2020-02-04: News Headlines

RT (2020-02-04). White Helmets are 'preparing chemical attack false-flag' in Syria's Idlib, Russian military tipped off. rt.com Militants affiliated with al-Qaeda and 'White Helmets' are preparing to stage a chemical attack in Idlib province as Syrian army continues to advance, the Russian Reconciliation Center said citing a tip from local residents. | Members of the self-styled civil defense group, which operates solely in territories controlled by anti-government militants, were noticed arriving at the town of Ma'arat al-Artik, about 11 kilometers (7 miles) northwest of Aleppo. According to the call that came in on the reconciliation center's hotline on Monday evening, they were preparing a "provocation with the use of poisonous agen…

Ben Norton (2020-02-04). HuffPost UK editor works with gov't censorship program while smearing anti-war scholars as tools of Russia. thegrayzone.com HuffPost UK ran yet another hit piece smearing academic critics of the dirty war on Syria as Russian stooges. The…

Vanessa Beeley (2020-02-04). The Syrian Arab Army and Allies are Fighting the "Real War on Terror" globalresearch.ca Probably the most hideous propaganda to be spewed by the establishment media cartel in the West is that which portrays the Syrian Arab Army as some kind of militia, "Assad's gang", disconnecting these defenders of homeland from the people they …

WSWS (2020-02-04). Dozens killed in growing border clashes between Turkey and Syria. wsws.org This fighting threatens to escalate into a direct confrontation between Turkey, a NATO member state, and the Syrian regime's nuclear-armed ally, Russia.

yenisafak (2020-02-04). YPG/PKK terrorists kill four Syrian National Army soldiers. yenisafak.com At least four Syrian National Army (SNA) soldiers were martyred in a YPG/PKK terror group attack in northern Syria, Anadolu Agency correspondents on the ground reported on Tuesday.The terrorists attacked the SNA soldiers in rural areas around the village of Ayn Isa in the northern Raqqah province, falling inside the area of Operation Peace Spring, Turkey's anti-terror offensive launched last October.The Turkish Armed Forces responded to the attack on its local allies with artillery fire.The YPG/PKK terror group is targeting settlement areas under control of the SNA, formerly known as the Free Syrian Army, which f…

yenisafak (2020-02-04). UN sends 33 truckloads of aid for displaced Syrians. yenisafak.com The United Nations sent on Tuesday humanitarian aid for civilians in Idlib, a war-torn city in northwestern Syria.The international organization sent 33 truckloads of supplies, which will be distributed among families in the city, as well as rural areas nearby.The trucks entered Syria through the Cilvegozu border gate in Hatay, a southern Turkish province bordering Syria.The Bashar al-Assad regime continues intensified air and land attacks on civilian settlements in Idlib de-escalated zone despite cease-fire.In September 2018, Turkey and Russia agreed to turn Idlib into a de-escalation zone in which acts of aggre…

yenisafak (2020-02-04). Turkey says Russia must restrain Syrian forces in Idlib. yenisafak.com "I told my counterpart Sergei Lavrov that the regime was carrying out provocative attacks on our observations posts around Idlib, that we will retaliate if they continue this, and that they need to stop the regime as soon as possible," Cavusoglu told reporters."We also don't accept the excuse of 'we cannot fully control the regime' here," he said, adding that agreements with Russia regarding Idlib must be revived.

sputniknews (2020-02-04). US Tried to Contact PNA Before Peace Plan Release, Abbas Refused – Palestinian Ambassador. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The US administration tried to contact the Palestinian National Authority and its leader, Mahmoud Abbas, prior to the announcement of US President Donald Trump's plan for the Israeli-Palestinian settlement, but Abbas refused to talk before the plan was unveiled, Palestinian Ambassador to Russia Abdel Hafiz Nofal said on Tuesday.

sputniknews (2020-02-04). Turkey Will Not Escalate Tensions With Russia Over Syria's Idlib – Erdogan. sputniknews.com Turkey's Foreign Ministry previously said that Ankara was working with Moscow to decrease tensions in Syria's so-called de-escalation zone, where Turkish troops and Syrian government forces recently clashed.

Staff (2020-02-03). ACLU: Trump Is Expanding His Racist Travel Ban, This Time Targeting Africans. democracynow.org The Trump administration has expanded its contested travel ban to six additional countries — most of which are African nations. Under the new restrictions, nationals of Nigeria, Eritrea, Myanmar and Kyrgyzstan will no longer be able to obtain visas to live and work in the U.S., while Sudan and Tanzania will no longer be able to participate in the diversity visa lottery program. The ban, commonly referred to as the "Muslim ban," already affects citizens from Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Venezuela and North Korea. The expansion is expected to affect more than 350 million people. Democrats say they will…

Staff (2020-02-03). Headlines for February 3, 2020. democracynow.org GOP Refuses to Call Witnesses in Impeachment Trial, Paving Way for Trump's Acquittal, Iowa Caucuses Kick Off 2020 Elections as DNC Loosens Rules to Let Bloomberg into Debates, Trump Expands Racist, Anti-Muslim Travel Ban, Coronavirus Claims First Victim Outside of China as Death Toll Tops 360, Hospitals in Syria Targeted as 100,000s of Civilians Forced to Flee, Palestinian Authority Cuts Ties with U.S. and Israel over Trump Middle East Plan, Iraqi Protesters Slam Appointment of Establishment Prime Minister-Designate, Dept. of Defense: U.S. Dropped 7,500 Bombs on Afghanistan in 2019, 6 Indigenous Leaders Killed in…

South Front (2020-02-03). Video: Syrian Army Offensive in Greater Idlib. globalresearch.ca The last week of January turned badly for Idlib militants. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (formerly the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda), the Turkish-backed National Front for Liberation and their allies appeared to be unable to contain the offensive of the Syrian Army, …

news.un (2020-02-03). Syria: UN health agency highlights 'critical health threats' facing Idlib civilians. news.un.org The World Health Organization (WHO) raised the alarm on Monday over critical health threats facing hundreds-of thousands of Syrians forced to flee due to intensified hostilities in Syria's northwest, where health facilities and workers have increasingly come under attack.

Arabi Souri (2020-02-03). Video: Turkey's Madman Erdogan Sends NATO Troops to Defend al-Qaeda Terrorists in Idlib. globalresearch.ca Erdogan lost his mind and sends NATO troops into the Syrian province of Idlib to establish military checkpoints in front of the advancing Syrian Arab Army from the south to protect his defeated and collapsing al-Qaeda terrorists. | Even someone like …

teleSUR (2020-02-03). Erdogan Says Turkey Bombed Syrian Troops in Idlib. telesurenglish.net Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that Turkey has been retaliating against the Syrian forces' attack on its soldiers in the northern Syrian region of Idlib. | RELATED: | "Our artillery and F-16 (warplanes) are all operating in the field," Erdogan said in a televised speech. | "We have soldiers martyred, and it is not possible for us to remain silent," he added. | Turkish forces have identified about 4…

Staff (2020-02-03). Trump Is Expanding His Racist Travel Ban, This Time Targeting Africans. truthout.org The Trump administration has expanded its contested travel ban to six additional countries — most of which are African nations. Under the new restrictions, nationals of Nigeria, Eritrea, Myanmar and Kyrgyzstan will no longer be able to obtain visas to live and work in the U.S., while Sudan and Tanzania will no longer be able to participate in the diversity visa lottery program. The ban, commonly referred to as the "Muslim ban," already affects citizens from Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Somalia,…

news.un (2020-02-03). Global initiative launched to keep top sports events safe from terrorism. news.un.org Representatives from international sporting federations and the private sector joined with ambassadors at UN Headquarters in New York on Monday to launch a global programme aimed at safeguarding major sporting events from terrorism-related threats.

Medea Benjamin (2020-02-02). Why aren't Americans rising up like the people of Chile and Lebanon? zcomm.org The tinder for a revolutionary movement is everywhere…

Eric Walberg (2020-02-01). Western Imperialism Stokes Resistance. dissidentvoice.org Tim Anderson's Axis of Resistance: Towards an Independent Middle East takes on the leftist position of 'a plague on all your houses'. Yassin Al-Haj Saleh, 'the intellectual voice of the Syrian revolution' (for westerners), presents a bleak portrait of "three monsters … treading on Syria's corpse": (1) the Assad regime and its allies, (2) DAESH/ISIS …

news.un (2020-02-01). UN chief 'deeply concerned' by military escalation in northwest Syria. news.un.org The UN Secretary-General has called for an immediate cessation of hostilities in northwest Syria.

Agha Hussain (2020-01-31). Wealthy Gulf States Plan to Spend Big to Coax Syria Away from Iran. mintpressnews.com In the first of a three-part series, Agha Hussein investigates efforts by wealthy Gulf Arab countries to ply post-war Syria away from Iran by investing heavily in its post-war reconstruction.

Staff (2020-01-31). Headlines for January 31, 2020. democracynow.org Senate Poised to Acquit President Trump in Impeachment Trial, World Health Organization Declares International Public Health Emergency, U.S. Special Envoy Warns of International Crisis in Idlib, Syria, Britain Formally Withdrawing from European Union Tonight, Pentagon Deploys 1st Low-Yield Nuclear Warhead-Armed Submarine, Trump Admin Poised to Loosen Restrictions on Use of Landmines, Human Rights Groups Condemn Mexico for Crackdown on Central American Migrants, Mexican Butterfly Conservationist Found Dead, Bolivia's Movement for Socialism Candidate Luis Arce Returns to Bolivia, U.S. Pushes EU to End Ban on Chemic…

Staff (2020-01-29). Headlines for January 29, 2020. democracynow.org McConnell Tries to Secure Votes to Block Impeachment Witnesses, "Our Rights Are Not for Sale": Palestinians Reject Trump's Middle East Plan, Trump Praises Pompeo for Shouting and Cursing at NPR Reporter, WaPo Reinstates Reporter Suspended for Tweeting About Kobe Rape Case, Death Toll from Coronavirus Virus Hits 132, with 6,000 Infected, Over 100,000 Syrian Civilians Flee Regime Offensive in Idlib, Floods Kill 30, Displace 16,000 in Madagascar, Mississippi to Shut Down Unit of Parchman Prison After Deaths of 9 Prisoners, Maryland Cop Charged with Murder for Killing Handcuffed Man in Police Car…

news.un (2020-01-29). End Syria fighting to avoid 'even greater humanitarian catastrophe'. news.un.org The "dire and deteriorating humanitarian situation" affecting women and children in northwest Syria was the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator's top concern on Wednesday morning as he briefed the Security Council in New York.

Susan Price (2020-01-29). Austria's Green-right alliance sells out migrants. greenleft.org.au