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Foreign Minister Lavrov: Syrian Army suspends active military operation in Aleppo


RT
Thu, 08 Dec 2016 18:44 UTC
Syrian soldiers
© Mikhail Voskresenskiy / Sputnik
Syrian government forces have suspended "active military activities" against militants in eastern Aleppo to enable the withdrawal of civilians from the city, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has announced while speaking in Hamburg, Germany.

Lavrov was speaking on Thursday on the sidelines of a meeting of ministers from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

The Russian foreign minister also urged the UN special envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura, to "stop sabotaging" the Geneva Syria peace talks.

Lavrov added that it had been agreed that Russian and US military experts would meet in Geneva, Switzerland, on Saturday.

Comment: See also: Aleppo Offensive: 85% of Aleppo cauldron liberated, terrorists beg for ceasefire and attempt to escape with civilians (PHOTOS+VIDEOS)

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Bad Guys

Criminal Cases Review Commission: Commando's murder appeal could 'define future' of war crimes trials


RT
Thu, 08 Dec 2016 18:22 UTC
British soldier
© Shamil Zhumatov / Reuters
A new appeal for a royal marine convicted of carrying out a battlefield execution in Afghanistan could become a landmark case for UK war crimes trials, according to the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC).

The new hearing coincides with reports that all killings by British soldiers during the era of the Northern Ireland troubles are to be reinvestigated.

Alex Blackman was convicted of killing a wounded Afghan fighter with a handgun during intense fighting in Helmand in 2011. The incident was recorded on a comrade's helmet camera.

He was given a ten-year life sentence, which was later reduced to eight. On Wednesday, it emerged that his second appeal has been accepted by the CCRC on the basis of new evidence concerning Blackman's mental health at the time.

On Thursday, more details emerged regarding the case, including a letter sent early in the 11-month reinvestigation from the CCRC's Sally Berlin to Blackman's lawyers.
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Snakes in Suits

Western powers continue their remarkable lies and diplomatic games as Jihadi resistance crumbles in Aleppo, Syria

Alexander Mercouris
The Duran
Wed, 07 Dec 2016 00:00 UTC
Western elites
Western powers demand ceasefire in Aleppo to save Jihadis even as Jihadi resistance crumbles.

As is commonly the case in attrition war, the end in Aleppo is coming quickly. Throughout the last 12 hours reports have been pouring in of more and more formerly Al-Qaeda held districts of eastern Aleppo falling to the Syrian army.

Comment: The enormous depth and breadth of cognitive dissonance on display here from Western powers is breathtaking. If these leaders, UN representatives, and media hacks have any brainpower whatsoever remaining, then on some level, they must realize that they are only making these statements and "diplomatic" maneuvers in order to save face and maintain the facade of intending to do anything other than working to destroy the democratic and sovereign country, Syria.

Do not miss the following comprehensive update of this story, which includes some of the reasons why the US is still trying to assert some influence over the situation:

Syrian Army makes major advances in Aleppo, jihadis on brink of surrender (plus South Front VIDEOS)

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Stock Up

Pentagon ballyhooed 'Russian threat' to increase budget


Sputnik
Tue, 06 Dec 2016 17:13 UTC
F-22 raptor stealth bomber
© REUTERS/ Master Sgt. Kevin J. GruenwaldF-22 raptor stealth bomber
Senior US military officials are sticking with a tried and true method for justifying increases in US military spending by claiming that there is a "threat" posed by Russia, pointing to a recent increase in defense spending by the Kremlin.

Air Force Secretary Deborah James recently claimed that Russia is an "existential threat" to the US, AntiWar.com reported. Statistics show that Russia does not spend anywhere near the amount of money spent by the US military, as Washington trounces that of the rest of the world in defense spending. The US defense budget just about exceeds the sum of the next-14 highest spenders combined, according to an International Institute for Strategic Studies 2016 Military Balance Report.
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People 2

Putin: Preservation of Indigenous Peoples' Languages and Culture Vital for Russia


Sputnik
Thu, 08 Dec 2016 17:12 UTC
Putin
© Sputnik/Sergey Guneev
The issues of preservation of languages, culture and traditions of indigenous people and small ethnic groups have an enormous importance for Russia, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday.

In October, Putin said that Russia had a thousand-year-long experience of different ethnic and religious groups living peacefully side by side. He said there were still debates going on about how many minority ethnic groups Russia was home to, with estimates ranging between 93 and 169.

"As for Russia's indigenous people and small ethnic groups, we have recently discussed the issue at the Council for Interethnic Relations. Of course, the issue is very important for such country as Russia," Putin said at the meeting with the members of the Human Rights Council.

The issue is very relevant despite the fact that several problems related to the sphere of languages and culture of indigenous peoples have been solved on a residual principle, the president added.
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Network

Merkel ally Kauder threatens Facebook with fines over online hate speech

Paul Carrel
Reuters
Wed, 07 Dec 2016 17:11 UTC
Volker Kauder
© REUTERS/Wolfgang RattayConservative Christian Democratic Union party CDU parliamentary floor leader Volker Kauder addresses the CDU party convention in Essen, Germany, December 7, 2016.
A senior German conservative has warned Facebook it could face fines if it fails to act faster to tackle online hate speech, and he said the government could propose legislative measures in the new year.

Speaking at a party conference of Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) in Essen, western Germany, Volker Kauder suggested politicians were running out of patience with efforts by social media providers to crack down on hate speech.

"I expect from big companies like Facebook that they adhere to laws. If they are not respected than we must think about new possibilities, fines for example," he said.

Facebook declined immediate comment on his remarks.

Comment: Who gets to determine what is "hate speech"? Obviously the public is not involved in the decision of censorship.

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Light Sabers

Aleppo Offensive: 85% of Aleppo cauldron liberated, terrorists beg for ceasefire and attempt to escape with civilians (PHOTOS+VIDEOS)


Fort Russ
Thu, 08 Dec 2016 16:26 UTC
Aleppo citadel Syrian flag
© RusVesna.su
Over the course of Wednesday, the Syrian army held a successful special operation in Aleppo, liberating 6 districts of the city at once.

Under the command of Hero of Syria Colonel Suheil al-Hassan, known as "Tiger," Syrian troops and allied units liberated 6 districts: Al-Salkhin, Maadi, Bab al-Neyrab, Al-Nadid, Al-Mardja, Sheikh Lufti, as well as the neighborhoods surrounding the citadel in Old Aleppo.
Syrian soldiers Aleppo
© RusVesna.su
Militants are withdrawing to the southern districts of eastern Aleppo.

The armed forces of the Syrian Arab Republic have now swept more than 85% of all of the 'Aleppo cauldron' of terrorists after having taken 7 districts on Tuesday and beating armed gangs out of southeastern Aleppo's neighborhoods in the direction of the Sheikh Said district, which is still held by the Islamists, on Wednesday night.

Comment:

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Bomb

Iraqi parliament speaker calls on govt to investigate airstrike that killed dozens of civilians in Qaim


RT
Thu, 08 Dec 2016 17:04 UTC
qaim
© Mike Scheck / WikipediaAl-Qa'im.
Iraqi parliament speaker Salim al-Jabouri has called for a government inquiry into Wednesday's air strikes on the Islamic State-held town of Qaim located in Anbar province near the Syrian border, which reportedly killed more than 50 people, mostly civilians.

"The speaker holds the government responsible for such mistakes, asking them to open an immediate inquiry to find out the truth of the incident and to guarantee that civilians are not targeted again," says a statement released by Jabouri's office on Thursday, as cited by Reuters.

The prominent Sunni politician in mainly Shiite-ruled Iraq said that the airstrikes had targeted "civilian shopping centers, causing the martyrdom and wounding of dozens."

Hospital sources and local parliamentarians told Reuters on Wednesday that a busy market in Qaim had been attacked in three airstrikes, noting that dozens of those killed were civilians, including 12 women and 19 children.

Comment: See also: US-led coalition strikes Mosul hospital turned 'ISIS command & control HQ' inflicting heavy losses

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Bad Guys

ISIS video shows kidnapped Briton John Cantlie alive in Mosul


RT
Thu, 08 Dec 2016 17:57 UTC
An image grab taken from a propaganda video released on December 7,2016 by Amaq News Agency,a Youtube channel which posts videos from areas under the ISIS group's control,shows John Cantlie,a British journalist kidnapped in Syria four years ago,speaking t
© AFPAn image grab taken from a propaganda video released on December 7,2016 by Amaq News Agency,a Youtube channel which posts videos from areas under the ISIS group's control,shows John Cantlie,a British journalist kidnapped in Syria four years ago,speaking to the camera in the Iraqi city of Mosul
Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) has released a new propaganda video showing John Cantlie, a British journalist kidnapped in Syria four years ago, still alive in the Iraqi city of Mosul.

The footage, released by the IS-affiliated Amaq network, shows an emaciated Cantlie wearing a long dark coat and speaking in English to the camera. The video is not dated, but experts say destroyed bridges seen behind Cantlie suggest it was shot in recent weeks.

Cantlie, believed to be talking under duress, describes damage to infrastructure in Mosul that he says coalition attacks have caused. He says the city, which used to have five bridges across the Tigris River, now only has one linking its eastern and western parts.

In the speech, which is believed to have been given to him by the terrorist group, Cantlie claims there are no more IS fighters in Mosul and that allied forces airstrikes are only hitting civilians.

Later in the video, Cantlie moves to another location. Behind him are people filling containers with water from a standpipe.

Comment: See also:

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Attention

Iran takes fight to UN in strongly-worded letter as US extends sanctions, Trump called the agreement a "disaster"


RT
Thu, 08 Dec 2016 14:52 UTC
Gholam Ali Khoshrou
© Li Muzi / ZUMAPRESS.com / Global Look PressIranian Ambassador to the United Nations Gholam Ali Khoshrou.
Iran has lodged an official complaint with the UN over Washington's extension of the Iran Sanctions Act, which Tehran deems a "violation of US commitments" made last year.

In a strongly-worded letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, Ambassador Gholamali Khoshrou wrote: "The government of the Islamic Republic of Iran considers the recent US Congress approval on renewal of anti-Iran sanctions as blatant contradiction to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and violation of the US commitments under the nuclear agreement."

The US Congress voted to extend the sanctions by 10 years.

According to Iran state news agency IRNA, Khoshrou then reminded the UN chief of the commitments the US made last year under the nuclear deal established under the ISA and the JCPOA, while urging the UN chief to note the alleged violation in his upcoming report to the UNSC. He also stressed that the US will be to blame for any consequences resulting from the extension.

The Iran Sanctions Act (ISA) was first adopted in 1996 to curb Iran's nuclear activities, which Washington feared were aimed at creating an atomic weapon, in return for lifting Western sanctions on the Islamic Republic. The Act itself is largely symbolic, and bears no direct relation to last year's deal between Tehran and the 5+1 powers. However, its extension could give the Trump Administration the tools it will need to prolong the existing sanctions, or even change the terms of the JCPOA altogether. Iran has always denied that it is, or has ever, tried to develop nuclear weapons.

Comment: See also: US diplomat: Iran must comply with nuke agreement even if US renews sanctions

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