiving-training
Europe Loses If The Iran Deal Collapses
Tarja Cronberg | iranian.com | 2018-12-14
Iran is not the only loser if the Iran nuclear deal (the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or JCPOA) collapses. A collapse may be near given the U.S. exit from the deal, and U.S. sanctions not only affect American banks and companies but also prevent Europeans from trading with Iran. The U.S. policy is to […] | The post Europe Loses If The Iran Deal Collapses appeared first on The Iranian.
iranian.com/2018/12/13/europe-loses-iran-deal-collapses/
CAR: Up to 100 civilians shot and burnt alive as UN peacekeepers leave posts in Alindao
amnesty | amnesty.org | 2018-12-14
The United Nations must carry out a thorough investigation into UN peacekeeping troops' response to a recent attack that killed as many as 100 civilians in a displaced persons camp in the Central African Republic, Amnesty International said today in a new report. | According to multiple eyewitnesses, UN peacekeepers did not engage an attack by an armed group but instead retreated in an armoured vehicle to their central base, leaving thousands of civilians unprotected at the camp in Alindao on 15 November. | An immediate and impartial inquiry m…
amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2018/12/car-up-to-100-civilians-shot-and-burnt-alive-as-un-peacekeepers-leave-posts-in-alindao/
China: Further information: Singer-song writer activist sentenced: Xu Lin
amnesty | amnesty.org | 2018-12-14
Activist Xu Lin was sentenced to three years in prison for "picking quarrels and provoking trouble" on 7 December 2018. The singer-songwriter has composed and published songs online about his democratic aspirations and critical of the government for various injustices. He has refused to repent and maintained his innocence.
amnesty.org/en/documents/asa17/9579/2018/en/
The extraordinary and ordinary story of Gulzar Duishenova
amnesty | amnesty.org | 2018-12-14
Gulzar Duishenova is one of the nine women human rights defenders featured in Amnesty's 2018 Write for Rights campaign. She shared her story with Amnesty International. Every possible effort was made to translate the story into English representing Gulzar's style of speaking faithfully and precisely. | Every activist, like any other person, has her or his story. Some have been actively defending human rights since they were young. In other cases, human rights work found the defenders. My story is both extraordinary and very ordinary at the same time. | This year I have been featured, along with other eight wom…
amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2018/12/the-story-of-gulzar-duishenova/
LA GUARDIA NACIONAL DEL PRESIDENTE LàìPEZ OBRADOR: CINCO REALIDADES QUE HAY QUE SABER
amnesty | amnesty.org | 2018-12-14
Uno de los puntos centrales de la estrategia de seguridad propuesta por el nuevo presidente Andrés Manuel López Obrador es la creación de una Guardia Nacional, conformada por entre 50 a 60 mil elementos de la Policía Militar, la Policía Naval, y de la Policía Federal, además de elementos del Estado Mayor y "elementos de tropa." | En lo propuesto queda claro que usaría una estrategia muy semejante a gobiernos anteriores, y la realidad es que la Guardia Nacional es una amenaza para la seguridad y los derechos humanos de las personas en México.
amnesty.org/en/documents/amr41/9578/2018/es/
Belarus: Further information: Two prisoners at risk of imminent execution: Aliaksandr Zhylnikau and Viachaslau Sukharko
amnesty | amnesty.org | 2018-12-14
There is grave concern that the only two known prisoners on death row in Belarus, Aliaksandr Zhylnikau and Viachaslau Sukharko, are at risk of imminent execution.
amnesty.org/en/documents/eur49/9586/2018/en/
Nigeria: UNICEF suspended amid absurd smear campaign
amnesty | amnesty.org | 2018-12-14
Responding to the Nigerian army's suspension of UNICEF from operations in northeast Nigeria over allegations of spying and collaborating with Boko Haram, Osai Ojigho, Director of Amnesty International Nigeria, said: | "Amnesty International strongly condemns attempts by the…
amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2018/12/nigeria-unicef-suspended-amid-absurd-smear-campaign/
Mexico: Bill could further pretrial detentions
amnesty | amnesty.org | 2018-12-14
The Mexican Congress could pass a constitutional amendment in the following weeks that would force judges to order pretrial detention in cases involving a broad series of crimes. Contrary to international law, the reform does not provide that judges can waive it or assess any evidence before determining if such deprivation of liberty is appropriate.
amnesty.org/en/documents/amr41/9574/2018/en/
Nijeriya: 'Sun dauke mazajenmu suka tilasta mana zama masoyansu' — Mata a arewa maso gabashin nijeriya da suke fama da matsananciyar yunwa suna kuma fuskantar fyade a hannun masu ikirarin ceto su
amnesty | amnesty.org | 2018-12-14
Mata 'yan gudun hijira a arewa maso gabashin | Nijeriya suna fama da gallazawa da cin zarafi | daga sojojin Nijeriya wanda hakan zasu iya zama | laifukan yaki da kuma laifukan da suka shafi kin | jinin bil Adama. Wadannan mata na neman | hakkinsu da kuma neman a hukunta masu | wannan laifi da kawo karshen kama-karya.
amnesty.org/en/documents/afr44/9122/2018/ha/
The Islamic State's toxic legacy is an environmental catastrophe, too | Opinion
amnesty | amnesty.org | 2018-12-14
Note: This originally appeared in Newsweek. | As we drive up, the desolate farm in the shadow of north-western Iraq's Sinjar Mountain looks like many others in the area. The farmhouse is abandoned, the fields are barren. A neighbour, curious about our visit, wanders over and explains that the owner used to grow olives, wheat and vegetables. But, like half of the farmers in this village, he and his family haven't returned since fleeing from the armed group calling itself Islamic State (IS) four years ago. | Why? One clue is…
amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2018/12/the-islamic-states-toxic-legacy-is-an-environmental-catastrophe-too/
Civil Society Worldwide Demands Answers to the Enforced Disappearance of Sombath Somphone
amnesty | amnesty.org | 2018-12-14
Six years after the enforced disappearance of Lao civil society leader Sombath Somphone, civil society organizations across the world renew calls on the Lao government to conduct an independent, impartial and effective investigation to reveal his fate and whereabouts.
amnesty.org/en/documents/asa26/9581/2018/en/
A conversation between Marielle and God
amnesty | amnesty.org | 2018-12-14
Nine months have passed since 14 March and, during this time, Marinete and I have been waiting for answers about the barbaric and cowardly killing of Marielle Franco, our daughter. Nine months was also how long we waited, with great excitement and anticipation, for Marielle's birth in 1979. | I imagine what a conversation between Marielle — still in her mother's belly, before being born — and God might have been like. | Lord, I'm here in this small space, comfortable and protected by this woman who will be my mother, who gives me affection and caresses. She talks to me and takes me to church and to un…
amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2018/12/a-conversation-between-marielle-and-god/
Paraguay: Queer artists at risk of going to prison: Bruno Almada Comas
amnesty | amnesty.org | 2018-12-14
Bruno Almada Comas, a young queer artist, is being accused of "acts of exhibitionism" based on a performance denouncing violence and discrimination faced by LGBTI people in Paraguay. The preliminary hearing is scheduled for 19 December. If he is found guilty he could face one year in prison.
amnesty.org/en/documents/amr45/9572/2018/en/
Supreme Court considers scope of Bill of Rights
David Sobelsohn | peoplesworld.org | 2018-12-13
WASHINGTON — December 15 is Bill of Rights Day. The Bill of Rights protects our most cherished rights, including free speech, freedom of religion, and trial by jury. But the Bill of Rights starts with the words "Congress shall make no law." It doesn't say "The states shall make no law." In 1833, the U.S. …
peoplesworld.org/article/supreme-court-considers-scope-of-bill-of-rights/
SCOTUS Just Voted in Favor of Planned Parenthood. But Roe Is Far From Safe
Alice Pettway | progressive.org | 2018-12-13
This is a moment anti-choice politicians and activists have been working toward for years. With Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court, state-level activism will be front-and-center for protecting reproductive rights in 2019.
progressive.org/dispatches/Supreme-Court-roe-is-still-not-safe-181213/
Brazilian Police Looks For Suspects of Marielle Franco's Murder
teleSUR | telesurenglish.net | 2018-12-13
Special police forces of Brazil are searching 15 addresses in Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais in the hopes of finding the person/s responsible for the murder of councilwoman and rights activist Marielle Franco, and her driver Anderson Gomes. | RELATED: | Brazil: Witness Implicates Councilman, Former Military Officer in Marielle Franco's Assassination | The Homicide Division of the Civil Police of Brazil is complying with search and arrest orders ag…
telesurenglish.net/news/Brazilian-Police-Looks-For-Suspects-of-Marielle-Francos-Murder-20181213-0025.html
EPA slams door to justice on historic Black community
Special to PeoplesWorld | peoplesworld.org | 2018-12-13
TALLASSEE, Al. — On December 10, leaders of a historic Black community in Tallassee, Alabama, denounced the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for closing a civil rights complaint filed in 2017 against the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) in the face of clear evidence, acknowledged by EPA, that the state's actions caused "adverse harms" to …
peoplesworld.org/article/epa-slams-door-to-justice-on-historic-black-community/
Mass shooting in Strasbourg kills 3, wounds 12 before "yellow vest" protest
WSWS | wsws.org | 2018-12-13
The French ruling elite is already seizing upon the attack to trample democratic rights with demands that "yellow vest" protesters abandon their protests against Macron.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2018/12/13/stra…
Canadian Court Hands Important Victory to BDS Movement
Shared by Hezvo Mpunga | therealnews.com | 2018-12-13
A Canadian Court ruled that Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions activists were denied free speech and campaigning rights when the city of Montreal tore down their posters highlighting an Israeli atrocity during an election campaign in Canada. We discuss the case with Bruce Katz, one of the main plaintiffs in the case | The post Canadian Court Hands Important Victory to BDS Movement appeared first on The Real News Network.
therealnews.com/stories/canadian-court-hands-important-victory-to-bds-movement
Occupied Western Sahara: A rare look inside Africa's last colony
stuart_m | greenleft.org.au | 2018-12-13
In an exclusive broadcast, US-based independent news outlet Democracy Now! broke the media blockade and visited the occupied Western Sahara in the northwest of Africa to document the decades-long Sahrawi struggle for freedom and occupying power Morocco's violent crackdown. | Morocco has occupied the territory since 1975 in defiance of the United Nations and the international community. Thousands of Sahrawi people have been tortured, imprisoned, killed and disappeared while resisting the Moroccan occupation. A 1700-mile wall…
greenleft.org.au/content/occupied-western-sahara-rare-look-inside-africas-last-colony
Bangladesh: Crackdown as Elections Loom
Human Rights Watch | hrw.org | 2018-12-13
Police rush Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) supporters at a protest on February 9, 2018, Dhaka, Bangladesh. | © 2018 Allison Joyce/Getty Images | (New York) — Bangladesh security forces have been arresting and intimidating opposition figures and threatening freedom of expression in advance of national elections on December 30, 2018, Human Rights Watch said today. The United Nations, European Union, United States, India, China, and others should press the go…
hrw.org/news/2018/12/13/bangladesh-crackdown-elections-loom
China: Repression of Christian Church Intensifies
Human Rights Watch | hrw.org | 2018-12-13
Official seal notices are sticked on a backdoor entrance of the Zion church after it was shutdown by authorities in Beijing, Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2018. | © 2018 Andy Wong/ AP | (New York) — Chinese authorities should immediately release the pastor and scores of members of an independent Protestant church in the southwestern city of Chengdu, Human Rights Watch said today. Authorities should also return church properties and allow the m…
hrw.org/news/2018/12/13/china-repression-christian-church-intensifies
Colombia: New Armed Groups Plague Afro-Colombian Zone
Human Rights Watch | hrw.org | 2018-12-13
| (Bogotá) — Groups that emerged from the demobilized Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrillas are terrorizing…
hrw.org/news/2018/12/13/colombia-new-armed-groups-plague-afro-colombian-zone
Iran: Escalating Crackdown on Lawyers
Human Rights Watch | hrw.org | 2018-12-13
Human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh and Farhad Meysami, a human rights defender, protest the suspension of Sotoudeh's law license in front of the Tehran bar association in Tehran, February 2015. | © Private 2015 | (Beirut) — Iranian authorities have escalated their crackdown on lawyers, Human Rights Watch said today. Over the past month, revolutionary courts have sentenced at least three lawyers to long prison terms for their human rights activ…
hrw.org/news/2018/12/13/iran-escalating-crackdown-lawyers