The United Nations says nearly 8,000 Afghan civilians have been killed or wounded this year in the US-led war. ● On Wednesday, Mark Bowden, the UN humanitarian coordinator, appealed for USD 405 million to cover the costs of humanitarian programs for Afghan people in 2015. More than 100,000 people have been forced from their homes in Afghanistan while 4,000 families are currently facing a tough time without adequate housing as winter is approaching, Bowden said. Half a million Afghan children die each year of preventable disease across the war-torn country, he added. Some 1.2 million children are “acutely malnourished” and food insecurity affects almost eight million people in Afghanistan, the UN coordinator said. [...] The United States, Britain, and their allies invaded Afghanistan on October 7, 2001, as part of their so-called war on terror. Although the offensive removed the Taliban from power, insecurity remains across the country.

Amid protests, Russia, China urge US to stop lecturing about human rights. ● New violent protests triggered by a grand jury decision not to indict a police officer who killed a black teenager in Ferguson have prompted Russia and China to criticize the US for human rights issues and racial discrimination in the country. Russian Foreign Ministry's human rights envoy Konstantin Dolgov said on Tuesday the protests in Ferguson and other US cities showed serious challenges to the American society and its stability. "Racial discrimination, racial and ethnic tensions are major challenges to the American democracy, to stability and integrity of the American society," the Russian envoy said. "We may only hope that US authorities seriously deal with those issues and other serious challenges in the human rights field in their own country and stop what they have been doing all along recently — playing an aggressive mentor lecturing other countries about how to meet human rights standards," he added. When asked about the violence over the case in the US, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said the case is an internal US affair but no country is perfect regarding human rights. "We can learn from each other in this area," she said.

PressTV: UN rights chief blasts US on race || The UN rights chief warned that there is a deep lack of confidence in the fairness of the justice system in the United States, and urged the authorities to thoroughly examine how “race-related issues are affecting law enforcement and the administration of justice, both at the federal and state levels.” To many protesters, Brown’s death is symbolic of broader racial injustice in America.

St Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch announced on Monday night that Darren Wilson would not be indicted in a bizarre press conference that instead found others to blame. ● In the 25-minute announcement, he slammed news outlets and social media - suggesting they were responsible for the tension after the August 9 shooting, rather than the shooting itself. 'The most significant challenge encountered in this investigation has been the 24-hour news cycle and its insatiable appetite for something, for anything to talk about, following closely behind with the non-stop rumors on social media,' he said. The users of social media promptly expressed their shock at the claim.

Daily Mail: Hit-And-Run Driver Smashes Through Crowd Of Ferguson Protesters
New York Times: More Troops Sent to Ferguson After Night of Chaos
RT.com: ‘I have clean conscience, did my job right’: Ferguson officer Wilson on Brown's death

Stephen Lendman ■ Systemic Injustice in America
Paul Craig Roberts ■ Ferguson: The Safety of Citizens is Lost with The Unaccountability of Police
Andre Damon ■ No indictment for Ferguson cop who killed Michael Brown
John W. Whitehead ■ The Lesson of Ferguson: We Are the Enemy
Finian Cunningham ■ US Police State Violence Behind Ferguson Protests
Tom Eley ■ Demonstrations across the US against Michael Brown decision

New analysis of data conducted by human rights group Reprieve shared with the Guardian, raises questions about accuracy of intelligence guiding ‘precise’ strikes. ● The drones came for Ayman Zawahiri on 13 January 2006, hovering over a village in Pakistan called Damadola. Ten months later, they came again for the man who would become al-Qaida’s leader, this time in Bajaur. Eight years later, Zawahiri is still alive. Seventy-six children and 29 adults, according to reports after the two strikes, are not. However many Americans know who Zawahiri is, far fewer are familiar with Qari Hussain. Hussain was a deputy commander of the Pakistani Taliban, a militant group aligned with al-Qaida that trained the would-be Times Square bomber, Faisal Shahzad, before his unsuccessful 2010 attack. The drones first came for Hussain years before, on 29 January 2008. Then they came on 23 June 2009, 15 January 2010, 2 October 2010 and 7 October 2010. Finally, on 15 October 2010, Hellfire missiles fired from a Predator or Reaper drone killed Hussain, the Pakistani Taliban later confirmed. For the death of a man whom practically no American can name, the US killed 128 people, 13 of them children, none of whom it meant to harm.

RT.com: 50 civilians dead in US-led airstrikes against ISIS in Syria – UN

Israel has threatened to arrest the Palestinian activists who post anti-Israeli remarks on Facebook, Press TV reports. ● In the latest wave of crackdown on Palestinian activists, Tel Aviv has vowed to take legal against those who post anti-Israeli remarks on Facebook. Last week, 32-year-old Mahmoud Asila from the Old City of al-Quds was arrested for what the Israeli regime called incitement and spreading violent propaganda. He is accused of posting a picture in support of recent car attacks carried out by Palestinians against Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank. Asila has taken responsibility for his Facebook post, saying it is part of his freedom of speech.

We noted in 2010 that the American Dream – the possibility of a “rags to riches” success story – has moved abroad … since social mobility in the U.S. is much lower than in many other developed nations. (And we pointed out that conservatives are as disturbed as liberals by the collapse of social mobility in modern America.) A paper published last year by University of Ottawa economics professor Miles Corak tells us exactly where the American Dream has gone … to Scandinavia. Denmark, Norway and Finland have the most social mobility (and Sweden is not that far behind). On the other hand, the UK, Italy and America have the least social mobility. [...] Norway is arguably the world’s most prosperous country. Denmark is 3rd; Sweden is 6th; and Finland is 8th … but the U.S. has dropped down to 10th place.

xymphora ■ The Jewish billionaires have finally told Barry their price for funding his very comfortable retirement - more Wars For The Jews. They had to wait for the Republicans to retake the Senate so they could force a neocon Secretary of Defense. In quick succession in the last few days we've seen:

1. Barry extending and expanding the War For The Jews in Afghanistan;
2. the mysterious collapse of the Iran peace talks (Iran thought they were headed for a deal and suddenly the other side turned away - see also "France Mistral Ship Update: Hollande Suspends Decision To Deliver Warships To Russia" connected for the War For The Jews against Russia being carried on in Ukraine);
3. the rather vicious firing of Hagel, the viciousness coming no doubt from the Jewish idea that he is an anti-Semite due to his skepticism at running all American foreign and military policy solely for the benefit of Zionism;
4. a new call for more sanctions on Iran in order to undermine any chances for peace (note the change from November 21 - "Why Is AIPAC Suddenly So Silent on Iran?" to November 24 - "AIPAC Leads Call for Sanctions to Sabotage Iran Talks").

Wayne Madsen ■ Hagel’s Head Delivered to the Neocons on a Silver Platter || Hagel wanted a clear administration determination on what its priorities were in the Middle East. After making it clear at Cabinet meetings that ISIL was the primary threat to the entire Middle East region, Hagel was frustrated at the push-back from policy makers like Rice and her compatriot Power. To defeat ISIL quickly, there had to be an end to U.S. military advice and weaponry, in addition to finances, getting into ISIL hands through interlocutors like McCain’s friends in the Free Syrian Army and the government of Turkey. That is where Hagel ran into opposition from the Obama administration’s «Responsibility to Protect» (R2P) crowd of Rice, Power, Rhodes, and the rest of those who Hagel once referred to as Washington’s «Jewish Lobby». These extreme interventionists are in bed with Israel’s government in providing aid to Syria’s Al Nusra Front guerrillas who are allied with ISIL. With Hagel and Dempsey arguing for consistency in America’s policy against ISIL, which would entail coming to an accommodation with Assad and Damascus, a clash with the pro-Israeli neocons was bound to occur. When push came to shove, Hagel was shoved out the door.

The sum is comprised of the €1.2 billion the contract is worth and a compensation of €800 million for each of the ships. ● If France doesn't deliver Mistral helicopter carriers to Russia, the penalty may ammount to €3 billion, the Le Parisien newspaper reported Wednesday. The sum is comprised of the €1.2 billion the contract is worth and a compensation of €800 million for each of the ships. No official confirmation has been yet received. Earlier, French media estimated the compensation at €10 billion. On Tuesday French President Francois Hollande said the current situation in Ukraine does not allow Paris to hand over the first Mistral helicopter carrier to Russia. Russian deputy defense minister Yuri Borisov told TASS on Tuesday Russia will be acting strictly in line with the contract and file a lawsuit if the ship is not delivered.