Italy Wants Rescue Ship Seized, Accuses Doctors Without Borders Of Illegal Dumping
Authorities in Italy have demanded the seizure of a humanitarian ship used to rescue migrants from drowning in the Mediterranean Sea, alleging that the ship improperly dumped contaminated and medical waste at port — a charge strongly rejected by the nonprofit groups that operate the ship.Doctors Without Borders and SOS Mediterranee describe the seizure order as an attempt to criminalize humanitarian aid, saying the ship has always followed standard procedure for disposing waste.
npr.org
Amid mass protests, France announces return to universal military service
Yesterday, after hundreds of thousands of people across France donned yellow vests and blockaded roads and intersections to oppose President Emmanuel Macron’s fuel tax hike and his social attacks on working people, the French government announced the return to universal military service. In an interview yesterday with Le Parisien, Junior Minister for Youth Gabriel Attal, who is presenting the bill, said: “My objective is to have the first draftees as early as June” of 2019.
wsws.org
‘Israeli sniper’ shoots AP cameraman in PRESS vest as he films border protest
An Associated Press (AP) cameraman has been injured by gunfire while filming a protest in the Gaza Strip, the agency said. He was apparently shot by an Israeli sniper despite wearing clothes identifying him as a media worker. Rashed Rashid, 47 was injured in the leg on Monday while covering the weekly protest at the Israeli border wall, AP reported. He received multiple bone fractures above the ankle and will require surgery.
rt.com
Two private jets but I'm middle class, says Germany's 'anti-Merkel'
A frontrunner to take over from Angela Merkel as leader of Germany’s main conservative party is facing criticism for describing himself as “upper middle class” despite having amassed a fortune working in the financial sector and owning two private jets.Friedrich Merz, 62, who has been selling himself as the man who can save Germany from political and economic stagnation, and is seen as the most likely to succeed Merkel as head of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), was forced to disclose this week that his annual earnings amounted to around €1m (£890,000).
theguardian.com
Airbnb Plans To Remove Listings In Israeli Settlements
Property-renting company Airbnb says it plans to remove listings in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.Israeli Tourism Minister Yariv Levin described it as a "disgraceful surrender," while senior Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat called it an "initial positive step."
npr.org
An Atomwaffen Member Sketched a Map to Take the Neo-Nazis Down. What Path Officials Took Is a Mystery.
Some experts and former officials see the case as part of a larger pattern, evidence that federal agencies are understaffed and out of position in confronting the threat of white supremacist terrorism — even as the FBI’s latest report shows a spike in hate crimes for the third straight year.
propublica.org
U.S. likely to give troops authority to protect border officials
The White House is likely to grant U.S. troops on the border with Mexico additional authority to protect customs and border personnel if needed, a U.S. official said on Monday.The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said a public announcement could come around Tuesday and specific details were still being worked on. Currently troops do not have the authority to protect border officials.
reuters.com
Brazil: Bolsonaro Picks Another ‘Chicago Boy’ to Head Petrobras
President-elect Jair Bolsonaro has named privatization advocate Roberto Castello Branco as chief executive of Brazil’s state-owned oil company, Petrobras.Castello Branco has called for an “urgent” privatization of the petroleum company, in line with Bolsonaro’s campaign promises.He will replace Ivan Monteiro who took over from Pedro Parente as CEO after a truck drivers’ strike earlier this year. "We need several private companies to compete in the fuel market," Castillo wrote in an op-ed for Brazilian newspaper, Folha de S. Paulo…
telesurenglish.net