03 Dec
News and Analyses, A Foreign Perspective
US politics >>
Trump launches recount challenge>>
Trump allies fight election recount ‘mayhem’ across Rust Belt>>
Trump supports Dakota pipeline – but claims it’s not due to his investment in it
James ‘Mad Dog’ Mattis picked to run Pentagon>>
Trump announces James Mattis as defense secretary – video>>
The mourning for Fidel Castro, Nico Rosberg’s triumph and retirement, the protests against the Dakota Access oil pipeline, the Colombia plane crash – the news of the week captured by the world’s best photojournalists
Cannon Ball, North Dakota, US
Photograph: David Goldman/AP
Cat Bigney, part of the Oglala Native American tribe, waits on the shore of the Cannon Ball river for travellers to arrive by canoe at the Oceti Sakowin camp where people have gathered to protest the Dakota Access oil pipeline. Despite state and federal evacuation orders, a government roadblock, escalating police violence and aggressive prosecutions that attorneys say lack basic evidence, thousands of veterans are preparing to travel to Cannon Ball this weekend to support the growing movement to stop the pipeline
Cannon Ball, North Dakota, US
Photograph: Scott Olson/Getty Images
Night falls on the Oceti Sakowin camp on the edge of the Standing Rock Sioux reservation. Since the demonstrations against the $3.7bn Dakota Access oil pipeline began in April, law enforcement have made more than 500 arrests, with state prosecutors filing serious charges, including rioting and conspiracy, against many of the protesters
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Department is also offering assistance to law enforcement from division that led reform efforts following massive protests and unrest in 2014, Loretta Lynch said
North Dakota’s governor ordered a mandatory evacuation of the area, citing concerns about the weather, but state and federal officials say that no forced eviction is planned. Photograph: David Goldman/AP
Julia Carrie Wong in Cannon Ball, North Dakot
Attorney general Loretta Lynch has weighed in on the protests against the Dakota Access pipeline, calling on all sides to avoid violence and announcing that the Justice Department is deploying “conciliators” from its community relations service to North Dakota.
The department is also offering assistance to local law enforcement from the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (Cops), the division that led the department’s police reform efforts following massive protests and unrest in 2014 in response to police killings of unarmed African Americans.
“We recognize the strong feelings that exist about the Dakota Access pipeline – feelings that in many instances arise from the complicated and painful history between the federal government and American Indians,” Lynch said. “We will remain committed to working with all stakeholders to enforce the law; to maintain the peace; and to reach a just solution to this challenging situation.”
Lynch’s statement, which was released on video, came after she spoke on the phone with Morton County’s sheriff, Kyle Kirchmeier, and the Standing Rock Sioux tribal chairman, Dave Archambault.
Kirchmeier, who has been an outspoken critic of the protests and went so far as to call some of the protesters “evil”, said in a statement that he wanted to see “more actions from the federal government, not more words”.
“While I appreciate the attorney general taking the time to reach out to me, neither assistance for law enforcement nor a timeline for resolution was offered.”
Archambault was not immediately available for comment. In October, he called on the justice department to investigate police tactics against overwhelmingly peaceful protesters. The ACLU North Dakota and Amnesty International have also called for a formal investigation.
Some of the indigenous activists at Standing Rock, who call themselves “water protectors”, expressed skepticism about the federal government’s involvement.
Xhopakelxhit, a member of the Nuu Chah Nulth, Coast Salish, and Cree who has been at Standing Rock since September, was doubtful that “conciliators” could have a positive impact.
“What real conciliation looks like is giving us all our land back,” she said. “That’s not going to happen.”
Instead, she feared, the outreach from the government was more about “saving face with the American public”.
“Why are they so late in the game?” she asked. “They could have stepped in months ago. They could have put a moratorium on construction.”
Xhopakelxhit’s partner, who asked to be identified by the single name of Crow, echoed her misgiving.
“Anytime it comes down to negot
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Jury asks to continue deliberations on Monday after juror indicates they are not willing to return guilty verdict for former police officer Michael Slager
Former North Charleston police officer Michael Slager testifies during his murder trial earlier this week. Photograph: Grace Beahm/AP
Oliver Laughland
The jury in the murder trial of former police officer Michael Slager, who shot and killed unarmed African American Walter Scott as he ran away, is at deadlock after a single juror indicated during dramatic scenes in court they were unwilling to find the 35-year-old guilty.
The jury, consisting of 11 white people and one black person, will now continue deliberations on Monday, drawing the monthlong trial in South Carolina into a fifth week. If their decision is not unanimous a mistrial will be declared, leaving prosecutors to decide whether to pursue a retrial.
The former North Charleston police officer has been charged with murder and manslaughter after shooting Scott, 50, five times from behind as he ran away with his back turned. The incident, which occurred in April 2015, was caught on video by a witness, propelling the case into the global spotlight.
The release footage has been cited by advocates as among the clearest evidence of the fatal consequences of racially biased policing in the US.
On Friday, after over 14 hours of deliberations, the jury’s foreman indicated in a note to South Carolina judge Clifton Newman that they would not be able to reach a unanimous decision.
“It is clear that jurors will not be able to come to consensus,” the note read.
The jury then returned a second time in the afternoon indicating it was still deadlocked, with a unanimous decision hinging on just one juror.
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A baby slow loris, a ‘walking shark’ and caribou in Alaska are among this week’s pick of images from the natural world
Eric Hilaire
Japanese macaques relax in a hot spring at Hakodate tropical botanical garden, Hokkaido, Japan
Photograph: The Asahi Shimbun/The Asahi Shimbun via Getty Imag
For a change from the same old news stories from the same old news networks, here are links to English-edition online newspapers from other parts of the world. Nearly all of these are English-edition daily newspapers. These sites have interesting editorials and essays, and many have links to other good news sources. We try to limit this list to those sites which are regularly updated, reliable, with a high percentage of “up” time.
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Some of the available newspapers:
Asia & CIS
www.newscentralasia.com/
China
english.peopledaily.com.cn/home.html
China & Hong Kong
www.scmp.com/news
France
www.france24.com/en/france/
Israel
www.haaretz.com/
Norway
www.newsinenglish.no/category/news/
Palestine
english.pnn.ps/
Russia
english.pravda.ru/
Ukraine
www.ukrainianjournal.com/
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