Staff (2020-01-04). McConnell and Pelosi Give No Signs of Budging on Impeachment. truthdig.com WASHINGTON — Congress opened the new year with the Senate deadlocked over President Donald Trump\'s impeachment trial, leaving the proceedings deeply in flux as Republicans refuse to bend to Democratic demands for new witnesses. | Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell showed no signs Friday of negotiating with the Democrats as he aims for Trump\'s swift acquittal. At the same time, the Republican leader acknowledged the Senate cannot begin the historic undertaking until House Speaker Nancy Pelosi delivers the articles of impeachment — which she i…

RT (2020-01-03). Killing of Iran's Quds Force chief Soleimani by US 'MOST LIKELY violates international law' — UN Rapporteur. rt.com The UN\'s top expert on extrajudicial executions said that Washington\'s decision to assassinate the commander of the Iranian elite Quds Force, Qassem Soleimani, cannot be justified under international law. | Major-General Soleimani and the second-in-command of the Iran-backed Iraqi paramilitary Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, were killed (along with others) in a US airstrike at Baghdad\'s airport on Friday morning. | The \"targeted killings\" of both men \"most likely violate international law incl[uding] human rights law,\" the UN\'s Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary…

Jefferson Morley (2020-01-03). After Mossad Targeted Soleimani, Trump Pulled the Trigger. counterpunch.org Last October Yossi Cohen, head of Israel\'s Mossad, spoke openly about assassinating Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, the head of the elite Quds Force in Iran\'s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. \"He knows very well that his assassination is not impossible,\" Cohen said in an interview. Soleimani had boasted that the Israel\'s tried to assassinate him in 2006 and failed. More

RT (2020-01-03). Corbyn calls on UK govt to \'stand up to the belligerent actions\' of US after assassination of Iran\'s Quds chief Soleimani. rt.com Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has hit out at the US after they claimed responsibility for the killing of Iran\'s Quds Force Major-General Qassem Soleimani, and urged the UK government to \"stand up\" to their key western ally. | The outgoing leader warned on Friday that Iran and the US must de-escalate tensions, otherwise the Middle East will see yet more conflict that would \"bring further misery to the region, 17 years on from the disastrous invasion of Iraq.\" | Corby…

Whitney Webb (2020-01-03). A Dubious Official Story Masks the True Motives Behind the Soleimani Assassination. mintpressnews.com Behind the official yet dubious justifications for the U.S. airstrike that killed a top Iranian general on Friday lies a confluence of factors — some decades in the making, others more recent — that are pushing the U.S. towards yet another catastrophic war in the Middle East.

Staff (2020-01-03). U.S. Assassination of Soleimani Could Spark \"Another Round of Civil War\" in Iraq. democracynow.org After the United States assassinated Iranian commander Major General Qassem Soleimani in a major escalation of the conflict between Iran and the United States, which now threatens to engulf Iraq and the Middle East, we get response from Iraqi journalist Ghaith Abdul-Ahad, who says the U.S. killing of Soleimani was reckless. \"Did anyone consult Iraqis about the assassination of Qassem Soleimani on Iraqi soil?\" he asks. \"We don\'t want another round of civil war.\"

Staff (2020-01-03). \'A More Dangerous World\': Iran Killing Triggers Global Alarm. truthdig.com PARIS — Global powers warned Friday that the world became a more dangerous place after the U.S. assassinated Iran\'s top general, urging restraint on all sides. Britain and Germany also suggested that Iran shared some blame for provoking the targeted killing that dramatically ratcheted up tensions in the Mideast. | China, Russia and France, all permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, took a dim view of the U.S. airstrike near Baghdad\'s airport early Friday that killed Ge…

RT (2020-01-03). \'A just struggle\': Netanyahu backs Soleimani\'s killing as US \'self-defense,\' says Quds head planned more attacks. rt.com Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called the US assassination of a top Iranian commander a justified act of self-defense and said Donald Trump should be credited for \"acting swiftly, forcefully and decisively.\" | The Israeli leader said his country \"stands with the United States in its just struggle for peace, security and self-defense,\" accusing Soleimani of having staged and planned attacks against \"American citizens and many other innocent people.\" | PM Netanyahu: | President Trump deserves all the credit for acting swiftly, forcefully and decisively. | Israel stands with the United States in it…

RT (2020-01-03). 3,000 more US troops headed to Middle East after Baghdad strike that killed Soleimani. rt.com Another 3,000 US airborne troops will be deploying to Kuwait, to join the 750 already there, even as Washington warned Americans to leave Iraq after the airstrike that assassinated a top Iranian general. | The entire 1st Brigade Combat Team of the 82nd Airborne Division is now headed to the US base in Kuwait, multiple outlets reported, citing anonymous Pentagon officials on Friday. The deployment does not appear to be directly in response to the assassination of General Qassem Soleimani, however, but rather part of the build-up set in motion on Tuesday, following the siege of the US embassy in Baghdad. | Also…

Mark Gruenberg (2020-01-03). Democratic lawmakers score Trump for drone strike killing of Suleimani. peoplesworld.org WASHINGTON—Many congressional Democrats—along with party presidential hopefuls Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden, and Elizabeth Warren—are warning that President Donald Trump\'s targeted drone assassination strike in Iraq that killed top Iranian military leader Gen. Qassim Suleimani will trigger Iranian retaliation, a regional war in the Middle East, or both. And experts in the region add Trump ordered …

RT (2020-01-03). US killing of Iranian commander on Iraqi soil violates terms of US stationing troops in the country — Iraqi PM. rt.com The interim prime minister of Iraq has condemned the US assassination of a senior Iranian commander, calling it an act of aggression against his country. Qassem Soleimani was killed at Baghdad airport. | Soleimani, the commander of the elite Quds Force, was killed after his convoy was hit by US missiles. A deputy commander of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), the Iraqi militia collective backed by Iran, was killed in the same airstrike. | In a statement on Friday, the caretaker leader of Iraq\'s protest-challenged government, Adil Abdul Mahdi, said the US assassination operation was a \"flagrant violation o…

RT (2020-01-03). All bets are off: Trump brings conflict with Iran to unprecedented level, just a step short of all-out war. rt.com The assassination of a popular Iranian general in Baghdad is a game-changer in the conflict between Washington and Tehran, which had remained restricted to cloak-and-dagger shenanigans and proxy hostilities, analysts have told RT. | The Trump administration escalated its standoff with Iran to a whole new level on Friday by ordering a targeted assassination of Qassem Soleimani, the commander of Iran\'s Quds Force. The Iranian general was blown up along with 11 other people, including a senior commander of an Iraqi militia backed by Tehran, when their motorcade was hit by US guided missiles just outside Baghdad I…

RT (2020-01-03). Hustler\'s Xmas card depicts Trump being ASSASSINATED, bringing conservative horror & liberal joy. rt.com Hustler magazine sent Christmas cards to members of the US Congress which depict President Donald Trump lying in a pool of blood as people cheer \'Merry Christmas!\', sparking a mix of outrage and hilarity. | The cards depict an unnamed cartoon assassin aping comments Trump made on the 2016 campaign trail as it says, \"I just shot Donald Trump on Fifth Avenue and no one arrested me,\" with a smoking gun in hand. Trump famously bragged that such was his support, he could literally get away with murder on the streets of NY and still be elected. | Republican Louisiana Rep. Mike Johnson shared an image of the card he…

RT (2020-01-03). Oil prices surge 4 percent on news of Soleimani killing. rt.com Two major oil price benchmarks jumped in the early hours of Friday after news broke that Iran\'s second most powerful public figure, Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani, had been killed in a US airstrike in Baghdad. | Both WTI and Brent jumped by over four percent on the news to $63.80 and $69.19 per barrel respectively. | Also on rt.com | | US killing of Iranian commander on Iraqi soil violates terms of US stationing troops in the country — Iraqi PM | Prices had been rising steadily since their October 2019 lows on rising tension across the…

Staff (2020-01-03). Rep. Ro Khanna on Qassem Soleimani Assassination: Trump\'s Actions Are Unconstitutional. democracynow.org We continue our discussion of the U.S. assassination of Iranian commander Major General Qassem Soleimani with Democratic Congressmember Ro Khanna of California. Khanna says he believes the assassination was planned for some time and that Congress has failed to hold the Trump administration accountable. \"I believe that the president\'s policies are putting us in tremendous danger, and the motives are almost not relevant. What\'s relevant is that he acted in a way that\'s unconstitutional,\" Khanna says.

ANSWER Coalition (2020-01-03). BREAKING: Trump starts war on Iran — ALL OUT Sat. Jan. 4 National Day of Action. liberationnews.org The Trump administration and Pentagon have moved to start a war with Iran by assassinating Qassem Soleimani, the top military leader of that country.

RT (2020-01-03). \'We urge all parties to de-escalate\': British foreign sec Raab calls for calm after US assassination of Iranian commander. rt.com British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has urged \"all parties to de-escalate\" after Iran\'s Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani was killed in a US military airstrike near Baghdad International airport on Thursday night. | In a statement on Friday morning, Raab insisted that the UK government \"recognised the aggressive threat posed by the Iranian Quds force led by Qassem Soleimani.\" However, he called on \"all parties to de-escalate,\" and claimed that \"further conflict is in none of our interests.\" | US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo revealed via Twitter that he and Raab had discussed the incident and suggested…

RT (2020-01-03). \'Please don\'t kill us\': Rose McGowan apologizes to Iran for Soleimani death, backpedals, still gets roasted. rt.com The #MeToo advocate and \'Grindhouse\' actress Rose McGowan joined Hollywood celebs like John Cusack to condemn the killing of Qassem Soleimani, but this only inspired Twitter to question her sobriety and her loyalty to the US. | Much of Hollywood\'s most politically active celebrities were not happy with the US assassination of Iran\'s Quds Force chief Qassem Soleimani, but none were as broken up about it as actress Rose McGowan. | The author and \'Charmed\' actress took to Twitter to apologize on behalf of the US and to beg Iran \"not to kill us.\" | \"Dear #Iran, The USA has disrespected your country, your flag, you…

RT (2020-01-03). Trump tweets after Quds chief killing: \'Iran never won a war, but never lost a negotiation!\'. rt.com Following the US assassination of Iran\'s Quds Force chief Qassem Soleimani, President Donald Trump took to Twitter, issuing a quite cryptic message that Iran has \"never won a war, but never lost a negotiation.\" | The commander of the elite Quds Force was killed overnight in Baghdad International Airport, alongside with several other high-ranking officials from local pro-Iranian militias. | The assassination was carried out on the personal \"direction\" of Trump, the US military has said, claiming it was acting to protect America and its citizens. Soleimani was blamed for \"the deaths of hundreds of American and c…

RT (2020-01-03). Killing of Quds commander is another sign of US frustration and weakness in the region — Iran's Rouhani. rt.com Washington\'s assassination of a top Iranian commander is a \"cowardly act\" that confirms \"the weakness of the United States in the region,\" President Hassan Rouhani said. | Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the elite Quds Force, was killed in a US airstrike near Baghdad along with several commanders of Iran-backed militias. Washington considers the entire Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), to which Quds belongs, to be a terrorist organization and holds it responsible for recent riots at the US embassy compound in the Iraqi capital. | \"Soleimani\'s martyrdom will make Iran more decisive to resist America\'

RT (2020-01-03). Soleimani assassination by US \'an adventurous move\' that will flare up tensions in Middle East — Moscow. rt.com The US airstrike that killed a senior Iranian commander near Baghdad will exacerbate tensions throughout the Middle East, the Russian foreign ministry has warned. | Qassem Soleimani, the commander of Iran\'s Quds Force, was killed in a US operation at Baghdad International Airport on Friday morning. Moscow considers the operation \"an adventurous move that will lead to an escalation of tension throughout the region,\" the ministry said. | \"Soleimani served devotedly the cause of defending the national interests of Iran. We express our sincere condolences to the Iranian people,\" the short statement said. | Also on…

RT (2020-01-03). Arch-hawk Bolton celebrates slaying of Quds commander as \'first step to regime change in Tehran\'. rt.com While there was no shortage of triumphant voices coming from Washington DC on Friday after the targeted assassination of a senior Iranian general, that of John Bolton seemed especially cheerful. | The former national security adviser in the Donald Trump administration took to Twitter to congratulate \"all involved in eliminating Qassem Soleimani,\" the commander of Iran\'s elite Quds Force. | Congratulations to all involved in eliminating Qassem Soleimani. Long in the making, this was a decisive blow against Iran\'s malign Quds Force activities worldwide. Hope this is the first step to regime change in Tehran.[mda…

RT (2020-01-03). US State Dept tells Americans to leave Iraq \'immediately\' after assassination of Soleimani. rt.com The US State Department is calling on all US citizens to \"depart Iraq immediately\" in advice issued on Friday, in the wake of the US killing of key Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani. | \"US citizens should depart via airline while possible, and failing that, to other countries via land,\" the State Department advised. \"Due to Iranian-backed militia attacks at the US Embassy compound [in Baghdad], all public consular operations are suspended until further notice.\" | The advisory comes in the immediate aftermath of the US assassination of Soleimani, commander of Iran\'s elite Quds Force, along with senior leaders…

RT (2020-01-03). Pentagon says Trump \'directed\' assassination of Iran's Quds Force chief Soleimani to \'deter future Iranian attacks\'. rt.com US President Donald Trump authorized a US military strike near Baghdad\'s airport which resulted in the death of Iran\'s Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani, the Pentagon confirmed in a statement on Thursday. | \"At the direction of the president, the US military has taken decisive defensive action to protect US personnel abroad by killing Qasem Soleimani,\" the Pentagon said in a statement. | \"This strike was aimed at deterring future Iranian attack plans. The United States will continue to take all necessary action to protect our people and interests wherever they are around the world.\" | The Pentagon said tha…

RT (2020-01-03). \'Undeniable role in defeating ISIS\': Russian MOD says Iran\'s Soleimani organized anti-terrorist fight \'long before US was there\'. rt.com Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a US airstrike, had played a vital role in fighting terrorists in Syria and Iraq, the Russian Defense Ministry said, adding that his death would harm international security. | The ministry slammed the assassination of the Iranian general, carried out on orders from Washington, calling it a \"short-sighted\" move that would lead to a \"rapid escalation\" of tensions in the Middle East. It also described Soleimani as a talented and experienced commander, who enjoyed \"well-earned authority\" throughout the Middle East. | It was under Soleimani\'s direct command that…

RT (2020-01-03). Greece, Israel & Cyprus ink EastMed gas pipeline deal amid Turkish outcry. rt.com Cyprus, Greece and Israel have signed a deal to construct a natural gas pipeline between the Eastern Mediterranean and Europe, drawing Turkey\'s ire as it pursues a foothold in the energy-rich region. | The agreement, signed on Thursday, kicks off plans for a 1,900km (1,180 mile) pipeline expected to carry some 10 billion cubic meters of gas into Europe yearly, set to be completed by 2025, after the parties to the deal agree on a final investment plan. | The Turkish Foreign Ministry wasted little time in protesting against the agreement, issuing a harsh statement predicting doom for the $7 billion venture soon…

Staff (2020-01-03). \"This Country Is a Tinderbox\": Australia Braces for More Devastation as Gov\'t Denies Climate Crisis. democracynow.org Australia is bracing for what is expected to be the worst weekend yet in an already devastating climate-fueled wildfire season that has ravaged the southeastern part of the country, killed at least 18 people and nearly half a billion animals, and destroyed 14.5 million acres of land. As thousands of evacuees fled to the beaches, conservative Prime Minister Scott Morrison is facing growing outrage for his inaction on climate and close ties with the coal industry. As fires blazed in December, the prime minister went on a holiday to Hawaii. He told reporters this week that fighting the fires — not climate chan…

RT (2020-01-03). Australian fires that killed half a BILLION animals expected to reach \'blast furnace\' conditions, force record evacuations (VIDEO). rt.com As devastating bushfires rage on in Australia, covering an area twice the size of Wales and incinerating some 500 million animals, forecasters are predicting the worst is yet to come, forcing record evacuations in the east. | The deadly fires show no signs of slowing, with temperatures expected to reach well over 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) and \"extreme\" fire danger predicted for South Australia. | The blaze is expected to consume the entirety of a national park in that province\'s Kangaroo Island, and an evacuation order has been issued for over 100,000 people. Meanwhile, the government of New South…

Eds. (2020-01-03). Social Media and social control: How Silicon Valley serves the U.S. State Department. mronline.org Facebook isn\'t the only Silicon Valley firm with partisan oversight of what we see: the bipartisan billionaire class and their security state have partnered with tech firms since the dawn of the internet to control the parameters of users\' thinking. | Source

RT (2020-01-03). No war or regime change, Trump assures Iran after praising the killing of \'#1 terrorist\' — ISIS-fighting general Soleimani. rt.com US President Donald Trump described the Iranian general who fought Islamic State as \"number one terrorist\" in the world and said the decision to kill him was made \"to stop a war,\" rather than start regime change in Tehran. | Addressing the media at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Friday, Trump said General Qassem Soleimani was \"plotting imminent and sinister attacks on American diplomats and military personnel\" when the US \"terminated\" him. | \"We take comfort in knowing that his reign of terror is over,\" he said of Soleimani, who led the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force before his assass…

RT (2020-01-03). Iran's Khamenei appoints Soleimani's deputy as new head of Quds Forces. rt.com Brigadier General Esmail Ghaani was appointed to lead Iran\'s elite Quds Force after its previous commander, Major General Qassem Soleimani, was killed in a US airstrike on Friday. | The unit\'s program \"will stay exactly the same\" as it was under Soleimani, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said, as quoted by Tasnim News Agency. | Ghaani has served as Soleimani\'s second-in-command. | Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Khamenei on Friday appointed General Esmail Qa\'ani as new Commander of Islamic Revolution Guards Corps ( #IRGC) Qu…

RT (2020-01-03). French prosecutors say Paris suburb knifeman had Koran but \'no sign\' of radicalization. rt.com The man who stabbed four and killed one person in a Paris suburb before he was shot by police had a history of mental illness and owned a Koran, prosecutors have revealed, adding they\'d found \"no evidence\" he\'d been radicalized. | While some witnesses reported hearing the man shout \"Allahu Akhbar\" as he began stabbing people – seemingly at random – in a park in the Paris suburb of Villejuif on Friday, prosecutors have stated they do not have evidence of radicalization as a motive, though \"elements linked to religion\" that \"suggested he had converted to Islam\" were found among his belongings, according to AFP.

Medea Benjamin, Nicolas J. S. Davies (2020-01-03). A New Year and a New Trump Foreign Policy Blunder in Iraq. counterpunch.org It\'s a new year, and the U.S. has found a new enemy—an Iraqi militia called Kata\'ib Hezbollah. How tragically predictable was that? So who or what is Kata\'ib Hezbollah? Why are U.S. forces attacking it? And where will this lead? Kata\'ib Hezbollah is one of the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) that were recruited to fight More

RT (2020-01-03). VIDEO shows US strike that killed Iranian general Soleimani in Baghdad. rt.com A security camera video, purporting to show the US air strike that killed Iranian Major General Qassem Soleimani and several leaders of the Iraqi Shia militia outside the Baghdad airport, has surfaced online. | The 11-second clip, first posted by the Iraqi TV station Ahad, shows an explosion ripping through the parking lot outside the Baghdad International Airport on Thursday evening. | pic.twitter.com/vbBmAonbV5— ŸÇŸÜÿßÿ© ÿߟÑÿπŸáÿØ (@AhadTv)

RT (2020-01-03). Thousands march in Tehran to mourn \'beloved\' military commander Soleimani, killed by US drone strike. rt.com Protesters dressed in black have marched in Tehran and other cities, decrying the killing on Thursday night of the head of Iran\'s elite Quds Force, Major General Qassem Soleimani, which was ordered by Washington. | People flooded the streets of Tehran after Friday prayers in honor of Soleimani and other officials killed during a US airstrike in Iraq\'s capital. | The mostly black-clad protesters were chanting traditional anti-American slogans like \"Down with the US!\" while also praising Soleimani as a \"hero\" of the nation. Many were carrying photos of the killed Quds commander and banners suggesting that the vi…

Staff (2020-01-03). Pentagon: U.S. Airstrike Kills Powerful Iranian General. truthdig.com BAGHDAD — The Pentagon said Thursday that the U.S. military has killed Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran\'s elite Quds Force, at the direction of President Donald Trump. | An airstrike killed Soleimani, architect of Iran\'s regional security apparatus, at Baghdad\'s international airport Friday, Iranian state television and three Iraqi officials said, an attack that\'s expected to draw severe Iranian retaliation against Israel and American interests. | The Defense Department said Soleimani \"was actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region.\" I…

Matthew Hoh (2020-01-03). The Killing of General Soleimani: Hail Mars! Hail Pluto! counterpunch.org If it is true the United States killed Iranian Quds Forces Commander General Qassam Soleimani in Iraq yesterday, unverified by the Iranians as I write this, then there is no hyperbole or exaggeration too great to encapsulate what may befall tens of millions of families. The equivalent of the killing of General Soleimani would be More

RT (2020-01-03). \'Trump just threw a dynamite stick into a tinderbox\': US Democrats savage US strike that killed Iranian Quds chief Soleimani. rt.com High-ranking US Democrats have warned that the killing of Iran\'s elite Quds Force chief, Qassem Soleimani, will invite retaliatory attacks from Tehran and bring the two nations to the brink of a major war in the Middle East. | Former vice president and one of the top Democrat contenders in the 2020 presidential race Joe Biden called the airstrike in Iraq \"a hugely escalatory move in an already dangerous region\" that will likely provoke \"future attacks by Iran\" instead of deterring them. | President Trump just tossed a stick of dynamite into a tinderbox… We could be on the brink of a major conflict in the Mid…

RT (2020-01-03). Pompeo in Iran damage control? US \'committed to de-escalation,\' Soleimani killing \'saved American lives\'. rt.com US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo assured everyone that Washington wants to ease the tensions in the Middle East, while defending the killing of Iranian elite Quds Force commander as \"defensive action.\" | Pompeo made his remarks after speaking over the phone with British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas and Yang Jiechi, the head of the Chinese ruling Communist Party\'s Foreign Affairs Commission. | \"The US remains committed to de-escalation,\" Pompeo said. | A US drone strike killed Major General Qassem Soleimani at Baghdad\'s airport on Friday morning. The Pentagon later reveale…

RT (2020-01-03). Russian pranksters strike again: Fake Greta Thunberg convinces eager US politician that she has dirt on Trump. rt.com US Congresswoman Maxine Waters has allegedly fallen for a prank call in which she thought activist Greta Thunberg was offering her a tape of Donald Trump confessing to pressuring Ukraine into investigating his political rivals. | YouTube pranksters Vladimir Kuznetsov and Alexey Stolyarov, who go by the names Vovan and Lexus, are claiming they tricked Waters (Dem-Calif.) into thinking she was speaking to teen climate change activist Greta Thunberg. | Vovan and Lexus made names for themselves by previously pranking Congressman Adam Schiff (Dem-Calif.) into thinking there were nude photos of US President Donald T…

Peter Koenig (2020-01-03). Nord Stream 2: US Sanctions. dissidentvoice.org Does Mr. Trump really not grasp that his sanctions left and right — and now on the Russian-German gas pipeline Nord Stream 2 — is committing economic suicide, not for himself, of course, but for the United States? He attempts to punish not only Russia, but all the corporations, construction companies, Russian, German and from …

RT (2020-01-03). Big Oil\'s wishlist: The hottest oil auctions in 2020. rt.com 2020 could see a number of high-profile oil auctions, and where 2019 was a mixed bag in terms of asset assets, this year is shaping up to be more promising. | As the new year promises to ring in what most suspect will be lackluster oil demand and moderate oil prices despite OPEC\'s beefier production cuts, oil auctions for the upcoming year may seem a bit less exciting than they were at $100 oil, but that all depends on your medium-to-long-term outlook. | Also on rt.com | | Russia & OPEC agree on new oil production cuts to prop up global crude prices | Sev…

RT (2020-01-03). US media cites CMG president to call out western media's prejudice. rt.com U.S. Commerce News, an online media website dedicated to serving the overseas Chinese communities in the U.S., published a report on Wednesday, citing China Media Group (CMG) President Shen Haixiong\'s New Year message to caution the western media to adhere to reporting ethics. | \"I regret to see that some sections of the western media have seemed to suffer from \'selective blindness\' when covering some events related to China. Some have even published hearsay and rumors as news, resulting in distortions and inaccuracies,\" Shen was quoted as saying in the news report. | According to the report, Shen highlighted…

Nithin Coca (2020-01-03). China\'s Secret Weapon Abroad: Tourists. thenation.com Unsuspecting tourists play a key role in China\'s plans for economic coercion.

Ramzy Baroud (2020-01-03). Who is Archbishop Atallah Hanna, and Why Israel Hates him. counterpunch.org \"They will run and not grow weary,\" is a quote from the Bible (Isaiah, 40: 41) that adorns the homepage of Kairos Palestine. This important document, which parallels a similar initiative emanating from South Africa during the anti-apartheid struggle years, has come to represent the unified voice of the Palestinian Christian community everywhere. One of the More

Paul Street (2020-01-03). The Democratic Party\'s Campaign to Re-Elect President Trump. counterpunch.org Anyone who hoped that the terrible experience of a neofascistic presidency might jolt the Democratic Party media and politics establishment into embracing the basic lesson of the 2016 election — that running a dismal, dollar-drenched centrist well to the right of the citizenry for president just guarantees right-wing control of the United States\' executive branch More

John Kendall Hawkins (2020-01-03). The Fall or Dive of Sydney Gottlieb and Company. counterpunch.org \"Raymond Shaw is the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful human being I\'ve ever known in my life.\" — from The Manchurian Candidate (1959), by Richard Condon When you think about it, after 9/11, Karl Rove, Dick Cheney and George W. Bush did Americans a favor by \"taking off the gloves,\" so that we could wring More

Carolyn Coe (2020-01-03). Work of Necessity, Work of Choice. counterpunch.org At age 11, Saabir Gulmadin began chopping wood to support his family. Now 18, he earns about $1.50 US (120 Afghanis) for every 56 kg of wood he splits. It takes him 2 to 3 hours. \"Is the work hard on your body?\" I ask. \"Ohhh, yes,\" he says, without hesitation. \"Where does it hurt?\" More

Rob Urie (2020-01-03). Neoliberalism and the End of Politics. counterpunch.org Much of what passes for left commentary in the U.S. emerged from…

W. T. Whitney (2020-01-03). U.S. Encirclement Endangers Cuba\'s Economy, Provokes Response. counterpunch.org Closing a session of Cuba\'s National Assembly on December 21, President Miguel Díaz-Canel declared that, \"The 61st year of the Revolution has indeed been difficult and challenging.\" He blamed these troubles on the \"brutal\" and \"demented\" U.S. blockade. Dangers have mounted for Cuba\'s socialist revolution, and the government there is responding. Carlos Fernández de Cossio, More

RT (2020-01-03). Iran Quds Force commander killed in strike on convoy at Baghdad Airport. rt.com The head of Iran\'s elite Quds Force, Qassem Soleimani, has been killed in a strike near the Baghdad International Airport, along with senior leaders of the Iraqi Shia militia, the Iran Revolutionary Guards Corps has confirmed. | The news of the commander\'s demise was carried by Iran\'s semi-official Fars news agency, citing The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. | #Baghdad #Iraq pic.twitter.com/eklxjmqTKV— Steven nabil (@thestevennabil)

Massoud Nayeri (2020-01-03). Assange and Manning: The Slow Execution of the Voices of Freedom. globalresearch.ca Julian Assange and Chelsea Manning have exposed corrupt officials and criminal politicians | Assange and Manning are prisoners of conscience | How to free Assange and Manning? | Be the Voice of Assange and Manning in your community by any needs necessary. | ***…

Stephen Lendman (2020-01-03). More US Fuel on the Middle East Fire: Trump Orders New Troop Deployment to the Region. globalresearch.ca Trump began 2020 with a bang by authorizing more US combat troops to the Middle East. | It\'s already ablaze from endless US wars of aggression on nonbelligerent states threatening no one. | The new deployment is an ominous new year\'s beginning, …

Bouthaina Shaaban (2020-01-03). Video: US Sanctions and the Caesar Act, Oil and Gas, Chemical Weapons, and the Syrian Response. globalresearch.ca The Caesar Act is one of the main topics discussed by the Media and Political Advisor in the Syrian Presidency Dr. Bouthaina Shaaban in a thorough must watch and learn from interview with Kamal Khalaf of Al-Mayadeen News channel. | Dr. …

Staff (2020-01-03). Turkish Lawmakers Authorize Sending Troops to Fight in Libya. truthdig.com The move to support current government in Tripoli is seen as a threat to regional security and is denounced by Greece, Israel and Cyprus.

Asad Ismi (2020-01-03). Old Money and New Questions in AMLO\'s Mexico. globalresearch.ca It\'s been nearly a year since the \"leftist firebrand\" Andrés Manuel López Obrrador (AMLO) took office as Mexican president, promising to end official corruption and state-linked violence, redistribute wealth to the poor and promote Indigenous rights. Shortly into his term, …

Dr. Binoy Kampmark (2020-01-03). Policing, Facial Recognition and Targeting Privacy. globalresearch.ca The chances for those seeking a world of solitude are rapidly run out. A good case can be made that this has already happened. Aldous Huxley\'s Savage, made famous in Brave New World, is out of options, having lost to …

RT (2020-01-02). Marvel will introduce trans hero \'very soon\' in ongoing effort to go woke in new phase of films. rt.com Marvel President Kevin Feige has promised that a transgender character will be entering Disney\'s Marvel universe in the near future after having already promised gay and disabled characters. | Box-ticking is a number one priority for Marvel\'s upcoming Phase Four films. Having already confirmed gay and deaf characters in \'The Eternals,\' Marvel President Kevin Feige promised that a transgender character will be introduced into the fictional world \"very soon.\" | Asked at the New York Film Academy about transgender representation in the franchise that kicked off in 2008 with \'Iron Man,\' Feige responded that a film…

RT (2020-01-02). Russia to launch stock exchange for sanctioned companies. rt.com Companies targeted by Western sanctions will have an opportunity to list their bonds, as Russia plans to create a special stock exchange in 2020 to bolster its national capital markets. | The launch was initially scheduled for December but was then postponed to January, according to Russia\'s Deputy Finance Minister Alexey Moiseev. The official explained that the ministry needed more time to finish the platform. | Read more | | Sanctions? Russia has the best-peforming stock market in the world | At least two companies have already announced…

RT (2020-01-02). Imperial delusion: Turkey sending troops to Libya would be no solution to the chaos caused by the 2011 NATO intervention. rt.com With an emergency convening of Turkey\'s parliament, the path has been cleared for Ankara to send troops to Libya — but such a move may be less about ending the bloody civil conflict there and more about Turkey\'s power ambitions. | The new year barely begun, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan fast-tracked a motion to approve the potential deployment of Turkish troops, which passed handily in parliament on Thursday. | Erdogan\'s move follows a pattern of recent muscle-flexing and is an obvious play to force Ankara into a more influential position. This is a gamble that could backfire. | Ravaged by years of conf…

RT (2020-01-02). Turkish parliament backs govt plan to send troops to Libya in emergency session. rt.com The Turkish parliament has voted to approve a plan to send troops to support the UN-recognized government in Libya as it continues to fight forces loyal to a rival government in the eastern part of the country. | Lawmakers approved the motion, which grants a one-year mandate for the troop deployment, in an emergency session on Thursday. The motion passed by 325 votes to 184. | The plan was opposed by Turkey\'s main opposition party, the Republican Peoples\' Party (CHP), which said sending troops could aggravate the situation and embroil Ankara in another conflict. | The CHP said Monday that it didn\'t want to see…

RT (2020-01-02). Foreign interference could \'complicate\' Libya, Turkey\'s Erdogan is told… by Trump. rt.com None other than US President Donald Trump has stood up against foreign intervention in Libya, warning his NATO ally Turkey that its planned military deployment could make the situation in the North African country worse. | During the phone conversation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday, \"President Trump pointed out that foreign interference is complicating the situation in Libya,\" the White House said in a statement. | No further details were given, but the call took place just after the Turkish legislature voted 325 to 184 to approve sending troops to the North African country, in order…

Binoy Kampmark (2020-01-02). Hypersonic Putin and Gonzo Weaponry. counterpunch.org Weapons of dazzling murderousness have always thrilled military industrial establishments. They make money; they add to the accounts; and they tickle the pride of States who manufacture them. From time to time, showy displays of restraint through arms limitation agreements are made. These can apply to either the offensive element of such weapons, or their More

RT (2020-01-02). Lebanon receives Interpol arrest warrant for disgraced Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn — reports. rt.com Lebanon has received an international police arrest warrant for former Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn, the state-run National News Agency reported on Thursday. | The \'red\' notice calls on authorities in Lebanon to arrest Ghosn, who managed to jump bail in Japan, where he is charged with embezzlement, and to flee to the middle-eastern country. | Also on rt.com | | Pilots detained as Turkey opens probe on ex-Nissan chief Ghosn\'s Japan escape via Istanbul — reports | Interpol\'s request was received by Lebanon\'s internal security forces but it has y…

RT (2020-01-02). Pilots detained as Turkey opens probe on ex-Nissan chief Ghosn's Japan escape via Istanbul — reports. rt.com Turkish authorities are determined to find out how former Nissan and Renault chief Carlos Ghosn managed to jump bail in Japan, where he is charged with embezzlement, and flee through Istanbul airport, Turkish media said. | Seven people, including four pilots, have been detained after the Interior Ministry launched a probe into the allegations that the fugitive ex-CEO had made it from Osaka to Beirut, Lebanon, passing through Istanbul, Turkish media said on Thursday. | A former chairman and CEO of Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance, Ghosn is charged in Japan with embezzling the company\'s assets and lying to sha…

Eds. (2020-01-02). Social program meets goal, delivers 3 million homes. mronline.org The new goal of the social housing program is to deliver at least 500,000 new dwellings in 2020. | Source

RT (2020-01-02). \'We can break America, but won\'t lead Iran to war\' IRGC commander says after US embassy standoff. rt.com Iran\'s Revolutionary Guards are not leading the country into a war with the US, but will not hesitate to wage one if forced to, the commander of the elite force said amid a row over US embassy in Baghdad. | The US blames Tehran for orchestrating mass protests at the US embassy in the Iraqi capital, which involved a partial takeover of the massive compound. The protest was led by Kataib Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militia group, in response to US airstrikes on its forces. Speaking on Thursday, Brigadier General Hossein Salami said the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) was not moving towards an open war wi…

Staff (2020-01-02). Could a \"New Civil War\" Erupt in Iraq as U.S. and Iran Fight for Influence in the Country? democracynow.org In Iraq, Iran-backed militia members withdrew from the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad\'s heavily guarded Green Zone on Wednesday after being tear-gassed by American security forces. Their withdrawal ended a tense standoff that began Tuesday when militia members broke through the embassy\'s reception area chanting \"Death to America\" while thousands rallied outside to protest a slew of U.S. airstrikes in Iraq and Syria that killed at least 24 members of the Iranian-backed militia Kata\'ib Hezbollah. The U.S. airstrikes came after an American contractor was killed in a rocket attack in Kirkuk, Iraq, Friday. The embassy withdr…

Medea Benjamin (2020-01-02). A New Year and a New Trump Foreign Policy Blunder in Iraq. mintpressnews.com Trump\'s effort to blame Iran for this crisis is simply a ploy to divert attention from his own bungled policy. In reality, the blame for the present crisis should be placed squarely on the doorstep of the White House itself.

Staff (2020-01-02). \"The Genocidal Regime Is Still in Power\": Assad Forces Push into Idlib, Last Rebel Stronghold. democracynow.org The United Nations says a quarter of a million people have fled the Russian-backed Syrian government offensive in the northwestern province of Idlib. Aid groups are now warning the offensive in Idlib could become the worst humanitarian crisis in the nine-year war in Syria. Nearly 200,000 Syrian civilians have fled toward the Turkish border as Syrian government ground troops advance into Idlib, the last major rebel-held territory, where about 3 million people live. Displaced civilians have sought refuge in several camps along the border, where they struggle with harsh winter conditions, flooding and mud due to hea…

RT (2020-01-02). Residents baffled as THREE SUNS appear in skies above China (VIDEO). rt.com Residents in the Chinese city of Fuyu, were stunned this week when they were greeted not by the usual morning sunlight but what appeared to be three suns shining brightly. | Two large glowing orbs appeared to be flanking the Sun on either side, dwarfing our star in the process, on the last day of 2019 in the skies above the country\'s northeastern Jilin Province. | Three \"suns\" appear on the sky over northeast China‚òÄÔ∏è‚òÄÔ∏è‚òÄÔ∏è | This spectacular view is caused by a natural phenomenon called \"sun do…

RT (2020-01-02). China-UK stock trade scheme 'suspended' over Britain's stance on Hong Kong protests. rt.com A financial scheme linking investors in London and Shanghai, and launched last year, has reportedly been put on pause by Beijing in response to what is perceived as British meddling in the ongoing Hong Kong protests. | The Shanghai-London Stock Connect allows certain companies listed on the London Stock Exchange and the Shanghai Stock Exchange to issue depositary receipts on the other bourse. This offers international investors a backdoor access to the Chinese financial market, s…

RT (2020-01-02). Jumping into 2020? Two Siberian men use PARACHUTES to leap out of high-rise apartment (VIDEO). rt.com A couple of thrill-seekers in the Russian Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk apparently grew so bored at a New Year\'s party that they decided to leave it by literally making a parachute jump out of the apartment block. | Footage taken by alarmed onlookers in a nearby building shows two men standing on a balcony railing on the 24th floor of a high-rise overlooking the Yenisei River, before making a spectacular parachute jump. | –í –ö—Ä–∞—Å–Ω–æ—è—Ä—Å–∫–µ —ç–&in…

RT (2020-01-02). 18 killed, including children, after An-12 military plane crashes in Sudan amid tribal violence flare-up (PHOTOS). rt.com An Antonov military transport plane went down shortly after take-off in Sudan\'s West Darfur province, killing everyone on board, including four children. Photos showing scorched wreckage have emerged online. | The Sudanese army has confirmed that nobody survived the crash, which took place just five minutes after the ill-fated plane took off from El Geneina airport in West Darfur. The region has seen heavy fighting between tribal militias in the recent days. | \"An Antonov 12 military plane crashed Thursday night after takeoff from El Geneina, killing its seven-member crew, three judges and eight civilians, inc…

Alan Macleod (2020-01-02). After 18 Years of US Occupation, Poll Finds Zero Percent of Afghans Thriving, 85 Percent \"Suffering\" mintpressnews.com Since the 2001 occupation of Afghanistan began, fighting has not stopped, destroying the country and leading to the U.S. spending an estimated $2 trillion on the war.

Béatrice Coron (2020-01-02). Greta Thunberg, Eco-Warrior. thenation.com We have our work cut out for us.

RT (2020-01-02). Cutting it close: NASA just detected two asteroids headed towards the Earth… with two more right behind. rt.com NASA\'s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) is currently monitoring a miniature swarm of four asteroids currently heading towards Earth, two of which were only detected on January 1. | CNEOS is tasked with watching the skies for any potentially hazardous asteroids, but given the vastness of space, that\'s a lot of sky to check which may explain why two of the four asteroids were only spotted yesterday. | 2020 AC, with a diameter of roughly 89 feet and traveling at approximately 13,000 miles per hour, will lead the charge, flying past the Earth at 1: 56 am EST. | It will be followed soon after by the 72-f…

Staff (2020-01-02). Death Toll Rises in India as Protests Against Modi Government\'s Citizenship Law Intensify. democracynow.org In India, the death toll amid the government\'s crackdown on widespread protests has risen to at least 27 people, and over 1,000 more have been arrested. The protests are against a controversial new citizenship law, which provides a path to Indian citizenship for undocumented immigrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan — unless they are Muslim. Opponents of the law say it\'s a step toward the official marginalization of India\'s 200 million Muslims. Paramilitary and police forces were deployed in response to the demonstrations in Muslim-majority districts in Uttar Pradesh and New Delhi, and the intern…

RT (2020-01-02). \'Only Latino candidate\' Julian Castro drops out of US presidential race. rt.com Former Obama housing secretary Julian Castro has dropped out of the race for the Democratic presidential nomination after failing to crack 1 percent in most polls. His platform lives on in how it pushed other candidates leftward. | Castro released a video on Thursday thanking his supporters and promising to \"keep fighting for an America where everyone counts.\" Touting his record of \"speaking up for the most vulnerable folks in this country,\" the former San Antonio mayor boasted of \"shaping the conversation\" in the 2020 race, but admitted that he had realized \"it simply isn\'t our time,\" with just a month to go…

RT (2020-01-02). Belgium suspends extradition warrant on Catalan independence leader Puigdemont. rt.com A Belgian court has suspended the extradition of former Catalan President Carles Puigdemont, citing his immunity as a member of the European Parliament, the pro-independence politician has confirmed on his Twitter. | The court ruled in favor of Puigdemont and another pro-independence politician, Toni Comin, who served as health minister in the exiled leader\'s former government. Both politicians are now residing in Belgium, and are wanted in Spain on charges of sedition over their role in organizing a banned Catalonia independence referendum in 2017. | Belgian justice recognizes our immunity and decides to susp…

RT (2020-01-02). India launches free Wi-Fi on Delhi Metro with help from Russian telecoms firm. rt.com Free high-speed Wi-Fi has been launched on the underground metro system in India\'s capital, Delhi, with key technology for the project provided by the Russian company that developed Wi-Fi for Moscow\'s subway. | The Delhi Metro is a massive urban transport system spanning 325 kilometers, and linking the Indian capital to its satellite towns. The sheer size of the transport network, used by almost three million commuters every day, sets it firmly among the largest metro systems in the world, including those in London, Shanghai, Beijing, and New York. | Now, with the help of Russian telecoms expertise, the city\'s…

RT (2020-01-02). Balloon with Austrian girl\'s Christmas wishes miraculously lands in Russian villager\'s yard & he proves Santa is real. rt.com A helium balloon traveled more than 2,500km by air from a tiny Austrian town to a mountainous village in Russia\'s North Caucasus, prompting one of this year\'s most amazing Christmas stories. | Amin, a farmer from the village of Krasny Kurgan in Russia\'s southern Karachay-Cherkess Republic, told the Mash Telegram channel about how he became a real life Santa. | Straight out of a fairy tale, the story began one day in mid-December when Amin spotted a white helium balloon falling from the sky and right into his backyard. The farmer took interest in the unusual \"intruder\" and discovered that it had a handwritten l…

RT (2020-01-02). \'Will they go to Italy?\' Indian minister rallies behind citizenship law, says other nations won\'t take \'poor\' Hindus. rt.com India\'s Home Minister G. Kishan Reddy said it was imperative that persecuted religious groups in neighboring countries be granted Indian citizenship, arguing they have nowhere else to go. | Speaking in the context of the recently passed Citizenship Amendment Act, which fast-tracks Indian citizenship for religious groups fleeing persecution in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh, Reddy said India must pick up the slack for other nations unwilling to take in poor refugees, singling out Italy by name. | \"It\'s our moral responsibility to give citizenship to the minorities [from three neighboring Muslim countries]…

Staff (2020-01-02). Democrat Julián Castro Drops Out of 2020 Presidential Race. truthdig.com AUSTIN, Texas — Former Obama housing secretary Julián Castro, the only Latino in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary race, on Thursday ended his campaign that had pushed the field on immigration and swung hard at rivals on the debate stage but never found a foothold to climb from the back of the pack. | \"I\'m so proud of the campaign we\'ve run together. We\'ve shaped the conversation on so many important issues in this race, stood up for the most vulnerable people and given a voice to those who are often forgotten,\" Castro said in an online video. \"But with only a month until the Iowa caucuses, and given…

teleSUR (2020-01-02). US Border Militia Leader Pleads Guilty to Weapons Charge. telesurenglish.net United States leader of a far-right armed militia Larry Hopkins, 70, pleaded guilty Thursday to federal weapons charges, prosecutors and a defense lawyer informed. | RELATED: | FBI Arrests Leader of Militia Stopping Migrants in New Mexico | A U.S. Attorneys\' spokeswoman said that during a hearing in federal court in New Mexico, Hopkins had admitted to being in possession of nine firearms and ammunition for those weapons at the time of his arrest in April. | Hopkins, who has fou…

teleSUR (2020-01-02). Austria Coalition Deal Includes Anti-Migrant Policies. telesurenglish.net A coalition deal between Austria\'s conservative People\'s Party (OVP) and the Greens will include banning headscarves and preventive custody for potentially \"dangerous\" migrants, several Austrian media reported Thursday. | RELATED: | Austrian Conservatives and Greens Reach Coalition Deal | The deal includes raising the age until which girls are banned from wearing…

teleSUR (2020-01-02). African Migrants in Egypt Face Increasingly Violent Racism. telesurenglish.net Sub-Saharan African migrants who flee war, violence, and poverty in their homelands face huge racial harassment and discrimination in Egypt, an Associated Press investigation revealed Thursday. | RELATED: | Libya Militias Divert EU Funds for Migrants, Exploit Them: Report | In Egypt\'s capital Cairo, reporters have been visiting migrant communities, where at least two dozen sub-Saharan Africans, including four children, recounted the racist insults, sexual harassment, and othe…

teleSUR (2020-01-02). Turkish Parliament Approves Bill to Deploy Military to Libya. telesurenglish.net The Turkish Parliament passed a bill on Thursday that approves the deployment of the country\'s armed forces to the North African nation of Libya in order to assist the U.N.-recognized Government of National Accord troops in Tripoli. | RELATED: | Libya Militias Divert EU Funds for Migrants, Exploit Them: Report | According to the state-owned Anadolu Agency, the Turkish Parliament passed the bill with a 325 -184 vote in favor of deploying the armed forces to Libya. | Due to the…

Staff (2020-01-02). Death Toll Rises in India as Protests Against Modi\'s Citizenship Law Intensify. truthout.org In India, the death toll amid the government\'s crackdown on widespread protests has risen to at least 27 people, and over 1,000 more have been arrested. The protests are against a controversial new citizenship law, which provides a path to Indian citizenship for undocumented immigrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan — unless they are Muslim. Opponents of the law say it\'s a step toward the official marginalization of India\'s 200 million Muslims. Paramilitary and police forces we…

Staff (2020-01-02). Today\'s Concentration Camps Go by Many Names, But They\'re Still Open. truthout.org \"The use of concentration camps changes the world, but going forward, the most predictable outcome of their use is a world with more camps.\" | Today we use a lot of euphemisms: re-education camps, internment, work camps, prison camps, camps for internally displaced people. But before world war one, these prisons were known simply as concentration camps and they started in Cuba in the 1890s to control an uprising against the Spanish colonizers. Since then, concentration camps have proliferated across the globe, and have become the…

Stephen Lendman (2020-01-02). Trump Regime Torture and Abuse of Chelsea Manning. globalresearch.ca In March 2019, Manning was imprisoned for invoking her constitutional right of silence. | She courageously refused to be part of the Trump regime\'s effort to frame and imprison Julian Assange longterm for the \"crime\" of truth-telling investigative journalism the way …

Answer Coalition (2020-01-02). Sat. Jan. 4 National Day of Action U.S. Troops Out of Iraq! globalresearch.ca On Saturday, January 4 the ANSWER Coalition, CODEPINK and others are calling on people from around the United States to organize local demonstrations to demand: NO MORE U.S. TROOPS TO IRAQ OR THE MIDDLE EAST! U.S. OUT OF IRAQ NOW! …

The Grayzone (2020-01-02). Top 20 The Grayzone stories of 2019: From Venezuela coup attempt to Russiagate delusions, information warfare to new cold war. thegrayzone.com 2019 was a big year for The Grayzone. We traveled the world and broke many stories, exposing the empire\'s schemes…

Aaron Maté (2020-01-02). OPCW leaks expose \'criminal\' Syria cover-up — and US media is silent. thegrayzone.com The US media continues to ignore one of 2019\'s top scandals: a cover-up inside the OPCW, the world\'s top chemical…

Hanna Kawas (2020-01-02). Canada, Israel and the UN Security Council. globalresearch.ca Canadian activists have compiled a study of Canada\'s 2019 voting record at the United Nations on resolutions [see list below] that document and censure Israeli violations of international law. | There was much fanfare made about Canada\'s orphan \"yes\" vote at …

teleSUR (2020-01-02). Chile: Mayor of Santiago City to Face Constitutional Accusation. telesurenglish.net Chile\'s lawmaker of the Social Convergence party Gabriel Boric Thursday confirmed that a coalition of progressive parties will present a constitutional accusation against the Santiago Metropolitan Mayor Felipe Guevara who is one of the authorities responsible for the brutal repression that the Military Police has been performing against citizens at Dignity Square. | RELATED: | Chileans Ring In New Year With Large Protest Against Regime | \"Guevara is politically responsible for som…

teleSUR (2020-01-02). Argentina: Fernandez to Send Legal Abortion Bill to Congress. telesurenglish.net On the last day of 2019, Argentina\'s President Alberto Fernandez confirmed that he will send to Congress a new bill to legalize abortion in his country. | RELATED: | Guatemala: Legislator Proposes Bill to Protect Underaged Rape Survivors | \"It\'s a public health problem that needs to be resolved,\" Fernandez said and added that he doesn\'t wa…

Staff (2020-01-02). Headlines for January 2, 2020. democracynow.org Iranian-Backed Militia Withdraws After Standoff at U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Reports: 9 Civilians Killed in Syrian Government Strike on School in Idlib, Wildfires Rage in Australia; Floods Kill 16 in Indonesia, Tens of Thousands Protest in Hong Kong on New Year\'s Day, Thousands March in Santiago, Chile, Against Austerity on New Year\'s Day, French Rail Workers\' Strike Now Longest Since 1968, Netanyahu Asks Parliament for Immunity in Corruption Cases, 16 People Killed in Prison Riot in Zacatecas, Mexico, Pope Francis Condemns Violence Against Women in New Year\'s Day Speech, Scores of New Laws Take Effect Across the…

Staff (2020-01-02). Could a New Civil War Erupt in Iraq as the US and Iran Vie for Influence? truthout.org In Iraq, Iran-backed militia members withdrew from the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad\'s heavily guarded Green Zone on Wednesday after being tear-gassed by American security forces. Their withdrawal ended a tense standoff that began Tuesday when militia members broke through the embassy\'s reception area chanting \"Death to America\" while thousands rallied outside to protest a slew of U.S. airstrikes in Iraq and Syria that killed at least 24 members of the Iranian-backed militia Kata\'ib Hezbollah. The U.S. ai…

Thomas L. Knapp (2020-01-02). Iraq: America\'s Other \"Longest War\" globalresearch.ca As the calendar prepared to flip from 2019 to 2020, protesters stormed the US embassy in Baghdad. As I write this, the action — a response to US airstrikes in Iraq and Syria which killed at least 25 and …