New Zealand's Daily Blog demands anti-immigrant measures against "Australians fleeing climate change"
wsws.org | 2020-01-15
The trade union-funded blog, which supports the Labour-led government, calls for a major increase in military spending to turn New Zealand into a "fortress" against immigrants.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/01/15/nzbl-j15.html

Anti-Citizenship Protests Have No Bearing on India as Investment Destination, Top Industrialist Says
sputniknews.com | 2020-01-15
New Delhi (Sputnik): India witnessed protests after the government enacted a law to grant citizenship to illegal immigrants from several religious minorities, who faced persecution in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, excluding Muslim.
sputniknews.com/india/202001151078044857-anti-citizenship-protests-have-no-bearing-on-india-as-investment-destination-top-industrialist-says/

An Open Letter to fellow Educators: Take a stand with Julian Assange and Chelsea Manning
wsws.org | 2020-01-15
A long-time educator has submitted the following statement to the WSWS.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/01/15/call-j15.html

Putting the truth behind bars
Dianne Mathiowetz | workers.org | 2020-01-15
Did you know that one of the most protected rights in this country is the right of the government to lie to the people? That is the essence of the persecution being carried out right now against Chelsea Manning and Julian Assange. Manning was a U.S. Army intelligence analyst based . . . | Continue reading Putting the truth behind bars at Workers.org…
workers.org/2020/01/45526/

The prosecution of Julian Assange, the destruction of legality and the rise of the national security state
wsws.org | 2020-01-15
The political and legal attack on Assange represents a qualitative intensification of the destruction of core rights and, indeed, on legality itself as the mode of bourgeois rule.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/01/15/assa-j15.html

Assange's 12-minute hearing presents a grim picture of judicial indifference
Peoples Dispatch | peoplesdispatch.org | 2020-01-15
Assange's legal team has complained of not being given enough time, by both the court and prison authorities, to discuss the evidence in the case with the defendant. A hearing on January 13 was wound up in under 12 minutes…
peoplesdispatch.org/2020/01/15/assanges-12-minute-hearing-presents-a-grim-picture-of-judicial-indifference/

Telling Stories Important to Promoting Peace Globally – Colleen Bell of California Film Commission
sputniknews.com | 2020-01-15
New Delhi (Sputnik): Colleen Bell, the executive director of California Film Commission (CFC), is on her maiden India visit as part of Visit California's India Sales Mission. She will meet the Film Producers Guild of India on Wednesday night and discuss increasing entertainment industry production in both the countries through various offers.
sputniknews.com/india/202001151078045160-telling-stories-important-to-promoting-peace-globally—colleen-bell-of-california-film-commission/

IACHR Denounces Ecuadorian Govt. Repression In October Protests
telesurenglish.net | 2020-01-15
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) presented on Tuesday a report on its visit to Ecuador last October, when massive protests took place against the neoliberal measures promoted by President Lenin Moreno. | RELATED: | Ecuador Buys $4m Worth of Non-Lethal Weapons for Armed Forces | The IACHR report states that "the acts of protest, in…
telesurenglish.net/news/iachr-denounces-ecuadorian-govt.-repression-in-october-protests-20200114-0025.html

France at a Crossroads
Richard Greeman | counterpunch.org | 2020-01-15
Montpellier, France. The nationwide general strike in France, now entering its record seventh week, seems to be approaching its crisis point. Despite savage police repression, about a million people are in the streets protesting President Macron's proposed neo-liberal "reform" of France's retirement system, established at the end of World War II and considered one of…
counterpunch.org/2020/01/15/france-at-a-crossroads/

J9 Protest in San Francisco
No War on Iran | indybay.org | 2020-01-15
Hundreds gathered at One Post St. above Montgomery BART on a day of national action.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/01/14/18829750.php

Iran-Iraq solidarity grows amid U.S. threats
Sara Flounders | workers.org | 2020-01-15
United States policy toward both Iran and Iraq is based not on "bad advice" or howling blunders by President Donald Trump, as Democratic Party pundits claim. It is not just a "mismanaged" foreign policy. Times Square protest, Jan. 8, New York City. Washington's miscalculations of the past two weeks have . . . | Continue reading Iran-Iraq solidarity grows amid U.S. threats at Workers.org…
workers.org/2020/01/45540/

Global Day of Protest: No War on Iran!
ANSWER Coalition | indybay.org | 2020-01-15
Old Courthouse Sq, Santa Rosa, CA 95404…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/01/13/18829721.php

Together in solidarity and towards socialism
Kathy Durkin | workers.org | 2020-01-15
The Women's March Global, set to take place on Jan. l8, will be the fourth such international protest since 2017 after the inauguration of misogynist/bigot-in-chief Donald Trump as president. Over 100 chapters and thousands of members are mobilizing for multinational, multigendered, multigenerational protests around the U.S. and in countries around . . . | Continue reading Together in solidarity and towards socialism at Workers.org…
workers.org/2020/01/45528/

Missiles, Lies and Assassinations
Kenn Orphan | counterpunch.org | 2020-01-15
"In war, truth is the first casualty."

Who Wins and Who Loses in the Iran Crisis?
Patrick Cockburn | counterpunch.org | 2020-01-15
In the latest phase of the US-Iran confrontation, who came out on top is not clear-cut; both countries made gains and losses from the crisis and some of its the results are still to come. By ordering the assassination on 3 January of general Qassem Soleimani, the head of Quds Force, the external arm of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, President Trump claims to…
counterpunch.org/2020/01/15/who-wins-and-who-loses-in-the-iran-crisis/

Hundreds rally in Jersey City, N.J., to defend public park
Michael Kramer | workers.org | 2020-01-15
Jersey City, N.J. Jan. 11

US govt wants to invest $1 billion to end China's dominance in 5G
rt.com | 2020-01-15
A group of US lawmakers have introduced a bill to subsidize companies developing 5G technology to counter China's Huawei. It comes as Washington mounts pressure on its allies to turn away from Chinese technology. | The legislation titled 'Utilizing Strategic Allied Telecommunications Act' would allocate at least $750 million or up to five percent of annual auction proceeds for companies developing the next generation technology for the US mobile broadband market. Additionally, it stipulates the creation of a separate $500 million fund (Multilateral Telecommunications Security Fund) for developers of "trusted a…
rt.com/business/478301-us-5g-subsidies-billion/

Australia on the Chasm of Climate Catastrophe
Evaggelos Vallianatos | zcomm.org | 2020-01-15
The climate fires in Australia signal a moral and existential crisis. We cannot afford another billion dead animals. Fires in Australia are a warning we overlook at our mortal peril…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/australia-on-the-chasm-of-climate-catastrophe/

Kremlin maintains muted response to Suleimani assassination, insists on Iran nuclear deal
wsws.org | 2020-01-15
An open war against Iran is likely to spread directly to the border of Russia, enflaming not only the entire Middle East but also the South Caucasus.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/01/15/krem-j15.html

Assassination of Communist leaders Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht in Germany
Peoples Dispatch | peoplesdispatch.org | 2020-01-15
On January 15, 1919, communist leaders, Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht in Germany were murdered on the orders of German authorities. The assassination was an attempt to crush the growth of the German revolutionary movement that challenged the regressive state establishment.
peoplesdispatch.org/2020/01/15/assassination-of-communist-leaders-rosa-luxemburg-and-karl-liebknecht-in-germany/

Uncle Sam the hit man
Nellie Bailey | mronline.org | 2020-01-15
Mumia Abu Jamal, the nation's best known political prisoner, says the U.S. is living up to its reputation as an international assassin with its hit on an Iranian general on Iraqi soil. "America is more hated today than ever," said Abu Jamal, co-author of the multi-volume book, "Murder, Incorporated." | Source…
mronline.org/2020/01/15/uncle-sam-the-hit-man/

Bolsonaro backs Trump in war on Iran, while Workers' Party appeals to Brazilian military
wsws.org | 2020-01-15
Brazil's fascistic President Jair Bolsonaro was one of the first to defend Washington's assassination of Iranian general Qassem Suleiman.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/01/15/braz-j15.html

Union issues powerful ultimatum to Labour leadership candidates
Ed Sykes | thecanary.co | 2020-01-15
The Communication Workers Union (CWU) has given a strong, direct assessment of what went wrong in the 2019 election. And now, it's holding Labour leadership candidates' feet to the fire with a powerful ultimatum. | Lessons are "very clear": | In a December statement, CWU general secretary Dave Ward said of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn that: a prolonged assault from the media has assassinated the character of a man who has devoted his whole life to helping others | He added: what nobody can face away from is that we…
thecanary.co/trending/2020/01/15/union-issues-powerful-ultimatum-to-labour-leadership-candidates/

Moqtada al-Sadr calls for million-man march against US troops in Iraq
Peoples Dispatch | peoplesdispatch.org | 2020-01-15
The Iraqi parliament has already passed a resolution asking the government to initiate the process of withdrawal of foreign troops from the country, following the assassination of Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis on January 3…
peoplesdispatch.org/2020/01/15/moqtada-al-sadr-calls-for-million-man-march-against-us-troops-in-iraq/

'More powers, more responsibilities': Putin proposes granting parliament power to choose PM & form government
rt.com | 2020-01-15
Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed granting parliament more powers to nominate key government officials, adding that the president will not be able to reject their picks. | Under the current law, the president nominates the candidate for prime minister, who then must be approved by the lower house of parliament, the State Duma. | In his annual state-of-the-nation address on Wednesday, Putin proposed to change this by "allowing the State Duma not only to approve but to choose" the PM. Under his plan, the prime minister would then present parliament with the candidacies of the deputy prime ministers and g…
rt.com/russia/478328-putin-pm-reform-proposal/

Putin suggests launching new investment cycle in Russia to achieve growth rates above global average
rt.com | 2020-01-15
Russian President Vladimir Putin called for a structural change to the economy and its efficiency during his annual address to the Federal Assembly on Wednesday. | "In 2021, Russia' GDP growth rates should be above the global average," he said, adding: "To get such a dynamic, it is necessary to launch a new investment cycle, to boost investments in creation of jobs, infrastructure, development of industry, agriculture and services sector." | Starting from 2020, annual growth investments should be at least 5 percent, and their share in the GDP should be increased from the current 21 percent to 25 percent in 202…
rt.com/business/478317-putin-russia-investments-economy/

PM Medvedev Announces Resignation of Russian Gov't Following Putin's Address to Parliament
sputniknews.com | 2020-01-15
The Russian president addressed lawmakers, ministers and other high-ranking officials on Wednesday, with this year's address focusing mostly on domestic politics including social policy and the economy, but also proposals to amend the country's basic law.
sputniknews.com/russia/202001151078045582-Medvedev-Announces-Resignation-of-Russian-Govt-Following-Putins-Address-to-Parliament/

Lavrov: Russia to Continue De-Dollarisation Drive Amid 'Increasingly Aggressive' US Sanctions Policy
sputniknews.com | 2020-01-15
Once one of the largest national investors in US Treasury obligations and the US dollar, Russia has been shrinking its holdings substantially in recent years as relations with Washington continue to sour.
sputniknews.com/business/202001151078045524-lavrov-russia-to-continue-de-dollarization-drive-amid-increasingly-aggressive-us-sanctions-policy/

Russian government resigns, after President Putin's State-of-the-Nation Address proposes changes to the constitution
rt.com | 2020-01-15
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has announced that the government is resigning. The statement came shortly after President Vladimir Putin delivered his annual state-of-the-nation address. | Accepting the resignation, Putin asked the ministers to function as a caretaker government until a new one is formed. | Before announcing the resignation of the cabinet, Medvedev met with Putin to discuss his state-of-the-nation address, which took place earlier on Wednesday, the Kremlin's press office said. | Putin also said that he plans to create a position of the deputy secretary of Russia's security council, and…
rt.com/russia/478340-government-resigns-russia-putin-medvedev/

Putin proposes major amendments to Russia's constitution incl. about his own post, says people should vote on changes
rt.com | 2020-01-15
The constitution should take priority over international law if the latter violates the rights of Russian citizens or violates Russia's constitutional principles, President Vladimir Putin has proposed. | Amendments to the constitution could be put to a popular vote to ensure "the development of Russia as a welfare and rule-of-law state," the Russian leader said in his annual state of the nation address. | Adopting a brand new constitution is not necessary because the current one will remain relevant for many years to come, Putin explained. But he did suggest some changes he'd like to see. | Domestic v inte…
rt.com/russia/478315-referendum-constitution-amendments-putin/

Team of Indian Ministers to Visit Kashmir, Will Focus on Development Initiatives
sputniknews.com | 2020-01-15
New Delhi (Sputnik): During discussions on the bill to annul Article 370 of the Constitution and strip the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, India's federal government told Parliament that many state-funded development policies did not reach the people of the restive state.
sputniknews.com/india/202001151078045221-team-of-indian-ministers-to-visit-kashmir-will-focus-on-development-initiatives/

Iraqis to the United States: What Part of "Go Home" Don't You Understand?
MintPress News Desk | theantimedia.com | 2020-01-15
(MPN)

Mark Zuckerberg is a Rich Jerk
Dean Baker via Common Dreams | indybay.org | 2020-01-15
Zuckerberg is not a political philosopher concerned about the public good. There is a zero evidence he is a deep thinker of any sort. | Reprinted here under Creative Commons License.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/01/14/18829737.php

Australia on the Chasm of Climate Catastrophe
Evaggelos Vallianatos | counterpunch.org | 2020-01-15
Australia has had a series of bad governments beholden to the coal industry and to the Rupert Murdoch propaganda machine. The media empire of Murdoch controls about 60 percent of the newspapers and television stations. The Murdoch message, just like the message of Fox TV in America, is in defense of the oligarchs and against environmental protection of any kind. This propaganda is in accord with the continued use of fossil fuels and the ceaseless destruction of the natural world.
counterpunch.org/2020/01/15/australia-on-the-chasm-of-climate-catastrophe/

Fifty Years and Still the Unrelenting Drumbeat of War
Howard Lisnoff | counterpunch.org | 2020-01-15
The night was cold with a strong wind blowing in from the northwest. The nearly full waxing moon seemed to ride easily over the tops of the pine forest. A jet, with its lights still on, within minutes of taking off from the airport at Windsor Locks, Connecticut, flew westward against the departing day of…
counterpunch.org/2020/01/15/fifty-years-and-still-the-unrelenting-drumbeat-of-war/

Vague Imminence: US policy, Pre-emptive Force and Qasem Soleimani
Binoy Kampmark | counterpunch.org | 2020-01-15
International relations is typified by its vagueness of definition and its shallowness of justification. Be it protecting citizens of a state in another, launching a pre-emptive strike to prevent what another state might do, or simply understanding the application of a treaty provision, justifications can prove uneven and at odds. The pre-emptive jerk behind the…
counterpunch.org/2020/01/15/vague-imminence-us-policy-pre-emptive-force-and-qasem-soleimani/

Biden's Unexamined List of High-Powered Fundraisers
Eleanor Eagan | counterpunch.org | 2020-01-15
'Twas the Friday after Christmas, when all through the land, not a person was working, the computers unmanned. The children were nestled all snug in their beds, while Joe Biden released the names of the wealthy and well-connected volunteers who are fundraising for his campaign. These fundraisers, otherwise known as bundlers, have all brought in…
counterpunch.org/2020/01/15/bidens-unexamined-list-of-high-powered-fundraisers/

City Problems: A Fairly True Barcalona Story
Gala Pin | counterpunch.org | 2020-01-15
We won the elections. We won by an absolute minority and there's some merit in that. When you win you have to do a lot of incomprehensible things and no one explains them to you, among them negotiating who'll end up being mayor at the investiture. Since you're the winning force (sic) you've got to…
counterpunch.org/2020/01/15/city-problems-a-fairly-true-barcalona-story/

A Fine Republic, But Can We Keep It?
Thomas M. Magstadt | counterpunch.org | 2020-01-15
As Benjamin Franklyn was leaving Independence Hall on the final day of the Constitutional Convention, the story goes, a woman asked him, 'Well, Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?" He is said to have replied without hesitation, "A republic, if you can keep it."* A Skeptical Founder Scholars tend to focus…
counterpunch.org/2020/01/15/a-fine-republic-but-can-we-keep-it/

Hey Los Angeles: More Public Restrooms, Please!
Stephen Cooper | counterpunch.org | 2020-01-15
I have to pee. But I can hold it; thank you, God! I can hold it until I get there, and everything will be fine. It's not like I urgently need to urinate at this very moment; in fact, it was only while exiting the freeway, navigating a rather large intestine-shaped loop, that I sensed…
counterpunch.org/2020/01/15/hey-los-angeles-more-public-restrooms-please/

Traversed by Tensions: Quebec's Religious Symbols Law
Michael Welton | counterpunch.org | 2020-01-15
Fatima Ahmad, 23, an Education student at McGill University in Montreal, says that Bill 21 prevents her from working as a public school teacher in Quebec. A fourth year student, graduating in April 2020, she is already making plans to move to the United Arab Emirates or Calgary once she graduates. She is photographed wearing…
counterpunch.org/2020/01/15/traversed-by-tensions-quebecs-religious-symbols-law/

EU Nations Push Iran in Last-Ditch Bid to Save Nuclear Deal
Staff | truthdig.com | 2020-01-15
Britain, France and Germany trigger pact's dispute mechanism, starting the clock on a process that could result in more sanctions on Iran.
truthdig.com/articles/eu-nations-push-iran-in-last-ditch-bid-to-save-nuclear-deal/

European powers move toward scrapping nuclear accord with Iran
wsws.org | 2020-01-15
Berlin, London and Paris, emboldened by Tehran's weak response to the US murder of Iranian General Qassem Suleimani, are escalating attacks against Iran.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/01/15/euir-j15.html

Trump deal instead of Iran nuclear deal? I agree! US president gives Twitter nod to BoJo
rt.com | 2020-01-15
Boris Johnson's suggestion that the 2015 Iran nuclear deal be replaced with a new one

Tehran calls on Washington to apologize for 'previous crimes' against Iran, claims regional 'crisis' led to shootdown of airliner
rt.com | 2020-01-15
The United States should acknowledge its past crimes against Iran, Tehran has said, adding that Washington has fueled instability in the Middle East. | Iranian President Hassan Rouhani lashed out at the US during a televised speech on Wednesday, calling on Washington to make amends for its actions in the region. | His comments came as Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told a security conference in New Delhi that the Islamic Republic is not interested in negotiating with the US. | US President Donald Trump has proposed a "Trump deal" to replace the largely defunct 2015 nuclear accord, but Zarif argu…
rt.com/news/478302-iran-us-crimes-negotiations-crisis/

At the Iowa Debate, Bernie Sanders's Most Vociferous Opponent Was CNN
Ryan Grim | zcomm.org | 2020-01-15
The CNN hosts jumped in, telling Sanders to stay on trade because climate change would be addressed later. "They are the same in this issue," he fired back…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/at-the-iowa-debate-bernie-sanderss-most-vociferous-opponent-was-cnn/

The Guardian's concern for Cornish residents if FlyBe collapses totally misses the point
Emily Apple | thecanary.co | 2020-01-15
An article in the Guardian on 14 January highlighted the fears some Cornish residents have of being "isolated" if FlyBe collapses. But the article misses two crucial points. Firstly, and most importantly, there's the fact we're living in a climate crisis, and no-one should encourage domestic flights. Secondly, the Guardian only managed to talk to airline users to highlight these supposedly generic 'fears'

USMCA Is Bad for Climate and Food Safety
commondreams.org | 2020-01-15
______________________________…
commondreams.org/newswire/2020/01/15/usmca-bad-climate-and-food-safety?cd-origin=rss

Trump exploits Iran war crisis to incite violence against political opponents
wsws.org | 2020-01-15
Following Trump's order for the murder of Iranian General Suleimani, his denunciations of political opponents for "taking the side of terrorists" can only be interpreted as a threat of violence.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/01/15/pers-j15.html

US workers denounce war threats against Iran
wsws.org | 2020-01-15
Three decades of disastrous wars have produced popular skepticism to the official propaganda machine and opposition to the launching of new wars.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/01/15/warr-j15.html