2020-01-17: News Headlines

Vijay Prashad (2020-01-17). Not an Inch: Indian Students Stand Against the Far Right. counterpunch.org With her head bandaged and her arm in a sling, university student Aishe Ghosh went before the cameras to say that the students of the university she attends in New Delhi would move "not an inch back." The students would continue to agitate to defend Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and its union, and to fight More

RT (2020-01-17). Manned Mars mission isn't science fiction & could have 'reconciliatory' effect on the world — Russian cosmonaut Ryazansky. rt.com Sending humans to Mars isn't as far-fetched as it might sound, Russian cosmonaut Sergey Ryazansky told RT, noting that a joint mission to the Red Planet would serve as a unifying triumph for people of all nations. | In an interview with SophieCo, the Russian cosmonaut and biochemist explained that manned space travel to Mars probably wouldn't be any more dangerous, from a health perspective, than current space missions. He pointed out that "the total amount of radiation an astronaut gets these days exceeds what a Mars mission crew would get," while stressing that more research on the matter was needed. | Ryaza…

RT (2020-01-17). 'Monumental': Scientists successfully grow mysterious ancient organism that could be origin of life as we know it. rt.com A team of researchers has unravelled a scientific mystery by successfully growing an ancient life form in a lab, a breakthrough that brings us one step closer to discovering our very first ancestors on Earth. | The previously unknown organism was unearthed on the floor of the Arctic ocean in 2010. It was dubbed Lokiarchaeota in honor of the Loki's Castle hydrothermal vent where it was found. | What made the finding significant was that the peculiar organism was a type of microbe, called an Archaea, but it appeared to have characteristics of a completely separate type of early life form, a eukaryote. Significan…

Robert Hunziker (2020-01-17). The Rumbling Methane Enigma. counterpunch.org The northern continental shelves of Russia, inclusive of the Barents Sea, Kara Sea, Laptev Sea and East Siberian Sea (ESAS) are some of the least researched yet most controversial subjects in climate science today. It's the one region that has the biggest potential to trigger runaway global warming because of sizeable subsea methane deposits, thereby More

RT (2020-01-17). First in 2020: India successfully launches GSAT-30 telecoms satellite (VIDEO). rt.com In its first space mission of the year, India has sent its GSAT-30 communications satellite into orbit, where it will replace another aging craft. The launch went off without a hitch. | The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) announced early on Friday that the spacecraft had reached orbit without any issues. The launch was carried out from a facility in French Guiana in conjunction with French-based aerospace firm, Arianespace, which provided its Ariane 5 rockets for the mission. | #GSAT30 was successfully launched into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit by Ryan McMaken (2020-01-17). The World Looks to Abandon the Dollar as US Sanctions Tighten Their Grip. globalresearch.ca When the US places financial sanctions on one country, it de facto sanctions many other countries as well — including many of its allies. | This is because not all countries and firms are interested in participating in the US sanctions-based …

Dr. Jack Rasmus (2020-01-17). Trump's Feeble Phase 1 China-US Trade Deal. globalresearch.ca With the announcement today, January 16, 2020 of the signing of the US-China Phase 1 'mini' trade deal, and the US Senate's simultaneous ratification of the USMCA 'NAFTA 2.0' trade agreement, Trump's so-called 'trade wars' are at an end. In …

Yves Engler (2020-01-17). Canada Opposed Iranian Democracy. globalresearch.ca To understand where you are, it is necessary to know where you have been. To understand current Canadian policy towards the 18th most populous country in the world, it is necessary to look at the history of Ottawa's relations …

Bill Van Auken (2020-01-17). Washington Continues War Buildup Against Iran. globalresearch.ca With a series of new US military deployments, Washington is escalating its preparations for a full-scale war with Iran. The buildup is continuing despite what has been universally described in the media as an easing of tensions following the January …

Prof. David T. Johnson (2020-01-17). The TEPCO Trial: Prosecution and Acquittal after Japan's Fukushima Nuclear Meltdown. globalresearch.ca On September 19, 2019, a panel of three professional judges in the Tokyo District Court acquitted three former executives of the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO). The defendants were former chairman Katsumata Tsunehisa (79), and former vice presidents Takekuro Ichiro …

Miri Wood (2020-01-17). NATO Terrorists Bomb Aleppo Neighborhood: 5 Murdered, 15 Injured. globalresearch.ca NATO terrorists continued their slaughter of Syrian civilians. Courtesy of mostly the US taxpayer, another residential neighborhood in Aleppo was bombed. Five persons were murdered. Fifteen persons were injured. Homes and other buildings were damaged. | The wounded were rushed to …

Steven Sahiounie (2020-01-17). Iraq Set to Buy Russian S-400 Air Defense System and Assert Its Sovereignty. globalresearch.ca Iran attacked US forces stationed at two bases in Iraq with 15 missiles on January 8th, but it does not appear missile defense systems were used to counter them. Eric Gomez, a missile defense policy analyst at the Cato …

Stephen Lendman (2020-01-17). Trump Calls for New Iran Nuclear Deal that Renders the Country Defenseless. globalresearch.ca Last week, Trump called for a new Iran nuclear deal, claiming: | "(W)e must all work together toward making a deal with Iran that makes the world a safer and more peaceful place (sic)." | That's precisely the JCPOA's aim — even …

Colin Todhunter (2020-01-17). Challenging the Flawed Premise Behind Pushing GMOs into Indian Agriculture. globalresearch.ca A common claim is that genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are essential to agriculture if we are to feed an ever-growing global population. Supporters of genetically engineered (GE) crops argue that by increasing productivity and yields, this technology will also help …

Bryant Brown (2020-01-17). The Market in this New Decade. globalresearch.ca On January first of this new decade, 2020 the Dow Jones was at a record high; $28,634. What does that mean? | Since the great depression of 1929 there have been 13 severe downturns revealing time and again that the market …

Andrew Korybko (2020-01-17). It's Factually Incorrect to Claim that Bolivia Has a So-Called Interim Government. globalresearch.ca The individuals who seized power after the military coup in Bolivia don't constitute a so-called "interim government" because the radical policy changes that they've implemented since then go far and beyond simply presiding over the state until new elections are …

Pepe Escobar (2020-01-17). Battle of the Ages to Stop Eurasian Integration. globalresearch.ca The Raging Twenties started with a bang with the targeted assassination of Iran's General Qasem Soleimani. | Yet a bigger bang awaits us throughout the decade: the myriad declinations of the New Great Game in Eurasia, which pits the US …

Ryan Cristián (2020-01-17). Israel Bombs Gaza And Syria Killing 3 & Iran Says US Sabotage/Cyberattack Likely Behind 737 Downing. thelastamericanvagabond.com Welcome to The Daily Wrap Up, a concise show dedicated to bringing you the most relevant independent news, as we see it, from the last 24 hours (1/16/19). As always, take the information discussed in the video below and research it for yourself, and come to your own conclusions. Anyone telling you what the truth …

Roger Jordan (2020-01-17). Canada's Media and Political Establishment Endorse Illegal Assassination of Iranian General Suleimani. globalresearch.ca In the two weeks since Washington violated Iraq's sovereignty to assassinate Iranian Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) General Qassem Suleimani, major Canadian corporate media outlets and leading figures within the political establishment have voiced their support for such acts of state terrorism. …

sputniknews (2020-01-17). India's Top Court Refuses to Pass Order to Confer Nation's Highest Award on Mahatma Gandhi. sputniknews.com New Delhi (Sputnik): Instituted on 2 January 1954, the Bharat Ratna is India's Highest Civilian Award. Originally limited to achievements in the field of arts, literature, science, and public services, it's sphere has expanded to include all types of human endeavours.

WSWS (2020-01-17). US students and youth speak out against the threat of war with Iran. wsws.org "We know who war benefits. It benefits the rich, and it's always the poor and the working class who suffer the consequences. My father fought in World War II and the Korean War and it totally destroyed him."

WSWS (2020-01-17). IYSSE holds first meeting in campaign for student parliament elections at Berlin's Humboldt University. wsws.org The meeting focused on the dangerous developments in the Middle East since the beginning of the year and the need for a socialist and internationalist programme to put an end to war.

Staff (2020-01-17). Headlines for January 17, 2020. democracynow.org Senate Impeachment Trial Opens as Accountability Office Says Trump Broke Law by Withholding Aid, Pentagon Contradicts Trump and Says 11 U.S. Troops Injured in Iranian Strikes, Senate Votes to Approve USMCA, Report: Six Banks Reaped $18 Billion Last Year from Trump Tax Cuts, Guatemalan Protesters Demand Outgoing President Be Arrested for Corruption, Deported Immigrant Rights Leader Jean Montrevil Sues U.S. Government, FBI Arrests 3 Suspected Neo-Nazis Ahead of Pro-Gun Rally in Richmond, Virginia, Florida Supreme Court Upholds Law Limiting Voting Rights for People with Felony Convictions, Harvard Law Students Prote…

Staff (2020-01-17). Trump Is the Third President to Lie About Afghan War Success. truthout.org The Bush, Obama and Trump administrations all routinely lied to the American people about the success of the 18-year war in Afghanistan. They exaggerated progress and inflated statistics to create an illusion that that the war was winnable. But after the deaths of 157,000 people at a cost of $2 trillion, corruption is rampant and the carnage continues. | "There's an odor of mendacity throughout the Afghanistan issue … mendacity and hubris," John Sopko, special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstructi…

Susan Price (2020-01-17). Iran: 'The people demand freedom and equality'. greenleft.org.au anti-government protest Farhang Jahanpour (translator)Issue 1249 Iran US aggression against IranJanuary 17, 2020The following statement, translated by Farhang Jahanpour, was issued by students taking part in a protest at the Amirkabir…

Susan Price (2020-01-17). Iranian students call for a new revolution amid government crackdown. greenleft.org.au anti-war Steve SweeneyIssue 1249 Iran anti-government protests US aggression against IranJanuary 17, 2020IRANIAN authorities blocked internet access on January 14, with pressure continu…

Kathleen Wallace (2020-01-17). Hijacking the Struggles of Others, Elizabeth Warren Style. counterpunch.org To say Elizabeth Warren is a political opportunist is not giving her enough credit. She has taken the struggles, as well as the identities of others (women, school teachers, Native Americans, public school supporters, people who are able to tweet with humor, actual humans) and has weaponized these categories until the meaning of it all is lost. More

RT (2020-01-16). 'Negative': Audio suggests Delta flight crew told controls it WOULDN'T NEED to dump fuel before dousing school kids outside LA. rt.com The crew of a Boeing 777 that showered schools outside Los Angeles with jet fuel on Tuesday apparently told controllers they were not going to release the toxic liquid right before they did so, newly released audio suggests. | The plot has thickened in the highly unusual mishap, which saw Delta Airlines Flight 89 dump thousands of gallons of volatile jet fuel on unsuspecting students and staff in five elementary schools and one high school outside Los Angeles on Tuesday. | An audio recording of communications between the LAX airport control tower and the pilots of the Delta flight reveals that air traffic cont…

Tony Pecinovsky (2020-01-16). How Soviet books brought literacy and socialist culture to the Third World. peoplesworld.org After the triumph of the Bolshevik Revolution, John Reed, famed author of Ten Days that Shook the World, wrote, "The thirst for education, so long thwarted, burst with the Revolution into a frenzy of expression. From Smolny Institute alone, the first six months, went out everyday tons, car-loads, train-loads of literature, saturating the land. Russia …

Vijay Prashad (2020-01-16). Indian Students Stand Against the Far-Right. zcomm.org It is hard to watch these young people speak with such confidence and with such chilling precision about their desire to hurt those with whom they did not agree…

teleSUR (2020-01-16). Israel's Arab Students Drop out Twice as Much as Jewish: Report. telesurenglish.net The number of middle and high school students who withdraw before completing their studies in Israel's Arab schools is nearly twice as high as that of students in Jewish schools, according to a report released Tuesday by the National Council for Children in Israel. | RELATED: | Israel Announces Seven 'Nature Reserves' in Occupied West Bank | In Israel's Jewish schools the dropout rate was 1.6 percent for the 2017-2018 school year whereas for students in the Arab educational syst…

Kurt Nimmo (2020-01-16). Pompeo and the "Mafia Hit Strategy" globalresearch.ca The USG Mafia hit on Qassem Soleimani is part of a larger murder campaign, according to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. | For the former tank commander, murder—not simply double-tapping the target with a firearm, but blowing him into meaty …

Staff (2020-01-16). A Christian Nationalist Group Is Quietly Shaping Bills for State Legislatures. truthout.org Fred Clarkson, a senior research analyst at the social justice think tank Political Research Associates, had studied the Christian right wing for decades when someone tipped him off about an intriguing link on the website of the Congressional Prayer Caucus Foundation (CPCF) — a group that seeks to "preserve America's Judeo-Christian heritage and promote prayer." In early 2018, Clarkson clicked on the link, which led him to what was essentially a roadmap of the Christian right's theocra…

Peter Koenig (2020-01-16). Russia — A Groundbreaking Power Shift? Prime Minister and Entire Cabinet Resign. globalresearch.ca In groundbreaking news President Putin announced today, 15 January, in his annual address to the Nation, major changes in his government. First, he announced that Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and his entire cabinet resigned and will eventually be replaced by …

Gideon Polya (2020-01-16). US, UK, Australia, Canada and Germany Reject Iraqi Parliament's Demand for US and Allied Troop Withdrawal. globalresearch.ca Following the US assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani and Shiite Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis at Baghdad International Airport, the Iraqi PM, the Iraqi Parliament Speaker and the Iraqi Parliament have demanded that the US Alliance forces leave …

Scott Ritter (2020-01-16). How Europe Betrayed Iran: By Triggering JCPOA Dispute Mechanism, EU Helps Trump Finish Job of Killing the Iran Nuclear Deal. globalresearch.ca Europe could have saved the Iran nuclear agreement. Instead, it abused the rule of law by inappropriately triggering its dispute mechanism, all but ensuring the agreement's demise. | Disingenuous diplomacy | On January 5, 2020, Tehran announced that it would no longer …

Barry Kissin (2020-01-16). In Honor of Martin Luther King: "The Pursuit of Peace" and MLK's Historic Analysis of "American Militarism" globalresearch.ca Consider some of what the Reverend MLK proclaimed about American militarism: | "A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom." | "A few years ago there …

Craig Murray (2020-01-16). Westminster Cannot Block Scottish Independence. globalresearch.ca Boris Johnson's facetious, point-scoring reply to the formal request from the Scottish government for agreement to a second Independence referendum is an act of extreme arrogance. An off-the-cuff campaign remark from a single politician has no weight in weighing the …

Paul Antonopoulos (2020-01-16). Will Baghdad Defy Washington? Iraqi Parliament Contemplates Buying Russia's S-400 Missile Defense System. globalresearch.ca With tensions mounting between Iran and the United States after the latter assassinated Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in Iraq, Baghdad has now been pushing to free itself from American domination by calling for foreign troops to leave the country and …

Andrew Korybko (2020-01-16). The Afro-Eurasia Proposal Would be a Timely Alternative to the US Sponsored "Indo-Pacific" globalresearch.ca Russia's repeated rejection of the US' 'Indo-Pacific' concept that Foreign Minister Lavrov claims is a ruse for "containing China" highlights just how urgently it is that a more inclusive and non-hostile trans-regional integration alternative emerges, which can be embodied by …

Andrew Korybko (2020-01-16). Iran's 'Deep State' Struggle Will Intensify After the UIA-752 Cover-Up Was Exposed. globalresearch.ca There's little doubt that Iran's "deep state" struggle will intensify after a senior IRGC commander from the country's "principalist" faction took responsibility for his country accidentally shooting down UIA-752 and thus exposing the "reformist" government's previous efforts to cover up …

Vladimir Platov (2020-01-16). "Why America Needs War"? Why Are US Military Expenditures "Going Through the Roof"? globalresearch.ca Back in 2003, an alternative media site based in Belgium — Indy Media, published a rather clever article titled "Why America Needs War" written by renowned historian and political scientist, Dr. Jacques R. Pauwels. | Due to the fact that this …

Tony Cartalucci (2020-01-16). US War of Terror Continues: Assassinating Iran's Top Anti-ISIS General. globalresearch.ca The US has eagerly taken credit for the killing of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani amid a series of military strikes carried out by US forces across Syria and Iraq. The assassination was shortly followed by Iranian missile strikes aimed at …

Claire Robinson (2020-01-16). Will Lab-grown Food Really Save the Planet? globalresearch.ca The environmental campaigner and journalist George Monbiot has created a huge controversy by predicting that farmers and farming as we know them will soon be made redundant by the massive expansion of lab-grown food. This, he argues, is largely a …

Maurice Wren (2020-01-16). British Government Blocks Refugee Children Being Reunited with Parents. globalresearch.ca The government is causing irreversible harm to vulnerable child refugees living in Britain by denying them the chance of being reunited with their close families. Their mums, their dads, their sisters and brothers — the people they need the most. …

Telesur (2020-01-16). Libya: Before and After Muammar Gaddafi. Dramatic Collapse in the Standard of Living. globalresearch.ca Nine years after the military intervention, led by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to overthrow Colonel Muammar al-Gaddafi, Libya remains trapped in a spiral of violence involving armed groups, sectarian, ethnic groups and external interference that have led …

Stephen Lendman (2020-01-16). The China-US Phase One Trade Deal: Deep Seated Crisis Unresolved. globalresearch.ca The phase one deal leaves major bilateral differences unresolved. Further talks could continue intermittently for years without resolution. | The US aims to weaken China economically, financially, industrially, technologically and militarily, part of its Indo/Pacific strategy to dominate the region. | China's …

Caoimhghin àì Croidheáin (2020-01-16). Once Upon a Time in Hollywood: Tarantino and American Exceptionalism. globalresearch.ca Quentin Tarantino's new film, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, is a 2019 comedy-drama set in 1969 Los Angeles and features a large ensemblecast led by Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt. The story centres around veteran actor Rick Dalton …

John W. Whitehead (2020-01-16). Red Flag Nation: Anti-Gun Laws, Sanctuary Cities and the Second Amendment. globalresearch.ca "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed." — The Second Amendment to the US Constitution | We never learn. | In the …

Brett Redmayne-Titley (2020-01-16). China's Growing Economic Miracle… Cracks and Bubbles?! Realties of China's Banking and Finance. globalresearch.ca In emulating the American economic raison d'etre, China has attempted to develop its unique capitalist model while ignoring that it too will soon suffer the same fate for the same reason: Unsustainable debt. When examining the recent realities of Chinese …