(2020-08-31). Headlines for August 31, 2020. democracynow.org Protests Continue in Kenosha as Officials Plead With Trump To Cancel Visit, One Dead in Portland as Pro-Trump Rally Clashes With Anti-Racist Protesters, U.S. Covid-19 Cases Top 6 Million, Deaths Top 183,000, Under Pressure From Trump, FDA Admits It Might Approve Vaccine Before Trials End, Gaza Extends Lockdown, India Reports Record Daily Numbers as Global Covid-19 Cases Top 25 Million, Chadwick Boseman, Beloved and Ground-Breaking Actor, Dies at 43 After Battle With Cancer, "Get Your Knee Off Our Necks" Rally Held on 57th Anniverary of March on Washington, Mustapha Adib Set to Become New Prime Minister of Lebanon…
(2020-08-31). UN sends 16 truckloads of aid to Syria's Idlib. yenisafak.com The UN on Monday sent 16 truckloads of humanitarian aid to northwestern Syria where millions of people are in need of assistance due to internal conflict.The trucks carrying supplies entered Idlib province through the Cilvegozu border gate in Turkey's south.The aid will be distributed among residents of Idlib, and nearby rural areas.Syria has been ravaged by civil war since early 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protesters.Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and more than 10 million displaced, according to UN estimates.Idlib falls within a de-escalation zone forged under an ag…
(2020-08-31). Sri Lanka and Turkey: an Interview with the Turkish Ambassador, R. Demet Şekercioğlu. counterpunch.org 
As a part of my series on talking to the foreign diplomats in Sri Lanka for our newly initiated talk show; The New Normal, I have had an opportunity to sit with newly appointed Turkish Ambassador to Sri Lanka. In this exclusive interview she has detailed with me about diplomatic relationship between Sri Lanka and
(2020-08-31). Saudi Troops Join U.S. Base in Oil-Rich Northern Syria. globalresearch.ca Twenty Saudi soldiers arrived this week at a U.S. military base close to an oilfield in northeastern Syria, according to At the end of last year, Saudi …
(2020-08-31). Mustapha Adib is Lebanon's new PM. peoplesdispatch.org Mustapha Adib, Lebanon's ambassador to Germany, has won the support of the major political blocs but is part of an establishment whose credibility is at a historic low following the Beirut blasts…
(2020-08-31). Lebanese president designates new PM. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 31 (MNA) — Lebanon on Monday designated Berlin envoy, Mustafa Adib, as the new premier following consultations with parliamentary blocs at Baabda Presidential Palace.
(2020-08-31). Mediterranean Crisis: Turkey Slams 'Imperialist' France Over Syria-Style 'Red Lines'. sputniknews.com On Friday, French President Emmanuel Macron announced a "red line policy" vis-à -vis Turkey amid the ongoing Turkish-Greek dispute in the Mediterranean, saying Ankara seems to only respect words backed by action. Tensions in the potentially hydrocarbons-rich body of water have escalated amid competing claims over which group of nations owns what.
(2020-08-31). Ankara slams terrorist YPG/PKK-affiliated visit to Moscow. yenisafak.com Turkey on Monday slammed a visit to Moscow by a terrorist YPG/PKK-affiliated group, saying Russia should avoid steps that serve the interests of terrorists who threaten both Turkey and Syria."We are concerned that a group consisting of elements of the so-called 'Syrian Democratic Council,' led by the terrorist group PKK/YPG, will be invited to the Russian Federation and accepted at a high level by Russian officials," the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.Reports since the statement indicate the meeting may have already happened."We expect the Russian Federation to act in accordance with the spirit of A…
(2020-08-31). Russia expels 3 Slovak diplomats in reciprocal move. yenisafak.com The Russian Foreign Ministry announced on Monday it expelled in a reciprocal move three Slovak diplomats.The decision was conveyed to the Slovak Ambassador in Russia Peter Priputen, the ministry said in a statement on its official website."On Aug. 31, the Russian Foreign Ministry summoned the ambassador of the Slovak Republic to the Russian Federation, Peter Priputen, for a strong protest about the unjustified expulsion of three diplomatic employees of the Russian Embassy in Slovakia in August this year," it said.Moscow considers the step by Bratislava as "unfriendly" and "contrary to the traditional spirit of co…
(2020-08-31). Lebanon names Mustapha Adib as new prime minister amid crises. yenisafak.com Lebanon's President Michel Aoun on Monday invited Mustapha Adib, a diplomat, to form the new government.Adib secured 90 votes out of 120 in the parliamentary consultations to claim…
(2020-08-30). To Capture and Subdue: America's Theft of Syrian Oil Has Very Little to Do With Money. strategic-culture.org 
So, next time you see headlines about Exxon being in some kind of legal dispute with, say, Venezuela, ask yourself how was it that those companies became involved with the resources of that part of the world? More often than not, the answer will be similar to how this U.S. company got involved in Syria.
(2020-08-30). The US and Russia Collide, while Syrians Call for US Withdrawal. globalresearch.ca Wednesday's collision between Sheiks and elders of the Arab Al-Uqaydat …
(2020-08-30). Syria's Pharmaceutical Industry Develops Cure to Fight Covid. globalresearch.ca Thameco Pharmaceutical has begun domestic manufacturing of azithromycin as part of Syria's fight against the COVID pandemic. Dr. Fida Ali, the company's General Manager, made this exciting announcement in an interview with SANA. | Dr. Ali noted that Thameco has …
(2020-08-30). 33rd Anniversary Of Brian Willson Surviving The US Train Assault. popularresistance.org I am here today in front of the US Embassy in Managua to protest US intervention in Nicaragua and also to publicly deliver a letter in which I and others request a meeting with Ambassador Sullivan to denounce US intervention in Nicaragua. | I first came to Nicaragua in 1986 to study Spanish and to learn about Nicaragua's Revolution. In 1987 I protested US weapons going to Nicaragua by blocking a train, he other two veterans and I took our firm positions between the rail's two tracks, to wait for our arrests. I was sitting in a lotus position, the other two were crouched but firmly planted on their feet. But, as i…
(2020-08-30). France in Lebanon: Solidarity or renewed neocolonialism? yenisafak.com Massive explosions that rocked Beirut on Aug. 4 made headlines around the world, with Hiroshima-like visuals that seemed hard to fathom.France, led by President Emmanuel Macron, rushed to the rescue of the ailing nation — with supplies, crisis and health care workers, and strong leadership.But why the immediate moves? Were Macron's actions a result of a shared history or a view on the future?Two enormous blasts erupted in the Port of Beirut after a neglected stockpile of 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate stored in a warehouse was left for more than six years to decay and then ignited by fireworks stored in the same…
(2020-08-30). Third Lebanese IMF negotiator quits post, says source. yenisafak.com A senior member of Lebanon's negotiating team with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has resigned, becoming the third to do so over deadlocked talks, a source close to the finance ministry told Reuters on Sunday.Talal Salman was economic advisor to the Lebanese finance ministry. A ministry spokeswoman declined to comment.Lebanon began talks with the IMF for a bailout in May after defaulting on its huge sovereign debt but the negotiations were put on hold in July due to a lack of action on reforms and a row on the Lebanese side over the size of its vast financial losses.The government that launched the talks r…
(2020-08-30). Missing persons in Syria near 100,000: Watchdog. yenisafak.com In a report released on the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) said a vast majority of these people were picked up by the Syrian regime forces, followed by the ISIS/Daesh.A total of 84,371 were forcibly disappeared by the Syrian regime forces, including 1,738 children and 4,982 women, it said.An additional 8,648 individuals, including 319 children and 225 women, were disappeared by ISIS [Daesh], the report added.Stating that disappearances were on the rise since 2011, the report said 991 people according to the Syrian regime died in detention. T…
(2020-08-29). Nasrallah deplores those trying to target Hezbollah. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 30 (MNA) — Secretary-General of the Lebanese Hezbollah strongly condemned those who use every means to target the Resistance Movement.
(2020-08-29). Iran to keep pursuing disappearance of Imam Musa al-Sadr. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 29 (MNA) — Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said Iran has constantly been pursuing the disappearance of Imam Musa al-Sadr, the founder of the basic core of anti-Zionism resistance in Lebanon, and will keep it on the agenda.
(2020-08-29). Iran, Italy discuss expansion of ties. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 29 (MNA) — Iranian and Italian ambassadors to Russia held a phone conversation on Friday to discuss ways of boosting bilateral ties.
(2020-08-29). Iranian support for Iraqi government 'unconditional'. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 29 (MNA) — Iranian Ambassador to Baghdad Iraj Masjedi expressed the Islamic Republic's "unconditional support" to the Iraqi government, whether Iraq decides to expel US troops or not.
(2020-08-29). China's UNSC stance 'actual rejection of US bullying'. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 29 (MNA) — Iran's ambassador to Beijing hailed China's standing against US bullying policies at the UN, saying such stance has thwarted Washington's unilateralism.
(2020-08-29). Saudi envoy discusses Lebanon developments with Geagea. yenisafak.com Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Walid Bukhari held talks Saturday in Beirut with the leader of the Lebanese Forces party, Samir Geagea.The discussions dwelt on the domestic situation in Lebanon and regional developments, the official Lebanese news agency said, without giving any further details.Saturday's meeting comes amid a deep political crisis in Lebanon following the Aug. 4 explosion at the Beirut port, which shook the country to its core.Saudi Arabia, along with a number of Arab and foreign countries, has refrained from providing support to Lebanon as a sign of dissatisfaction with the government of Hassan Dia…
(2020-08-29). UN envoy welcomes 'commonalities' shared by Syrians in Geneva talks. news.un.org Syrian opponents meeting in Geneva as part of efforts to find a peaceful end to nearly a decade of conflict in their country have found common ground on which to pursue further discussions, UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen said on Saturday.
(2020-08-28). Video: US-Russia "Road War" in Northeastern Syria. globalresearch.ca Four US service members were slightly injured during a standoff with the Russian Military Police near the border-town of Al-Malikiyah in the Syrian province of al-Hasakah. According to reports, the US troops received "mild injures" after their MaxxPro MRAP vehicle …
(2020-08-28). "Modern Attilla the Hun" Ravages Iraq, Libya, Yemen, Syria, Iran… China and Russia Block The Momentum, Are They the Next Targets? globalresearch.ca In 1991-1992, just prior to, and following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the US gloated over its global supremacy which, of course guaranteed its unfettered dominance of United Nations agencies, the most powerful of which is the UN Security …
(2020-08-28). "Modern Attila the Hun" Ravages Iraq, Libya, Yemen, Syria, Iran… China and Russia Block The Momentum, Are They the Next Targets? globalresearch.ca In 1991-1992, just prior to, and following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the US gloated over its global supremacy which, of course guaranteed its unfettered dominance of United Nations agencies, the most powerful of which is the UN Security …
(2020-08-28). US and Russian military units clash in Syria. wsws.org The northeastern region of Syria has become a tinderbox after Washington revealed its plans to bring in a US company to exploit Syrian oil.
(2020-08-28). Syria: What Actually Happened In Collision Between US And Russian Forces. popularresistance.org On Tuesday, four US service members were reported injured with concussion-like symptoms in an incident involving Russian forces. However, White House National Security Council spokesperson John Ullyot said on Wednesday that the injuries were the fault of the Russians, and that the US service members withdrew to deescalate – a far different story than that told by video footage of the event. | "At approximately 10 a.m. (Syria Time), Aug. 25, a routine Defeat-ISIS Coalition security patrol encountered a Russian military patrol near Dayrick, in northeast Syria. During this interaction, a Russian vehicle struck a Coa…
(2020-08-28). Nasrallah congratulates anniv. of Second Liberation Day. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 28 (MNA) — Secretary-General of the Lebanese Hezbollah Resistance Movement Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah has given a speech on the occasion of the ninth night of Muharram.
(2020-08-28). Turkey says determined to preserve Idlib de-escalation zone. yenisafak.com Turkey is determined to preserve the de-escalation zone in Idlib, Syria despite the violations of cease-fire and the brutality of Assad regime, the country's presidential spokesman said on Friday.Turkey's Ibrahim Kalin met visiting US special envoy for Syria James Jeffrey and his delegation in Istanbul.The Syria crisis, especially Idlib, political process in the war-torn country, works of Syrian Constitutional Committee, anti-terrorism efforts, asylum seekers, and bilateral and regional issues were the items of the meeting's agenda.During the talks, Kalin stressed that any political, economic, military support to…
(2020-08-27). Video: Russian, Syrian Forces Operation against ISIS Terrorists. globalresearch.ca Russian and Syrian forces eliminated 327 ISIS militants during a joint security operation that took place in the desert areas of Homs and Deir Ezzor from August 18 to August 24. | According to the Russian side, strikes of the Syrian …
(2020-08-27). Lebanon: Inconvenient Truths About Syria, Iran, Hezbollah And The Shia 'Street'. popularresistance.org There's been a lot of nonsense passing as truth in post-blast Lebanon reporting. Most centers around alarmism about Hezbollah's nefarious influence, the West's "opportunity" to destroy it, and the supposed struggle with Russia, China, and Iran for paternalist-preeminence in a country that isn't ours (or theirs) to preside over in the first place. There's little discussion in most mainstream reporting on the minor matter of why Hezbollah gained influence in the first place. Shia Muslims are difficult to provoke and almost impossible to suppress once aroused. Long led by a more "quietist" strand of conservative, ap…