Yesterday we reported the good news that Russia had brokered a deal with the US to allow Humanitarian aid to finally enter the western- backed terrorist besieged villages of Kafarya and Foua. While the sun never sets on the Madaya propaganda, these two villages have been left in the shade by mainstream media, International aid organisations, the UN and "regime change" intended Western governments.

Today, however, we received the following distressing statement from the Specialist Hospital in al Foua:

Statement by the Specialist Hospital of AlFua and the People of the Besieged Towns of AlFua and Kefraya on the Recent UN Humanitarian Aid Delivery

Residents of the two towns besieged by al-Qaeda terrorist gangs received, with a great deal of hope, the news of an international agreement in Munich, regarding the facilitation of humanitarian aid deliveries to the besieged areas. The hope came after a long-standing series of disappointments due to irresponsible behaviour, mistakes and the bad practices of the International organizations concerned.

Accumulated instances of malpractice have led us to conclude that these organisations have deliberately penalised the residents of Kafarya and Foua.

The hopes of the hungry children and the elderly patients quickly faded and were downtrodden as the roar of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent trucks arriving in our towns subsided and we saw the poor quality of the goods being delivered. Many of the items were damaged or perished. Many of the supplies had to be destroyed as they were useless. Equally many of the items essential to ensure the continuation of hospital work and to meet civilian's basic needs were simply not delivered.

We, in the only hospital in the towns, and on behalf of our suffering people, call the United Nations and its representative in Syria, Mr Staffan de Mistura, to listen to the following:

The United Nations and its affiliated organizations are not dealing realistically with the needs of the population. They seem to act in accordance with programs designed for other regions of the world that suffer from entirely different problems. Mr. de Mistura please take note that we are in Syria, in a rich and generous land surrounded by militants belonging to globally classified terrorist groups. We are not in Somalia suffering from famine caused by drought and desertification. We emphasize that the continuation of this policy and the ignoring of our repeated requests [ that are transmitted through officially adopted channels of communication] is forcing us to conclude that these policies are deliberate and are stemming from malicious intent rather than just negligence and irresponsibility.

Saudi Arabia's petroleum minister on Tuesday ruled out the possibility that a recently announced oil production freeze by several countries might lead to cuts to reverse the plunge in oil prices.

"There is no sense wasting our time seeking production cuts," Ali bin Ibrahim al-Naimi told energy executives at the annual IHS CERAweek conference. "That will not happen."

Mr. Naimi's comments put further pressure on oil prices. The price of West Texas intermediate crude oil, the United States benchmark, turned sharply lower after his remarks and settled at $31.87, down more than 4 percent.

Mr. Naimi is widely considered the most influential voice in energy policy in Saudi Arabia, which dominates the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, so his words are followed closely and typically move both energy and equity markets.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is extremely popular in the Syrian capital. The president's rating has even exceeded the popularity of the long-standing ally of Damascus - the leader of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, Spanish newspaper El Pais wrote.

In the city streets of Damascus there are portraits and souvenirs of Vladimir Putin everywhere. The president can be seen on billboards, his portraits are hanging along the streets on office buildings and kiosks, the newspape rwrote.

"Since September last year, when, with the support of the Russian air force the Syrian Army won several major victories against the terrorists of Daesh, the ranking of the Russian leader went up and even eclipsed the glory of the leader of Hezbollah."

​Currently, Putin's admiration can be seen in the whole of the capital especially near the central Umayyad mosque bazaars where shop vendors are selling enormous collection of badges, key chains, mugs and t-shirts with the image of the president.

Stop the presses, everyone! The US and Russia have announced a ceasefire in Syria!...again. But this time it's going to work. Except for that whole sticky question about who the ceasefire applies to and under what conditions. Confused? Today Pepe Escobar of Newsbud.com joins us to untangle the confusing mess of the Syria ceasefire and tell us what it really means.

Russia delivered to the members of the UN Security Council an intelligence report concerning the activities of Turkey which support the jihadists operating in Syria [1]. The document lists about ten facts, each one of which violates one or several Council Resolutions.

By doing so, Russia puts the Council, and, by extension, several other inter-governmental organisations, face to face with their responsibilities. By law, the Council should ask for corresponding proof of these assertions and pressure Turkey for explanations. In the event that Turkey should be found guilty, the Council would have to decide which sanctions should be adopted under chapter VII of the Charter, in other words, by resorting to force. From their side, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation would have to exclude this gangster-state from their ranks, while the European Union would have to halt Turkey's negotiations for membership.

Riyadh says it will not reduce crude production at its own expense and that high-cost American oil producers should make the cuts.

Oil minister Ali al-Naimi says the current crude oversupply should be addressed by less efficient producers. The high-cost producers in question are US shale fields, Canada's oil sands and deepwater projects. And this is the first time al-Naimi has so openly talked about Saudi Arabia's oil policy.

"The producers of these high-cost barrels must find a way to lower their costs, borrow cash or liquidate," al-Naimi said at the IHS CERAWeek conference. "It sounds harsh, and unfortunately it is, but it is a more efficient way to rebalance markets. Cutting low-cost production to subsidize higher-cost supplies only delays an inevitable reckoning," he added.

According to al-Naimi, Riyadh is ready to pump oil at $20 per barrel and still be profitable. "We don't want to, but if we have to, we will," he said.

The former head of the General Staff of the Turkish Intelligence Agency told Sputnik that the Armed Forces have been growing discontent with the Syrian policy of the Turkish leadership.

Ankara's policy towards Syria, in particularly, the statements by the Turkish leadership, indicating the intention to conduct a ground operation in Syria, directly affects the Turkish Armed Forces.

Denmark is said to throw away huge amounts of food every year, but it has just taken a major step towards alleviating the problem. Its first social supermarket with surplus food is now open to customers.

Hundreds of people visited the new store since its grand opening that took place in Copenhagen on Monday. The new store, called WeFood, will be selling a variety of products that would otherwise end up in the trash because of damaged packaging or because they are past their expiry dates. The prices are 30 percent to 50 percent lower than those in regular shops.

The store was officially inaugurated by Denmark's Princess Marie and the minister for food and environment.

"WeFood is the first supermarket of its kind in Denmark and perhaps the world, as it is not just aimed at low-income shoppers but anyone who is concerned about the amount of food waste produced in this country.

"Many people see this as a positive and politically correct way to approach the issue," Per Bjerre, the leader of the project, said at the opening.

The Danish food minister also praised the initiative.

"It's ridiculous that food is just thrown out or goes to waste. It is bad for the environment and it is money spent on absolutely nothing. A supermarket like WeFood makes so much sense and is an important step in the battle to combat food waste," Eva Kjer Hansen said.

Japan is continuing preparations for an unofficial visit of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to Russia, secretary general of the Japanese government Yoshihide Suga said. In an exclusive interview with Sputnik, former Russian Ambassador to Japan Alexander Panov clarified Japan's intentions and explained its "disobedience" to Washington.

Earlier, during a telephone conversation with Abe, US President Barack Obama asked him to refrain from visiting Russia in May, but the Japanese politician has refused his advice. In some media, this move has almost been regarded as a sign of a Japanese rebellion against the dictatorship of the United States.

Canada has passed a motion to condemn "any and all attempts" to promote the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel both at home and abroad.

The motion passed on Monday by a 229-51 vote, CIJ News reports. The bill was introduced by members of the Conservative Party and won support from Liberal Party members. The motion calls on the government to condemn attempts by Canadian organizations, groups, and individuals to promote the BDS movement, claiming it "promotes the demonization and delegitimization" of Israel.