26 Jan 2019; DW: Events to mark the birth of modern Australia in 1788 are being countered by large rallies by indigenous communities. They're demanding that the Australia Day public holiday be changed so it doesn't celebrate colonialism.

Rallies have been held in several Australian cities calling for the country's national day to be abolished because it marks the anniversary of the British arrival at Sydney Cove in 1788.

Caracas, January 25; GANASHAKTI: MIT Professor Emeritus Noam Chomsky; co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, Mark Weisbrot; and 68 other scholars published an Open Letter Thursday demanding that the United States Government back off Venezuela.

WASHINGTON, January 25. /TASS/. The White House and Congress have reached a deal to end government shutdown for three weeks, US President Donald Trump said on Friday.

TEHRAN, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Foreign Ministry censured French foreign minister's recent threats to impose sanctions on Iran over Tehran's ballistic missile program.

Iran's missiles are for deterrence purposes and non-negotiable, said Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qasemi, according to a report by Foreign Ministry on Saturday.

"Iran's military capabilities are part of the country's legitimate defense power and a guarantor of Iran's national security, which is based on the doctrine of deterrence," Qasemi said.

MOSCOW, January 25. /TASS/. The Progress MS-09 cargo spacecraft undocked from the International Space Station (ISS) on Friday, was deorbited and splashed down in a non-navigable area of the Pacific Ocean, the Central Research Institute of Machine-Building TsNIIMash (the main research center of the Roscosmos corporation) informed TASS.

"Wreckage from the Progress MS-09 spacecraft that did not burn up in the atmosphere splashed down in a non-navigable area of the Pacific Ocean," the research center said.

The spacecraft undocked from the ISS at 15:55 Moscow time.

MOSCOW, January 26. /TASS/ At least 50 people died after a mining dam burst in the south-east of Brazil, Brazilian media reported on Saturday.

Earlier reports said seven people died in the disaster, and around 200 remain missing.

A dam collapsed at an iron-ore mine in Brumandinho in the Minas Gerais state.

26 Jan 2019; DW: The Austrian regional court in Graz, capital of the state of Styria, on Friday jailed the self-appointed president of the "Federation of States" ["Staatenbund"] for 14 years, saying the heavy penalty was a "clear signal that anti-state activities will not be tolerated."

The woman, identified in media reports as Monika Unger, was also convicted of subversion over her bid since 2015 to lead the group said by Austria's domestic intelligence service to number 2,700 members.

MOSCOW, January 25. /TASS/. The Russian Foreign Ministry warned Russian citizens who are going abroad about the threat of harassment by the US law enforcement bodies and intelligence agencies in a statement on Friday.

UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Security Council on Friday held an open debate to discuss the impact of climate change on peace and security, while calling for action to diminish the effects of global warming.

"The risks associated with climate-related disasters do not represent a scenario of some distant future. They are already a reality today for millions of people around the globe," Rosemary DiCarlo, UN's political affairs chief, told the debate.

26 Jan 2019; DW:  The ex-campaign head and longtime ally of Donald Trump has been arrested in connection with the Russia probe. The indictment said he made "false statements" about his interactions with an entity dubbed "Organization 1."

The FBI on Friday arrested Roger Stone, a political strategist and longtime ally of President Donald Trump, in Florida. He was charged with seven counts, including obstruction of justice, making false statements to Congress and witness tampering.

MOSCOW, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- The Russian Foreign Ministry on Friday urged the United States to abandon plans of placing weapons in outer space and thus prevent a new arms race.

"We once again call on Washington to show prudence and abandon such irresponsible adventures that would have extremely negative consequences for the entire international community and for the United States itself," the ministry said in a statement.

MEXICO CITY, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Friday that his country is willing to help mediate a "peaceful" solution to Venezuela's political crisis "as long as both parties request it."

"We are willing to help in the conciliation," Lopez Obrador said at a press conference.