Hello Australia!! - Opposition to Modi's citizenship bill grows in India - Cities team up to by-pass the rural far right - Using Cannabis to climb out of debt - And more in your CareerSpot Global News Briefs:

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi is appealing for calm as demonstrations grow in size and anger against the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB), which critics have denounced as a major step toward the official marginalization of India's 200 million Muslims.  Six people are dead, including four people shot by police in Assam state's biggest city, Guwahati, where government-imposed curfews closed schools and brought commerce to a halt.  The CAB passed by India's parliament last week provides a path to citizenship for immigrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan - unless they are Muslim.

In Lebanon, anti-government protesters and riot cops clashed in the capital Beirut, leaving dozens injured.  Government forces fired tear gas and water cannons at thousands of protesters who flooded the streets in what was a peaceful rally calling for an end to official corruption and economic inequality.  The protests triggered the resignation of Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri in October, but talks on a new government are deadlocked.

The mayors of liberal cities in the eastern European Union - Warsaw, Budapest, Prague and Bratislava - are teaming up to bypass their far-right central governments and deal with the EU directly on things like funding, education, and other areas.  "Cities can do miracles in the areas of climate change and innovation," said Budapest Mayor Gergely Karacsony, who won his office despite opposition from the grand-daddy of European populism Hungarian, autocrat Viktor Orban.  "This makes the old adage of 'Think globally, act locally' especially acute," he added.  The mayors of the "Free Cities Initiative" said their cities should not be made to suffer for because their far-right central governments conflict with EU policies and values.  "I prefer to explain to our friends in the EU that it would be good for us to access EU money despite the fact that our government infringes the rule of law," said Warsaw's Mayor Trzaskowski.  

China's President Xi Jinping offered his public support to Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam in what he called these "most difficult" times after months of often violent anti-government protests.  "The central government fully recognizes the courage and assumption of responsibility you have displayed in these exceptional times in Hong Kong," Mr. Xi said.  His comments came after police lobbed tear gas canisters at protesters demanding more autonomy for the former British Colony, the latest clash in six months of protests that show no sign of stopping.  

As the US House of Representatives gets closer to Wednesday's expected vote to impeach Donald Trump, the top Democrat in the Senate - Chuck Schumer of New York - is demanding the impeachment trial in the Senate call witnesses including White House acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney and ex-adviser John Bolton.  Republicans, who control the Senate, are calling for a short trial without witnesses which totally wouldn't give the impression that they are blowing it off to protect Trump.

Zambia's cabinet has approved the cultivation, processing and export of cannabis for economic and medicinal purposes.  The southern African nation has s growing dent problem and hopes cannabis can help plug it, while acknowledging it's a potentially risky move.  "Depending on how properly this is done, this could just change the face of Zambia's economy," said Chief government spokeswoman Dora Siliya, "This could be a blessing or a curse, like diamonds and gold, depending on the policy direction."  The next step will be for legislation to be drafted and presented to parliament for its approval. No date has been set for this yet.