11-month-old Balqis Ghawadra just became the youngest prisoner in the world, when Israeli authorities jailed her after visiting her father in Eshel Israeli prison in occupied Beer Sheva. Balqis was arrested alongside her sister and mother on November 26, 2014, as they arrived for a long awaited visit with the children’s father. Local and international human rights agencies are now scrambling to support the family and push for their release.

For the second night in a row, thousands of protesters overran the streets of New York, shutting down several major arteries of the city as they expressed outrage over a grand jury decision not to indict an officer for the death of an unarmed black man. ● At least 28 arrests have been reported in Manhattan, though with protests in Brooklyn and elsewhere extending into the night the number is sure to climb. Despite a heavy police presence at most areas, demonstrations were largely peaceful and nonviolent. ● The night of civil disobedience began after up to 10,000 people rallied in Foley Square to blast the grand jury decision in the case of Eric Garner – a Staten Island man who was killed via chokehold as several New York Police Department officers helped take him to the ground. Garner died with Officer Daniel Pantaleo’s arms wrapped around his neck as he yelled, “I can’t breathe.” Although a bystander filmed the entire incident, Pantaleo was not indicted on criminal charges.

PressTV: Another white police officer kills another black man in US
AddInfo: Missouri Man Pulls Handgun On Protesters, Mows Down Four With Minivan - Video
WSWS: Protests erupt over decision not to indict cop who killed Eric Garner
AWIP: N.Y. grand jury declines to indict officer in death of Eric Garner, igniting protests

Washington and its allies are pursuing a regime change policy towards Russia, deliberately introducing sanctions and attacking the ruble through manipulation of world oil prices, the head of Russia's external intelligence agency has said. ● Mikhail Fradkov, the head of the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), warned that Moscow is aware of US moves to oust Putin from power. “Such a desire has been noticed, it’s a small secret,” Fradkov - a former prime minister - told Bloomberg on Thursday. “No one wants to see a strong and independent Russia.” He also attributed the more than 30 percent drop in oil price partly to US actions. Lower prices on one of Russia's main exports placed immense pressure on the ruble, which is also suffering from sanctions. The ruble has lost 39 percent of its value against the dollar so far this year. Foreign investment funds are “taking part” in ruble speculation via intermediaries, Fradkov said. “Any speculation has specific schemes and the schemes have a number of participants.”

RT.com: ‘Putin made perfectly clear that Russia won’t be bullied by West’
VIDEO: The US govt bent on world hegemony, Russia stands in its way – Reagan economic ex-advisor
Paul Craig Roberts ■ Vladimir Putin’s Presidential Address to the Federal Assembly
The Saker ■ Main Message Of Putin's Big Speech: Russia is Fed Up with Neo-con Aggression

Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak and Slovak Economy Minister Pavol Pavlis will sign a deal on the supply of Russian oil to Slovakia, starting from January 2015 until the end of 2029, which will be automatically prolonged every five years after that. ● Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak and Slovak Economy Minister Pavol Pavlis will sign a deal on the supply of Russian oil to Slovakia for the next 15 years on Friday. The deal will be in force from January 2015 until the end of 2029, and will be automatically prolonged every five years after that, if neither of the sides objects, spokesperson for the Slovak Economy Ministry Miriam Ziakova told RIA Novosti Thursday. Russia will supply Slovakia with about 6 million metric tons of oil annually under the new deal, which will replace the previous agreement that expires on December 31, 2014. The same amount of Russian oil will be delivered via Slovakia to Western Europe.

John Meinhold ■ Call it shameful. Call it a disgrace. On Nov. 21, the United States, Canada and Ukraine voted “No” to a UN resolution condemning the “glorification of Nazism.” When I heard about this, I wondered what my late father, a decorated World War II veteran, who risked his life countless times fighting the Nazis in Europe, would have said. I could find no reporting in the U.S. media about this. Why? Inner City Press, that does investigative reporting on the UN, noted information about this resolution vote “went unreported” in “Western wire services.” Perhaps those in our media should be reminded of the Nuremberg Trials against Nazi leaders for war crimes that curiously began exactly 69 years ago on Nov. 21, 1945. ■ President Vladimir Putin said in a recent interview with the German channel ARD: “Frankly speaking, we are very concerned about any possible ethnic cleansings and Ukraine ending up as a neo-Nazi state. What are we supposed to think if people are bearing swastikas on their sleeves? Or what about the SS emblems that we see on the helmets of some military units now fighting in eastern Ukraine? If it is a civilized state, where are the authorities looking? ” Putin has been criticized that his claim of neo-Nazis in Ukraine is “Russian propaganda.” Take a look for yourself here, here and here.

■ How the Ukrainian Government is Giving Away Citizenships so Foreigners Can Run the Country

This has to be a joke. I don’t think this is a joke. Please, someone tell me this is a joke. Brace your ears for an unbridled musical holocaust. This is essentially the American equivalent of Putin riding a horse bare-chested. Smart move by the creator to disable the likes, dislikes and the comment section. In Liberty, Michael Krieger