(2019-11-14). 'DISLIKE': Russia's Facebook rival VK to roll out this ONE button FB users always wanted but never got. rt.com 
Russian social network VKontakte has unveiled the upcoming 'dislike' button, a simple feature that has been cruelly denied to Facebook users despite years of begging. Now Mark Zuckerberg can claim it was a Russian plot all along! | The feature was announced on Wednesday at VK's Content Day conference in Moscow, and the company thinks it will help "invigorate" the comment section. | VK has answered its users' prayers with the button, which will appear as an option next to the 'like' button on comments, giving users the ability to regi…
(2019-11-13). Violent riots force Chinese and foreign students to flee Hong Kong. peoplesworld.org 
HONG KONG (AP)—University students from mainland China and Taiwan are fleeing Hong Kong, while those from three Scandinavian countries have been moved or urged to leave as college campuses become the latest battleground in the city's 5-month-long anti-government unrest. Marine police used a boat Wednesday to help a group of mainland students leave the Chinese …
(2019-11-13). The Real Reasons Behind Israel's Arrest of Two Jordanian Nationals. mintpressnews.com 
The release on November 6 of two Jordanian nationals, Heba al-Labadi and Abdul Rahman Mi'ri from Israeli prisons was a bittersweet moment. The pair were finally reunited with their families after harrowing experiences in Israel. Sadly, thousands of Palestinian prisoners are still denied their freedom, still subjected to all sorts of hardships at the hands of their Israeli jailers. | Despite the jubilant return of the two prisoners, celebrated in Jordan, Palestine and throughout the Arab world, several compelling questions remain unanswered: why were they held in the first place? Why were they released and what ca…
(2019-11-13). Israel Intensifies Strikes as Rockets Rain Down on Gaza. truthdig.com 
The death toll rises to 26 in the second day of the heaviest round of fighting in months between Israel and the Islamic Jihad.
(2019-11-13). Takeover of Venezuela's embassy in Brazil timed to coincide with launch of BRICS summit — Russia. rt.com 
The seizure of Venezuela's embassy in Brasilia was not only an attack on the legitimate government of Nicolas Maduro in Caracas, but also an attempt to sow discord between the BRICS member states, Russia's Deputy FM told RT. | The Wednesday storming on the diplomatic mission by the supporters of US-backed Venezuelan opposition figure Juan Guaido was "planned before and timed that it coincided with the first day of BRICS summit," Sergey Ryabkov said. | It took place on the same day as the leaders of Russia, China, India and South Africa arrived to the Brazilian capital for the high-profile BRICS summit. Members…
(2019-11-13). US wants Turkey 'back in the fold' as tensions mount between between NATO allies. rt.com 
The US wants to bring Turkey "back into the fold," Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Wednesday as he warned again about Ankara drifting away from its NATO partners. | Washington is concerned that recent arms deals with Russia and its recent incursion into northern Syria mean Turkey is slipping away from the military bloc. Esper's comments came ahead of US President Donald Trump's meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the White House on Wednesday. | "We need Turkey back in the fold. They've been good allies for many years, all the way back to fighting alongside the United States in the Korean war, up t…
(2019-11-13). How Not to End a Forever War. counterpunch.org 
I love "caper' movies. There's nothing like a gang of lovable rogues executing an elaborately planned, seemingly impossible crime. President Donald Trump, while in no way lovable, pulled off the perfect caper when he grabbed the White House three years ago. Now Trump has launched a new caper: stealing Syria's oil. Danny Ocean, eat your More
(2019-11-13). US & Turkey working on 'resolving S-400 issue,' but Trump & Erdogan tight-lipped on details. rt.com 
US President Donald Trump and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan said their countries were working to "resolve" the issue of Ankara purchasing Russian S-400 air defense systems, without going into any specifics. | Erdogan, who arrived in Washington on Wednesday for an official state visit, spent much of the day in meetings with Trump and several US senators critical of Turkey's recent actions in northern Syria. Appearing at a joint press conference in the late afternoon, he showed no sign of backing down from Ankara's current posture, saying that political concerns ought to be separate from matters o…
(2019-11-13). ISIS Captives Offer a Convenient Pawn in Turkey's Syria Chess Game. mintpressnews.com 
ISIS is the latest bogeyman in a global terror portfolio that serves a neoconservative agenda in the Middle East, and Turkey has been its midwife and curator.
(2019-11-13). A Doubtful Proposition: a Reflection on the Trial of the Kings Bay Plowshares 7. counterpunch.org 
"Whether nuclear weapons are actually illegal under international or domestic law (a doubtful proposition) is not relevant or an appropriate issue to litigate in this case," so ruled Judge Lisa Godbey Wood of the US District Court for the Southern District of Georgia, late on Friday October 18. This last-minute order, restricting the defense of More
(2019-11-13). 'There's no denying it, he choked': Tennis world reacts as Daniil Medvedev throws away lead to hand Rafael Nadal ATP Finals win. rt.com 
Russian star Daniil Medvedev is facing an early exit from the ATP Finals in London after throwing away a decisive lead in the final set of his match with world number one Rafael Nadal, prompting fans to accuse him of 'choking'.
(2019-11-13). Medvedev melts down as Nadal storms back to win ATP Finals clash. rt.com 
Daniil Medvedev suffered a third-set meltdown as he lost to Rafael Nadal at the ATP Finals in London, leaving the Russian staring at an early exit from the tournament. | Medvedev was leading 5-1 in the decisive third set and had match point but threw it away as Nadal rattled off five successive games to take the match into a tie-break, which he won to claim the contest 6-7 (3-7), 6-3, 7-6 (7-4). | The match was a re-run of the pair's epic US Open final which Nadal won, although in London both went into the meeting knowing it was likely make-or-break having lost their opening group encounters, with Nadal being…
(2019-11-13). Shooting NATO with its own bullet? What we know about Kalashnikov's new rifle, chambered in alliance-standard 7.62x51mm. rt.com 
As Russia marks famed Soviet inventor Mikhail Kalashnikov's centenary, we look at the newest incarnation of his time-tested rifle. The AK-308 fires NATO rounds, giving the Russian manufacturer an edge over western rivals. | Sitting along a lonely road near Russia's Kazakh border, the town of Kurya is a long way from the world's battlefields. The nearest major city, Novosibirsk, is a six-hour drive away. Yet, Kurya's most famous son devised an invention that would power revolutions, redraw national borders and reshape modern warfare. | Mikhail Kalashnikov was born in Kurya on November 10, 1919, to a peasant fam…
(2019-11-13). Khabib: 'Sometimes I go easy on my opponents, I don't want to hurt them' (VIDEO). rt.com 
UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov is one of the most dominant forces in the history of MMA, but has ominously suggested he has sometimes gone easy on his opponents to avoid doing even more damage. | Khabib stands 28-0 in professional MMA and has rarely looked troubled inside the cage. | But despite his dominance, the Dagestani grappling phenom has suggested that on occasion he has held back. | "I had fights in my career where I understood that I could hurt my opponent more, but I'd talk to him, tell him to give up so that I don't beat him too hard," Khabib told a group of schoolchildren in Russia.
(2019-11-13). 'NATO will be soiling its pants': Ukrainian tycoon seen as power behind president calls for 'new Warsaw Pact' with Moscow. rt.com 
A tycoon who spent millions of dollars arming anti-Russian fighters in Ukraine has emerged from the shadows to blast the Europe he once idolized. The oligarch now sees alliance with Russia as the only option for his country. | Igor Kolomoysky, the oligarch seen by many as the shadow power behind Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, has changed his tune sharply from the days of the 2014 Maidan rebellion. | Back then he was an ally of pro-European President Petro Poroshenko, who even appointed him governor of the Dnepropetrovsk region. Once installed there, Kolomoysky placed a bounty on captured fighters from…
(2019-11-13). Russia to cut dollar share in National Wealth Fund in favor of yuan & other currencies. rt.com 
Russia wants to reduce the US dollar share in its National Wealth Fund, as it looks to invest in the Chinese yuan and other foreign currencies, Deputy Finance Minister Vladimir Kolychev has announced. | "I can say with certainty that the share of the US dollar will be smaller," the official told reporters on Wednesday. "Different currencies are being considered, all the reserve ones… including the yuan." | While the deputy minister did not elaborate on the exact amount of the dollar cut, he said that the National Wealth Fund's currency structure will be similar to that of the Russian central bank's reserves.
(2019-11-13). Child prison & death in a blaze: Mother commits suicide after kids she kept in lockup for 10 years escape. rt.com 
No school, no IDs and constant CCTV surveillance. Nobody in town knew that they existed. Three kids were locked up behind the fence of a private home for a decade, as their mother tried to protect them from the 'cruel world.'
(2019-11-13). Nothing to see here: Rivers along Korean border run red with blood after massive pig cull (PHOTOS). rt.com 
Heavy rainfall has been blamed for the spread of vast amounts of pig's blood into rivers along the Korean border this week, following a cull of some 47,000 hogs amid an outbreak of African swine fever (ASF). | A local NGO claims that blood from a nearby burial site, where some 47,000 pig carcasses had been disposed of, had seeped into the Imjin River due to heavy rainfall. South Korean authorities claim that the pigs had already been disinfected before being slaughtered and that there was a delay in the production of plastic containers for the carcasses. | | © Yeoncheon Imjin River Civic Network / AFP…
(2019-11-13). Pyongyang warns of retaliation against S. Korea-US military drills. rt.com 
Pyongyang threatened on Wednesday to retaliate if the United States goes ahead with scheduled military drills with South Korea, ramping up pressure on Washington to change course as a year-end North Korean deadline for U.S. flexibility approaches. | North Korea's statement came even though Washington said last week that the joint aerial exercise planned for next month would be reduced in scope from previous drills, Reuters reports. | "It is self-defense rights" to retaliate against any move which threatens the country's sovereignty and security, according to a statement from North Korea's State Affairs Commiss…
(2019-11-13). Anti-government rallies swell in Baghdad & south Iraq. rt.com 
Anti-government rallies swelled in Iraq's capital and south on Wednesday as Baghdad faced new pressure from both the street and the UN to respond seriously to weeks of demonstrations. | Protests demanding a new leadership have rocked the capital and Shiite-majority south for weeks. | Demonstrators appear to have been revived after the country's top Shiite religious authority Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani said they "cannot go home without sufficient reforms." | The head of the UN's mission in Iraq (UNAMI), Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, planned to address the main political blocs and brief lawmakers on her meeting w…
(2019-11-13). Code Pink founder raided by DC police on dubious Venezuelan embassy 'assault' charges (VIDEO). rt.com 
Police have tried to detain Code Pink founder Medea Benjamin without a warrant on belated and mysterious charges of 'assaulting' a Democratic congresswoman during this summer's siege of the Venezuelan embassy in Washington. | Benjamin was accused of assaulting Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-Florida) — months after the alleged incident — when over a dozen officers surrounded her home on Wednesday in Washington, DC. | In footage she posted to Facebook, Benjamin strenuously denies the accusations, explaining that she was the one assaulted — pushed and pulled by right-wing Venezuelans ("b…
(2019-11-13). Murder Like It's 1495: U.S.-Backed Counterinsurgency in the Philippines. counterpunch.org 
Two men, soldiers probably, noticed Bai Leah Tumbalang. This was last August. She was in Valencia City, in the Philippine province of Bukidnon. The men drew near on their motorcycle, followed her, then pulled up to shoot her in the forehead. She died immediately. But her death was not random, not senseless. With it her More
(2019-11-13). China creating "its own Yellowstone" park in Tibet to preserve ecosystem. peoplesworld.org 
XINING, China (AP)—There's a building boom on the Tibetan plateau, one of the world's last remote places. Mountains long crowned by garlands of fluttering prayer flags—a traditional landscape blessing—are newly topped with sprawling steel power lines. At night, the illuminated signs of Sinopec gas stations cast a red glow over newly built highways. Ringed by …
(2019-11-13). 'No justification' for attacks against civilians, UN envoy says on mounting cross-border violence in Gaza. un.org Following Israel's targeted killing of a Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader inside Gaza on Tuesday, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process has expressed his growing concern over increasing rocket fire across the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip.
(2019-11-13). Questioning war within the military; resistance from Vietnam to Iraq. indybay.org Unitarian Universalists of San Mateo | 300 E. Santa Inez Avenue | San Mateo, CA 94401…
(2019-11-13). Iraqis paying an 'unthinkable price' to be heard, UN envoy tells politicians in Baghdad. un.org Noting that the people of Iraq were at "a critical juncture", the top UN Envoy in the country told parliamentarians there on Thursday that over the past six weeks, hundreds of thousands have been peacefully voicing their "genuine, legitimate, demands, loud and clear".
(2019-11-13). Lebanon Descends Further into Chaos as Economic Crisis Worsens. telesurenglish.net A new wave of protests paralyzed Lebanon on Wednesday after President Michel Aoun enraged demonstrators by urging them to end their revolt against corruption and cronyism in the political establishment. | RELATED: | Students Lead New Wave of Protests In Lebanon | One month after the eruption of nationwide protests, Lebanon is in deep political and economic crisis with no sign of its leaders agreeing on a new government to replace the outgoing cabinet of Saad al-Hariri, who quit as premier on Oct…
(2019-11-13). Hong Kong protests defy police violence and mass arrests. wsws.org Escalated police attacks appear to have reinforced the popular support for the protests, setting the stage for an even-more bloody confrontation.
(2019-11-13). Army Abducts Two Palestinians In Jerusalem And Ramallah. imemc.org Israeli soldiers abducted, on Wednesday at dawn, two Palestinians, including the head of a research and development center, in Jerusalem and Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank. The soldiers invaded Kafr Aqab town, north of occupied East Jerusalem, and stormed the home of Obai 'Aboudi, before violently searching the property, …
(2019-11-13). As Israel Pounds The Gaza Strip, Death Toll Reaches 26. telesurenglish.net Israel has been heavily bombing the besieged Gaza Strip Wednesday for the second day in the most violent onslaught in months. The death toll from the air campaign increased to 26 Palestinians, including three minors; while at least 70 others including 30 children were wounded, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. | RELATED: | Israeli Soldier Who Killed Palestinian Teen Gets 1-Month Sentence | In the eastern part of the enclave, Ayyad, a 54-year-old farmer, and Amir, 8,…
(2019-11-13). Former Israeli soldiers tour US to speak out against occupation of Palestinian territories. wsws.org The soldiers' own experiences have led them to rebel against the criminal policies of the Israeli government.
(2019-11-13). PCHR: Israel's Extrajudicial Execution Policy Resumed. imemc.org Israel resumed its extrajudicial execution policy against Palestinians, as Israeli warplanes carried out a targeted attacks, one against a senior leader of a Palestinian resistance group at dawn, Tuesday. As a result, the targeted Palestinian was killed along with his wife, while 7 others sustained injuries including 4 of the …
(2019-11-13). Army Demolishes An Under-Construction Palestinian Home Near Tubas. imemc.org Israeli soldiers invaded, on Wednesday at dawn, 'Atouf Palestinian village, south of Tubas in northeastern West Bank, and demolished an under-construction home. Mo'taz Bisharat, a Palestinian official who monitors Israeli's colonialist activities in the West Bank's Northern Plains, said several army jeeps and bulldozers invaded Umm Ekbeish area in 'Atouf …
(2019-11-13). Israel Calls up Reserve Soldiers as Gaza Death Toll Mounts. theantimedia.com At least 10 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza that began early on Tuesday.
(2019-11-13). Updated: Israeli Missiles Kill Two Palestinian, Injure Several Others, In Gaza. imemc.org The Palestinian Health Ministry has reported that Israeli war jets fired, on Wednesday at dawn, several missiles into different parts of the Gaza Strip, killing two Palestinian and wounding several others. Twelve Palestinians have been killed by Israeli missiles since Tuesday. | Dr.
(2019-11-13). Sri Lanka: SEP presidential candidate exposes pseudo-lefts' pro-capitalist program at university debate. wsws.org Wijesiriwardena explained the underlying principles of the Socialist Equality Party's socialist internationalism and the necessity for the independent mobilisation of the working class in every country.
(2019-11-13). New manuscript discovered of The Tale of Genji, the 11th century Japanese novel. wsws.org An extremely rare, early manuscript of a chapter of The Tale of Genji, the Japanese prose classic of imperial court life, was recently discovered. Experts confirmed that the copy is in the handwriting of a 13th century poet.
(2019-11-13). Zunzi (Â∞äÂ≠ê) Political Cartoon Expo. indybay.org Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall | 836 Stockton St, San Francisco, California…
(2019-11-13). As Trump and Erdogan Meet, the U.S. Hopes to Resume F?35 Arms Sales to Turkey. theintercept.com Despite Turkey's recent human rights abuses in Syria, the Trump administration would like Turkey to rejoin the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program.
(2019-11-13). Over $39 million earmarked by UN-backed fund to combat effects of climate change in Nepal. un.org More than $39 million in funding was approved on Wednesday for a project that will build resilience and mitigate the effects of climate change, benefitting nearly one million Nepalis, according to the Board of the UN-backed Green Climate Fund (GCF).
(2019-11-13). Ukrainegate impeachment saga worsens US-Russia Cold War. thegrayzone.com As the House opens impeachment hearings for President Trump, Professor Stephen F. Cohen warns that the US military assistance at…
(2019-11-13). The ISC Report: Russian Connections in Albion? counterpunch.org The UK election campaign has kicked off, and merrily confused are the major candidates. The chaotic scene was made a touch more interesting with the refusal on the part of UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson to clear the release of a report by the intelligence and security committee on claimed Russian interference in British politics. More
(2019-11-13). Blairite MP Margaret Hodge refuses to back Corbyn as prime minister. wsws.org The measure of Corbyn's politics is that he enters his second general election at the head of the same party fundamentally that launched the 2003 war in Iraq, the 2008 bailout of the banks, and began the drive for austerity.
(2019-11-13). Oklahomans Just Made History — and They Can Do it Again. aclu.org Last | week in Oklahoma, the largest single-day mass | commutation of prison sentences in U.S. history took place. When all is said and | done, nearly 600 people will be released from prison. This may seem like a | surprise coming from a state that's also home to the highest per-capita | incarceration rate in the nation. But these commutations follow the | will of the people: 58 percent of Oklahomans made clear at th…
(2019-11-13). Trump threatens "substantial" increase in anti-China tariffs. wsws.org In a speech to the New York Economic Club, Trump claimed, amid falling GDP numbers, that his administration had "launched an economic boom the likes of which we have never seen before."
(2019-11-12). How Iran-Backed Forces Are Taking Over Iraq. counterpunch.org 
The protests — and the merciless government attempt to stamp them out — are the biggest threat to the power of the Iraqi political establishment since Isis was advancing on Baghdad in 2014. In many respects, the danger to the status quo is greater now because Isis was an existential threat to the Shia majority who had no choice but to support their ruling elite, however predatory and incompetent they had proved in office. More
(2019-11-12). Trump's Syrian See-Saw: From Pullout to Pillage. counterpunch.org 
To withdraw, or not to withdraw? That is the question Donald Trump, in his own inimitable way, has answered both ways. | First came the withdrawal. It was real, and had a significant effect. Trump ordered the removal of US troops from Kurdish areas, putting an end to the prospect of an independent Kurdish statelet, split off from Syria. Such a partition was always implausible, given the general balance of forces in the region and the specific refusal of NATO-member Turkey to accept any such thing. (Turkey had already invaded Syria in 2016, and the Obama-Biden administration ordered the Kurds to accept it.) It was…
(2019-11-12). Marco Rubio blames 'Putin's disinformation' for coverage of Bolivia coup that he doesn't like. rt.com 
Eager to find some way to implicate Russia in Bolivia's political crisis and control of the US narrative, Republican senator Marco Rubio branded any skeptical coverage of events as an example of how "Putin uses disinformation." | Rubio, an early and avid supporter of protests that ousted former Bolivian President Evo Morales this week, tweeted that those wishing to understand Russian disinformation should "study current coverage" of Bolivia. | In Rubio's world, Russia has created "fake news" on Bolivia and is spreading it via a "vast network of outlets" and "social media actors" before it is "echoed in mainstr…
(2019-11-12). Pompeo's Iran Nuclear Lies Exposed Using Clear Evidence & The JCPOA Document Itself. thelastamericanvagabond.com Mike Pompeo continues to lead the propaganda push to get the public panicking about an Iran "nuclear breakout" even when all evidence shows that Iran is nowhere near capable of being a nuclear threat. Of course many other countries have far more robust nuclear programs, but because it's Iran we have to come together as …
(2019-11-12). Students Lead New Wave of Protests In Lebanon. telesurenglish.net Lebanese university students are beginning to gain greater prominence in the protests that began last Oct. 17 by massively claiming the right to "build" a future without the rulers who have led the nation to the economic collapse. | RELATED: | UN Steps in to Urge Lebanon to Form New Government | Hundreds of them, waving Lebanese flags, have taken on the streets as "Lebanese" and now also as "students" following the main goal of not to rest until every vestige of the regime is eliminated.