2020-02-08: News Headlines

RT (2020-02-08). 'Friday night massacre': Sondland follows Vindmans as Trump cleans house of 'traitors/heroes' following failed impeachment. rt.com The recall of US ambassador to the EU Gordon Sondland seems to indicate that President Donald Trump is dismissing from service the officials who testified against him in the abortive impeachment proceedings. | "I was advised that the president intends to recall me effective immediately," Sondland said in a statement on Friday evening, adding he was grateful to Trump for the opportunity to head the US mission in Brussels. | Wow — EU Ambassador Gordon Sondland recalled. His attorney sends me this statement on his behalf

yenisafak (2020-02-08). Five YPG/PKK terrorists surrender to Turkish forces. yenisafak.com Five YPG/PKK terrorists surrendered to Turkish security forces in southeastern Turkey, the country's National Defense Ministry said on Saturday.In a statement, the ministry said that the terrorists fleeing the terror group's shelters in northern Syria came to border posts in Suruc, in the frontier province of Sanliurfa, as well as Nusaybin in Mardin.In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK

sputniknews (2020-02-08). Russia, Turkey Discussed Situation in Syria's Idlib – Turkish Foreign Ministry. sputniknews.com ANKARA (Sputnik) – Russia and Turkey held talks in Ankara, discussing the situation in Syria's Idlib and steps to advance the political process in Syria, a spokesperson for the Turkish Foreign Ministry said on Saturday.

Agha Hussain (2020-02-07). Russia and Iran's Clashing Visions for Syria's future. mintpressnews.com Rivals of the West in their own right, Iran and Russia today are major power players in the Syrian imbroglio. Their convergence of interests in helping eradicate extremist terrorist proxies utilized by an array of rival states against their mutual Syrian ally has allowed them both a significant degree of say in Syrian affairs and how that country's future will pan out | However, their cooperation against the terrorist threat has often been the pivot of inaccurate portrayals of Russia-Iran ties and the extent of their shared interests versus their many highly divergent objectives in Syria, many of which are rooted…

Steven Sahiounie (2020-02-07). Syria and Turkey Face War as Syrian Arab Army Poised to Take Idlib. globalresearch.ca Tensions between Damascus and Ankara have never been higher over the past nine years. Turkey's

Middle East Eye (2020-02-07). Russia Says Israel Used Civilian Plane as Human Shield During Syria Strikes. theantimedia.com Russia accused Israel of "making a total mockery of the lives of hundreds of innocent civilians."

teleSUR (2020-02-07). Israeli Attack Endangers Civilian Aircraft in Damascus. telesurenglish.net A civilian aircraft flying from Tehran to Damascus narrowly avoided fire from Syria's air defense systems, which were activated in response to an Israeli missile attack on Friday. | RELATED: | Due to the Israeli strike, the aircraft, an Airbus A320, was unable to land at Damascus Airport and had to divert to Russia's Khmeimim airbase, the Russian Defense Ministry reported. | The surprise attack, which was made by four Isra…

Michael Jansen (2020-02-07). Break-up of Astana Partnership Was Inevitable. The Turkey-Russia Relation in Jeopardy? globalresearch.ca Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has ordered his forces to strike Syrian army positions in retaliation for targeting a Turkish military convoy bound for the Saraqeb in Syria's north-western Idlib province. His forces obeyed on Monday and allegedly struck a …

news.un (2020-02-07). ISIL still at 'centre' of terrorism threat, Security Council hears. news.un.org Despite the loss of its last stronghold in Syria and the death of its leader, ISIL "remains at the centre of the transnational terrorism threat", a senior UN official told the Security Council on Friday.

RT (2020-02-07). Israel's Use of Airline as Human Shield is "a War Crime" — George Galloway. dissidentvoice.org A passenger plane carrying 172 people from Tehran has been forced to make an emergency landing after almost being hit by Syrian air defenses in response to an Israeli airstrike over Damascus. Former UK MP George Galloway joins In Question to discuss.

Andrew Korybko (2020-02-07). Expansion of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Tehran Wants to Build "the Golden Ring" globalresearch.ca BRI-led Eurasian integration processes are one of the defining characteristics of contemporary International Relations, and the Golden Ring could eventually become the centerpiece of these efforts if Ambassador Hosseini's W-CPEC+ proposal succeeds, especially if it's done in parallel with N-CPEC+….

Middle East Eye (2020-02-06). Turkey Gives Assad Deadline to Pull Back or Face Military Action. theantimedia.com Turkey has given the Syrian government until the end of this month to withdraw from recently seized territory in Idlib province.

news.un (2020-02-06). Syria: 'Massive waves of civilian displacement and loss of life must stop now': UN Special Envoy. news.un.org Air and ground strikes in the region of Idlib, northwest Syria, are causing "massive waves of civilian displacement and major loss of civilian life", causing unacceptable human suffering which must stop now, Geir Pedersen, the UN Special Envoy for Syria, told the Security Council on Thursday.

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…

Staff (2020-02-04). Headlines for February 4, 2020. democracynow.org Delay in Iowa Democratic Primary Results Causes Confusion, Mixed Messages, Final Arguments Made in Impeachment Trial of President Trump Ahead of SOTU, Hong Kong Medical Workers Demand Border Closure as Coronavirus Claims Life of Hong Kong Man, Leaked Audio Shows Iran Knew It Downed Ukraine Jet Despite Early Denials, Syrian and Turkish Forces Escalate Attacks as Turkey Suffers First Losses from Direct Combat, Massachusetts Prisoners Allege Violent Retaliatory Abuse by Guards, Trial Begins For Ex-CIA Software Engineer Accused of "Vault 7" Leak, Weinstein Rape Accuser Breaks Down During Harsh Questioning, Shooting a…

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…

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…

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…