(2020-08-05). Iran to send 2000 humanitarian packs to Beirut. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 05 (MNA) — "2,000 packages weighing 9 tons of food, as well as medicine and medical supplies, will be sent to Lebanon by IRCS", Iranian Red Crescent Society spokesman announced.
(2020-08-05). Massive explosion in Beirut kills dozens and injures thousands. wsws.org A deadly explosion in the port district of Beirut, Lebanon Tuesday evening flattened buildings in the immediate vicinity and sent a shock wave across the city.
(2020-08-05). Lebanon rejects Trump's claim over deadly blast in Beirut. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 05 (MNA) — Lebanon rejects President Trump's claims that the Tuesday's massive blast in Beirut was caused by enemy action rather than an industrial incident.
(2020-08-05). Zarif says Iran ready to assist Lebanon after explosion. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 05 (MNA) — Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif expressed the country's full readiness to render any necessary help to Lebanon after a massive explosion rocked the Lebanese capital of Beirut.
(2020-08-05). Iran standing by Lebanon: Ghalibaf. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 05 (MNA) — Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said that Tehran stands by the government and nation of the Lebanon for getting through this crisis.
(2020-08-05). Pakistani envoy calls for raising awareness on Kashmir. yenisafak.com Pakistani citizens living abroad should raise awareness about the plight of people in Jammu and Kashmir, which was annexed by India and reduced to a centrally administered territory a year ago, Pakistan's ambassador to Ankara said on Wednesday.Muhammad Syrus Sajjad Qazi's comments came at an event held in the Pakistani Embassy in Ankara where Youm-e-Istehsal, or Day of Exploitation, was marked with participation of officials, journalists and diplomatic representatives.The Pakistani administration declared Aug. 5 as Youm-e-Istehsal to protest against the Indian government's actions in Jammu and Kashmir, which Isla…
(2020-08-05). France's Macron to travel to Beirut on Thursday. yenisafak.com Macron, who spoken to Lebanese President Michel Aoun shortly after the blast, has already ordered French emergency assistance be sent to Lebanon, a country with deep historical ties to France.
(2020-08-04). U.S. using Kurds to steal Syria's oil. peoplesworld.org 
Kurdish forces were accused of "aggravated theft" and stealing from the Syrian people today after the semi-autonomous region known as Rojava signed an oil deal with the U.S. last week. The move, which has been portrayed as a necessity by Kurdish officials, has been widely criticized as evidence of support for the U.S. regime-change agenda …
(2020-08-04). HRW chief jumps to blame Hezbollah for devastating Beirut blasts — and backpedals immediately. rt.com 
Human Rights Watch head Kenneth Roth was quick to join a social media chorus blaming Hezbollah for deadly explosions in Beirut on Tuesday. Perhaps realizing the claim lacked a shred of evidence, he soon deleted it. | Roth rushed to blame Hezbollah for the huge explosions near the port of Beirut, blasts which killed at least 50 people and are believed to have wounded over 3,000 more. "Is this Hezbollah's way of saying don't mess with us for allegedly killing former Lebanese PM Hariri?" he asked in a tweet posted almost immediately after news of the explosions hit social media on Tuesday. | Billionaire-funded re…
(2020-08-04). Both Israel AND Hezbollah deny devastating Lebanon blasts were a rocket attack. rt.com 
The Israeli Defense Force has denied responsibility for two massive explosions in Beirut that killed at least 10 people on Tuesday and injured hundreds more. Hezbollah has also denied the blasts were the result of a rocket attack. | The huge explosions took place shortly after 6pm local time in a port area of Beirut where highly explosive materials are stored, according to Lebanon's internal security chief. Local media have reported the explosion took place at a fireworks depot near the port, while Lebanese Health Minister Hamad Hassan initially said a ship carrying fireworks exploded in the port. | In a st…
(2020-08-04). 'Catastrophe': Lebanese PM pleads for help as 70+ confirmed dead & thousands injured in Beirut blasts. rt.com 
Lebanon's health minister has confirmed over 70 deaths following explosions in the country's capital, with thousands more injured. The blasts are under investigation with early reports linking it to stored fireworks and chemicals. | Two blasts struck the port area of Beirut, with the first hitting at around 6pm local time. The second appeared much stronger, sending a huge mushroom cloud-shaped plume of smoke and debris high overhead. | Also on rt.com | | Sp…
(2020-08-04). Ticking time bomb? Explosive stash that devastated Beirut was there since 2014, PM says, vowing to punish those responsible. rt.com 
As Lebanon's PM Hassan Diab picked through the rubble in his Beirut office, he promised that those responsible for a devastating warehouse explosion that destroyed much of the city would "pay the price." | A devastating explosion rocked Beirut on Tuesday evening, killing more than 70 people and injuring at least 2,700. Large swathes of the Lebanese capital were damaged by the blast, including the offices of Prime Minister Hassan Diab. | Pictures of the damage at Lebanon's PM Hassan Diab's office
(2020-08-04). BEIRUT BLAST AFTERMATH: Parts of Lebanon's capital lay in ruins after explosions leave dozens dead & buildings destroyed (VIDEOS). rt.com 
Videos obtained by RT show areas around Beirut's port reduced to rubble and ruins after explosions near the city's docks destroyed nearby buildings and blew out windows more than 10 kilometers away. | Free-lance journalist Owen Holdaway sent videos from Beirut Thursday evening showing the aftermath of the blasts. "A large part of the area has been completely devastated,"
(2020-08-04). Hundreds injured in Beirut explosions so powerful they turned streets into wasteland (VIDEOS). rt.com 
Huge explosions in the Lebanese capital Beirut have killed at least 10 people, local security and medical sources told Reuters. The blasts smashed buildings and turned the city's streets into a debris-strewn wasteland. | An explosion rang out at Beirut's port shortly after 6pm local time on Tuesday, followed immediately by another, deafening blast. The explosions obliterated buildings at the port and shattered windows several kilometers away, sending a mushroom cloud towering up into the sky. Health Minister Hamad Hassan has blamed the explosion on a fireworks accident. | As the dust settled, Hassan ordered al…
(2020-08-04). Lebanon: UN 'actively assisting' in response to huge explosions at Beirut port. news.un.org The United Nations has said that it is "actively assisting" in the response to the horrific explosions that ripped through the port area of Beirut on Tuesday, reportedly leaving dozens dead and thousands wounded, among them some UN naval peacekeepers.
(2020-08-04). Lebanon Explosion: At Least 78 Dead and 4000 Injured in Beirut. telesurenglish.net A colossal explosion Tuesday ravaged Beirut's port area causing several casualties and widespread damage to surrounding buildings. | RELATED: | As of this hour, there have been at least 78 fatalities reported and 4000 people injured, according to the information given to Reuters by Lebanon's Health Minister Hamad Hasan. | The shock wave blew out windows and false ceilings, as a giant mushroom cloud lifted up above th…
(2020-08-04). Israeli warplanes bomb targets in Syria. peoplesdispatch.org Israeli air force fighter jets, attack helicopters and other attack aircraft conducted airstrikes in southern Syria late on August 3, Monday. Israel claimed that the airstrikes were in retaliation to an attempted attack on Sunday along the northern Israel-Syria border in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. | The Syrian government is yet to confirm the specific locations targeted by the Israeli bombings. The official Syrian SANA news agency stated that the airstrikes caused significant material damage to Syrian government property, adding that no Syrians, civilian or military, were injured. | Syrian state media la…
(2020-08-04). 'Heed the calls' for ceasefire in north-western Syria — UN. news.un.org The United Nations expressed concern on Tuesday for the safety and protection of more than four million civilians in north-western Syria, which has been hit with aerial bombardments over the past few days.
(2020-08-04). United States Stealing Syrian Oil. popularresistance.org The Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration of Northeast Syria has signed an agreement with an American oil company, well-placed sources with close knowledge of the deal told Al-Monitor. One of the sources said the agreement to market oil in territory controlled by the US-backed entity and to develop and modernize existing fields was inked last week "with the knowledge and encouragement of the White House." The sources named the company as Delta Crescent Energy LLC, a corporation organized under the laws of the state of Delaware. The sources gave no further details about the company but would only say they had been…
(2020-08-04). 'Terrible Attack': Trump Says US Military Experts Believe Beirut Blast Result of 'Bomb of Some Kind'. sputniknews.com US President Donald Trump sent his sympathies to the Lebanese people on Tuesday, following an explosion in Beirut that has killed scores of people. However, the president referred to it as an "attack," which contradicts statements by the Lebanese government that it was an industrial accident.
(2020-08-04). 'Lacks Any Legal Status': US-SDF 'Oil Deal' Violates Syria's Sovereignty, Iran Says. sputniknews.com The deal between an unnamed American company and the Kurdish militia controlling oil-rich northeastern parts of the Arab Republic was announced on 2 August by US Senator Lindsay Graham despite the armed groups having no authority to strike deals on behalf of the Syrian government.
(2020-08-03). Israel strikes Syrian military targets near Damascus, IDF calls it 'response' to failed border attack. rt.com 
Israeli jets bombed several Syrian military sites south of Damascus late on Monday, the IDF has confirmed, saying that the attack had been launched in response to the attempted planting of a bomb in the Golan Heights. | The airstrike took place in the countryside southwest of Damascus, SANA news agency reported, describing explosions being heard in the city. | The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) then said in a statement the attack was a response to an attempted provocation on the Syrian-Israeli border, targeting a fence in the occupied Golan Heights. | The IDF said the strike targeted Syrian army's observation pos…
(2020-08-03). Nicaragua Targeted for US Overthrow in 2020-21. globalresearch.ca The USA failed State continues to seek destruction of Nicaragua (among other nations such as Venezuela, Cuba, Syria and Iran, who refuse to obey US demands for neoliberal privatization that enrich the already rich. | Introduction | George Washington, who waged …
(2020-08-03). 'US unilateral anti-Iranian sanctions unfair'. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 03 (MNA) — Naming the unilateral US sanctions against Iran 'unfair', the Austrian Ambassador to Iran Stefan Schulz voiced readiness of 250 Austrian firms for establishing economic relations with Iran.
(2020-08-03). Turkey regrets US firm's signing oil deal with YPG/PKK. yenisafak.com Turkey Monday denounced a US firm's signing a deal with YPG/PKK-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to extract, process and produce oil in northeastern Syria."We deeply regret the US support to this step, disregarding international law, violating territorial integrity, unity and sovereignty of Syria, as well as being considered within the scope of financing terrorism. This act, which cannot be justified by any legitimate motive, is utterly unacceptable" the Foreign Ministry said in a written statement.Turkey's remarks came after media reports that the US-based company Delta Crescent Energy LLC signed a contract wi…
(2020-08-02). Syria says US 'stealing' oil after American energy firm signs deal with Kurdish rebels. rt.com 
The Syrian government has accused the US of "stealing" the country's oil reserves, which Washington claimed to be protecting from terrorists. American lawmakers admitted that a deal has been signed with Kurdish rebels. | When President Donald Trump pulled US troops out of Syria last October, it was not the full withdrawal promised in his anti-interventionist campaign speeches. Instead, a contingent was left behind in areas of north Syria controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, ostensibly to protect the region's oilfields from Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) terrorists. | Also on rt.com…
(2020-08-02). Video: Turkey Cries Foul About Deployment of Egyptian Troops in Idlib. What's Going On? globalresearch.ca The Egyptian military has deployed about 150 troops on the frontline in the Syrian region of Greater Idlib to support forces of the Damascus government, Turkish sources claimed on July 30. | "The troops were later deployed in the Khan al-Asal …
(2020-08-02). 2nd round of Iran-Ukraine talks to be held in Oct. in Tehran. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 02 (MNA) — Iranian Ambassador to Ukraine announced that the second round of talks between Iran and Ukraine over the issue of the Ukrainian aircraft's crash will be held in October 2020 in Tehran.
(2020-08-02). Austria seeking cultural, economic ties with Iran. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 02 (MNA) — Austrian Ambassador to Iran Stefan Schulz said that Austria seeks to expand cultural and economic relations with Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province in Iran.
(2020-08-02). Israel Thwarts 'Terrorist' Attempt to Place Explosives on Syria-Israeli Border, IDF Says. sputniknews.com The Israeli Defence Forces noted that it "considers [the] Syrian regime responsible for any action taken in its territory", adding that "it will not allow" any violation of the sovereignty of the state of Israel.
(2020-08-01). acism, Sexism, Classism — The Necessary Incoherence Of 'Mainstream' Ethical Debate. zcomm.org What does it mean when journalists who spent the last two decades promoting wars of aggression on brown- and black-skinned people in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria and Yemen take a knee?>
(2020-08-01). The Kurdish Freedom Movement, Rojava And The Left. popularresistance.org The revolution in the Kurdish region of Syria called Rojava has generated significant enthusiasm among broad segments of the left in Europe and North America. The heroic resistance by Kurdish forces in Kobane, Syria during the siege by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in late 2014 and into early 2015 proved to be a pivotal moment. Images of revolutionary fighters, and particularly of armed women, engaged in a life-and-death struggle, bravely resisting the vicious onslaught by Islamist thugs, caught the attention and imagination of many on the so-called international left.
(2020-08-01). Kuwait bans flights to 31 'high risk' countries due to coronavirus. yenisafak.com Kuwait has banned until further notice commercial flights to 31 countries it said that it regarded as high risk due to the spread of the coronavirus, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation said on Saturday.The countries include India, Pakistan, Egypt, the Philippines, Lebanon and Sri Lanka, which all have large numbers of expatriates in Kuwait. The list also includes China, Iran, Brazil, Mexico, Italy and Iraq.The ban was announced the same day Kuwait began a partial resumption of commercial flights. The authorities have said Kuwait International Airport would run at about 30% capacity from Saturday, gradually…
(2020-08-01). Israel's attacks violate UNSC resolution: Lebanon. yenisafak.com Lebanon is prepared to defend itself against Israel's attacks, which are in violation of the 2006 UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution, Lebanese President Michel Aoun said on Saturday.In a televised address, the president said Israel's attacks in southern Lebanon had once again flouted UNSC Resolution 1701, which calls for full cessation of hostilities and Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon.Aoun asserted that Lebanon remains willing to abide by the resolution and resolving all disputes under UN supervision."We are committed to defend ourselves, our land, our water, and our authority. We will not compromis…
(2020-07-31). Racism, Sexism, Classism: The Necessary Incoherence of "Mainstream" Ethical Debate. dissidentvoice.org What does it mean when journalists who spent the last two decades promoting wars of aggression on brown- and black-skinned people in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria and Yemen take a knee? The Observer commented: 'There is a dreadful familiarity about the killing of an unarmed black man, George Floyd, by white police officers in Minneapolis …