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Unique Xmas celebrations: Iceland, its jólabókaflóð and its high literacy rate

People of West Papua mark #HumanRightsDay and demand referendum on West Papuan independence – Spain keeps some Catalan political prisoners and let’s go of some others – Corsican voters favor nationalists seeking more autonomy – FLEMISH dreams of a separate state revived by mass Catalan demonstration in Brussels – How we are pursuing actualization of Biafra – Turkey to put Kurds in prison – Tibetan youth plan march for freedom

 

1917 December 6: Finland Independence Day

2014 December 8: Paniai Massacre in West Papua

1961 December 9: Tanzania Independence Day

1963 December 12: Jamhuri or Republic Day in Kenya

1971 December 16: National Day in Bahrain

1991 December 16: Kazakhstan Independence Day

1878 December 18: Qatar National Day

1951 December 24: Libya Independence Day

Unique Xmas celebrations: Iceland, its jólabókaflóð and its high literacy rate

European Parliament Takes a Stand on Indigenous Rights in Latin America

Navajo Nation plans to sue Trump after Bears Ears National Monument reduction

Inuit traditional knowledge shaped commercial fishing ban for the High Arctic

Great Greenland CEO: seal hunting ban ‘devastating’ for Inuit communities

U.S. Senate Tax Bill Will Have Devastating Impacts on the Alaska Native Gwich’in Peoples’

Ontario moves to allow indigenous institutes to award own degrees

This Game Developer Wants to Create Space for Indigenous Stories

Canada’s 1st Inuk Heart Surgeon Hopes More Inuit Kids Will Pursue Their Passions

¡YA BASTA! Another Indigenous Community Leader Killed by Colonos in Nicaragua

Vast Yukon Wilderness Protected in Ruling for Native Tribes

Why does Canada spy on its own indigenous communities?

Inuit seek full management of Tallurutiup Imanga, Canada’s largest protected area

Sharing their stories: American Indian educators speak to BHS students about racism, learning their cultures and finding their idols

Ancestral Lands Returned to the Rapa Nui After 129 Years of Chilean Control

A Native Activist on a Simple Way to Combat Land Grabs Like Bears Ears

As Camp Qungaayux Celebrates Its 20th Anniversary, The Next Generation Prepares To Take The Lead

An Inside Look at Colombia’s Indigenous Guards

Guinea is not a pig or a fowl, rather a country about to take-off

Guinea to hold first local elections in 12 years

How Bosnia is on the frontline of Europe’s landmine battle

Why Bosnia Matters

Bahamas gov’t moving to avoid being blacklisted by EU

EU adopts blacklist of 17 tax havens

Five Caribbean Nations Make EU Tax Haven Blacklist

Namibia slams ‘unjust’ listing on EU tax haven blacklist

Guam, American Samoa, Palau, Marshalls among EU’s blacklisted tax havens

UAE ‘Surprised and Disappointed’ Over EU Blacklisting

UAE, Bahrain say they’ll act to get off EU’s tax blacklist

Panama recalls EU ambassador over tax haven list

Mauritius and black money – Riding roughshod over regulators

Switzerland placed on EU tax ‘grey list’

Vatican prosecutors urged to go after money laundering

The Complicated China-Vatican Relationship Moves Forward

Zambia police summon Catholic Radio presenter for ‘inciting’ Barotse community against government officials

Iceland to Celebrate Centennial with Over 100 Projects

Sacred fell to be world’s biggest light show – Sámi people left out, says researcher

Moldova ruling party chief Vlad Plahotniuc says framed by Russia in bogus cases

Uyghur Activist, Ilham Tohti, honoured with 2017 Weimar Human Rights Award

Uyghur Grape Merchants Suffer Losses Amid Party Congress Clampdown

Two more Yezidi mass graves found ‘with bodies of 40 children

Half of Yazidis kidnapped by Islamic State still missing

‘Suicide Would Have Been a Blessing’

Yezidi refugees in Greece have not escaped fear

Yazidi Town Gripped With Challenges Long After IS Removal

Benin buoyed by Macron pledge on African heritage

Female judges from Benin and Uganda join International Criminal Court

17 Oligarchs Who Are Shaping Eastern Europe

How to Stand Up to the Kremlin

“DPR” militants and Russian media intimidate the population of Ukrainian occupied territories with new fakes

MEP Harms calls to boycott 2018 World Cup in Russia

Russia aims to smear Mejlis after latest raid on Crimean Tatars which left one dead and imprisoned four

Rally in support of political prisoner Emir-Usein Kuku held in Moscow

Russia set to begin its latest Crimean trial on ethnic and religious grounds

Imprisoned Crimean Tatar Activist Named Ukraine’s “Volunteer of the Year”

Russian occupiers making Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar ‘outcast’ languages

Russia adds a vital source of information about rights abuse in occupied Crimea to its list of ‘foreign agents’

Russia forces Crimean Tatars to violent resistance

Judge keeps 4 Catalan independists Junqueras, Forn, Cuixart and Sànchez in prison

Spanish Supreme Court withdraws international arrest warrant for Puigdemont

Carles Puigdemont hailed as hero at Catalan march in Brussels

45,000 people attend demonstration in Brussels, according to Belgian police figures

Brussels rules out European Arrest Warrant reform suggested by Spain

Obstacles remain as New Caledonia prepares to vote on independence from France

New Caledonia called on to advance preparations for 2018 referendum

New Caledonia: the future takes shape

Only Malta and Andorra prohibit abortion under any circumstances

Support for Scottish independence surges amid Brexit chaos

Time is fast coming to name the date for indyref2

James Eglinton: Why Gaelic speakers talk about God in English

Glasgow home to largest number of Gaelic speakers outwith highlands and islands

Map: How the number of Scottish Gaelic speakers has changed since 1891

Nicaragua: Army Assassination Disguised As A Marijuana Raid?

Nicaragua: They Also Want to Kill the Truth

Rihanna Attends Renaming Ceremony for ‘Rihanna Drive’ on Barbados Independence Day

Moscow leaves Tatarstan speechless

Kazan School Director Faces Suspension For Refusal To Abolish Mandatory Tatar Classes

Karabolka next to nuclear Mayak: Russian part evacuated – Tatar part left to die as guinea pigs

Rule in Russia Being Further Centralized

Russian minorities fear for languages amid new restrictions

5 Percent of Namibians Live With Disabilities

NATO asks Russia to pull out from Abkhazia and South Ossetia, promises membership to Georgia

Militants kill U.N. peacekeeper in Central African Republic

Central African Republic: “In Batangafo, people are afraid for their lives. It’s the only thing they have left”

At least 10 killed in Central African Republic clashes

Doctors find brain abnormalities in victims of Cuba mystery

China’s Exports to Cuba Slump as Island’s Cash Crunch Deepens

These are the best investment opportunities in Gabon

No, everyone, Welsh road signs do not make you crash your car

BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year shows that we still rate British performances over Welsh ones

Wales is trapped in a war between two factions that don’t care about our nation

A Notch Up in Eritrea’s Struggle For Liberty and Justice

Guyana pumps billions into state-owned sugar company

Guyana targets 100 per cent registration of births

Mauritania: New ‘Apostasy’ Draft Law

Mauritania’s president must ensure blogger Mohamed Cheikh Ould Mohamed regains his freedom

President Of Mauritania Decries Slavery Problem

Aruba ‘first country’ to use blockchain as tourism distribution platform

300 days and counting: Why Adivasi, Dalit farmers are protesting at Kerala Secretariat

Adivasi union parishad member gunned down in Rangamati

How The Adivasi Goes To Vote

Corsican voters favor nationalists seeking more autonomy

Corsican nationalists celebrate election victory, call for greater autonomy

Walter Williams: Economics often drive independence movements – Bavaria, Catalonia, Veneto

Albania 2018: Preparing for a breakthrough

What is the capital of Israel?

FLEMISH dreams of a separate state revived by mass Catalan demonstration in Brussels

Working together to understand climate change risks in Fiji

Fiji villagers plant mangroves in race against rising seas

Fiji to Host the 34th FAO Conference

Fiji urged by U.N. not to overlook people ostracized for having albinism

Lithuania emerging as the ‘gateway’ to blockchain in Europe

Photographing Historical Armenia: Facing a Past of Pain, Creating a Future of Peace

Armenia and EU Sign New Partnership Agreement

Libya, A Country With No Borders, But Slave Markets

Libya launches voter registration with election date unclear

After IS, Libya yearns for normality

Portugal’s radical drugs policy is working. Why hasn’t the world copied it?

Eurogroup’s next leader will be Portugal’s Mário Centeno

Can He Make Portugal the Next Tech Capital?

Austrian court rules same-sex couples can marry from 2019

Austria and Germany are still recycling Marshall Plan funds

Tyrol to investigate allegations of sexual abuse in Austria’s ski scene

Sierra Leone opposition ‘satisfied’ with police chief sacking

Sierra Leone’s 709-Carat ‘peace diamond’ fetches US$6.5M

There’s a surge of anti-LGBTQ hate taking over Paraguay

Dominica gov’t lowers interest rates, offers grants to rekindle economic recovery

Gambia celebrates a year after Jammeh’s downfall

Gambia gets its first private TV station, 52 years after independence

Gambia needs to address the past, move on

WANEP Gambia forum focuses on women’s role in reform process

Why #Montenegro is not ready for EU accession

Finland declares independence on 4 and 6 December 1917

Finland’s blue & white around the world for centennial celebrations

100 years after independence from Moscow, Finland is firmly anchored to West

Finland: the only country where fathers spend more time with kids than mothers

United Liberation Movement for West Papua: new leader but same agenda

Indonesian minister wants United Liberation Movement for West Papua members arrested

Liberation Movement to remain voice of West Papuans, Benny Wenda

Self-determination resistance continues in West Papua

Jakarta rally calls for Freeport closure, West Papua self-determination

#FreeWestPapua protest on motorbikes in Port Numbay (Jayapura) in West Papua to mark #HumanRightsDay

People of Merauke in West Papua demonstrate to mark #HumanRightsDay and demand a referendum on West Papuan independence

Groundhopper: Basque identity against Spanish identity

From Guernica’s ruins, a lesson in fake news

Guns and phones deal ‘maximum’ carnage to Papua New Guinea’s warring tribes

What next for Papua New Guinea?

Grid powered by tidal energy for Papua New Guinea town

As Puerto Rico seeks to restructure its debt, ‘Everything is on the table’

Volunteers, residents work to restore Puerto Rico’s communities

Puerto Rican leaders fear federal tax overhaul to harm island

Puerto Rico Still Waits for $4.9 Billion From U.S. Treasury

Official Toll in Puerto Rico: 64. Actual Deaths May Be 1,052.

Joshua Wong leads ‘anti-authoritarian’ march in Hong Kong

Joshua Wong faces prison again as ‘slow drip’ of prosecutions takes its toll

Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Yeung Ke-cheong runs for China’s legislature, claiming support for Xi Jinping thought

In 1825, Haiti Gained Independence From France For $21 Billion — It’s Time For France To Pay It Back

In Haiti, Tracing a Paradise Lost

Haiti / Dominican Republic: One island, two worlds

Ten arrested and three charged over murder of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia

Swaziland Govt Running Out of Money

Ethnic violence in Ethiopia leaves deep wounds

Oromo: Ethiopia Target Activists and Dissidents Internationally with Cyber Spyware

International experts support Baloch activist’s call for designating Musharraf as global terrorist

More Baloch women and kids abducted as military offensives continue in Awaran

The man who brought cinema to war-hit Chad

The Trial of Chadian dictator Hissène Habré

Irish language in Northern Ireland sees popular revival amid political controversy

Irish language taking centre stage for trailblazers Laochra

Judge refuses to refer request for Irish language hearing to High Court

Mid and East Antrim council vote to block Irish language legislation

Majority in the north of Ireland support joining a United Ireland to remain within EU

In Northern Ireland, history repeats itself

Taiwanese politics and culture commentator Chang Tieh-chih barred from entering Hong Kong

North Koreans face Mongolia exit as U.N. sanctions bite

Mongolia’s president vetoes 2018 budget

Mental health patients in Cook Islands held in jail

Jordan ‘humiliated’ by Trump’s decision on Jerusalem

Palestinian protests break out in Jordan over Trump’s move on Jerusalem

Will Jerusalem issue prompt Jordanian policy rethink?

UNDP gives Vanuatu international standard ballot boxes

10th Pacific Mini Games kick off in Vanuatu

MEPs urge Bulgaria to tackle shocking corruption at Turkish border

Bulgaria: ‘Shalom’ welcomes Trump’s Jerusalem decision

Bulgaria Condemns the Decision of US President to Declare Jerusalem Capital of Israel

Honduran protesters call for vote recount

Honduras Slips Deeper Into Political Crisis

Honduras Opposition Proposes Election Recount or Run-Off

Honduras police refuse crackdown on protesters

Fugitive US lawyer wanted for fraud captured in Honduras

Trump Administration Praises Honduras Amid Election Crisis

Honduras election tribunal says to hold partial re-count in presidential vote

Samoa judge says smacking children encourages more violence

Biafra: Court shifts Nnamdi Kanu trial till Feb 20

How we are pursuing actualization of Biafra – Dr. Ikedife

Biafra: No amount of oppression, propaganda will stop agitation – Eliot Ugochukwu-Uko

Serbian President Says Serbia Does Not Plan to Join NATO: TASS

Serbia, Bosnia seek to boost ties after war crimes tensions

Kosovo court acquits 9 accused of terror attack in Serbia

“Kosovo can only get UN chair through agreement with Serbia”

Niue leads the way in maritime safety training

Pacific mentoring programme helps women MPs share experiences

If the US treated women more like Norway it would be $1.6 trillion richer

Ex Norwegian Royal Alleges Kevin Spacey Groped Him During Nobel Peace Prize Event

Andrej Babiš sworn in as Czech PM with pledge to crack down on migration

EU to sue Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic in top court over migration

EU steps up pressure on Hungary over Soros university, NGO laws, migration

KGBéla Kovács—the Hungarian MEP charged with spying on the EU

Hungary’s Jobbik party says fine risks making it insolvent ahead of 2018 vote

17 suspects identified in Hungarian National Front probe

Czech Republic follows Trump’s lead and recognizes Jerusalem as Israel’s capital

Hanging by a Thread: Timor-Leste Government Losing Grip on Power

East Timor Is Running Out of Oil

Jose Ramos-Horta: East Timor will survive as oil ends

Botswana agrees to recognise transgender man in landmark case

Bratislava is for losers

Slovakia is often disregarded when it comes to EU posts

Togo Electrification Scheme Gets Boost From Solar Rollout

Understanding Neo-Colonialism in Togo

UN Experts Urge Azerbaijan To End Travel Ban On Award-Winning Ismayilova

Time for Ukraine to invest in the education of the country’s Roma youth

Israeli Scholar: The Romani People Are Descendants of the Israelite Tribe of Simeon

For Many Romani Women, Marriage Requires a Reconstructed Hymen

The Psychic Tea Rooms of 1930s New York Didn’t Predict All the Police Raids

Segregation of Hungarian Roma children must end

Czech court fines online racists a mere EUR 4 for death threats against Romani celebrity

FIFA lifts ban for political interference on Kuwait

Gulf Cup to return to Kuwait following lifting of FIFA ban

Germany presses Kuwait over airline’s rejection of Israeli

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) meeting breaks up within hours

UAE’s ‘alternative GCC’

Agreement Aside, China Boosts Control Over Disputed Asian Sea

South Sudan wants thousands sheltering in UN camps to leave

60 die in livestock battle in South Sudan

More than one million people in South Sudan ‘one step away from famine’

Trump Jerusalem move sparks Israeli-Palestinian clashes

Two Palestinians killed in clashes with Israeli army as US isolated at UN over Donald Trump’s Jerusalem decision

Trump, Jerusalem and Arab indifference to Palestine

How Israel is digitally policing Palestinian minds

‘Children of the stones’: the day Palestine was reborn

Somalia, Djibouti Say Trump’s Recognition of Jerusalem is ‘Dangerous’

Djibouti vows to become major East African logistic hub

Switzerland to return $320m stolen by Nigerian dictator

A quarter-century of Switzerland’s special status in Europe

The land where winter sports began

Switzerland launches anti-terror action plan

Analysis: ‘Losing all the glaciers in Switzerland is not that far away’

EU ushers Macedonia to come closer

Aspiring NATO member Macedonia angles for membership invite in 2018

Mattis says US ready to end Syrian-Kurdish military support

US-backed Syria Kurdish force says east Euphrates free of ISIS

Deadly explosion at Kurdish refugee camp was airstrike

US Jewish groups back Kurdish cause

Kurdistan slams Abadi for omitting Peshmerga in victory speech

Britain has turned its back on its Kurdish allies

KRG asks Germany to help start talks, warns Baghdad may use force again

Kurdistan Region’s diplomacy with Baghdad pays off in Paris

Ankara Steps Up Threats Against Syrian Kurdish Enclave

Kurdish Leader Selahattin Demirtas Goes on Trial in Turkey Facing 142 Years in Jail

Turkish academics to be tried in April over Kurdish letter

Israel’s Netanyahu: Erdogan ‘bombs Kurdish villages,’ cannot lecture Israel

Bolivia’s Afro king leads a long-neglected group stepping out of the shadows

Bolivia lawmakers vote to ease abortion limits

Spies on strike: Spooks in Slovenia demand higher wages

Slovenia: Emerging Europe’s Hidden Giant

Hmong face military in Laos jungle in fallout from Vietnam war

Village Buddhist Monks in Laos Initiate Environmentally-Aware Development

Countries not willing to talk about Kashmir because of India’s influence: former Pakistan diplomat

Claims of normalcy in Kashmir ‘contrary’ to ground situation: Farooq Abdullah

Stone-pelting Kashmiri girl scores a goal for women’s football

Alisa Ganieva Explores Complexities Of Culture And Marriage In Dagestan

Dagestan: 3 more Muslim prisoners of conscience

Could Somaliland eradicate FGM?

Dalai Lama’s Envoy Samdhong Rinpoche Discreetly Visited China

Tibetan youth plan march for freedom

Czechia Standing by Tibet

US lawmakers slam China for ‘repression, rights violations’ in Tibet

Richard Gere returning to Capitol Hill to talk Tibet

Oppression In Tibet Cannot Be Tolerated: Testifies Richard Gere

Film on Tibet Shown in the European Parliament

Tibet Rallies Across The World On Human Rights Day

Game of Thrones in Berber : Youssef Aboutaleb and his team for highlighting the Amazigh culture

Algeria student protests against moves to curb Berber language development

Taskiwine, an Amazigh Martial Dance, Named UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage

Haratins: “Time to end Arab racism”, human rights activist Biram Dah Abeid

ADB to Help Marshall Islands Deliver More Efficient, Sustainable Power

BELARUS: Maltreated, fined for offering religious literature

Belarusian arrested in Andromeda crackdown identified as significant cybercriminal figure

Slowly, Tech Brand Belarus Emerges

A Step To War: Russia To Place Tanks, Other Equipment In Belarus

Belarusian National Congress leader Mikalai Statkevich arrested

Belarusian Centenarian Recounts Repression Under Stalin

After Weeks Of Will-He-Or-Won’t-He, Lebanon’s Prime Minister Rescinds Resignation

Lebanon emerges from crisis with Iran on top, but risks remain

World powers push Saudis, Iran to stop interfering in Lebanon

US to Saudis: Temper actions on Yemen, Qatar, Lebanon

Chechen Leader Kadyrov Taunts Moscow Again with Talk of Retirement

Lingerie And Sex Shop Opened By Muslim Daughter Of Russian Leader Who Banned Revealing Clothes

European Committee for Prevention of Torture in Chechnya as 7 People Abducted

‘This is my buddy’: Boxing great Mayweather meets Chechen leader Kadyrov, wants Russian citizenship

Chechen Ombudsman offers to block websites reporting on kidnapping in Republic

Somalia’s Peacekeeping Mission Could Be Hurt by Cut in Force Size

Somalia’s Puntland Region Declares State of Emergency Over Drought

Somalia needs investment and improved living conditions says UN, AU

Things of Latvia: Not being kick-ass

Maldives Rushes Through Trade Pact With China Despite Opposition

Tunisia seen softening economic reforms to avoid unrest

Tunisian labor union says Jerusalem decision a ‘declaration of war’, calls for protests

Tunisia and Morocco summon U.S. ambassadors over Jerusalem

Women in rural Tunisia mix hot sauce with business

Frenemies for life: Has the love gone between Uganda and Rwanda?

Bhutan’s happiness index catches on in other countries too

Russian minorities fear for languages amid new restrictions

Research reveals 40% of women in Georgia are economically inactive

Lithuanian-language teachers gradually pushed out of Kaliningrad schools

Call for Release of Alliance for Independent Madhesh coordinator Dr CK Raut