Freedom From Religion Foundation Lecture

"Freedom From Religion in the Bible Belt” was the theme of FFRF's (Freedom From Religion) Raleigh Regional Convention, May 2-3 2014 conference in downtown Raleigh, N.C., at the Sheraton Raleigh Hotel, 421 South Salisbury St. In conjunction with the Triangle Freethought Society, FFRF’s active Raleigh-area chapter, the gathering “won hearts and minds for reason and secularism.” CNN was scheduled to cover some of the event for an upcoming documentary on atheism.' The interview will be part of FFRF and the Dawkins Foundation's Openly Secular coalition campaign. Presented by Triangle Freethought Society.

Criminalizing Reporting: Glenn Greenwald Faces Cybercrime Complaint after Exposing Scandal in Brazil

In Brazil, federal prosecutors have filed a criminal complaint against journalist and Intercept co-founder Glenn Greenwald in connection to a major investigation he spearheaded that exposed misconduct among federal prosecutors and a former judge. Called “The Secret Brazil Archive,” the series of pieces published in The Intercept and The Intercept Brasil used a trove of documents to offer new and damning insight into the sweeping anti-corruption campaign that brought down former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and paved the way for the election of right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro. The investigation used previously undisclosed private chats, audio recordings, videos and other information provided by an anonymous source to expose the wrongdoing of top officials, including Justice Minister Sérgio Moro, who oversaw the anti-corruption crusade known as “Operation Car Wash.” On Tuesday, a justice minister filed a denunciation of Glenn Greenwald, claiming he “directly assisted, encouraged and guided” individuals who allegedly accessed online chats related to Operation Car Wash. A judge will now decide whether to press charges. The move has sparked international outrage at what many are condemning as an attack on the free press in Brazil. We speak with Andrew Fishman, managing editor of The Intercept Brasil and reporter for The Intercept.

Harry and Meghan Threaten Legal Action over Canada Paparazzi Shots

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have issued a warning over continued harassment by paparazzi photographers as they start their new life in Canada out of the spotlight.

America's Great Divide: Anthony Scaramucci Interview | Frontline

Anthony Scaramucci served briefly as the White House communications director for Donald Trump in 2017. He is a founder and managing partner at SkyBridge Capital.

Scaramucci's candid, full interview was conducted with FRONTLINE during the making of the two-part January 2020 documentary series “America's Great Divide: From Obama to Trump.”

What Does the Future Look Like for Harry and Meghan?

It's still unclear what the new Royal arrangements will mean for Harry and Meghan's future life. From their security arrangements, to the use of their 'Sussex Royal' brand and even what they will be called with future titles are still under discussion.

Au Royaume-Uni, Harry Mountbatten-Windsor et Meghan Markle n’auront plus leur titre royal au printemps

LE MONDE: Le couple a donné son accord au remboursement de certaines dépenses passées, notamment pour la rénovation de leur cottage de Windsor, à l’ouest de Londres.

C’est la fin de dix jours de crise à Buckingham. Le prince Harry Mountbatten-Windsor et son épouse, Meghan Markle, renonceront à leur titre d’altesse royale et cesseront de recevoir des fonds publics, a annoncé, samedi 18 janvier, le palais britannique, après leur décision de renoncer à leur statut de membres actifs de la famille royale. « Ils ne rempliront plus d’obligations royales » et « ne peuvent plus formellement représenter la reine », ajoute le communiqué.

Le texte précise que le couple a donné son accord au remboursement de certaines dépenses passées, notamment pour la rénovation de leur cottage de Windsor, à l’ouest de Londres. Les travaux avaient coûté plus de 2 millions de livres (2,3 millions d’euros), ce qui avait été critiqué dans les médias. » | Le Monde avec AFP | samedi 18. Janvier 2020

Harry and Meghan’s Hard Exit

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The couple’s wish to carve out more “progressive” roles led to the loss of perks, privileges and titles.

LONDON — There is no such thing, it turns out, as being a part-time royal. The severance deal that Buckingham Palace announced on Saturday for Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, is most remarkable for how clean a break the royal family is making with two of its most popular, if disaffected, members — much more severe than the couple apparently expected.

The British news media, which has likened the couple’s split with the royal family to Brexit, lost no time on Sunday in pronouncing the agreement the equivalent of a “hard Brexit,” similar to the uncompromising trade deal that Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to pursue with the European Union this year.

Far from carving out a “progressive new role within this institution,” as the couple hopefully declared when they unexpectedly announced their plans to “step back” from royal duties this month, Harry and Meghan will lose most of the privileges and perks of royalty once they give up their full-time status and forsake Britain for an uncertain future in Canada and the United States.

Under the terms of the agreement, the couple will no longer use their most exclusive titles, His Royal Highness and Her Royal Highness, will forgo public funding of their activities and will repay more than $3 million for the refurbishment of Frogmore Cottage, their residence on the grounds of Windsor Castle. » | Mark Landler | Sunday, January 19, 2020

'They're Turning the Royal Family into a Walmart with a Crown on': Meghan Markle's Father Thomas Launches an Extraordinary TV Attack on Megxit as He Tells Channel 5 Documentary That the Sussexes Are 'Cheapening' the Royals by Quitting

MAIL ONLINE: Thomas Markle spoke exclusively to Channel 5 in a new television documentary / He describes Meghan and Harry's behaviour as embarrassing in the interview / He says: 'This is one of the greatest institutions ever. They are destroying it'

The Duchess of Sussex's estranged father has spoken in depth for the first time about the Megxit crisis – and accused his daughter of 'cheapening' the Royal Family and throwing away 'every girl's dream' for money.

In a TV documentary, Thomas Markle describes Meghan and Harry's behaviour as embarrassing, says they are 'turning into lost souls' and, in a reference to a discount American supermarket giant, adds: 'They are turning it [the Royal Family] into a Walmart with a crown on.'

He added: 'This is not the girl I raised.'

Mr Markle's intervention in the monarchy's worst crisis for a generation came as the Queen's top aides finalised a deal for the couple, who are quitting as frontline Royals and leaving Britain to seek financial independence.

He tells the Channel 5 documentary: 'When they got married they took on an obligation, and the obligation is to be part of the Royals and to represent the Royals. And it would be foolish for them not to.
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'This is one of the greatest long-living institutions ever. They are destroying it, they are cheapening it, making it shabby… they shouldn't be doing this.' » | Ian Gallagher for the ‘Mail On Sunday’ | Saturday, January 18, 2020


Royal pundits react »

Inside Iran: What's Next? | The Economist

When Iran's military forces mistakenly shot down a Ukrainian passenger jet it sparked widespread protests around the country. Iran's leaders face being overwhelmed by a crisis they created—how will they respond?

Read more »

People Who Remember Every Second of Their Life | 60 Minutes Australia

Imagine being able to remember every minute detail of your life. You can recall what the weather was like, what you were reading or what you wore to the shops at any minute, any hour or any day stretching back decades. It sounds like some kind of parlour trick, but it's actually a real and very rare medical phenomenon.

Luca Guadagnino on the Power of First Love in ‘Call Me By Your Name’

Based on a novel of the same name by André Aciman, Call Me By Your Name tells the story of two young men who fall in love in Italy in 1983. Director Luca Guadagnino discusses the film's dreamlike aesthetic and the power of first love.

Stevie Wonder: Love's In Need Of Love Today

Boris Johnson prépare la révolution de l’après-Brexit

LE FIGARO: À deux semaines de la sortie britannique de l’Union européenne, le premier ministre veut montrer qu’il compte profondément changer le pays.

Londres,

À deux semaines de la date historique du 31 janvier, qui verra le Royaume-Uni quitter l’Union européenne, on ferraille désormais à Londres sur la façon de célébrer l’événement. Les brexiters veulent marquer le coup, si possible avec les onze coups de Big Ben. Or, la cloche de 13,7 tonnes de la tour emblématique de Londres est muette depuis août 2017, pour une rénovation qui doit durer quatre ans. Le coût d’une remise en service provisoire a été chiffré à 500.000 livres. Le nouveau président de la Chambre des communes a pris sa calculette: chaque «bong» marquant l’heure cruciale coûtera plus de 45.000 livres… » [€] | Par Arnaud De La Grange | vendredi 17. janvier 2020

Un tableau retrouvé en Italie est bien le « Portrait d’une dame » de Klimt, volé en 1997

LE MONDE: Le tableau avait été subtilisé en février 1997, alors que le Musée d’art moderne Ricci Oddi de Piacenza était fermé pour travaux.

Un tableau retrouvé par hasard il y a cinq semaines à Piacenza, dans le nord-ouest de l’Italie, est bien un original de Gustav Klimt, volé il y a vingt ans dans la même ville. « C’est avec une grande émotion que je peux vous dire que le tableau retrouvé est authentique », a déclaré Ornella Chicca, une magistrate chargée de l’enquête, lors d’une conférence de presse organisée vendredi 17 janvier. » | Le Monde avec AFP | vendredi 17. janvier 2020

Balearic Islands Pass Bill Targeting Boozy Brits Abroad

THE GUARDIAN: Law bans happy hours, free bars and makes it illegal to advertise pub crawls

The regional government in the Balearic islands has passed a bill aimed at clamping down on alcohol-fuelled holidays.

The law bans happy hours, free bars and two-for-one drinks parties and makes it illegal to advertise pub crawls. There will be no new licences for party boats and existing boats are banned from operating in designated areas.

Shops selling alcohol that currently stay open all night will have to close between 9.30pm and 8am or risk fines of up to €600,000 (£511,000) or the threat of being closed down for three years.

The restrictions apply to the worst affected areas of Magaluf and El Arenal de Palma in Mallorca as well as Sant Antoni de Portmany in Ibiza. » | Stephen Burgen in Barcelona | Friday, January 17, 2020

Meghan Markle's Sister's Message to the Duchess of Sussex | This Morning

Samantha Markle, the sister of Meghan Markle, shares her views with us on the shocking announcement made by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex last week. They announced they were stepping down from full-time royal duties, but there was nobody less surprised than Samantha. She told us in this exclusive interview why she thinks Meghan is tarnishing the family name and also why her father’s willingness to testify against his estranged daughter in what is being billed as the 'trial of the century’ would allow the real truth to be heard. Broadcast on 17/01/20

Prince Harry and Meghan's UK Home Being Closed Down

THE GUARDIAN: Reports add to speculation that Duke and Duchess do not plan to spend much time in UK

Frogmore Cottage, the home of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, is in the process of being shuttered, according to reports, fuelling speculation the couple do not intend to spend any meaningful time in the UK in the near future.

Key live-in staff – a house manager and a cleaner – are being moved to other duties within the Queen’s household. Other staff members, used on an ad hoc basis and including chefs, maids and footmen, have been told their services are no longer required at the couple’s Windsor residence, the Daily Mail reported.

The claim comes as Harry and Meghan begin a period of “transition”, splitting their time between the UK and Canada, with the reluctant blessing of the Queen. » | Caroline Davies | Friday, January 17, 2020

It’s not just Meghan and Harry. I’d like us all to escape this dire royal circus » | Suzanne Moore

Heaven and Hell on Newstalk with Moncrieff

Seán Moncrieff hosts an eclectic Irish radio show on Newstalk which is operated by News 106 Limited, a subsidiary of Denis O'Brien's Communicorp. He interviewed Bart on January 13th, 2020 during a seven-minute spot in brief discussion about his new book, "Heaven and Hell: A History of the Afterlife" to be published by Simon & Schuster. The interview asked questions like: Was Heaven and Hell discussed in the Old Testament? Does Judaism believe in the afterlife? Did the belief in Heaven and Hell exist during Jesus' lifetime? Did there exist an early belief that a deceased person entered limbo after death? Doesn't the physical depictions of Hell only make sense if a person is physically tortured? Why do more people in the U.S. believe in Heaven than in Hell? Other thoughts are considered during this succinct segment.

Utah Condom Campaign Halted over Racy Packaging

BBC: Utah Governor Gary Herbert has halted the distribution of 100,000 free condoms in the US state because of racy slogans on the packaging.

It features phrases like "SL,UT", a word play on Utah and its capital, Salt Lake City, "Enjoy Your Mountin" and "Explore Utah's caves".

It was part of a campaign by the Utah department of health on HIV prevention and promotion of safe sex.

The department apologised for "the offensive packaging". » | Thursday, January 16, 2020

Actor Laurence Fox's Question Time Clash over Meghan

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's decision to step back from royal life sparked debate on BBC's Question Time.

Actor Lawrence Fox clashed with an audience member who said the way Meghan had been treated in the press was "racist".

Senate Opens Trump Impeachment Trial as New Ukraine Revelations Emerge

The chief justice was sworn in as the presiding officer and senators swore to do “impartial justice,” as the Senate opened only the third presidential impeachment trial in U.S. history.

Read the article here »

Most Canadians Don't Want to Cover Harry and Meghan's Costs, Poll Says | Power & Politics

A large majority of Canadians don’t want to pay for Harry and Meghan’s security costs during their time in Canada, according to a new poll by the Angus Reid Institute.

'Call Me By Your Name' Director Slams Homophobe James Woods | Advocate Film | The Advocate

"We have to fight back and say 'watch the movie and don't put your parochial prejudices in front of the movie and the effort of a lot of people'"

“America Exists Today to Make War”: Lawrence Wilkerson on Endless War & American Empire

Retired U.S. Army Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, who served as Secretary of State Colin Powell’s chief of staff from 2002 to 2005, says the escalation of tensions between the U.S. and Iran today is a continuation of two decades of U.S. policy disasters in the Middle East, starting with the 2003 run-up to war with Iraq under the Bush administration. “America exists today to make war. How else do we interpret 19 straight years of war and no end in sight? It’s part of who we are. It’s part of what the American Empire is,” says Wilkerson. “We are going to cheat and steal to do whatever it is we have to do to continue this war complex. That’s the truth of it. And that’s the agony of it.”

Fareed Zakaria: Here's the Problem with Trump's Foreign Policy

CNN's Fareed Zakaria explains the impact of President Donald Trump's actions in the Middle East.

Haitham bin Tariq Al-Said : Er hat große Fußstapfen zu füllen

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Der verstorbene Sultan Qabus führte Oman in fünf Jahrzehnten zu Wohlstand – und aus der außenpolitischen Isolation. Sein Nachfolger, der frühere Minister für „Erbe und nationale Kultur“, steht vor großen Herausforderungen.

Er werde den „noblen Ansatz“ von Sultan Qabus fortsetzen, der für „Entwicklung und Fortschritt stehe“, sagte der neue omanische Monarch Haitham bin Tariq Al Said. Der frühere Minister für „Erbe und nationale Kultur“ war schnell bestimmt worden, nachdem der populäre Sultan Qabus am Freitagabend gestorben war. Laut Presseberichten hatte Qabus selbst diesen Wunsch hinterlassen. Der verstorbene Sultan war nach einer Ehe mit einer Cousine kinderlos geblieben. Offiziell wurde die Ursache seines Todes nicht mitgeteilt, aber Sultan Qabus war an Krebs erkrankt und in den vergangenen Jahren immer wieder zur Behandlung im Ausland.

Der neue Sultan hat große Fußstapfen zu füllen: Qabus hatte Oman fast fünf Jahrzehnte lang regiert, seit er 1970 seinen Vater mit britischer Hilfe in einem unblutigen Putsch vom Thron stieß. Er führte das Land im Südosten der Arabischen Halbinsel mit Hilfe der Öleinnahmen aus Armut, Rückständigkeit und der außenpolitischen Isolation. » | von Christoph Ehrhardt, Beirut | Samstag, 11. Januar 2020

Sultan of Oman Dies, State Media Announces

THE GUARDIAN: Sultan Qaboos bin Said had no children and did not publicly appoint a successor, but left name in sealed envelope if royal family cannot decide

Oman’s Sultan Qaboos bin Said died on Friday evening, state media has announced. Omani television news said the council’s high military council had called the ruling family to convene and choose a new ruler.

Western-backed Qaboos, 79, had ruled the Gulf Arab state since he took over in a bloodless coup in 1970 with the help of Oman’s former colonial power Britain.

Qaboos had no children and had not publicly appointed a successor. A 1996 statute says the ruling family must choose a successor within three days of the throne becoming vacant.

If they fail to agree, a council of military and security officials, supreme court chiefs and heads of the two assemblies will put in power a person whose name has been secretly written by the sultan in a sealed letter. » | Staff and agencies | Saturday, January 11, 2020

Sultan Qaboos of Oman, Arab world's longest-serving ruler, dies aged 79 »

The Last 100 Days of Diana – Documentary

Martin Bashir's 2017 documentary "The Last 100 Days of Diana" looks at the events leading up to Princess Diana's death.

Saudi Arabia Hit with Lawsuit for Role in 9/11 Attacks & Bezos Claims Unfair Bias by Government

Via America’s Lawyer: Mike Papantonio and Trial Lawyer Magazine editor Farron Cousins put the spotlight back on Saudi Arabia, as over 25,000 9/11 victims and their families are filing suit against the Saudi government for its complicity in funding terrorist organizations. Plus, Amazon is accusing the Pentagon of improperly awarding its highly-coveted $10 billion JEDI cloud contract to Microsoft, alleging the decision was based on President Trump’s bias against Jeff Bezos. Mike Papantonio and Farron Cousins discuss more.

Divorce à Buckingham entre la famille royale et le couple Harry-Meghan

LE MONDE – ÉDITORIAL : La décision du prince et de son épouse de se mettre en retrait de la vie publique illustre les difficultés de la famille royale à renvoyer d’elle une image modernisée.

Editorial du « Monde ». La famille royale britannique joue un tel rôle dans la cohésion du Royaume-Uni, tient une telle place dans le cœur des Britanniques et dans le soft power de leur pays sur la scène internationale, que les états d’âme et les bisbilles des Windsor ne peuvent être considérés comme des vétilles. La décision, annoncée mercredi 8 janvier par Harry, deuxième fils de Charles, l’héritier de la couronne, et par son épouse, Meghan, de cesser de participer aux événements publics, principale activité des membres de la famille royale, jette le trouble à Londres. » | LeMonde | vendredi 10 janvier 2020

Boris Johnson: I Went to the Same School as Ursula van der Leyen

Boris Johnson and Ursula van der Leyen reminisced about going to the same school - the European School in Uccle, Belgium - although she left just before he joined.

It was a lighter note on a day that she warned the UK there are "tough talks ahead" in free trade negotiations over the next year.

Harry and Meghan Say They’ll 'Step Back' from Life as Senior Royals | ITV News

Harry and Meghan have signalled their intention to "step back" as senior members of the royal family and become financially independent.

The pair will continue to "fully support" the Queen, whilst splitting their time between both the United Kingdom and North America, where they have just spent several weeks on holiday.

Announcing their resignation from front line royal duties, the couple revealed the decision comes after "many months of reflection and internal discussions".

The couple will continue to "honour our duty to The Queen, the Commonwealth, and our patronages" after standing down.

Europe Should Tell US to Stop Listening to Clowns: Iran’s Zarif

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has said Europe could play a useful role in defusing tensions with the United States “by informing the US of the serious error in their analysis, and that they should stop listening to clowns”.

Zarif said that Iran's next steps will depend on the US reaction, after Iran fired missiles at two Iraqi bases hosting US troops in retaliation for the US assassination of military commander Qassem Soleimani.

Al Jazeera's Dorsa Jabbari reports from Tehran; Al Jazeera's Gabriel Elizondo reports from Washington, DC.

Ursula von der Leyen: UK Deadline Makes Full Brexit Deal Impossible

THE GUARDIAN: EU commission chief questions Johnson’s timeframe as she arrives for Downing Street talks

The president of the European commission has said it will be “impossible” for the UK to negotiate a comprehensive deal covering all aspects of Brexit within the timeframe set by Boris Johnson.

Speaking before her first face-to-face bilateral meeting with the prime minister in Downing Street on Wednesday, Ursula von der Leyen said the price of the clean-break Brexit the prime minister is pursuing was a “distant” partnership with the EU.

Unless the UK accepted a level playing field in the UK and EU’s trade positions after Brexit, there would inevitably be barriers for British manufacturing, she said in a speech at the London School of Economics.

At the same event, the EU’s Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, warned in an impromptu exchange that leaving the EU was not a simple process and involved renegotiation of “600 international agreements” as well as the new free trade agreement.

“It is basically impossible to negotiate all,” said Von der Leyen. » | Lisa O'Carroll, Brexit correspondent | Wednesday, January 8, 2020

Bernie Sanders: Trump Administration Hasn't a Clue about What It's Doing

Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders says that the letter released by mistake regarding troops in Iraq sends a message that the "Trump administration hasn't a clue about what it is doing."

Former Top Bush Official: I Saw the March to War in 2003. I’m Seeing the Same Thing with Iran Now

We look at the Trump administration’s assassination of Iran’s top military commander Qassem Soleimani with Lawrence Wilkerson, a retired United States Army colonel who served as Secretary of State Colin Powell’s chief of staff from 2002 to 2005. On February 5, 2003, he watched as Powell made the case for war in a speech to the United Nations. He has since become an outspoken critic of U.S. intervention in the Middle East. In 2018, Wilkerson wrote an article for The New York Times titled “I Helped Sell the False Choice of War Once. It’s Happening Again.”

Soleimani’s Death Could Galvanize Shia Coalitions against One “Foreign Aggressor” — The US

Fallout continues to mount following the U.S. assassination of Iran’s top military commander Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad last week. Iranian media reports that over a million mourners took to the streets of Tehran today for the funeral of Soleimani, who headed Iran’s elite Quds Force. On Sunday, Iran announced it would suspend its commitments under the landmark 2015 nuclear deal, which the U.S. pulled out of in 2018. Trump has also threatened to target 52 locations in Iran, including cultural sites, if Iran retaliates against the U.S. The targeting of cultural sites is widely viewed as an international war crime. Meanwhile, Iraq’s caretaker Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi has revealed he had plans to meet with Soleimani on the day he was killed to discuss a Saudi proposal to defuse tension in the region. From Washington, D.C., we speak with Narges Bajoghli, professor of Middle East studies at Johns Hopkins University and the author of “Iran Reframed: Anxieties of Power in the Islamic Republic.”

Let’s Try and Brighten Up This Depressing, Trumpian Dystopia with This Wonderful Pop Classic by Stevie Wonder!

From ‘Songs in the Key of Life’

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