Trump Steps Up Rhetoric against Iran, Threatens Iraq Sanctions

US President Donald Trump ratcheted up his rhetoric with Iran and Iraq late on Sunday, warning of a "major retaliation" if Iran strikes back to avenge the US assassination of one of its top military commanders and threatening sanctions on Iraq after its parliament called on American troops to leave the country.

Asked on Air Force One about potential retaliation by Iran, Trump said: "If it happens, it happens. If they do anything, there will be major retaliation."

Al Jazeera's Gabriel Elizondo reports live from Washington, DC.

U.S. and Iran Exchange More Threats as Democrats Question Timing of Strike

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Oil prices surged and the stock market fell after President Trump ordered the killing of Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani in Baghdad.

WASHINGTON — The United States and Iran exchanged escalating military threats on Friday as President Trump warned that he was “prepared to take whatever action is necessary” if Iran threatened Americans and Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, vowed to exact vengeance for the killing on Mr. Trump’s order of Iran’s most valued general.

Although the president insisted that he took the action to avoid a war with Iran, the continuing threats further rattled foreign capitals, global markets and Capitol Hill, where Democrats demanded more information about the strike and Mr. Trump’s grounds for taking such a provocative move without consulting Congress.

Democrats also pressed questions about the attack’s timing and whether it was meant to deflect attention from the president’s expected impeachment trial this month in the Senate. They said he risked suspicion that he was taking action overseas to distract from his political troubles at home, as in the political movie “Wag the Dog.” » | Michael Crowley, Peter Baker, Edward Wong and Maggie Haberman | Friday, January 3, 2020

James Ivory on ‘Call Me By Your Name’ | TIFF 2018

Legendary writer and director James Ivory (Howards End, The Remains of the Day) joins us for an extended introduction and audience Q&A to this year's art-house sensation ‘Call Me By Your Name’, a tender love story set in 1980s Italy for which he wrote the award-winning screenplay.

US Forces Kill Top Iranian General in Airstrike

US forces have killed a top Iranian general in a drone airstrike on Baghdad airport - an attack that marks a dramatic escalation of tensions with Tehran.

Iran immediately threatened a "crushing revenge" for the assassination in Iraq of Major General Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran's elite Quds Force and spearhead of Iran's spreading military influence in the Middle East.

The Pentagon confirmed US forces had killed the general, a revered figure in the region, on Friday.

Australian PM told to '**** Off' over Handling of Bushfires

Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison was confronted by angry residents as he toured the town of Cobargo in New South Wales.

The Guardian at Tiff 2017: Cast and Crew of ‘Call Me By Your Name’

In the first of three sessions from the Toronto film festival, the team behind acclaimed gay romance Call Me by Your Name – actors Armie Hammer and Timothée Chalamet, and director Luca Guadagnino

Democracy Now! Top US News & World Headlines — January 2, 2020

Angela Merkel's New Year's Address: 'The 2020's Can Be Good Years' | DW News

In her annual New Year's address, German Chancellor Angela Merkel risked a glance into the new decade. She cited digitization and climate change as the central challenges of our times. According to Merkel, "Germany will only thrive in the long term if Europe thrives too."

Merkel’s New Year Speech Calls for Action on Climate and Tolerance »

The Observer View on Britain’s Future in an Uncertain and Perilous World

THE OBSERVER: Johnson will struggle to get Brexit done, let alone lead the country in an increasingly volatile age

Boris Johnson is fond of metaphors such as an “oven-ready” Brexit. He recently compared the struggle between Leave and Remain to the feuding of Montagues and Capulets. So the prime minister will readily understand, though probably not applaud, our likening of Britain in 2020 to a leaky tramp steamer heading into uncharted waters with a captain of doubtful character at the helm. Is Johnson a new Lord Jim? Time will find him out.

To say the coming year is full of challenges is a comforting way of saying Britain will be tested, perhaps to breaking point, in ways not often experienced. A critical hurdle, following Britain’s 31 January departure from the EU, is Johnson’s rash pledge to finalise a new European trading relationship by year’s end. People with experience of trade negotiations, and that excludes him, say it cannot be done, unless, of course, Britain meekly accept Europe’s demands. Any deal that fails to meet the expectations of Brexit supporters, for example, Britain’s fishermen, or does not secure the promised zero tariffs and quotas, for example, for Britain’s car industry, will be seen as proof that Johnson’s Brexit is fatally holed below the waterline. Failure to reach any agreement at all, resulting in a disastrous “no-deal” exit, would be an even bigger betrayal, especially of the working-class voters who put their faith in the Tories. » | Observer editorial | Saturday, December 28, 2019

Love – More Than a Feeling | DW Documentary

What is love? Love is more than a feeling: it is a driving force that can influence both brain and body. Recent scientific studies show how much love can really change people's lives.

Love is not only a topic in art, but also in science. Few other emotions can trump human reason like love. Love is an instinct like eating and drinking - primitive but vital. It is not romance but above all biology that brings two people together: we can identify the right partner for us by their scent, just as animals do. Recent research shows that the sense of smell, especially in women, has a significant influence on the choice of partner. Love can make wounds heal faster, lower your pulse rate and blood pressure and reduce anxiety and stress. But it can also make you sick and even kill you: "Broken Heart Syndrome” can be as dangerous as a heart attack. Love isn’t just about sex, but sex nurtures love between two people. Every touch causes the brain to release oxytocin, a hormone that triggers feelings of care and affection. And the love hormone isn’t just behind the passion of the newly smitten, but also behind the bond between parents and children and the affection for a pet. In fact, it makes social coexistence possible in the first place - for humans as well as for rats or ants. Love is above all a matter of biochemistry and scientists may one day even create a love pill in the laboratory. This science documentary shows in an entertaining way what love is, what it does to people - and how it stays alive.

Phil Collins – Can't Stop Loving You | Official Music Video

“Can’t Stop Loving You” is the tenth song by Phil Collins on his seventh solo album ‘Testify’, released in 2002.

Author André Aciman: 'I Wrote about Gay Love, Not Realising I Was Taking On the Taboo'

André Aciman is an author and academic, renowned for his novel 'Call Me by Your Name', which was turned into a hugely successful film in 2017 and has been hailed as a modern gay classic.

The story centres on the blossoming romantic relationship between a 17-year-old American-Italian Jewish boy and a 24-year-old American Jewish scholar. The sequel to the novel, 'Find Me', has just been released.

André talks to Krishnan about obsessive love, his faith in the kindness of humanity and dismissing taboos.

My Love Letter to Britain: Family Ties Can Never Really Be Severed

THE GUARDIAN: Since I went to a British school, you have always been part of me. Now you are leaving, and it breaks my heart

Irecently read a delightful book of love letters to Europe. And it made me contemplate my love for Britain. It has just occurred to me that when you joined the European Economic Community I was in one of your schools. Not on your soil, mind you, but in Italy. Saint George’s British International School in Rome, to be precise. I was 12 years old and still learning English. That year I also dressed up in a kimono, as one of the “gentlemen from Japan” in the Mikado, the school play. Mrs Alcock encouraged me not to sing too loudly, so that my false notes would be less audible. But she kept me on stage. I loved it. Like I loved being part of the chorus in My Fair Lady the next year and the Mock Turtle in Alice in Wonderland the year after. » | Frans Timmermans* | Thursday, December 26, 2019

* Frans Timmermans is executive vice-president of the European commission

The Queen's Christmas Broadcast 2019

Fmr. Amb. Robert Jordan: Jamal Khashoggi Verdict Is ‘A Mockery of Justice’ | The Last Word | MSNBC

Top Saudi officials avoided punishment in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. Robert Jordan, the former Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, tells Ayman Mohyeldin that it’s impossible the officials were not involved and the Crown Prince should be held accountable. Aired on 12/23/19.

Saudi Court Sentences Five to Death for Khashoggi Killing | DW News

A court in Saudi Arabia has sentenced five people to death for the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The verdict also includes jail terms for three additional suspects in connection with the murder. The Saudi writer and dissident was never seen again after entering the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul last year. He was killed and reportedly dismembered inside the building, but his remains were never found. Khashoggi was a resident of the United States at the time and was known for writing critically about the Saudi royal family. It is widely believed that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the killing.

Where Is the Outrage over British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Book, '72 Virgins'?

Marc Steiner and Moshe Machover discuss why the lack of outrage over Johnson's book is so concerning.

'Mockery of Justice’ after Saudis Convict Eight over Khashoggi Killing

THE GUARDIAN: Court exonerates crown prince’s inner circle of involvement in murder of dissident journalist

Saudi Arabia has been accused of engaging in a mockery of justice by shielding the alleged masterminds of the killing of the dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, after a court effectively exonerated Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s inner circle of involvement in the murder.

The gruesome killing in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018 stunned Saudi Arabia’s western allies, plunging the kingdom into its worst diplomatic crisis since the 9/11 attacks.

Five of the 11 officially unidentified men on trial were sentenced to death and three more were handed a combined 24 years in prison, the deputy public prosecutor, Shalaan bin Rajih Shalaan, told reporters in Riyadh on Monday.

The investigation also concluded that Saud al-Qahtani, one of the crown prince’s most trusted advisers, was investigated and found to have no proven involvement in Khashoggi’s death, Shalaan added.

The findings contradict the conclusion of the CIA and other western intelligence agencies that Prince Mohammed directly ordered Khashoggi’s assassination, an allegation the kingdom has strenuously denied. Qahtani, along with 16 other Saudis, was sanctioned by the US last year for his alleged role in the killing. » | Bethan McKernan, Turkey and Middle East correspondent | Monday, December 23, 2019

Maria Callas – O mio babbino caro – Giacomo Puccini

Oman Readies Baroque Succession Process as Sultan's Health Worsens

THE GUARDIAN: With Qaboos bin Said’s illness seemingly terminal, an elaborate set of rules is enacted

Elaborate discussions are under way in the Omani court about a potential successor to Sultan Qaboos bin Said, who has ruled the Arab nation for nearly 50 years but whose longterm illness has been worsening.

The succession process involves the opening of sealed letters in the court in Muscat identifying the sultan’s choice of successor, if the court cannot agree among itself.

The sultan, one of the mainstays of Middle East politics for the past four decades, returned a week ago from Belgium where his treatment for a reoccurrence of cancer of the colon he has suffered from for four years was cut short. He had been expected to stay until the end of January.

A former British protectorate in the Arabian Peninsula, Oman has been ruled by Qaboos ever since a bloodless coup in 1970 enacted with the help of Britain. He has travelled abroad for medical reasons at least twice since 2014.

Qaboos has no children and has not publicly appointed a successor but he secretly recorded his choice in a sealed envelope addressed to the royal family council. The Al Said dynasty has ruled Oman since the mid-18th century. » | Patrick Wintour, Diplomatic editor | Sunday, December 22, 2019