5: The Plebiscite is Dead: Labor Has Blocked the Controversial Vote
Labor MPs have confirmed they’ll oppose the Coalition’s controversial plebiscite bill, following a caucus meeting in Canberra Tuesday morning. Without Labor’s support in the Senate, the plebiscite is effectively dead.
There’s no way the Liberals can make the numbers work to get a public vote on marriage equality across the line. Particularly given the Greens and Nick Xenophon Team’s opposition to the plebiscite.
The plebiscite vote had been slated for February 11, 2017.
Vice News
4: In the Democratic Echo Chamber, Inconvenient Truths Are Recast as Putin Plots
DONALD TRUMP, FOR reasons I’ve repeatedly pointed out, is an extremist, despicable, and dangerous candidate, and his almost-certain humiliating defeat is less than a month away. So I realize there is little appetite in certain circles for critiques of any of the tawdry and sometimes fraudulent journalistic claims and tactics being deployed to further that goal. In the face of an abusive, misogynistic, bigoted, scary, lawless authoritarian, what’s a little journalistic fraud or constant fearmongering about subversive Kremlin agents between friends if it helps to stop him?
But come January, Democrats will continue to be the dominant political faction in the U.S. — more so than ever — and the tactics they are now embracing will endure past the election, making them worthy of scrutiny. Those tactics now most prominently include dismissing away any facts or documents that reflect negatively on their leaders as fake, and strongly insinuating that anyone who questions or opposes those leaders is a stooge or agent of the Kremlin, tasked with a subversive and dangerously un-American mission on behalf of hostile actors in Moscow.
To see how extreme and damaging this behavior has become, let’s just quickly examine two utterly false claims that Democrats over the past four days — led by party-loyal journalists — have disseminated and induced thousands of people, if not more, to believe. On Friday, WikiLeaks published its first installment of emails obtained from the account of Clinton campaign chair John Podesta. Despite WikiLeaks’ perfect, long-standing record of only publishing authentic documents, MSNBC’s favorite ex-intelligence official, Malcolm Nance, within hours of the archive’s release, posted a tweet claiming — with zero evidence and without citation to a single document in the WikiLeaks archive — that it was compromised with fakes:
The Intercept
In Haiti, the death toll from Hurricane Matthew has topped 1,000. Haitian interim President Jocelerme Privert is warning the country faces a possible famine from what he described as the “apocalyptic destruction” of Hurricane Matthew. The country is also battling a growing cholera outbreak. The storm hit a week ago, but many areas have still received no aid. Food and medicine have run out. Authorities are now digging mass graves for those killed by the Category 4 storm. United Nations officials say nearly 1 million people are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance, with up to 80 percent of Haiti’s food crops destroyed in some areas. Aid agencies estimate at least 60,000 people are staying in temporary shelters. We speak to Ninaj Raoul, executive director of Haitian Women for Haitian Refugees and a board member of IFCO/Pastors for Peace.
Democracy Now
2: Afghanistan: Taliban captures Ghormach district
Taliban fighters captured the district of Ghormach in Afghanistan’s northwestern Faryab province on Tuesday after heavy fighting with security forces.
Provincial council members confirmed to Al Jazeera that the armed group wrested control of the district after Afghan forces retreated, adding that several soldiers had been killed and weapons seized.
“The provincial government spokesman said that early this morning a large number of Taliban attacked the city centre and captured the city … He said the Taliban were taking position in residential areas and that Afghan forces had to pull out from the centre of the city to avoid any civilian casualties,” Al Jazeera’s Qais Azimy said, reporting from Kabul.
“Ghormach is a very significant district because it borders Turkmenistan and is very important to control the border with the Central Asian country. We expect ongoing fighting over the coming days.”
Aljazeera
1: World Health Organisation urges all countries to tax sugary drinks
All countries are being urged to consider introducing a sugary drinks tax by the World Health Organisation as an effective way of curbing the soaring obesity rate, especially in children.
The WHO’s advice comes as more and more countries are considering fiscal measures to dissuade people from buying the large quantities of colas, lemonades and other sugary soft drinks that have been identified as a major cause of the global overweight and obesity crisis.
It will strengthen the hand of campaigners in countries such as Colombia, where the drinks industry has succeeded in having an anti-sugar broadcast banned.
A report from the WHO says that a tax of 20% or more results in a drop in sales and consumption of sugary drinks. People consume fewer “free sugars” such as fructose and glucose, take in fewer calories and reduce their risk of tooth decay.
“Consumption of free sugars, including products like sugary drinks, is a major factor in the global increase of people suffering from obesity and diabetes,” said Dr Douglas Bettcher, director of the WHO’s department for the prevention of non-communicable diseases.
“If governments tax products like sugary drinks, they can reduce suffering and save lives. They can also cut healthcare costs and increase revenues to invest in health services.”
The Guardian
