Russia is About to Face its Biggest Test Yet in Syria
Robert Fisk | counterpunch.org | 2020-04-22
An American reader tired of corona journalism sent me a plea this week: "There must be plenty of cruelty being unleashed by the gangsters-in-chief across the 'Mideast' that simply isn't making it into the headlines," she wrote. "Trump et al are either ignoring it or silently condoning it." I doubt if Donald Trump is ignoring…
counterpunch.org/2020/04/22/russia-is-about-to-face-its-biggest-test-yet-in-syria/

'We did not get a cent': Palestinian diplomat says US 'lying' about promised $5mn aid package to hospitals facing Covid-19
rt.com | 2020-04-22
The Palestinian envoy to France said Washington lied about sending millions in aid to beleaguered hospitals in Gaza and the West Bank, insisting the funds were earmarked for favored NGOs unlikely to spend a dime on healthcare. | In a tweet last week, Washington's ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, claimed the US would provide $5 million to "Palestinian hospitals and households to meet immediate, life-saving needs in combating Covid-19," while congratulating the US for being the "world's top humanitarian donor." | I'm very pleased the USA is providing $5M for Palestinian hospitals and households to meet imme…
rt.com/news/486516-us-lied-palestine-aid-ambassador/

Palestine Receives Medical Aid from China to Fight COVID-19
telesurenglish.net | 2020-04-21
Palestine received Monday from China a batch of emergency medical supplies including medicines, quick medical tests, and ventilators to help tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. | RELATED: | Palestinian Shoemaker Starts West Bank's Mask Factory Overnight | The Chinese Ambassador to Palestine Guo Wei personally delivered the aid at the health ministry's storage warehouses in the West Bank city of Ramallah to the Palestinian Health Minister Mai al-Kaila, who thanked the Asian nation for…
telesurenglish.net/news/Palestine-Receives-Medical-Aid-from-China-to-Fight-COVID-19-20200421-0021.html

Will US troops stop guarding Syrian oil fields? Negative oil prices provide that extra bit of coronavirus surrealism
rt.com | 2020-04-20
US benchmark oil futures plummeted to negative numbers on Monday, as if the coronavirus epidemic hadn't already pushed the world into the Twilight Zone. Social media took time to appreciate the icing on a very surreal cake. | Futures contracts for West Texas Intermediate (WTI)

Coronavirus stimulus bill funds State Dept/USAID operations that once helped trigger polio outbreak in Syria
Max Blumenthal | thegrayzone.com | 2020-04-16
A look at recent USAID schemes from Pakistan to Syria shows US empire can be very hazardous to your health….
thegrayzone.com/2020/04/16/coronavirus-stimulus-state-usaid-polio-syria/

Iran, Russia, Turkey to Discuss Syria Situation
Tasnim News | iranian.com | 2020-04-21
The Iranian, Russian and Turkish foreign ministers plan to hold a meeting via video conference on Wednesday to discuss the latest developments in Syria. According to Russian foreign ministry, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his Russian and Turkish counterparts Sergei Lavrov and Mevlut Cavusoglu will hold the online meeting on April 22, TASS reported. …
iranian.com/2020/04/20/iran-russia-turkey-to-discuss-syria-situation/

Reasons for Zarif's visit to Syria amid pandemic
The Iranian | iranian.com | 2020-04-20
Iran Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif will meet with senior Syrian officials today in Damascus but why there is such a visit when the world is almost under lockdown and all diplomatic meetings have been canceled? Paying a visit at this level during today's world conditions shows that ties between Tehran and Damascus have gone …
iranian.com/2020/04/20/reasons-for-zarifs-visit-to-syria-amid-pandemic/

Serbian envoy to Turkey grateful for aid to fight virus
yenisafak.com | 2020-04-22
Serbian Ambassador in Ankara on Wednesday expressed his gratitude to Turkey over sending medical aid to fight against the novel coronavirus, and said country entered the pandemic "well-prepared".Speaking exclusively to Anadolu Agency, Ambassador Zoran Markovic said "We are particularly grateful to Turkey for the aid in diagnostic and protective equipment provided to us, as to a number of other countries in need."Markovic also thanked "for prompt replies to facilitation requests for repatriation of our citizens, some of them traveling from further abroad and having been stranded on their return home."Aside from th…
yenisafak.com/en/world/serbian-envoy-to-turkey-grateful-for-aid-to-fight-virus-3517653