Worse than TTIP

                                                                                                                                                                       Dear friends in Germany,

TTIP was just the beginning -- now TISA, a new secret deal, threatens to privatise our drinking water and hand our bank details to the US!  But a huge outcry ahead of the next round of negotiations in February can shed light on these dealings and stop TISA. Sign now and share widely!

TTIP was just the beginning - now a new secret deal called TISA threatens to privatise our drinking water and hand our personal bank details to the US. But together we can still stop the shady negotiations!

Negotiated behind closed doors, TISA - the Trade in Services Agreement - has far-reaching consequences. Insiders say it will push the privatisation of our water and electricity, and put data protection at risk. But massive citizen's protests already put a spanner in the works for TTIP, a similar trade agreement, and negotiators are doing all they can to prevent the same public outrage around TISA. But with a huge petition ahead of the next negotiation round in February, we can turn things upside down.

TISA negotiations are a well-kept secret, many people have never heard of them, and the content of discussions is not revealed. Let's change this now! Sign the petition to stop the negotiations and spread the word to shed light on the talks!

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/stop_tisa_en_de/?bIiqNab&v=52472

Shhh… top secret. For nearly two years, negotiators have been plotting to keep TISA and the shady process out of the public eye. Information about the talks only reached the public through whistleblowers! But TTIP also remained off the public radar until a massive wave of protests blocked many of the worst parts from going through. If we create a similar stink around TISA, we can stop the negotiations and call for the EU mandate to be made public.

International trade deals can benefit people in the countries that take part in them -- for example by spreading cheaper renewable technologies across the world. But if secret negotiations threaten to hand over vital services like our water supply to Big Business, undermine European data protection rules and put our net neutrality at risk, it's time to step in!

The next negotiation round takes place in Geneva on the 9th of February -- let's reach 300.000 signers before the big delivery! Sign now and share widely:

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/stop_tisa_en_de/?bIiqNab&v=52472

Together, we helped stop global agreements like ACTA - an international treaty that would have allowed businesses to censor the internet. Let's build a massive call now to ensure that decisions that affect us all aren't made behind our backs.

With hope and determination,

Christoph, Antonia, Luis, Anne, Ricken and the whole Avaaz team

More information:

TTIP is sputtering, but other 'trade' deals threaten our sovereignty (The Ecologist)
http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_analysis/2721484/ttip_is_sputtering_but_other_trade_deals_thre...

Trade in Services Agreement Financial Services annex (Wikileaks)
https://wikileaks.org/tisa-financial/WikiLeaks-secret-tisa-financial-annex.pdf

Meet TISA: Another Major Treaty Negotiated In Secret Alongside TPP And TTIP (TechDirt)
https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20140428/10593427051/meet-tisa-another-major-treaty-negotiated-sec...

And in German:

TISA - Bundesregierung gibt sich ahnungslos (Süddeutsche)
http://www.sueddeutsche.de/wirtschaft/dienstleistungsabkommen-tisa-bundesregierung-gibt-sich-ahnungs...

Das geplante TISA-Abkommen und die Folgen (Deutschlandfunk)
http://www.deutschlandfunk.de/liberalisierung-das-geplante-tisa-abkommen-und-die-folgen.862.de.html?...

Amerika will Kontodaten von Europäern (FAZ)
http://www.faz.net/aktuell/wirtschaft/wirtschaftspolitik/tisa-abkommen-in-wikileaks-veroeffentlichung-12999429.html

Dienstleistungsabkommen TISA (Das Erste)
http://www.daserste.de/information/wirtschaft-boerse/plusminus/sendung/sr/2014/23072014-tisa-100.htm...

Freihandel im Hinterzimmer (TAZ)
http://www.taz.de/!141713/

Leak zeigt: Handelsabkommen TiSA könnte nationale Datenschutzbestimmungen aushebeln (Netzpolitik)
https://netzpolitik.org/2014/leak-zeigt-handelsabkommen-tisa-koennte-nationale-datenschutzbestimmungen-aushebeln/

Support the Avaaz Community!

We're entirely funded by donations and receive no money from governments or corporations. Our dedicated team ensures even the smallest contributions go a long way.

Donate Now

Avaaz.org is a 40-million-person global campaign network that works to ensure that the views and values of the world's people shape global decision-making. ("Avaaz" means "voice" or "song" in many languages.) Avaaz members live in every nation of the world; our team is spread across 18 countries on 6 continents and operates in 17 languages. Learn about some of Avaaz's biggest campaigns here, or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.
You are getting this message because you signed "The World in Action" on 2009-12-17 using the email address meneer.saturnus@gmail.com.
To ensure that Avaaz messages reach your inbox, please add avaaz@avaaz.org to your address book. To change your email address, language settings, or other personal information, contact u, or simply go here to unsubscribe

To contact Avaaz, please do not reply to this email. Instead, write to us at www.avaaz.org/en/contact or call us at +1-888-922-8229 (US).

Stop Boko Haram's reign of terror

Dear Avaazers everywhere,

Boko Haram just used a 10-year-old girl as a bomb-detonator right after massacring up to 2,000 people. But the government and the international community are hardly responding. Let’s call for an emergency UN Security Council meeting now:

Boko Haram just used a 10-year-old girl as a bomb-detonator right after massacring up to 2,000 people. There is a reign of terror in Northern Nigeria.

But Nigerian President Jonathan has said almost NOTHING about this in his election campaign, and his brutal army, instead of protecting civilians, is fuelling the insurgency.

The world has put this crisis in the ‘too hard to solve’ box -- the UN Security Council hasn't even issued a Presidential Statement on Nigeria!

The only good news: escalating violence has renewed pressure to act.

Let's multiply that pressure now and persuade our leaders and the United Nations to convene an emergency Security Council meeting and prioritise this crisis.

Join this urgent call -- for the sake of that tiny, innocent girl, and all those like her at risk:

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/stop_boko_haram_terror_en/?bIiqNab&v=51541

Nigeria is deep into a brutal conflict that's ostensibly a Muslim/Christian war, but underlying it are tensions between an oil-rich, corrupt, ruling elite and a poor, disenfranchised and neglected North. Over 10,000 people were killed in 2014, and over 1.6 million Nigerians have fled their homes. Boko Haram now controls an area the size of Denmark.

Politicians have fed this divide, and the recent surge in violence comes in the middle of a deadly election campaign. Shockingly, President Jonathan’s under-resourced response could be part of a dark game -- if there is chaos in the North and low voter turnout, he is more likely to stay in power since his support base is in the South.

International military advisers and special forces have been sent in, but there is hesitation about working with Nigerian units with terrible human rights records. The UN Council should now prioritise a comprehensive plan that includes cleaning up and training security forces to contain Boko Haram; investing in the poorest regions; and prioritising an anti-corruption programme.

This is not a short, sharp, shock strategy -- this crisis cannot be solved in days -- but it is immoral to ignore it any longer. Our global community can ensure the UN Security Council finally lays out a genuine plan for peace.

If we do nothing, thousands more will be killed, and the Boko Haram threat will spread. The attacks in Paris have reminded us that terror has no borders. Join the call:

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/stop_boko_haram_terror_en/?bIiqNab&v=51541

With elections looming and violence escalating, Nigeria is like a boiling pot. Politicians have failed their people, and the international community has allowed the situation to deteriorate. We cannot wait any longer and with enough backing, a strong UN statement could begin to change the game. Let’s make it happen.

With hope and determination,

Alice, Pascal, Mike, Melanie, Marigona, Ricken and the rest of the Avaaz team

Sources:

Nigeria: two suspected child suicide bombers attack market (The Guardian)
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jan/11/child-suicide-bombers-nigeria-market

UNOWA Briefing and Consultations
http://www.whatsinblue.org/2015/01/unowa-briefing-and-consultations.php

Nigeria’s Jonathan Slams Paris Attack, Ignores Baga Massacre (Bloomberg)
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2015-01-12/nigeria-s-jonathan-slams-islamist-raids-abroad-is-muted-at-home.html

Nigeria's Boko Haram: Baga destruction 'shown in images' (BBC)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-30826582

Uniting Against Boko Haram (BloombergView)
http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-01-13/boko-haram-can-be-stopped-by-a-nigeria-united-again

Support the Avaaz Community!

We're entirely funded by donations and receive no money from governments or corporations. Our dedicated team ensures even the smallest contributions go a long way.

Donate Now

Avaaz.org is a 40-million-person global campaign network that works to ensure that the views and values of the world's people shape global decision-making. ("Avaaz" means "voice" or "song" in many languages.) Avaaz members live in every nation of the world; our team is spread across 18 countries on 6 continents and operates in 17 languages. Learn about some of Avaaz's biggest campaigns here, or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.
You are getting this message because you signed "The World in Action" on 2009-12-17 using the email address meneer.saturnus@gmail.com.
To ensure that Avaaz messages reach your inbox, please add avaaz@avaaz.org to your address book. To change your email address, language settings, or other personal information, contact u, or simply go here to unsubscribe

To contact Avaaz, please do not reply to this email. Instead, write to us at www.avaaz.org/en/contact or call us at +1-888-922-8229 (US).

Stockschläge gegen Blogger diesen Freitag stoppen

Liebe Unterstützerinnen und Unterstützer, diese schreckliche Nachricht ging um die Welt: Der saudi-arabische Blogger Raif Badawi erhielt am vergangenen Freitag in aller Öffentlichkeit die ersten 50 von insgesamt 1.000 Stockschlägen. Schon übermorgen, am Freitag, den 16. Januar 2015, soll diese grausame und erniedrigende Strafe wiederholt werden. Insgesamt 20 Wochen lang droht dem Blogger die Tortur. Und dies ist nur ein Teil der gnadenlosen Strafe, zu der Raif Badawi wegen der Gründung einer Webseite und „Beleidigung des Islams“ verurteilt wurde. Nach zehn Jahren Haft, einer Geldstrafe von umgerechnet etwa 200.000 Euro und einem 10-jährigen Reise- und Medienverbot wäre das Leben des 31-Jährigen zerstört. Seine Frau lebt nach einer Flucht mit den drei kleinen Kindern in Kanada. Sie geht dieser Tage in Montreal mit Amnesty Kanada für seine Freilassung auf die Straße. Wir dürfen diese brutale Bestrafung eines jungen Mannes, der lediglich sein Recht auf Meinungsfreiheit wahrgenommen hat, nicht zulassen! Saudi-Arabien verstößt mit dieser Strafe gegen das völkerrechtliche Verbot von Folter und anderer grausamer, unmenschlicher oder erniedrigender Behandlung. Weltweit mobilisieren wir in diesen Tagen den Widerstand und fordern Saudi-Arabien auf, die Stockschläge zu beenden und Raif Badawi sofort freizulassen. Werden Sie Teil dieser Bewegung und senden Sie jetzt eine E-Mail an den König von Saudi-Arabien: www.stopfolter.de Schon seit Monaten fordern wir die Freilassung von Raif Badawi. Allein im Rahmen des Briefmarathons haben Menschen weltweit über 200.000 Appelle an die Verantwortlichen geschickt. Jetzt erhöhen wir den Druck weiter: Am Donnerstag werden wir um 11:30 Uhr vor der saudi-arabischen Botschaft in Berlin demonstrieren und rund 50.000 Briefe und Unterschriften übergeben, die wir in den letzten Wochen in Deutschland gesammelt haben. Die Regierung von Saudi-Arabien ist auf ihr öffentliches Image bedacht. Wenn wir alle gemeinsam protestieren, können wir sie hoffentlich zum Umdenken bewegen. Viele unserer Aktionen führen zum Erfolg. Nehmen Sie sich eine Minute Zeit und unterschreiben Sie unsere neue Petition für Raif Badawi auf www.stopfolter.de und leiten Sie diese Nachricht an Ihre Bekannten weiter. Mit freundlichen Grüßen Ihr Kampagnen-Team von Amnesty International in Deutschland

Newsletter abbestelle Impressum Datenschutz

Dear hans ,

An Arizona school board has voted to censor biology textbooks in order to keep facts about abortion and contraceptives out of lessons on reproduction. The Gilbert Public Schools Governing Board hasn’t decided how to remove the information, but has considered literally ripping pages from the books.
An ultra-right wing religious group prompted the board’s actions by complaining that the content violates state law. State officials and the American Civil Liberties Union have shown these claims to be false.
Negative reactions to the censorship plan have caused the school board to put off making a final decision.
Don't let conservatives bully this school board. Tell board members that you support students' rights to an unbiased education!

PETITION TO THE GILBERT PUBLIC SCHOOLS GOVERNING BOARD: Don’t kowtow to right-wing ideologues by censoring or supplementing textbooks.

Click here to sign -- it just takes a second.
Thanks,
-- The folks at Watchdog.net
P.S. If the other links aren't working for you, please go here to sign: http://act.watchdog.net/petitions/4920?n=87215777.GW95dt

---

This email was sent by Watchdog.net.

Professor's BEAGLE, missing for 10 years, FOUND ON MARS

British eggface lander's resting place uncovered by orbiter

The long-lost, dustbin-lid sized British Mars lander Beagle 2 - whose fate had been unknown since it departed from its Mars Express mothership in orbit above the red planet on Christmas Day 2003 - seems likely to have been found at last.

The UK Space Agency has scheduled a press briefing on the Beagle for Friday and is refusing to discuss details in advance. However reports have it that boffins from NASA involved in managing the HiRISE (High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment) instrument aboard the American agency's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter will be at the briefing.

“HiRise is the only camera at Mars that can see former spacecraft like Beagle 2. It’s definitely pretty close to its intended landing spot, no matter what. It entered the atmosphere at the right time and place,” said Shane Byrne, an Arizona university scientist on the HiRISE team quoted by the Guardian. Apparently NASA has been asked to keep details of the discovery under wraps ahead of Friday's briefing.

Beagle 2 travelled to Mars aboard the European Space Agency's Mars Express craft, which remains in orbit there. The diminutive British lander, built using different management arrangements from most spacecraft, was generally regarded as the brainchild of colourful scientist Professor Colin Pillinger - who has been described as "a proper British boffin".

The little lander detached from Mars Express on schedule, but was then never heard from again. The NASA HiRISE team have been actively searching for it for some time.

HiRISE has already managed to pick out the locations of various other human machines on the surface of Mars, including the Viking landers of the 1970s and the famous Curiosity and Opportunity rovers. It would appear that now the final resting place of the unfortunately defunct Beagle 2 has been discovered.

It's possible that the HiRISE imagery will offer some clue as to why the Beagle failed to get in touch - but mysteries may well remain, as even HiRISE will probably be offering just a few pixels of information.

We'll all know more on Friday - but sadly the information will come too late for Professor Pillinger, who passed away last year. ®