(2020-06-16). Huge anti-government protests sweep Lebanon. peoplesworld.org 
Huge protests swept Lebanon June 13 as demonstrators called on the government to resign. Demonstrators marched through Beirut demanding an end to the country's sectarian political system, where positions of power are allocated between different factions, and action over an economic crisis that has seen the currency collapse and yawning inequality. A bank was set …
(2020-06-16). India summons Pakistani ambassador after embassy staff detained following road accident. rt.com 
Pakistan's ambassador was summoned to the foreign ministry in New Delhi after two Indian embassy employees were held by Pakistani police, following an alleged hit-and-run incident in Islamabad on Monday. | The ambassador was handed a protest note against what India called "abduction and torture" of the staff of its embassy, officially called the High Commission. The two men were "video-graphed and coerced to accept a litany of fictitious allegations and concocted charges," the statement by the ministry read. | The embassy employees were "kept in illegal custody for more than 10 hours" and were released only af…
(2020-06-16). Hawkish, Gov't funded think tank behind Twitter decision to delete thousands of Chinese accounts. mronline.org 
Twitter's decision came after close collaboration with a deeply controversial U.S. and Australian government-funded think tank that has been denounced by Australia's former ambassador in Beijing as "the architect of the China threat theory in Australia."
(2020-06-16). Video: Al-Qaeda Factions Create New Coalition in Idlib. globalresearch.ca Early on June 14, the Russian Aerospace Forces reportedly carried out airstrikes on positions of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham near the villages of al-Bara and Deir Sunbul in southern Idlib. Since the signing of the new de-escalation agreement with Turkey on …
(2020-06-16). Lavrov: Russia, Turkey, Iran to hold summit on Syria. yenisafak.com Ankara, Moscow and Tehran agreed to hold a videoconference and then a face-to-face meeting on the Syrian settlement, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced on Tuesday.The presidents of the three countries will discuss Syrian issues in a videoconference and then will hold a summit in Tehran, Lavrov said at a news conference following a meeting with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif."Today, we confirmed the agreement of the three presidents of the Astana format countries that the summit will be held in Tehran within terms that will be determined considering the situation developing due to the c…
(2020-06-16). NATO concerned by Russia's growing presence in E.Med. yenisafak.com Russia's growing presence in the Eastern Mediterranean region is a cause for concern for NATO, the military alliance's chief said on Tuesday."NATO is also concerned about the increased Russian presence in the eastern Mediterranean in general, in Syria, but also, of course, in Libya. And we have to follow and monitor that very closely," Jens Stoltenberg said in response to a question in an online news conference ahead of the NATO defense ministers meeting on June 17-18.He said the situation in Libya was not on the meeting agenda, but could be discussed, adding: "It has a direct impact on the security of especially…
(2020-06-16). Resistance arms part of our culture, strategic doctrine: Nasrallah. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jun. 16 (MNA) — Secretary-General of the Lebanese Hezbollah Resistance Movement Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah says,"Resistance arms, for our people, are part of our culture, strategic doctrine."
(2020-06-15). America's Supernational Sovereignty. thealtworld.com Iran and Syria again on the receiving end of sanctions | One of the most disturbing aspects of American foreign policy since 9/11 has been the assumption that decisions made by the United States are binding on the rest of the world, best exemplified by President George W. Bush's warning that "there was a new sheriff in town." Apart from time of war, no other nation has ever sought to prevent other nations from trading with each other, nor has any government sought to punish foreigners using sanctions with the cynical arrogance demonstrated by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The United States uniquely seeks to pen…
(2020-06-15). US Congress "Caesar's Law" Directed against Syria: Who Does It Target and How Will It Affect President Assad? globalresearch.ca In mid-June, the US sanctions against Syria will escalate, with the enactment in Congress of "
(2020-06-15). 'Trump Heights': The newest Israeli-approved illegal settlements in occupied Golan Heights. peoplesdispatch.org The Golan Heights is Syrian territory occupied by Israel following the 1967 war. Israeli settlement activities inside the occupied territories are in complete violation of international laws…
(2020-06-14). Syria in Seattle: Commune Defies the U.S. Regime. dissidentvoice.org The marriage of post-Lockdown and George Floyd protests has nurtured a rough beast that is still immune to any form of civilized debate in the U.S.: the Seattle Commune. So what really is the Capital Hill Autonomous Zone cum People's Republic all about? Are the communards mere useful idiots? Is this a refined Occupy Wall …
(2020-06-14). Syria in Seattle: Commune Defies the U.S. Regime. The Capital Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ). globalresearch.ca The marriage of post-Lockdown and George Floyd protests has nurtured a rough beast that is still immune to any form of civilized debate in the U.S.: the Seattle Commune. | So what really is the Capital Hill Autonomous Zone cum …
(2020-06-14). African Countries Call for Urgent UN Debate Over Racism. telesurenglish.net African countries on Friday called on the United Nation Human Rights Council to urgently debate racism and police impunity, amid growing protests over George Floyd's death in the United States and other parts of the world. | RELATED: | In a letter written on behalf of 54 African countries, Burkina Faso's ambassador to the UN in Geneva asked the UN's top rights body for an "urgent debate" on "racially inspired human ri…
(2020-06-14). Top Russian officials' visit to Turkey postponed. yenisafak.com A planned Sunday visit to Turkey by Russia's foreign and defense ministers has been postponed, Turkey's Foreign Ministry said.In a phone call, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov decided to hold contacts and negotiations between their deputy ministers in the days to come, said a ministry statement.Ministerial talks will also take place at a later date, it said.Russia's foreign and defense ministers were expected in Turkey for dialogue on regional issues.Moscow and Ankara frequently consult on the situation in Syria and Libya, and the two issues, particularly the lat…
(2020-06-14). Militants Shell Settlements in Syria's Latakia, Idlib, Aleppo, Russian Military Says. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The Hayat Tahrir al-Sham* terrorist group has attacked settlements in Syria's provinces of Idlib, Aleppo, and Latakia, Rear Admiral Alexander Shcherbitsky, the head of the Russian Defence Ministry's centre for Syrian reconciliation, said on Sunday.
(2020-06-13). Lebanon: Mass Night Protests as the National Currency Dives. telesurenglish.net Citizens took to the streets for the second night in a row to protest against Lebanon's Prime Minister Hassan Diab who has failed to control the strong depreciation of the Lebanese pound (L £) against the U.S. dollar. | RELATED: | In Beirut, the country's capital, protesters burned tires, cut roads, and confronted security forces. At least eleven people were injured, according to the Red Cross. | "In our co…
(2020-06-13). Lebanese Protesters Set Central Bank on Fire. anti-empire.com 
Demonstrators in Lebanon attempted to occupy the central bank in the capital Thursday after the country's currency sank to a record low against the US dollar. | As a result of the nation's economic crisis, the dollar rose to 6,000 Lebanese pounds from 4,000 in the last two days, prompting protesters to take to the streets in Beirut and many other cities. | twitter.com/BasedPoland/status/1271523775440392195 | They blocked roads to traffic with garbage containers and burning tires. | Forcing their way into the central bank on Hamra Street, they had to withdraw when security forces intervened. | Security for…
(2020-06-13). Turkey rescues 381 asylum seekers in a week. yenisafak.com Turkey rescued 381 asylum seekers over the past week, the Turkish Coast Guard Command said on Saturday.Between June 5 and 11, a total of 381 asylum seekers were held or rescued in 14 incidents, the coast guard said on Twitter.Three smugglers were also arrested, it added, sharing four photos from the rescue operations where the Turkish teams in full protective gear were seen taking asylum seekers' temperature.Turkey has been one of the main routes for asylum seekers wanting to reach Europe, especially since Syria's civil war started in 2011.Turkey hosts nearly four million Syrians, more than any other country in t…
(2020-06-13). Iranian envoy holds webinar with Iranian students in Japan amid pandemic. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jun. 13 (MNA) — Iranian Ambassador to Japan Morteza Rahmani Movahhed held a video-conference meeting on Saturday with Iranian students, researchers, and professors residing in Japan.
(2020-06-12). Trump's 'Caesar' Style Siege on Syria, A Sign of Impending Regional Failure. ahtribune.com 
Would be emperor Donald Trump has announced the 'Caesar Syrian Civilian Protection Act', to tighten the genocidal siege on the Syrian people. Without a hint of irony, this new edict imposes even more serious obstacles to the Syrian people getting access to energy, food and medicines, while claiming its purpose is to 'protect' those same people. | However the move comes as (1) a shrinking US military presence faces resistance attacks in both Syria and Iraq, (2) Washington's allies are abandoning the US-led 'coalition' in Iraq, (3) Trump has undermined his local allies in Lebanon and Iraq, by threats and economi…
(2020-06-12). Video: Hearing Is Not Like Seeing: NATO's Terrorists Burning Syrian Wheat Crops. globalresearch.ca A video clip shared by local farmers from Ras Al-Ayn showing an inferno burning their livelihood before their eyes, hundreds of acres of wheat on fire just as the crop is due to harvest. | We've been reporting about these fires …