Daily Archives: July 31, 2020

2020-07-31: News Headlines

Juan Cole (2020-07-30). US Bases in Qatar, UAE Go on Alert as Iran Fires Ballistic Missiles at Mock-Up of US Aircraft Carrier. commondreams.org There are some 11,000 US Air Force personnel at al-Udeid, which has been a major launching point for missions against the Taliban in Afghanistan and ISIL in Iraq and Syria. (Photo: Al-Udeid Air Base, Qatar. / AFP PHOTO / POOL / Alex Brandon) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/qa.jpg

pip.hinman (2020-07-30). Eighth anniversary of the Rojava Revolution marked in Sydney. greenleft.org.au Rojava Solidarity Sydney organised a rall…

pip.hinman (2020-07-30). 8th anniversary of the Rojava Revolution marked in Sydney. greenleft.org.au

RT (2020-07-30). Trump will be only world leader to address UN in person in September as others to send videos — envoy. rt.com US President Donald Trump hopes to address the United Nations General Assembly in person in September, his UN envoy said on Thursday. All other world leaders are expected to send videos instead of traveling to New York amid the coronavirus pandemic, Reuters said. | The annual high-level gathering had been shaping up to be a weeklong celebration of the 75th anniversary of the world body. | "We're hoping that President Trump will actually be speaking in person in the General Assembly. He will be the only world leader to be speaking in person," US Ambassador to the UN Kelly Craft told the Meridian International d…

sputniknews (2020-07-30). 'China Not Strategic Threat to India', Beijing's Ambassador to New Delhi Assures. sputniknews.com New Delhi (Sputnik): Bilateral relations between India and China have touched a new low after a violent face-off between the armies of the two countries on 15 June, resulting in the death of 20 Indian soldiers.

Mehr News Agency (2020-07-30). Iran, Georgia discuss economic coop. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 30 (MNA) — Iranian Ambassador to Tbilisi Javad Ghavam Shahidi met and held talks with Georgian Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Natia Turnava on the expansion of economic cooperation.

Eva Bartlett (2020-07-29). Impressions From An Informal Meeting With Asma al-Assad, Syria. thealtworld.com I had been sitting in a small entrance room for what seemed less than a minute when the door opened and Syria's first lady, Her Excellency Asma al-Assad, greeted me with a warm smile, welcoming me inside a slightly larger sitting room. In official meetings I had had over the years in Syria, I was accustomed to a secretary or assistant escorting me into the meeting room. Asma al-Assad, however, does things up close and personal. | Over the years in Syria, I had heard from people I encountered that she and President Assad routinely meet with their fellow Syrians in crowded venues, mixing and engaging with the peopl…

Melvin Goodman (2020-07-29). Trump's War on the Environment and Its Inhabitants. counterpunch.org Trump's climate denial has made the United States an environmental "pariah state" in a global community committed to addressing the problem of climate change. Trump's withdrawal from the Paris accord made the United States the only nation in the world to reject the climate accord. The two original outliers—Syria and Nicaragua—have joined, and Nicaragua stayed out initially because the agreement didn't go far enough. Trump has undermined the rich legacy of the Obama administration in the environmental field, which included getting the world's other major polluters—particularly China and India[mda…

RT (2020-07-29). Lebanon reinforces new Covid-19 lockdown measures after spike in new cases. rt.com The Lebanese government has decided to reinforce coronavirus lockdown measures after a spike in new cases. The country of some six million people has recorded a total of 3,879 cases of Covid-19, including 51 deaths. | Lebanon had gradually lifted lockdown measures and in early July opened Beirut airport to commercial flights, after a closure of more than three months. However, after new cases increased, the government ordered a nationwide lockdown from July 30 until August 3, coinciding with the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, Naharnet quoted Information Minister Manal Abdel Samad as saying. | The lockdown will…

South Front (2020-07-29). Video: Hezbollah-Israeli Escalation on Lebanese Border. Rocket Strikes against US Bases in Iraq. globalresearch.ca On July 27, fighting broke out between Israeli forces and Hezbollah along the Israeli-Lebanese contact line. This became the heaviest open confrontation between the sides in about a year. The incident occurred in an area known as Chebaa Farms, which …

news.un (2020-07-29). Security Council: Poverty deepens, along with need, across Syria. news.un.org Humanitarian operations across war-shattered Syria are reaching 6.8 million people a month, but a worsening economic crisis is deepening poverty and pushing more and more Syrians into humanitarian need, the Security Council heard Wednesday.

yenisafak (2020-07-29). Brazil may face 'consequences' if it gives Huawei 5G access, says US ambassador. yenisafak.com The top U.S. diplomat in Brazil said in a newspaper interview that the country may face "consequences" if it allows China's Huawei Technologies into its 5G network, referring to U.S. warnings that China fails to protect intellectual property.The U.S. government has stepped up efforts to limit Huawei's role in rolling out high-speed, fifth-generation technology in Latin America's largest economy. It believes Huawei would hand over data to the Chinese government for spying. Huawei denies it spies for China.U.S. Ambassador Todd Chapman told O Globo that Brazil would not face reprisals for picking Huawei, but could f…

Mehr News Agency (2020-07-29). Baeidinjad reacts to British MP anti-Iranian remarks. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 29 (MNA) — Iran's Ambassador to UK Hamid Baeidinjad reacted to a request by a senior British lawmaker to impose sanctions on Iranian officials.

Mehr News Agency (2020-07-29). US harassment of Iranian airliner disgraceful: Vaezi. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 29 (MNA) — In reaction to the US harassment of an Iranian airliner in Syria, Iranian President's Chief of Staff Mahmoud Vaezi said that the US act is disgraceful and contrary to international standards.

Mehr News Agency (2020-07-29). Iraqi official urges removal of ISIL in Iraq-Syria border. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul.29 (MNA) — A spokesman for the Iraqi Armed Forces stressed the importance and necessity of protecting the border between Syria and Iraq reporting that more troops and military equipment have been sent for protection of this area.

Vanessa Beeley (2020-07-28). Syria — challenging Caesar. thealtworld.com Conference of small businesses to combat sanctions and Caesar Law. | Two weeks ago, I attended a two day conference in Damascus, Syria. The initiative is the brainchild of Syrian businessman and entrepreneur, Dr. Hani Barakat who gathered together a selection of young and enterprising business people to discuss the obstacles facing the youth of Syria when they try to establish any kind of business initiative. | Their path to success has been harshly affected by the illegal US Coalition sanctions (and precedeing sanctions on Syria since 1979) and further impacted by the newly introduced and punitive Caesar Law [md…

yenisafak (2020-07-28). Israel turning mosques into synagogues, bars. yenisafak.com In 1743, the Ottoman-era ruler of Palestine, Zahir al-Umar al-Zaydani, built a mosque in his name in the northern city of Tiberias. | The Umari Mosque remained a magnet point for worshippers until 1948 when it was abandoned following the Nakba, a term used by the Palestinians to describe the creation of the state of Israel on the rubble of Palestine. | One of the landmarks of Tiberias, the mosque, also known as the Zaydani mosque, was built on the Mameluke architecture, with a big dome and a minaret. | "Like most Palestinians, the Tiberias residents have fled to Syria and Lebanon following the Nakba," Kamal Khati…

South Front (2020-07-28). Video: Israel Reinforces Troops Near Golan Heights Fearing Hezbollah Retaliation to Strikes on Syria. globalresearch.ca The Middle East is rapidly moving towards a new round of confrontation between the US-Israeli bloc and Iranian-led Shiite forces. | On July 26, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) deployed M109 Doher howitzers near the separation line with Lebanon. The deployment …

Stephen Lendman (2020-07-28). Heightened Tensions Along the Lebanese/Israeli Border. globalresearch.ca By its own admission, Israel's IDF conducted numerous airstrikes on Syrian targets in recent years. | Last week, Lebanon's Al-Manar television reported that an Israeli strike near Damascus International Airport killed Hezbollah fighter Ali Kamel Mohsen and four others. | In response, …

Peoples Dispatch (2020-07-28). Israel shells southern Lebanon. peoplesdispatch.org Israeli forces shelled areas in southern Lebanon on July 27, Monday, leading to the destruction of a house whose residents narrowly escaped harm. Israel claimed that the shelling was to stop Hezbollah fighters trying to infiltrate the Shebaa Farm area along the border under Israeli control. The claim was denied by Hezbollah in an official statement, which called the shelling a one-sided attack on Lebanon. | Israel claimed that on Monday, several Hezbollah fighters tried to enter the Shebaa Farm area, which is claimed by Lebanon but under Israeli occupation since 1967. According to Israel, its forces opened fire t…

Elijah Magnier (2020-07-28). Réunion USA-Israà´l : À quand la riposte du Hezbollah? thealtworld.com La dernière fois que le

Elijah Magnier (2020-07-28). US-Israel meeting: When is the Hezbollah response expected? thealtworld.com The last time that the US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,

_____ (2020-07-28). Vietnam Veteran Sprayed With Chemical Weapon In Portland Protest. popularresistance.org Federal troops were filmed pepper spraying an elderly Vietnam War veteran who was attending a protest in Portland over the weekend. | The veteran, Mike Hastie, was standing several feet from a line of federal troops and shouting at them about his time in Vietnam when a troop rushed him from his side and sprayed pepper spray in his face. | Mr Hastie was rebuking the troops for following orders he believes are unlawful rather than upholding an oath to the US Constitution. | He continued yelling at the federal troops as they walked away despite having the pepper spray in his eyes.

_____ (2020-07-28). Killing Democracy In The United States. popularresistance.org I fear that it either can't or won't end because, as Martin Luther King, Jr., pointed out in 1967 during the Vietnam War, the United States remains the world's greatest purveyor of violence — and nothing in this century, the one he didn't live to see, has faintly proved him wrong. Considered another way, Washington should be classified as the planet's most committed arsonist, regularly setting or fanning the flames of fires globally from Libya to Iraq, Somalia to Afghanistan, Syria to — dare I say it — in some quite imaginable future Iran, even as our leaders invariably boast of having the world's greatest fir…

sputniknews (2020-07-28). Hezbollah Denies Claims of Failed Attempt to 'Infiltrate' Israel Amid Lebanon Border Clash Reports. sputniknews.com Armed clashes were reported on 27 July along the border between Israel and Lebanon, with a source in the Lebanese Security Service saying they occurred after a detachment of Hezbollah fighters purportedly attempted to destroy an Israeli military convoy.

yenisafak (2020-07-28). Turkey renovates health center in Cameroon. yenisafak.com Turkey has renovated a health facility in Cameroon, which had become non-operational due to a lack of finances, an official statement said on Tuesday.The state-run Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) said the center, which opened in 2003, is up and running again after the repairing of medical equipment.The health center in Foumban province of the Central African country is now expected to serve 8,000 people annually. TIKA also drilled a well to supply clean water to the center, and others in the region.The care center's opening ceremony was attended by Ayse Sarac, Turkey's ambassador to Cameroon, M…

yenisafak (2020-07-28). 'Nothing new' in French FM's visit to Lebanon: Diab. yenisafak.com This came in his speech during a meeting of the Lebanese Supreme Council of Defense at the presidential palace, east of the capital Beirut, to discuss security developments in the country. | "Le Drian's visit brought nothing new, and the French minister lacks information regarding the government's path of reform in Lebanon," Diab said in a statement shared on his Twitter account. | The French foreign minister stipulated reforms in order to provide aid to Lebanon, through the International Monetary Fund (IMF), "which confirms that the international decision so far is not to assist Lebanon," Diab said. | He went…

sputniknews (2020-07-28). Trump Nominates Retired Army Colonel Macgregor as Next US Envoy to Germany, White House Says. sputniknews.com WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – President Donald Trump selected retired US Army Colonel Douglas Macgregor as the next ambassador to Germany, the White House said in a press release on Monday.

Mehr News Agency (2020-07-28). Outgoing Iranian envoy bids farewell to Omani FM official. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 28 (MNA) — The outgoing Iranian Ambassador to the Sultanate of Oman bid farewell to the Secretary-General of the Foreign Ministry of Oman Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Al Busaidi in Muscat on Tue.

Mehr News Agency (2020-07-28). Resistance countries has right to respond Zionist aggression. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 28 (MNA) —The Popular Resistance Committee issued a statement stressing that "It is the right of Hezbollah, the Palestinian Resistance, Syria, and Iran to respond to any aggression by the Zionist enemy."

Mehr News Agency (2020-07-28). VIDEO: Al-Alam reports on unstable situation in S. Lebanon. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 28 (MNA) — Al-Alam correspondent reported on the unstable situation in Southern Lebanon, stating that Zionist regime's planes do not leave the region for a moment. Not even a Zionist soldier can be seen in the embankments of Al-Ruwaisat.

Mehr News Agency (2020-07-28). Lebanon will always stand against Israelis' violations: FM. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 28 (MNA) — Lebanon has once again rebuked the Israeli regime's violation of its territories, saying Beirut will always stand against the Zionists' violations.

RT (2020-07-27). 'Do not repeat this mistake:' Israel's Netanyahu threatens Hezbollah after group denies 'infiltration' at Lebanon border. rt.com Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has warned Lebanese Hezbollah fighters not to test his military, and Defense Minister Benny Gantz has promised a powerful response, after a bout of shelling on the Israel/Lebanon border. | Israeli forces opened fire on the disputed Shebaa Farms area along the Lebanese border on Monday, responding to what they said was an infiltration attempt by a "terrorist cell." Israel Defense Forces (IDF) troops say they blasted the infiltrators with machine guns and tanks, and managed to thwart the incursion. | Although witnesses from Lebanon contacted by Reuters verified the Israeli story, He…