2020-01-18: News Headlines

RT (2020-01-18). 'I thought it was a terrorist attack': California teachers sue Delta after plane showers school children with jet fuel. rt.com Four southern California teachers have filed a lawsuit against Delta Airlines after a Boeing 777 jettisoned its fuel over several schools near Los Angeles, drenching staff and scores of children with the volatile liquid. | Filed on Friday by attorney Gloria Allred, the suit alleges that the crew of Delta Flight 89 was negligent in dumping the fuel when and where it did, arguing the toxic substance led teachers and students to become "sick, dizzy and nauseated," producing "a lasting and severe irritation and a lasting and noxious taste and smell." | "A Delta Airlines pilot flying at a relatively low altitude an…

RT (2020-01-18). 4 men convicted in India's gang rape case behind Netflix's series to be hanged on February 1, SEVEN YEARS after verdict. rt.com The men who gang raped and killed a female student on a bus in New Delhi in 2012 will face punishment eight years later, after exhausting all legal options to delay execution. The grizzly case inspired a Netflix miniseries. | The four males were set to be hanged on January 22, but one of them filed a 'mercy plea' earlier this week in a desperate attempt to win more time, the latest in a series of appeals. With the request rejected, however, there seem to be no more obstacles for the verdict to run its course. | Six people were initially charged with the crime, but one of them committed suicide in his cell, whi…

Staff (2020-01-18). Texas Republicans Are Manufacturing a Crisis in Houston's Public School System. truthout.org If the state of Texas had its way, the state would be in the process of taking over the Houston Independent School District. | But a judge temporarily blocked the takeover on Jan. 8, with the issue now set to be decided at a trial in June. | The ruling temporarily spares Houston's pub…

sputniknews (2020-01-18). Russia Urges UN, OSCE to Assess New Ukrainian-Language Education Law. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Russia has called on human rights institutions at the UN, the OSCE, and the Council of Europe to evaluate a law passed by the Ukrainian parliament limiting the extent to which children can be educated in the languages of Ukraine's national minorities, Russia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

South Front (2020-01-18). Video: Turkish Invasion of Libya? Erdogan Sends Troops. globalresearch.ca In early 2020, Libya became one of the main hot points in the Greater Middle East with stakes raised by Turkey's decision to launch a military operation there. | On January 5, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that Turkey had sent …

Stephen Lendman (2020-01-18). Nuclear Weapons: Trump Regime Pressured E3 Countries (UK, France, Germany) to Trigger JCPOA Dispute Mechanism. globalresearch.ca Post-WW II, Washington transformed Western European countries into virtual US colonies — their presence status. | Judge them by their actions. Time and again, they subordinate their sovereign rights to US interests, even when harming their own. | It shows by imposing …

Mark Dudzic (2020-01-18). Take My Benefits — Please! Medicare System in Crisis. globalresearch.ca At the June 2019 House Ways and Means Committee Hearing on Medicare for All, Texas Republican Kevin Murphy lamented, "That great health care plan that your union negotiated for you? It's gone. Banned under Medicare for All." | A right-wing congressman …

sputniknews (2020-01-18). Elon Musk Says SpaceX Could to Send One Million People to Mars by 2050. sputniknews.com Musk's SpaceX is now developing a next-generation spacecraft called Starship that the company said would land on the Moon in 2022 with manned flights to Earth's natural satellite planned shortly after. Musk and SpaceX also plan to use Starship to send people to Mars.

yenisafak (2020-01-18). Foreign investors eye Turkish start-ups. yenisafak.com Turkish start-ups, which received $93 million investments last year, draw the attention of foreign investors.Lastly, on-demand delivery application Getir, which means "Bring" in Turkish, received $38 million investment from a group of foreign investors under the leadership of Sir Michael Moritz, a renown investor in Silicon Valley.Foreign investors have invested in 15 Turkish start-up firms in 2019, according to a research website startups.watch. They are expected to invest more in Turkish enterprises after Moritz's investment in the country.Alex Ham, the CEO of the London-based institutional stockbroker and corp…

Shawgi Tell (2020-01-18). Charter Schools Have No Valid Claim to Public Property. dissidentvoice.org Public facilities and infrastructure are produced by the working class and people and belong to the public. They exist in order to serve the common good and to contribute to the extended reproduction of society. This collectively-produced wealth must not be handed over to competing owners of capital who are only concerned with maximizing profit …

Steve Topple (2020-01-18). More Tory nonsense, this time over period poverty. thecanary.co The Tory's latest grand pledge about poverty has not washed with many people. Rightly so, as its new measures to tackle period poverty fall way short of the mark. Moreover, it's really just sticking plasters on broken legs. | Another day, more lip service?: | As ITV News reported, next week the Department for Education (DfE) will roll out free sanitary product…

The Canary (2020-01-17). Police criticised for the 'chilling effect' of including environmental groups in counter-terror documents. thecanary.co Police have defended their inclusion of environmental groups such as Extinction Rebellion in counter-terrorism documents, in the face of criticism it could have a "chilling effect" on people.The Guardian reported that a 24-page policing document it had seen included Greenpeace, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) and other non-violent groups, as well as extremist right-wing proscribed groups such as National Action.It said the document was distributed to teachers and medical staff as part of anti-extremism briefings last year.Deputy assistant commissioner Dean Haydon, senior national co-ordinator for the U…

Karamo Muchuri Sulieman (2020-01-17). Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: The continuing legacy and call to conscience. peoplesworld.org Billions of people around the world, without exaggeration, remember Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. They remember him for his academic excellence at Morehouse College where he earned his baccalaureate degree; at Crozer Theological Seminary where he earned his bachelors of divinity; and at Boston University where he earned his doctorate. He was a minister of …

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 taking civilization down to its knees. But, that prospect is also extremely controversial within the scientific community. More

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

Graham Peebles (2020-01-17). Education: Expanding Purpose. dissidentvoice.org As the world stumbles from one crisis to another it is increasingly apparent that existing systems and institutions are incapable of responding to the challenges of the time and the growing demands of the people. Creative ways of thinking free from ideology are needed, allowing for a revolution of ideas to take place and new …

Robert Hunziker (2020-01-17). The Rumbling ESAS Methane Enigma. dissidentvoice.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 …

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 …

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. …

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."

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…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-01-17). Anti-fascists protest far-right manifestations in Austrian universities. peoplesdispatch.org Various anti-fascist groups in Austria have started campaigns and begun mobilizing to resist the far-right and fascist manifestations in country's universities. The latest action took place at the University of Vienna on January 14, Tuesday, where 200 anti-fascist activists blocked the entrances to the lecture hall and forced the cancellation of a lecture by the controversial historian, Lothar Hà∂belt, a staunch advocate of the far-right Freedom Party of Austria (FPàñ). Activists from the Austrian Students Union (OH) in the Vienna University, Radical Left Platform, Offensive Against the Right-wing, Au…

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…

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Padraig McGrath (2020-01-16). Soleimani Fallout Continues to Produce Diplomatic Dividends for Russia. globalresearch.ca Ahead of this year's Munich Security Conference, due to begin on February 14th, its chairman Wolfgang Ischinger praised what he called President Putin's "method" concerning security-issues in the Middle East. Talking to the ZDF television channel on January 13th, Ischinger …

Fréa Lockley (2020-01-16). David Attenborough warns that we must make 'compelling life or death' decisions now. thecanary.co David Attenborough has issued a vital warning for all governments to take action on the climate crisis now. His warning came as new scientific research revealed that 2019 was the second hottest year on record. | "The moment of crisis has come": | Speaking to BBC News on 16 January, Attenborough warned: We have been putting things off year after year. We've been raising targets and saying: 'Oh, well, if we do it withi…

RT (2020-01-15). Toxic chemicals stole 160 million IQ points from American kids and it's costing the US trillions of dollars – study. rt.com Shocking new research indicates that not only do pesticides and flame retardants cause unprecedented levels of irreversible childhood brain damage, but the knock-on effects have cost the US economy trillions of dollars. | The latest research from New York University indicates that polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) were the greatest contributor to IQ loss and intellectual disability among American children, resulting in a total of 162 million IQ points lost and over 738,000 cases of intellectual disability. | Many children were likely exposed in utero — though many household objects are known to conta…