(2021-01-27). Tens of thousands in northwest Syria lose shelter after floods inundate camps. news.un.org Heavy rains and floods in north-west Syria has worsened the plight of tens of thousands of internally displaced persons, destroying their tents, food and belongings in the midst of winter, the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Tuesday.
(2021-01-27). Tens of thousands in north-west Syria lose shelter after floods inundate camps. news.un.org Heavy rains and floods in north-west Syria has worsened the plight of tens of thousands of internally displaced persons, destroying their tents, food and belongings in the midst of winter, the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Tuesday.
(2021-01-27). 'Military grenades' injure 9 soldiers during clashes with anti-lockdown protesters in Lebanon's Tripoli. rt.com 
At least nine Lebanese soldiers have been injured in Tripoli, one critically, by a grenade attack, in a third consecutive night of clashes during protests against ongoing Covid restrictions and the country's economic crisis. | Lebanon's Internal Security Forces said in a statement that "the grenades that were fired at the officers were military grenades" and were not Molotov cocktails. The incident occurred as protesters attempted to force their way into the building housing the Governorate of North Lebanon. | "We warn that we will deal with the attackers with severity and decisiveness, using all available mea…
(2021-01-27). The 'Humanitarian' Left Still Ignores the Lessons of Iraq, Libya and Syria to Cheer on More War. counterpunch.org 
The instinct among parts of the left to cheerlead the right's war crimes, so long as they are dressed up as liberal "humanitarianism", is alive and kicking, as Owen Jones revealed in a column last week on the plight of the Uighurs at China's hands. The "humanitarian war" instinct persists even after two decades of
(2021-01-27). Clash erupts between protesters, security forces in Lebanon. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jan. 27 (MNA) — According to Lebanese media outlets, clashes have erupted between protesters and security forces in Tripoli, northern part of Lebanon.
(2021-01-27). Iran amb. urges Biden to remove sanctions in short order. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jan. 27 (MNA) — Iran's Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations urged the new US administration to meet its JCPOA obligations and remove sanctions in short order.
(2021-01-27). Number of People Injured in Protests in Lebanon's Tripoli Rises to 226 — Reports. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The number of people injured in the protests that engulfed the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli has risen to 226, media reported citing the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the emergency services.
(2021-01-27). Video: City Hall in Lebanon's Tripoli Pelted With Molotov Cocktails as Unrest Goes Into Third Day. sputniknews.com BEIRUT (Sputnik) – Protesters in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli on Wednesday hurled Molotov cocktails at the city's municipal headquarters as unrest continues into the third day.
(2021-01-27). At Least 9 Law Enforcement Officials Injured After Protesters Throw Grenade at Police in Lebanon. sputniknews.com Protests in Lebanon have been going on for several days, with some of demonstrations growing violent as people take to the streets to protest harsh living conditions and coronavirus-related restrictions.
(2021-01-27). How Might Balance of Power Change in Syria Under the Biden Administration? sputniknews.com The return of Obama-era Middle East hawks in the new Biden administration spells danger for Syria, notes Ghassan Kadi, a political analyst of Syrian descent, adding there's not much room for manoeuvre left for Washington in the region.
(2021-01-27). 'Turkey, EU have new window of opportunity for talks'. yenisafak.com After a turbulent 2020, Turkey and the EU now have "a window of opportunity for renewed dialogue," Turkey's top diplomat said on Wednesday."We believe a genuine Turkey-EU partnership can bring about real changes in vital areas, including migration, trade, energy, security, and defense, as well as Syria, Libya, the Balkans, Caucasus, and other issues," Mevlut Cavusoglu told an online meeting with his Dutch counterpart Stef Blok during the 8th bilateral Wittenburg Conference.Cavusoglu said the past year had been a difficult one that "tested our relations with Europe."However, he said the EU "extended a hand to Turk…
(2021-01-26). Covid-19: Clashes in Lebanon's Tripoli over lockdown rules. middleeasteye.net 
Covid-19: Clashes in Lebanon's Tripoli over lockdown rules | Police fired teargas and rubber bullets as demonstrators angered at fines and a mounting economic crisis | Tue, 01/26/2021 – 07: 48 | Lebanese anti-government protesters clash with security forces following a demonstration against dire economic conditions, in the northern city of Tripoli on 25 January 2021 (AFP) | Anger over Covi…
(2021-01-26). Biden administration to restore aid to Palestinians, fix 'atrophied' relations. middleeasteye.net 
Biden administration to restore aid to Palestinians, fix 'atrophied' relations | Washington also plans to re-open shuttered Palestinian diplomatic missions, new US ambassador to UN tells Security Council | Tue, 01/26/2021 – 18: 14 | Palestinian children sit during a rally on 23 December to protest a reported reduction of food by UNRWA (AFP/File photo) | The Biden administration plans to re-open Palestinian dip…
(2021-01-26). The "humanitarian" left still ignores the lessons of Iraq, Libya and Syria to cheer on more war. mronline.org 
In fact, those weren't really separate horror shows: they were instalments of one long horror show.
(2021-01-26). Biden will support two-state solution where Israel lives 'peacefully' alongside Palestine, US envoy tells UN. rt.com 
New US President Joe Biden supports a two-state solution in an attempt to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the acting US Ambassador to the UN, Richard Mills, told the Security Council on Tuesday. | "Under the new administration, the policy of the US will be to support a mutually agreed two-state solution in which Israel lives in peace and security alongside a viable Palestinian state," Mills said. | The acting UN envoy added that US policy remains the "best way" to ensure Israel's future as a democratic and Jewish state, while guaranteeing peace and security for Palestine, although success is dependen…
(2021-01-26). Clashes erupt between Lebanese army and Covid lockdown protesters, Red Cross says dozens injured (VIDEOS). rt.com 
Demonstrators in Lebanon have taken to the streets for a second consecutive night to protest against the two-week extension of curfews and business closures designed to halt the spread of Covid-19. | Sporadic protests erupted in the cities of Tripoli, Beirut, and Sidon on Tuesday, as people voiced their anger at the alleged lack of government support during lockdown, as well as at general living conditions in the economically-ravaged nation. | Tuesday's fiery clashes in northwestern Tripoli left 12 people hospitalized and at least another 29 injured and requiring treatment at the scene, according to the Lebane…
(2021-01-26). Syrian refugees hire US-based representative to profile their plight. middleeasteye.net 
Syrian refugees hire US-based representative to profile their plight | Refugees languishing in a remote desert camp near Jordan launch awareness campaign which urges Biden administration to do more for displaced Syrians | Tue, 01/26/2021 – 19: 26 | Around 10,000 refugees reportedly live in Rukban camp, down from a high of more than 50,000 a few years ago (AFP) | Syrian refugees languishing in a…
(2021-01-26). Hillary Clinton set to produce TV show about female Kurdish fighters. middleeasteye.net 
Hillary Clinton set to produce TV show about female Kurdish fighters | Former US Secretary of State makes surprise announcement of drama focusing on Syrian Kurdish YPJ | Tue, 01/26/2021 – 09: 25 | A still of Hillary Clinton from a Democratic Party ad and a member of the YPJ (AFP) | Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her daughter have announced their intention to produce a TV drama…
(2021-01-26). Two female members of Kurdish-led administration in Syria found beheaded. middleeasteye.net 
Two female members of Kurdish-led administration in Syria found beheaded | The politicians were found dead on Saturday in northeastern Hasakah province in a suspected IS attack | Tue, 01/26/2021 – 11: 09 | Hind Latif Al Khadir and Sa'da Faysal Al Hermas (RIC) | Two members of the Kurdish-led autonomous region in northeastern Syria have been found beheaded after being kidnapped, in an attac…
(2021-01-26). 'Haven't the Kurds suffered enough?' Hillary Clinton to produce TV drama on Kurdish women fighters. rt.com 
Hillary and Chelsea Clinton are producing a TV series based on the exploits of female Kurdish fighters in Syria. Expect a whitewashed tale of girlboss feminism, that just may be awful enough to finally unite the Kurds and Turks. | The Clintons, through their Hidden Light Productions company, have acquired the TV rights to author Gayle Tzemach Lemmon's 'The Daughters of Kobani: A Story of Rebellion, Courage, and Justice,' Deadline revealed on Monday. The book tells the story of an all-female Kurdish militia group famed for fighting Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) in northern Syria — with American help.
(2021-01-26). The Parler precedent? Lawsuit calls on Google to drop Telegram from app store, a week after Apple was targeted in the same way. rt.com 
A California court has been asked to force Google to remove Telegram from its Play store, over claims that the messenger app is used to incite violence. The legal challenge mirrors a similar suit brought against Apple. | Filed by Marc Ginsberg, a former US ambassador to Morocco, the lawsuit claims that the popular app is used to spread violence, extremism and anti-Semitism. Ginsberg's non-profit, Coalition for a Safer Web (CSW), was also listed as a plaintiff. | The complaint notes that Google suspended Parler, a Twitter-like conservative microblogging site, from its app store due to some users expressing supp…
(2021-01-26). Protests in Lebanon Lead to Clashes With Police, Injuries in Tripoli. sputniknews.com TRIPOLI (Sputnik) – Violence marred protests in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli for the second consecutive day, as police on Tuesday evening used tear gas to disperse demonstrators.
(2021-01-26). Turkey hands over new houses to quake victims, says Erdogan. yenisafak.com Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday handed over the ownership of houses built by the government for quake victims — a year after tremors jolted the country's east.At the hand-over ceremony, he said that from now on they will build cities horizontally."Vertical architecture is suicide for us, especially in the earthquake zone," he said.The earthquake last year in the Elazig province left 41 people dead and more than 1,600 others injured. The tremors were also felt in neighboring countries, including Georgia and Syria.Erdogan added that the urban renewal of 1.5 million houses in Istanbul was complete…
(2021-01-26). US: Pro-PKK/YPG terrorist TV show coming from Clintons. yenisafak.com Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her daughter Chelsea are reportedly producing a TV series that whitewashes members of the YPG/PKK terror group as so-called "freedom fighters."The pair are adapting Gayle Tzemach Lemmon's forthcoming book, The Daughters of Kobani to the small screen, said The Hollywood Reporter on Monday.The book, due out next month, is based on the 2014 Daesh attack on the Syrian border city of Ayn al-Arab (Kobani). The series will be produced by HiddenLight Productions, a company founded by Clinton and her daughter with other partners.The 2016 presidential candidate said the seri…
(2021-01-26). US Oil Firm Operating in 'Murky' Syria Oil Business. globalresearch.ca "Pioneering" American entrepreneurs have waded into the "murky" oil business in Syria, according to a report by the Financial Times which investigated the US oil firm Delta Crescent Energy (DCE). The company was founded by a member of a former …
(2021-01-26). Iraq resembling Lebanon; will it lean towards the US or Iran? thealtworld.com Iraq is not far from closely resembling Lebanon, with its ongoing political and economic conflicts. However, the Iraqi economy's inexorable deterioration may force Baghdad's government to make difficult choices which …
(2021-01-25). US Backs Al-Qaeda In Yemen. popularresistance.org The United States government has designated the main enemy of al-Qaeda in Yemen, the Houthi movement, as a terrorist organization, after spending years backing al-Qaeda in the country. | Like the US-led wars on Syria, Libya, former Yugoslavia, and 1980s Afghanistan, Yemen represents an example of an armed conflict where Washington has supported al-Qaeda and similar Salafi-jihadist extremists in order to foment regime change and extend its hegemony. | Since March 2015, the United States has helped oversee a catastrophic war on Yemen, the poorest country in the Middle East, aiding Saudi Arabia as it launched tens o…
(2021-01-25). 'Not a friendly signal': EU foreign affairs chief hits back at UK snubbing bloc's request for full diplomatic status. rt.com 
The EU has slammed the UK government's decision not to award full diplomatic status to the bloc's ambassador to London, Joao Vale de Almeida, and the rest of his 25-strong mission in the wake of its exit from the bloc. | "We will not accept the UK [being] the only country in the world that doesn't recognise the delegation of the EU," the EU minister for foreign affairs, Josep Borrell, said on Monday after a meeting of the bloc's 27 foreign ministers. | He told a news conference that, of the 143 countries where the EU has delegations, the UK is the only one to have downgraded the status of its diplomatic missio…
(2021-01-25). Iran students showcase richness of Iranian, Polish cultures. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jan. 25 (MNA) — The Exhibition of Furniture designed by students of the College of Fine Arts of Tehran University inspired by Iranian and Polish cultures was held on Sunday at the Residence of Polish Ambassador to Iran Maciej Fa≈Çkows.
(2021-01-25). YPG/PKK terrorist held in northern Syria. yenisafak.com A YPG/PKK terrorist was held in the town of Al-Bab in northern Syria on Sunday, an official statement said.Local security forces continue their efforts to uncover the terrorist group's activities, the governor's office in southeastern Turkey's Gaziantep province said.The terrorist, identified as A.E.M., was rounded up in an operation by local security units in Al-Bab and the governorship, which provides the Syrian town with consultancy services.Since 2016, Turkey has launched a trio of successful anti-terror operations across its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor, and enable a…