(2020-10-19). Former OPCW Chief Says His Office Was Bugged While USA Pushed Iraq War. thealtworld.com important new interview with The Grayzone's Aaron Maté, the first Director-General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has revealed new insights into the way the US exerted control over the Organisation in the lead-up to the Iraq invasion and the suspicious way pro-US narratives appear to be dominating controversies in the supposedly impartial OPCW to this day. | The most significant piece of new information revealed in this interview with the acclaimed former OPCW chief José Bustani is his assertion that while the US wa…
(2020-10-19). Headlines for October 19, 2020. democracynow.org U.S. COVID-19 Cases Surge as Trump Continues Unmasked Campaign Rallies, Cases Mounting Across Europe as New Restrictions Enacted, Top Palestinian Official Saeb Erekat in Critical Condition with COVID-19, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer Accuses Trump of Inspiring, Incentivizing and Inciting Terrorism, White Supremacists Indicted for Arms Trafficking, Murder and Plotting to Bomb Synagogue, Death Toll in Nagorno-Karabakh Fighting Mounts as New Ceasefire Falls Apart, Kyrgyzstan Installs New President, Who Will Also Serve as Prime Minister, Alexei Navalny Calls on Trump to Denounce Use of Chemical Weapons, Car Bomb in…
(2020-10-19). EXCLUSIVE: Turkey to abandon some observation stations in Syria's Idlib. middleeasteye.net 
EXCLUSIVE: Turkey to abandon some observation stations in Syria's Idlib | Withdrawal comes as Russians hinder resupply efforts and Damascus stokes protests against Turkish presence | Mon, 10/19/2020 – 08: 53 | A Syrian army soldier looks at a Turkish military observation post in al-Rashidin district, in Aleppo's southwestern countryside in January (AFP) | Turkey has decided to abandon some of its militar…
(2020-10-19). White House official went to Syria seeking Americans' release. middleeasteye.net 
White House official went to Syria seeking Americans' release | Trump wrote to Assad in March proposing 'direct dialogue' over the release of one of the US citizens, reports WSJ | Mon, 10/19/2020 – 09: 30 | A White House official travelled to Damascus earlier this year for secret meetings with the Syrian government, a Trump administration official said on Sunday (Reuters) | A White House o…
(2020-10-19). Two Deep Mysteries of the 1973 Arab-Israeli War. globalresearch.ca Forty-seven years ago, Egypt and Syria launched a massive surprise attack on Israeli forces dug into fortifications along the Suez Canal and Golan Heights. The 'limited' Arab objective was to recapture both strategic areas that had been seized from the …
(2020-10-19). Antiwar Forces Need to Challenge Trudeau Government, Not Praise It. globalresearch.ca Should antiwar forces challenge power or praise government officials in the hopes of getting some crumbs for their pet issue? | Douglas Roche's recent Hill Times column suggests the latter. In an article extolling Canada's new ambassador to the UN Roche …
(2020-10-19). Lebanon: "The Political Game" globalresearch.ca French President Emmanuel Macron does not want his
(2020-10-19). Iran-Syria keen of development of trade transactions. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 20 (MNA) — In a Monday meeting with the Syrian envoy to Tehran, the ICIAMA head said the implementation of the free trade agreement between Iran and Syria will bring good days in mutual trade, which is what the two countries want.
(2020-10-19). Envoy submits credentials to president of Equatorial Guinea. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 20 (MNA) — The accredited ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Equatorial Guinea submitted his credentials to the country's president.
(2020-10-18). Ex-OPCW chief defends Syria whistleblowers and reveals he was spied on before Iraq war. thegrayzone.com Exclusive: former OPCW chief José Bustani defends the whistleblowers who challenged a cover-up of their Syria probe; reacts to the US and allies recently blocking his UN testimony; and reveals he was spied on before the Bush administration ousted him over the Iraq war. In a Grayzone exclusive, José Bustani, the former head of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, speaks out in support of two veteran OPCW inspectors who challenged a US-backed cover-up of their investigation in …
(2020-10-18). Canada's Anti-War Movement needs to Challenge Government. dissidentvoice.org 
Should antiwar forces challenge power or praise government officials in the hopes of getting some crumbs for their pet issue? Douglas Roche's recent Hill Times column suggests the latter. In an article extolling Canada's new ambassador to the UN Roche writes: "When Canada lost its bid for a seat on the UN Security Council the …
(2020-10-18). Will the Mediterranean Sea Save Lebanon from Drowning in Debt? globalresearch.ca The Lebanese population faces between six to twelve hours of electricity cuts per day, and in some rural areas, there is simply no electricity provided by the government grid. Amid the backdrop of decrepit infrastructure, government corruption, devalued currency, and …
(2020-10-18). Iran to export, import weapons based on its defense policy. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 18 (MNA) — Iranian Ambassador to UK Hamid Baeedinejad said that as of today, Iran will export and import weapons based on its defense policy principles.
(2020-10-17). Beirut protests mark a year since Lebanon's mass uprising. middleeasteye.net 
Beirut protests mark a year since Lebanon's mass uprising | Amid the crippling economic crisis and Covid-19 pandemic, and with no functioning government, there is little optimism change in Lebanon will happen anytime soon | Sat, 10/17/2020 – 16: 55 | Protesters take to the streets of Beirut on 17 October to mark the first anniversary of the Lebanon uprising (Kareem Chehayeb) | Over a thousand…
(2020-10-17). War in Nagorno-Karabakh Is a Gamechanger in Russian-Turkish Relations. globalresearch.ca After Turkey downed a Russian jet operating in Syria in late 2015, there was a major risk that the Syrian War could explode into a greater conflict between the two Eurasian countries. The Turkish attack resulted in the death of …
(2020-10-17). Colombia: New Scandal Links Politicians With Narcotraffic. telesurenglish.net The Colombian Prosecutor's Office Saturday withdrew a pre-agreement reached with Laureano Martinez, former butler of the farm owned by the family of Colombian ex-ambassador to Uruguay Fernando Sanclemente, where authorities found a narcotics processing laboratory. | RELATED: | This statement comes after it became known that Sanclemente did know about the drug business and tried to get his employee to plead guilt…
(2020-10-17). This is what happens when Sunnis and Shiites agree in Lebanon. thealtworld.com French President Emmanuel Macron does not want his
(2020-10-17). Why Conflict in Caucasus Is Erdogan's Revenge for Syria. strategic-culture.org Turkey's outsize role in fueling the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan is becoming more apparent. That's why a peace deal will be hard to cut and indeed the conflict may blow up further into a protracted regional war. A war that could drag Russia into battling in the Caucasus on its southern periphery against NATO proxies. | In a phone call this week with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan
(2020-10-17). Iran's new envoy arrives in Yemen. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 17 (MNA) — The spokesman of the Iranian foreign ministry informed on Saturday that the country's new ambassador to Yemen has arrived in Sana'a.
(2020-10-17). Russia to Respond to US Deployment of Missiles in Asia-Pacific Region, Ambassador Says. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Moscow will adequately respond to Washington's deployment of intermediate and short-range missiles in the Asia-Pacific region (APAC), Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov said.
(2020-10-16). Israel bans Palestinian singer Mohammed Assaf from entering Jerusalem, Gaza. middleeasteye.net 
Israel bans Palestinian singer Mohammed Assaf from entering Jerusalem, Gaza | Israel has imposed a travel ban on Assaf, revoking his entry permit, which he earned as an UNRWA ambassador | Fri, 10/16/2020 – 12: 12 | Palestinian "Arab Idol" winner Mohammed Assaf described the Israeli travel ban as "a continuation of the policies of oppression" (AFP/file photo) | Israel has imposed an entry ban on Mohammed Assaf,…
(2020-10-16). Syria: Humanitarians 'very concerned' for thousands still living in Al Hol camp. news.un.org Humanitarians are "very concerned" about the plight of more than 64,000 people living in the restive Al Hol camp in northeast Syria, the UN Spokesperson told journalists on Friday.
(2020-10-16). 2016 Plot to Install Biden Plus a Tale of Two Town Halls. sputniknews.com On today's episode of The Backstory, host Lee Stranahan discussed current events, including the Democrats' plot to install Biden, the beheading of a teacher in Paris, Savannah Guthrie's town hall performance, the desecration of an altar in Louisiana, a drone strike in Idlib, and the latest on the START nuclear treaty.
(2020-10-16). Abraham Accords exclude key players in Mideast: expert. yenisafak.com Washington relied on the success of "autocratic leadership while neglecting the Palestinians," a former CIA officer said Friday, citing US-brokered Israel-United Arab Emirates (UAE)- Bahrain normalization deals, also known as Abraham Accords. Douglas London said in an opinion piece penned for the Atlantic Council that he reacted to the normalization moves with "trepidation more than celebration."London said that it reminded him of the US-backed agreement signed by Lebanon and Israel in 1983, which shattered following the Lebanese government's 1984 collapse, leading "unprecedented acts of terrorism against US Mari…
(2020-10-15). Syrian and Russian officials should face sanctions over Idlib strikes, states HRW. middleeasteye.net 
Syrian and Russian officials should face sanctions over Idlib strikes, states HRW | Rights group says analysis of attacks between April 2019 and March 2020 revealed a 'callous disregard for civilian life' | Thu, 10/15/2020 – 12: 21 | HRW based its report on interviews with more than 100 victims and witnesses, analysis of hundreds of photographs and videos taken on the site of attacks and o…
(2020-10-15). Kurdish-led forces release hundreds of prisoners in northeast Syria. middleeasteye.net 
Kurdish-led forces release hundreds of prisoners in northeast Syria | Those released were Syrian citizens who had served at least half of their sentences, says co-chair of the Syrian Democratic Council | Thu, 10/15/2020 – 18: 27 | Earlier this month, Kurdish authorities said they planned to release all Syrians from al-Hol camp and relinquish any responsibility for foreign nationals held there (AFP) | Kurdish-l…
(2020-10-15). Iran, Slovakia to expand media coop.: envoy. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 15 (MNA) — Following his visit with Slovakian officials, Iranian ambassador to Slovakia announced that Iran-Slovakia media cooperation will be strengthened.
(2020-10-15). Chinese Ambassador Urges Canada Not to Grant Asylum to Hong Kong Protesters. sputniknews.com TORONTO (Sputnik) – China's Ambassador to Canada Cong Peiwu urged Ottawa during a video conference not to grant asylum to Hong Kong protesters.