(2019-01-20). Beirut summit: Arab leaders discuss free trade, Syria refugees. aljazeera.com Leaders aim to agree on joint statement after discussing Arab free trade zone and effect of Syrian refugees on economy.
(2019-01-20). Syrian air defence repels Israeli attack in south: State media. aljazeera.com Air defence systems thwart Israeli air raid, state media reports, hours after blast rocks capital, Damascus.
(2019-01-20). Two years in White House: How much has Trump delivered?>. aljazeera.com US president has pulled out of a global climate accord, launched a trade war with China and built bridges with Russia.
(2019-01-20). Multiple Bomb Attacks in Syria Break Relative Calm. telesurenglish.net Multiple attacks took place around Syria Sunday, with an explosion heard in the vicinity of Syria's al-Motahalik al-Janobi, south of Damascus and another attack in the northwest Syrian town of Afrin which killed three civilians and wounded about 20 on a public bus. | RELATED: | Israel Confirms Air Strike on Iranian Arms Warehouse in Syria | Possible 'Terror Attack' | South of Damascus, State TV broadcaster claimed that, "first reports suggest a terrorist act," while also reporting…
(2019-01-20). Syria's war: Large explosion rocks capital Damascus. aljazeera.com Bast occurred during rush hour and appears to have been 'a terrorist act', state television reports.
(2019-01-19). Spy Theories and the White House: Donald Trump as Russian Agent. globalresearch.ca The level of absurdity in US politics has now reached such vertigo inducing levels as to render all manner of things permissible. Contact with the unwashed implies collaboration; discussion with the enemy implies assent. To go to a dinner party …
(2019-01-19). What Trump's Syrian Withdrawal Really Reveals. truthdig.com President Trump was wrong in asserting that the United States destroyed the Islamic State's territorial statehood in a large part of Syria—Russia and its allies accomplished that—but he is right in proposing to withdraw some 2,000 American forces from that tragically war-ravaged country. The small American contingent serves no positive combat or strategic purpose unless it is to thwart the Russian-led peace negotiations now underway or to serve as a beachhead for a US war against Iran. Still worse, its presence represents a constant risk that American military personnel could be killed by Russian forc…
(2019-01-19). No president since Lincoln treated worse than me — Trump. rt.com 
Not since Abraham Lincoln has a US president been treated so badly by the media, Donald Trump lamented in a series of Twitter rants before going to Delaware to honor the four Americans killed in Syria.
(2019-01-19). Mueller shoots down BuzzFeed's latest 'Russiagate' scoop with a rare dismissal. rt.com 
Special Counsel Robert Mueller has poured cold water on BuzzFeed's latest Russiagate "bombshell" with a rare public statement calling the article, which claims Trump told his ex-lawyer Cohen to lie to Congress, "not accurate."
(2019-01-19). Democrats claims 'Russians' tried to hack them after 2018 midterms. rt.com 
'Dozens' of officials at the Democratic National Committee received phishing emails a week after the 2018 midterm elections, the DNC said in a legal filing as part of its ongoing lawsuit against Russia and WikiLeaks.
(2019-01-18). Narrative Control Firm Targeting Alternative Media. consortiumnews.com NewsGuard is led by some of the most virulently pro-imperialist individuals in America and its agenda to shore up narrative control for the ruling power establishment is clear, writes Caitlin Johnstone. By Caitlin Johnstone CaitlinJohnstone.com The frenzied, hysterical Russia narrative… Read more →
(2019-01-18). Trump Punts on Syria: The Forever War is Far From Over. counterpunch.org Donald Trump wants to pull U.S. troops out of Syria as quickly as possible. Well, it's Wednesday, so that's what the president wants now. Tomorrow, who knows, maybe he'll insist that Syria pay for the pullout. Maybe Trump will decide to hold a summit with Bashar al-Assad after deciding that the Syrian leader's not such More
(2019-01-18). The Wall, The Endless War, and the Troops Who Pay. commondreams.org An image grab taken from a video obtained by AFPTV on January 16, 2019, shows U.S. armoured vehicles at the scene of a suicide attack in the northern Syrian town of Manbij. (Photo: Getty) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files……
(2019-01-18). Pompeo, the U.S. and Iran. counterpunch.org The United States' international windbag, Secretary of Defense (read: War) Mike Pompeo has been acting the imperial blowhard throughout the Middle East. With his boss busy denying that he's a Russian agent, watching advisors and cabinet members come and go with dizzying alacrity, and dodging porn-star accusations, Pompeo is trotting through the Middle East, sounding More
(2019-01-18). Release of Syrian man wrongly convicted of terrorism in Hungary an "overwhelming relief" amnesty.org Ahead of tomorrow's early release of Ahmed H, a Syrian man who was unfairly jailed for "complicity in an act of terror" during clashes with police at the Serbia-Hungary border in September 2015, Eda Seyhan, Amnesty International's Europe Counter Terrorism Campaigner, said: | | "After spending three-and-a-half years behind bars, Ahmed will finally be reunited with his wife and two young daughters. His…
(2019-01-18). Lebanon: Migrant Domestic Workers Abused, A Scripted Reality. amnesty.org "Stop don't go to Lebanon!". A member of the audience stepped forward to interfere with one of the scenes on stage, in which Nday is seen to be packing her bags to catch a flight to Lebanon. Despite knowing what awaits Nday in the form of multiple human rights violations, I could see that stopping her from seeking her awaited job opportunity in a time where she was in desperate need to make a living, was not a solution. | Amnesty International marked the International Migrants Day on 18 December 2018 with an interactive theatre performance, Chebbak, in collaboration with Wasl; a theatre collective that uses theat…
(2019-01-18). ISIS Fighters in Syria Are Trying to Push Into Iraq, Where U.S. Forces Can't Get Along With Armed Groups Supported by Iran. theintercept.com 
In Al Qaim, Iraq's U.S.-backed security forces and the Iran-backed Popular Mobilization Forces are increasingly distrustful of each other.
(2019-01-18). What evidence? BuzzFeed fuels 'Russiagate' with bombshell report on Trump and Cohen. rt.com 
A bombshell report from BuzzFeed accused President Donald Trump of directing his former attorney Michael Cohen to lie to Congress — but was unable to provide any evidence to back the claim.
(2019-01-17). Headlines for January 17, 2019. democracynow.org Speaker Pelosi to Trump: Cancel or Postpone State of the Union, Federal Employees and Contractors Demand End to Government Shutdown, Trump to Propose Biggest Space-Based Missile Program Since "Star Wars", Andrew Wheeler, at EPA Confirmation Hearing, Downplays Climate Risks, Climate Study Finds Ocean Temperatures Hit Record High in 2018, Syria: Four Americans Among 19 Killed in ISIS Suicide Attack, Zimbabwe: Five Killed as Government Attacks Fuel Hike Protesters, Kenya: Death Toll in al-Shabab Attack on Nairobi Hotel Rises to 21, British PM Theresa May Survives No-Confidence Vote, NYT: Trump Inaugural Committee To…
(2019-01-17). Trump Punts on Syria: The Forever War in the Middle East is Far From Over. mintpressnews.com With Bolton and Pompeo by his side and Mattis departed, Trump may well go with his gut and attack Iran militarily and he'll be encouraged in this delusion by Israel and Saudi Arabia.
(2019-01-17). Is Russia Solely to Blame for Violations of the INF Treaty? thenation.com Is Russia Solely to Blame for Violations of the INF Treaty?
(2019-01-17). Putin has given Chechnya free rein to persecute LGBTI people. amnesty.org By Natalia Prilutskaya, Russia Researcher at Amnesty International | For the second time in less than two years, a violent homophobic crackdown has left LGBTI people in Chechnya fearing for their lives. Earlier this week the Russian LGBT Network confirmed reports that the Chechen authorities have resumed large-scale arrests of individuals believed to be gay or lesbian, imprisoning and torturing them. | According to the organization's protected sources, around 40 people have been arrested since De…
(2019-01-17). Lebanon: Rights Bills Stalled in Parliament‚Ä®. hrw.org 
| | An election official shows a ballot with colors of political parties participating in the parliamentary election shortly after the polling stations closed in Beirut, Lebanon on May 6, 2018. | © 2018 Bilal Hussein/AP Photo | (Beirut) — Lebanon made legislative progress on the waste management crisis and the status of the disappeared in 2018, but parliament failed to follow through on legislation in other key areas, including women's…
(2019-01-16). Turkey threatens northeast Syria. greenleft.org.au 
US president Donald Trump announced by tweet on December 19 his intention to withdraw US troops from Syria. This followed a phone call between Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who had often stated his intention to invade north-eastern Syria. | Trump's announcement was widely seen as giving a green light for the planned Turkish invasion. Trump's decision caused dissension within the US government. Defence secretary James Mattis resigned, as did some other prominent officials. | Later Trump backtracked. There have been contradictory statements by Trump and his advisors. It is now unclear if, and w…
(2019-01-15). Ray McGovern: Russia-gate Evidence, Please. consortiumnews.com Was former FBI Director James Comey pulling a Hoover on Trump to keep him in line? asks Ray McGovern. By Ray McGovern Special to Consortium News For those interested in evidence — or the lack of it— regarding collusion between… Read more →
(2019-01-15). Russian Federation: Homophobic crackdown in Chechnya resumes. amnesty.org The Chechen authorities have unleashed a new wave of attacks on people believed to be gay or lesbian. At least 40 individuals have been arbitrarily detained and tortured in Chechnya, a republic in the south of Russia. At least two people are reported to have been tortured to death.
(2019-01-15). Why Doesn't Donald Trump's Cozy Relationship With Vladimir Putin Worry His Supporters? Jefferson Davis's Treason Case Holds a Clue. theintercept.com 
Trump came to power thanks to some of the same factors that fueled the rise of Davis, the president of the Confederate States of America.
(2019-01-14). Headlines for January 14, 2019. democracynow.org Gov't Shutdown Now Longest in U.S. History, Trump Admin Considered Disaster Relief Funds to Build Border Wall, Interior Dept. Pushes Ahead Plans for New Arctic Drilling Leases, Texas: Tornillo Immigrant Prison Camp Shuts Down, Los Angeles: Public Teachers Go on Strike, Dems Vow to Investigate After 2 New Reports on Trump's Relationship with Russia, WSJ: Nat'l Sec. Council Asked About Possible Military Strike on Iran in 2018, Trump Threatens to "Devastate Turkey Economically" If Syrian Kurds Targeted, Saudi Arabia: Sec. of State Pompeo Meets with Crown Prince 3 Months After Khashoggi Killing, Canada Grants Asylum…
(2019-01-11). Media Worried US Won't Occupy Syria Forever. fair.org 
by Gregory Shupak | In December, President Donald Trump said that he planned to withdraw the US troops from Syria, which number between 2,000 and 4,000. Trump's claim was widely condemned in corporate media, demonstrating the commentariat's shared belief in American benevolence toward other peoples, in Washingto…
(2019-01-11). Headlines for January 11, 2019. democracynow.org Protests Target Shutdown as Federal Employees Miss First Paycheck, Trump May Raid Puerto Rico Hurricane Relief Funds for Border Wall, Protesters Gather on Both Sides of U.S.-Mexico Border as Trump Visits, Senate Leader Mitch McConnell Blocks Vote on Bill to Fund Government, Study Finds Oceans Are Absorbing Far More Heat Than Previously Known, Pentagon Says It's Withdrawing from Syria as Turkey Readies Invasion, In Cairo, U.S. Secretary of State Rebukes Obama and Threatens Iran, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Calls Jamal Khashoggi Murder an "Atrocity", Protests Outside Supreme Court Demand Closure of Guantánamo Prison…
(2018-12-25). Senate Report on Russian Interference Was Written By Disinformation Warriors Behind Alabama 'False Flag Operation'. grayzoneproject.com Hailed by Congress and the media as defenders of democracy, high-tech Russiagate hustlers Jonathon Morgan and Ryan Fox have been…
(2018-12-12). Russia Rejects US Reaction to Military Cooperation with Venezuela. venezuelanalysis.com The deployment of the Russian warplanes follows Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro's visit to Russia last week.
(2018-12-05). Venezuela's Maduro Seeks 'Golden Finish' to 2018 with International Offensive as Russia & Turkey Blast US Sanctions. venezuelanalysis.com Economic, financial, political, military, and counter-terrorism ties were strengthened between Caracas and both countries.
(2018-12-04). With INF Ultimatum, Trump's Maximalist Approach Strikes Again. peaceaction.org Washington, D.C. — December 4, 2018 — In response to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's announcement that the U.S. will formally announce its intention to withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty in 60 days if Russia does not come into compliance with the treaty by then, Paul Kawika Martin, Senior Director for Policy […]
