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2019-11-13: Social Media Postees

Please be social by posting these 'POSTEES' on social media!

'DISLIKE': Russia's Facebook rival VK to roll out this ONE button FB users always wanted but never got
rt.com | 2019-11-14
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…
rt.com/news/473369-vk-dislike-button-facebook-emojis/

Code Pink founder raided by DC police on dubious Venezuelan embassy 'assault' charges (VIDEO)
rt.com | 2019-11-13
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…
rt.com/usa/473371-medea-benjamin-detained-venezuela-assault/

'No justification' for attacks against civilians, UN envoy says on mounting cross-border violence in Gaza
United Nations | un.org | 2019-11-13
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.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/11/1051251

Questioning war within the military; resistance from Vietnam to Iraq
Peace Action of San Mateo County | indybay.org | 2019-11-13
Unitarian Universalists of San Mateo | 300 E. Santa Inez Avenue | San Mateo, CA 94401…
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/11/11/18828011.php

Iraqis paying an 'unthinkable price' to be heard, UN envoy tells politicians in Baghdad
United Nations | un.org | 2019-11-13
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".
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/11/1051311

Lebanon Descends Further into Chaos as Economic Crisis Worsens
telesurenglish.net | 2019-11-13
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…
telesurenglish.net/news/Lebanon-Descends-Further-into-Chaos-as-Economic-Crisis-Worsens-20191113-0005.html

Hong Kong protests defy police violence and mass arrests
wsws.org | 2019-11-13
Escalated police attacks appear to have reinforced the popular support for the protests, setting the stage for an even-more bloody confrontation.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/11/13/hkon-n13.html

Anti-government rallies swell in Baghdad & south Iraq
rt.com | 2019-11-13
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…
rt.com/newsline/473318-rallies-iraq-baghdad-un/

The Real Reasons Behind Israel's Arrest of Two Jordanian Nationals
Ramzy Baroud | mintpressnews.com | 2019-11-13
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…
mintpressnews.com/real-reasons-israel-arrest-two-jordanian-nationals/262833/

ISIS Captives Offer a Convenient Pawn in Turkey's Syria Chess Game
Vanessa Beeley | mintpressnews.com | 2019-11-13
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.
mintpressnews.com/isis-captives-pawn-turkey-syria-chess-game/262814/

Israel Intensifies Strikes as Rockets Rain Down on Gaza
Staff | truthdig.com | 2019-11-13
The death toll rises to 26 in the second day of the heaviest round of fighting in months between Israel and the Islamic Jihad.
truthdig.com/articles/israel-intensifies-strikes-as-rockets-rain-down-on-gaza/

PCHR: Israel's Extrajudicial Execution Policy Resumed
PCHR | imemc.org | 2019-11-13
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 …
imemc.org/article/israeli-extrajudicial-execution-policy-resumed-iof-airstrike-kills-senior-leader-of-islamic-jihad-and-his-wife-in-gaza/

As Israel Pounds The Gaza Strip, Death Toll Reaches 26
telesurenglish.net | 2019-11-13
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,…
telesurenglish.net/news/As-Israel-Pounds-The-Gaza-Strip-Death-Toll-Reaches-26–20191113-0014.html

Army Demolishes An Under-Construction Palestinian Home Near Tubas
IMEMC News | imemc.org | 2019-11-13
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 …
imemc.org/article/army-demolishes-an-under-construction-palestinian-home-near-tubas/

Israel Calls up Reserve Soldiers as Gaza Death Toll Mounts
Middle East Eye | theantimedia.com | 2019-11-13
At least 10 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza that began early on Tuesday.

Israel Calls up Reserve Soldiers as Gaza Death Toll Mounts

Army Abducts Two Palestinians In Jerusalem And Ramallah
IMEMC News | imemc.org | 2019-11-13
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, …
imemc.org/article/army-abducts-two-palestinians-in-jerusalem-and-ramallah/

Former Israeli soldiers tour US to speak out against occupation of Palestinian territories
wsws.org | 2019-11-13
The soldiers' own experiences have led them to rebel against the criminal policies of the Israeli government.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/11/13/isra-n13.html

Updated: Israeli Missiles Kill Two Palestinian, Injure Several Others, In Gaza
IMEMC News | imemc.org | 2019-11-13
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.
imemc.org/article/israeli-missiles-kill-one-palestinian-injure-several-others-in-gaza/

Sri Lanka: SEP presidential candidate exposes pseudo-lefts' pro-capitalist program at university debate
wsws.org | 2019-11-13
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.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/11/13/deba-n13.html

New manuscript discovered of The Tale of Genji, the 11th century Japanese novel
wsws.org | 2019-11-13
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.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/11/13/genj-n13.html

Takeover of Venezuela's embassy in Brazil timed to coincide with launch of BRICS summit — Russia
rt.com | 2019-11-13
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…
rt.com/news/473365-venezuela-embassy-brazil-brics-russia/

Violent riots force Chinese and foreign students to flee Hong Kong
Associated Press | peoplesworld.org | 2019-11-13
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 …
peoplesworld.org/article/violent-riots-force-chinese-and-foreign-students-to-flee-hong-kong/

Zunzi (尊子) Political Cartoon Expo
Northern California Hong Kong Club | indybay.org | 2019-11-13
Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall | 836 Stockton St, San Francisco, California…
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/11/12/18828085.php

As Trump and Erdogan Meet, the U.S. Hopes to Resume F?35 Arms Sales to Turkey
Alex Emmons | theintercept.com | 2019-11-13
Despite Turkey's recent human rights abuses in Syria, the Trump administration would like Turkey to rejoin the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program.
theintercept.com/2019/11/13/trump-erdogan-turkey-f-35/

US wants Turkey 'back in the fold' as tensions mount between between NATO allies
rt.com | 2019-11-13
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…
rt.com/newsline/473364-esper-turkey-nato-fold/

US & Turkey working on 'resolving S-400 issue,' but Trump & Erdogan tight-lipped on details
rt.com | 2019-11-13
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…
rt.com/usa/473363-trump-erdogan-press-conference/

Over $39 million earmarked by UN-backed fund to combat effects of climate change in Nepal
United Nations | un.org | 2019-11-13
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).
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/11/1051281

A Doubtful Proposition: a Reflection on the Trial of the Kings Bay Plowshares 7
Brian Terrell | counterpunch.org | 2019-11-13
"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…
counterpunch.org/2019/11/13/a-doubtful-proposition-a-reflection-on-the-trial-of-the-kings-bay-plowshares-7/

'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 | 2019-11-13
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'. | …
rt.com/sport/473356-daniil-medvedev-federer-reaction/

Ukrainegate impeachment saga worsens US-Russia Cold War
Aaron Maté | thegrayzone.com | 2019-11-13
As the House opens impeachment hearings for President Trump, Professor Stephen F. Cohen warns that the US military assistance at…
thegrayzone.com/2019/11/13/ukrainegate-impeachment-saga-worsens-us-russia-cold-war/

'NATO will be soiling its pants': Ukrainian tycoon seen as power behind president calls for 'new Warsaw Pact' with Moscow
rt.com | 2019-11-13
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…
rt.com/news/473355-ukraine-moscow-alliance-kolomoysky/

Russia to cut dollar share in National Wealth Fund in favor of yuan & other currencies
rt.com | 2019-11-13
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.
rt.com/business/473328-russia-dollar-wealth-fund/

Child prison & death in a blaze: Mother commits suicide after kids she kept in lockup for 10 years escape
rt.com | 2019-11-13
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.' | …
rt.com/russia/473335-russia-children-mother-lockup-suicide/

Khabib: 'Sometimes I go easy on my opponents, I don't want to hurt them' (VIDEO)
rt.com | 2019-11-13
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.
rt.com/sport/473358-khabib-nurmagomedov-conor-mcgregor-hurting-people/

Medvedev melts down as Nadal storms back to win ATP Finals clash
rt.com | 2019-11-13
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…
rt.com/sport/473351-atp-finals-daniil-medvedev-loses-rafael-nadal/

The ISC Report: Russian Connections in Albion?
Binoy Kampmark | counterpunch.org | 2019-11-13
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.
counterpunch.org/2019/11/13/the-isc-report-russian-connections-in-albion/

Shooting NATO with its own bullet? What we know about Kalashnikov's new rifle, chambered in alliance-standard 7.62x51mm
rt.com | 2019-11-13
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…
rt.com/russia/473362-kalashnikov-ak-308-nato/

Pyongyang warns of retaliation against S. Korea-US military drills
rt.com | 2019-11-13
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…
rt.com/newsline/473341-korea-retaliation-us-military/

Nothing to see here: Rivers along Korean border run red with blood after massive pig cull (PHOTOS)
rt.com | 2019-11-13
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…
rt.com/news/473330-rivers-run-red-south-korea/

Blairite MP Margaret Hodge refuses to back Corbyn as prime minister
wsws.org | 2019-11-13
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.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/11/13/hodg-n13.html

Oklahomans Just Made History — and They Can Do it Again
Taylor Pendergrass | aclu.org | 2019-11-13
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…
aclu.org/news/smart-justice/oklahomans-just-made-history-and-they-can-do-it-again

Murder Like It's 1495: U.S.-Backed Counterinsurgency in the Philippines
Nick Alexandrov | counterpunch.org | 2019-11-13
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…
counterpunch.org/2019/11/13/murder-like-its-1495-u-s-backed-counterinsurgency-in-the-philippines/

China creating "its own Yellowstone" park in Tibet to preserve ecosystem
Christina Larson, Emily Wang | peoplesworld.org | 2019-11-13
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 …
peoplesworld.org/article/china-creating-its-own-yellowstone-park-in-tibet-to-preserve-ecosystem/

Trump threatens "substantial" increase in anti-China tariffs
wsws.org | 2019-11-13
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."
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/11/13/trad-n13.html

Pompeo's Iran Nuclear Lies Exposed Using Clear Evidence & The JCPOA Document Itself
Activist Post | thelastamericanvagabond.com | 2019-11-12
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 …
thelastamericanvagabond.com/top-news/pompeos-iran-nuclear-lies-exposed-using-clear-evidence-jcpoa-document-itself/

Students Lead New Wave of Protests In Lebanon
telesurenglish.net | 2019-11-12
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.
telesurenglish.net/news/students-take-charge-of-protests-in-lebanon-20191112-0020.html

How Iran-Backed Forces Are Taking Over Iraq
Patrick Cockburn | counterpunch.org | 2019-11-12
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.
counterpunch.org/2019/11/12/how-iran-backed-forces-are-taking-over-iraq/

Marco Rubio blames 'Putin's disinformation' for coverage of Bolivia coup that he doesn't like
rt.com | 2019-11-12
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…
rt.com/usa/473270-marco-rubio-bolivia-russia/

Israel is Silencing the Last Voices Trying to Stop Abuses Against Palestinians
Jonathan Cook | counterpunch.org | 2019-11-12
It has been a week of appalling abuses committed by Israeli soldiers in the West Bank — little different from the other 2,670 weeks endured by Palestinians since the occupation began in 1967. The difference this past week was that several entirely unexceptional human rights violations that had been caught on film went viral on social media. One shows a Palestinian father in the West Bank city of Hebron leading his son by the hand to kindergarten. The pair are stopped by two heavily armed soldiers, there to help enforce the rule of a few hundred illegal Jewish settlers over the city's Palestinian population.
counterpunch.org/2019/11/12/israel-is-silencing-the-last-voices-trying-to-stop-abuses-against-palestinians/

James Corbett Interview — ISIS Was Created, Armed And Funded By US/Israel & It's An Open Secret
Ryan Cristián | thelastamericanvagabond.com | 2019-11-12
The US government armed Osama Bin Laden; it armed Saddam Hussain with chemical weapons to be used against Iran in 1980; it armed the very groups that later became ISIS. Yet we are sold an entirely different yarn by the US government and its lap dog MSM. Today I have invited James Corbett on the …
thelastamericanvagabond.com/interviews/james-corbett-interview-isis-created-armed-funded-by-us-israel-an-open-secret/

2019-11-12: News Headlines

RT (2019-11-12). Battleground Hong Kong: Rioters armed with catapults & javelins destroy university campuses & metro stations, clashing with police. rt.com Protests in Hong Kong have reached new heights of violence, with bomb-throwing rioters seizing control of university campuses and pushing out police while authorities admit that the riot-ravaged city hangs by a thread. | Demonstrators armed to the teeth with molotov cocktails, javelins, and (in one case, at least) a chainsaw have seized control of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), pushing riot police off the campus on Tuesday night and leaving a shocking amount of destruction in their wake. | Rioters armed with catapults & javelins destroy university campuses & metro stations, clashing with police in…

W. T. Whitney Jr. (2019-11-12). Once more, UN General Assembly rejects U.S. blockade of Cuba. peoplesworld.org It happened again. For the 28th consecutive year, a Cuban resolution calling for an end to the U.S. economic blockade of that island was approved overwhelmingly in the United Nations General Assembly. The vote on Nov. 7 was 187 votes in favor, three votes against—the United States, Israel, and Brazil—and two nations abstaining, Colombia and …

Staff (2019-11-12). Israel Targets Islamic Jihad Leader, Sending Message to Iran. truthdig.com A senior commander from the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad is killed in the Gaza Strip; Israel is hit with retaliatory rocket fire.

RT (2019-11-12). China & Russia's 'worst nightmare'? National Interest piece fantasizing sale of US nuke subs to allies is an 'exaggeration'. rt.com The National Interest magazine claimed that a potential sale of US nuclear subs to allies may become a "nightmare" for Russia and China. Military analysts told RT there could be a fallout but a grim prospect is an exaggeration. | The executive editor of the Washington-based outlet, Harry J. Kazianis, recently published an article revealing what would become "China and Russia's worst nightmare." In the piece, he floated the idea of selling or leasing 10 or 12 Virginia-Class attack subs to Australia and other allies into the minds of the decision makers in the Pentagon. | Kazianis wrote that such a move will all…

RT (2019-11-12). Mystery as 'thousands' of birds found DEAD on shores of Indian lake. rt.com The shocking discovery of more than 1,000 dead birds of various species along the shores of India's biggest inland salt lake has left authorities scratching their heads. | The corpses of more than a dozen species of migratory birds were found littered around Sambhar Lake, in the northern state of Rajasthan, in recent days. | The lake is a favored winter spot of migratory birds from Europe and China and is a recognized wetland of international importance, so the unexplained mass death has sparked serious concern among officials. | "We have never seen anything like this," Abhinav Vaishnav, a local bird-watche…

Patrick Cockburn (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

Jim Kavanagh (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…

RT (2019-11-12). Europeans failed to fulfill their commitments to Iran nuclear deal — FM Zarif. rt.com Europeans have failed to fulfill their own commitments to Iran's 2015 nuclear deal, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted on Tuesday. The statement came in response to a warning by the EU that urged Tehran to stick to the pact or face consequences, Reuters said. | European states have been trying to persuade Tehran to stick to the deal, under which it agreed to curb its nuclear program in return for the lifting of sanctions, despite a decision last year by US President Donald Trump to abandon it. | Iran has long blamed the Europeans for failing to provide the economic benefits it was meant to receive u…

RT (2019-11-12). Competition for Moscow? UK election meddling accusations spread from Russia, to India…to Hillary. rt.com If you believe the daily reports, Britain's ongoing election campaign is facing more interference than an old analogue television during a rainstorm, and amazingly, it's not just Russians being accused of being behind it. | A sense of old world grandeur is easily inflated by convincing yourself that you're so important that the whole world wants to swing your election. | Of course, it is still mainly Russia which stands accused in Britain, because that is just the easiest option available, but now there are also indications of supposed Indian meddling going on, and an election wouldn't be an election if the US…

RT (2019-11-12). 'Bird of the Year' flap: More Russian meddling in wildlife contest? rt.com New Zealand is home to over 200 bird species and most of them are unique to the north and south islands where they have lived for millions of years. But while the Dodo might be dead, modern day drama and meddling certainly isn't.

RT (2019-11-12). 'Never forget what your enemy looks like': MPs allow use of swastika to condemn Nazi ideology. rt.com The swastika and other symbols of the Third Reich can be used, but only if it's done to condemn Nazism, the State Duma ruled. The previous legislation was too harsh, even making addressing classic WWII movies a problem. | There was an outright ban on Nazi symbols in Russia due to them offending the memory of the grave losses suffered by the country during the Great Patriotic War against the German invaders in 1941-45. | But the amendments to the relevant law, which MPs passed in the second reading on Tuesday, allow for the restrictions to be lifted in cases when those symbols are used "to form a negative attit…

RT (2019-11-12). Back on track: Federer rescues ATP Finals hopes with win over Berrettini. rt.com Swiss tennis icon Roger Federer picked up his first win at the Nitto ATP Finals, beating debutant Matteo Berrettini of Italy in two straight sets to keep his tournament hopes alive. | Berrettini ,the first Italian to qualify for the season-ending event since 1978, showed tough resistance in the opening set, stretching it to a tie-break where the more experienced Swiss got the upper hand 7-2. | READ MORE: False start: Stefanos Tsitsipas downs Russia's Daniil Medvedev in ATP Finals opener | How…

RT (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…

Activist Post (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 …

Peace Action of San Mateo County (2019-11-12). 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…

IMEMC & Agencies (2019-11-12). 417 Palestinians Arrested in October — Including 75 Children. imemc.org The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) detained a total of 417 Palestinians from the occupied West Bank and the blockaded Gaza Strip in the month of October, ALRAY reported. Prisoner and human rights organizations released a fact sheet Sunday, that the IOF detained 75 children and 16 women. The following is …

Jonathan Cook (2019-11-12). How the Hand of Israeli Spy Tech Reaches Deep into our Lives. dissidentvoice.org Digital age weapons developed by Israel to oppress Palestinians are rapidly being repurposed for much wider applications — against Western populations who have long taken their freedoms for granted. Israel's status as a "startup nation" was established decades ago. But its reputation for hi-tech innovation always depended on a dark side, one that is becoming …

commondreams (2019-11-12). We Must Not Just Watch, Yet Again, As Israel's Massive Military Dominates and Destroys Palestinian Lives and Livelihoods in Gaza. commondreams.org ______________________________…

IMEMC News (2019-11-12). Israeli Army Assassinates Senior Islamic Jihad Leader, And His Wife, In Gaza. imemc.org The Israeli army killed, on Tuesday at dawn, a senior leader of the Islamic Jihad Movement, and his wife, after firing several missiles into a building in the Sheja'eyya area, east of Gaza city, also wounding many members of their family, in addition to a female neighbor. The Al-Quds Brigades, …

commondreams (2019-11-12). Categorizing Feminism, Atheism, Homosexuality as Crimes Exposes Saudi Arabia's Dangerous Intolerance. commondreams.org ______________________________…

United Nations (2019-11-12). In Bahrain, Global Forum for Entrepreneurs and Investment examines empowerment of women, youth through innovation. un.org Spotlighting the role of targeted investment and innovation towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with special focus on 'Harnessing the Potential of the Fourth Industrial Revolution in the Digital Economy,' the World Entrepreneurs Investment Forum kicked off on Tuesday in the Bahraini capital, Manama.

Yoko Liriano (2019-11-12). De Facto Martial Law in the Philippines. counterpunch.org In 2010, I was a summer intern for the largest, progressive human rights organization in the Philippines, Karapatan: Alliance for the Advancement of Peoples Rights. As a non-Filipino, I never imagined that I would become so involved in the Filipino cause. Faced, however, with the dire human rights situation as well as the fervor of More

Common Dreams (2019-11-12). Lithium Question Looms Large in Bolivia After Morales Ousted in Coup. theantimedia.com The coup against Morales in Bolivia cannot be understood without a glance at the new Cold War between the West and China.

Colin Todhunter (2019-11-12). Agrarian Crisis and Malnutrition: GM Agriculture Is Not the Answer. counterpunch.org M S Swaminathan is often referred to as the 'father' of India's Green Revolution. In 2009, he said that no scientific evidence had emerged to justify concerns about genetically modified (GM) crops, often regarded as stage two of the Green Revolution. In a December 2018 paper in the journal Current Science, however, it was argued More

Nyla Ali Khan (2019-11-12). Bigotry and Ideology in India and Kashmir: the Legacy of the Babri Masjid Mosque. counterpunch.org With the imposition of Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code of 1973, (which authorizes an executive magistrate to prohibit an assembly of more than four people in any area), in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, mainland India gets a small smattering of what Kashmir has been facing since August 5. A disused sixteenth-century mosque in Ayodhya, More

Marie O'Reilly (2019-11-12). Sanctions Against North Korea Hurt Women. progressive.org "Maximum pressure" sanctions have failed to change policies in Pyongyang, and have had grave human costs.

teleSUR (2019-11-12). UN Steps in to Urge Lebanon to Form New Government. telesurenglish.net Lebanon's banks and schools were shut on Tuesday in a new wave of disruption as politicians struggled to agree on a new government to steer the country out of its worst economic crisis since the 1975-90 civil war. | RELATED: | Thousands of Lebanese Demonstrate Awaiting a New Government | The top U.N. official in Lebanon called for the urgent formation of a cabinet made up of people known for their competence, which he said would be in a better position to appeal for international…

WSWS (2019-11-12). Sri Lankan daily interviews SEP presidential candidate Pani Wijesiriwardena. wsws.org Below is the text of Pani Wijesiriwardena's interview by Sri Lanka's leading newspaper, the Daily Mirror, which published it last week under the title "Capitalism offers no solutions to the dangers facing workers: Pani Wijesiriwardena"

WSWS (2019-11-12). Vote for Pani Wijesiriwardena in the Sri Lankan presidential election! Rally to fight for international socialism! wsws.org Pani Wijesiriwardena is standing on behalf of the Socialist Equality Party in Sri Lanka on a revolutionary socialist and internationalist program, against imperialist war, social inequality and authoritarian rule.

WSWS (2019-11-12). Tens of thousands in Russia face medicine shortages as a result of Western sanctions. wsws.org Between April and August 2019, two women from Moscow and one from Yekaterinburg were temporarily arrested and charged for illegally obtaining unregistered medicine.

RT (2019-11-12). EU pushes Britain to name new commissioner despite Brexit plans. rt.com The European Union pressed Britain on Tuesday to name a representative for the new executive European Commission, despite the country's planned departure from the bloc. | The British government has so far shown little interest in the matter after Prime Minister Boris Johnson was forced to delay Brexit for a third time, until January 31, and campaigning is underway for a national election on December 12. | However, the EU is keen to press ahead with the launch of its new commission on December 1, Reuters reports. The executive body will be headed by Ursula von der Leyen, the first woman to hold that post. | The…

Staff (2019-11-12). Headlines for November 12, 2019. democracynow.org Longtime Bolivian President Evo Morales Takes Asylum in Mexico, Supreme Court Hears Oral Arguments on DACA Cases, Televised Impeachment Hearings to Start Tomorrow, Former MA Gov. Deval Patrick May Jump Into 2020 Race, NY Republican Congressman Peter King Retires, Donald Trump Jr. Heckled Off Stage by His Own Supporters, EPA to Restrict Scientific Research Used to Write Public Health Regulations, Israeli Military Kills Palestinian Commander in Targeted Assassination in Gaza, Afghan Government & Taliban Agree on Prisoner Exchange, Chilean Government Bows to Protests & Agrees to Rewrite Constitution, 260 Arrested in…

teleSUR (2019-11-12). Saudi Arabia Convicts 38 People on Terrorism-Related Charges. telesurenglish.net A Saudi Arabian court charged 38 people Tuesday of financing "terrorism" and declaring other Muslims as non-believers, handing out sentences ranging from 30 months to 25 years. | RELATED: | Repression Deepened Under Saudi Crown Prince MBS: Report | The state-run news outlet Al Ekhbariya did not give the nationalities or names of those convicted out of the 41 people in total on trial. | Although it reported one of those sentenced had set up a "terrorist organization" while in prison a…

Eoin Higgins, staff writer (2019-11-12). Latest Israeli Assault on Gaza Continuation of 'Torture and Torment of Palestinians,' Says Jewish Voice for Peace. commondreams.org "The illegal blockade of Gaza by Israel imprisons every aspect of life for Palestinians in Gaza, and the inhumane restrictions on food, electricity, and healthcare are all forms of violence, carried out daily for the past 11 years by Israel." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gaza_14.jpg

Jonathan Cook (2019-11-12). Israel is Silencing the Last Voices Trying to Stop Abuses Against Palestinians. counterpunch.org It has been a week of appalling abuses committed by Israeli soldiers in the West Bank — little different from the other 2,670 weeks endured by Palestinians since the occupation began in 1967. The difference this past week was that several entirely unexceptional human rights violations that had been caught on film went viral on social media. One shows a Palestinian father in the West Bank city of Hebron leading his son by the hand to kindergarten. The pair are stopped by two heavily armed soldiers, there to help enforce the rule of a few hundred illegal Jewish settlers over the city's Palestinian population.

Susan Price (2019-11-12). Joint Asian regional statement opposes US-backed coup in Bolivia. greenleft.org.au Latin AmericaIssue 1245 Bolivia 2019 coup in BoliviaNovember 12, 2019The following joint regional statement from the Asian left and progressives was issued on November 11, in response to the coup in Boliva. | * * * | Stand with Evo Morales and the Movement Towards Socialism!
| Resist the US-backed coup! | We stand with Evo Morales and B…

Ahmed Abdulkareem (2019-11-11). The Houthis Are Preparing for a Planned Israeli Attack on Yemen. mintpressnews.com There are strong indications that Israel is planning to launch airstrikes against Yemen under the pretext of preventing an Iranian military presence from taking hold, much as it did in Syria and Iraq.

Robert Fisk (2019-11-11). How the Syrian Democratic Forces Were Suddenly Transformed into "Kurdish Forces" counterpunch.org That wars end very differently to our own expectations — or our plans — was established long ago. That "we" won the Second World War did not mean the Americans would win the Vietnam war, or that France would vanquish its enemies in Algeria. Yet the moment we decide who the good guys are, and who the evil More

RT (2019-11-11). Tulsi Gabbard lawyer demanding retraction from Hillary Clinton over 'defamatory' Russian asset smear. rt.com A lawyer for presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard is demanding that Hillary Clinton retract her "defamatory" comments alleging that the anti-war Democrat is a Russian asset and Moscow's "favorite" for the 2020 election. | In a letter to Clinton seen by the Hill, Gabbard's legal counsel said Clinton "knew it was false" when she accused the Hawaii congresswoman of being a Russian asset. "Your statement is defamatory, and we demand that you retract it immediately," Gabbard's lawyer wrote in the letter, demanding a verbal response from Clinton. | This fabricated story is so facially improbable that it is actionabl…

IMEMC News & Agencies (2019-11-11). Israeli Forces Attack Commemoration of Arafat's Death. imemc.org Dozens of Palestinians suffocated, today, as Israeli forces attacked citizens participating in marches commemorating the 15th anniversary for the death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, said a local activist. Media activist in Beit Ummar, Mohammad Awad, told WAFA that Israeli forces stormed an area adjacent to the Israeli settlement of …

teleSUR (2019-11-11). Israeli Troops Kill Palestinian Man in Occupied West Bank. telesurenglish.net Israeli forces shot and killed a 22-year-old Palestinian man Monday in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Authority (PA) said. | RELATED: | Israeli Guard Shoots Unarmed Palestinian in the Back: Video | Omar Badawi was shot in the abdomen in Al-Aroub refugee camp near Hebron city during a march marking the 15th anniversary of the death of former Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, according to the PA news agency Wafa. | "There were protests in commemoration of Yasser Arafat'

teleSUR (2019-11-11). Protesters, Iraqi Police Continue Battle on Baghdad Streets. telesurenglish.net Protests in Iraq's capital Baghdad continued on Monday as both Iraqi forces and protesters tried to dislodge each other from an area leading to the Green Zone. | The protests that began on Oct. 1 were initially focused on a lack of jobs and services but quickly morphed into a denunciation of the sectarian power-sharing system of government introduced in 2003 and the political elites they say benefit from it. | Security forces have used live ammunition, tear gas and stun grenades against mostly young and unarmed protesters, killing more than 280 people. | Iraqi leaders agreed on Sunday that electoral reforms…

Jonathan Cook (2019-11-11). Israel is silencing the last voices trying to prevent abuse of Palestinians. dissidentvoice.org It has been a week of appalling abuses committed by Israeli soldiers in the West Bank — little different from the other 2,670 weeks endured by Palestinians since the occupation began in 1967. The difference this past week was that several entirely unexceptional human rights violations that had been caught on film went viral on …

IMEMC News & Agencies (2019-11-11). US Jewish Organizations Warn against West Bank Annexation. imemc.org A coalition of American Jewish groups has sent a letter to leaders of Israel's political parties, warning them against full or even partial annexation of the occupied West Bank. The letter, written by the Progressive Israel Network, asks Israeli politicians to oppose the annexation plan being pursued by Prime Minister …

IMEMC & Agencies (2019-11-11). Saeb Erekat Calls on the ICC to Investigate Shooting Death of Young Palestinian Man. imemc.org Saeb Erekat, secretary general of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) asked the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Fatou Bensouda, to open a criminal investigation into the systematic and continued war crimes committed by the Israeli occupation authorities against unarmed Palestinian civilians. Erekat, in a …

IMEMC News & Agencies (2019-11-11). Two Residential Structures Demolished in Occupied Jerusalem. imemc.org Israeli forces, on Monday, demolished two residential structures in the occupied Palestinian city of Jerusalem. Younes Jafar, Chairman of Al-Montar Land Defense Committee, said that soldiers embarked, in the early morning hours, on destroying two residential buildings in the area of al-Montar, under the pretext of being built without …

United Nations (2019-11-11). New UN forestry project bids to help countries meet climate change commitments. un.org More than two dozen countries across Asia, Africa and Latin America are set to benefit from a UN project to help tackle climate change through better forestry management.

WSWS (2019-11-11). Trump rules out rollback of China tariffs. wsws.org Trump's remarks were in response to a statement by Chinese Ministry of Commerce spokesman Gao Feng that the two sides had agreed to reduce tariffs on each other's goods as part of any agreement.

Alexandra Marvar (2019-11-11). Turkey's Other Weapon Against the Kurds: Water. thenation.com Turkey's Other Weapon Against the Kurds: Water…

teleSUR (2019-11-11). US Would Attack Even Its Friends To Keep Its Hegemony: Assad. telesurenglish.net Syria became a testing ground for the United States as it prepares its tools to safeguard world hegemony, Syrian President Bashar Assad told RT's Afshin Rattansi in an exclusive interview Monday. | RELATED: | US Military Says 500 to 600 Troops to Remain in Syria | According to the head of state, Washington sees that its former dominant role is fading and is trying to preserve it using all available means, they would "fight the Russians, the Iranians, the Syrians, whoever said…