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Syrian 'opposition' feels 'betrayed' after US signs de-escalation agreement with Russia

Breakingnews.sy - translated by Samer Hussein
Fort Russ News
Mon, 17 Jul 2017 14:21 UTC
Syrian 'moderate' rebel
Sources claim that the so-called "armed Syrian opposition" is a bit worried about the US and its involvement in setting up the new de-escalation zone agreement, which came into effect last Sunday and according to which, large parts of southwestern Syria are now within a demilitarized zone, in addition to a ceasefire-monitoring body being set up in the state of Oman and which is used to communicate with both, the government and the "opposition."

According to the Jordanian newspaper Al Ghad, the "opposition" is worried that this is an attempt to divide Syria, while in turn, the US officials are trying to convince the "opposition" that this not a step towards dividing Syria, but rather an attempt to save lives and create more positive political atmosphere for a dialogue under the auspices of the United Nations.

Leaders of the opposition factions, operating in the south of Syria, will reportedly hold a meeting with the United States Special Envoy for Syria, Michael Ratney, in the Jordanian capital city of Amman.
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Red Flag

Warsaw: Thousands protest new judicial reforms


RT
Mon, 17 Jul 2017 13:17 UTC
warsaw protest
Thousands of people flocked to the Polish Parliament building Sunday to voice opposition to the overhaul of the judiciary citing concerns that the new measures erodes judicial independence and encroaches on the rule of law.

Activists brandished EU and Polish national flags chanting "shame, shame" and "in defense of the courts" as they descended onto the streets of central Warsaw to rally against the draft bill.

The new measures, spearheaded by the ruling Law and Justice Party (PiS), will empower Parliament and the justice minister to appoint judges to the Supreme Court. The proposed legislation also envisions that the serving Supreme Court judges would be forced to retire once the new legislation comes into effect.
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Pistol

Aussie woman killed by police in Minneapolis after dialing 911 to report disturbance


RT
Mon, 17 Jul 2017 12:35 UTC
Police crime scene tape
© Mohamed Al-Sayaghi / Reuters
Police officer in South Minneapolis, Minnesota, shot dead a 40-year-old woman from Sydney shortly after she dialed 911 to alert of a possible alley assault. The woman's family now demands answers for what they say was unprovoked violence.

In the wake of the shooting, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension issued a statement confirming that two officers were responding to a 911 call implying that an assault could have been taking place in in the alley off West 51st Street, between Washburn and Xerxes Avenues, around midnight on Saturday.

"At one point one officer fired their weapon, fatally striking a woman," it said in a statement, without revealing any further details on what provoked the police to use a deadly force against the woman.

The officers were wearing bodycams at the time the altercation unfolded, but they were not turned on, according to the statement.

Comment: In the US, it is becoming more dangerous to call the police for help. This is a terrible state of affairs for US communities.

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Chart Pie

Poll: Melania Trump is a more popular first lady than Hillary Clinton was

Pardes Seleh
Independent Journal Review
Mon, 10 Jul 2017 00:00 UTC
Melania and Clinton
President Trump may not be the most popular president Gallup has ever seen, but his wife is rocking it.

According to a recent Fox News poll, Melania Trump's approval ratings have increased by 14 points since the last poll was taken in December and by 16 points since the first poll was taken in August. While Melania's 51 percent approval rating does not measure up to former First Lady Michelle Obama's (73 percent), she is doing dramatically better than her husband in the polls and is even more popular than former First Lady Hillary Clinton.
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TV

The real meaning behind Kadyrov's HBO diplomacy

Eduard Popov - translated by J. Arnoldski
Fort Russ
Sun, 16 Jul 2017 23:25 UTC
Ramzan Kadyrov
On July 15th, Russian media published excerpts from the American TV channel HBO's interview with the head of the Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov. The full version of HBO Real Sports' program on Chechnya is set to be released on July 18th. In this interview, Kadyrov voiced his understanding of US-Russia relations with his characteristic directness and typical disregard for diplomatic niceties.

In Kadyrov's words, the US is pursuing an anti-Russian policy but, the leader of Chechnya emphasized, the United States is "not strong enough for Russia to consider it an enemy." Kadyrov added: "Even if our state is completely destroyed, our missiles will automatically fly there."
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Handcuffs

US dual national sentenced to 10 years in prison for spying in Iran


RT
Sun, 16 Jul 2017 19:00 UTC
American jailed
© Global Look Press
Iran has sentenced a US dual national to 10 years in prison for "gathering information" while being "directly guided by America," Iran's Judiciary spokesman said.

"This person, who was gathering information and was directly guided by America, was sentenced to 10 years in prison, but the sentence can be appealed," spokesman Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei said on state TV on Sunday, as cited by Reuters.

It was verified and determined that he was gathering (information) and was involved in infiltration," Ejei said according to AP.

The spokesman revealed neither the name, nor occupation of the suspect. Apart from US citizenship, the person has citizenship of another nation, but not Iran. He also did not elaborate on the specific charges that led to the conviction.
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Star of David

Scuffles erupt outside reopened Temple Mount, Palestinians decry new Israeli security measures


RT
Sun, 16 Jul 2017 21:41 UTC
Palestinian woman argues with an Israeli border policeman
© Ammar Awad / ReutersA Palestinian woman argues with an Israeli border policeman at the entrance to the compound known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount, in Jerusalem's Old City July 16, 2017.
The reopening of Jerusalem's Temple Mount, which has been closed since a shooting attack Friday, has led to more tensions as Palestinians protested additional Israeli security measures on site, refusing to enter the compound.

On Sunday, Israeli authorities lifted the ban on worshippers entering the site - sacred to both Jews and Muslims after boosting security.

The Temple Mount or the al-Ḥaram al-Sharif (Noble Sanctuary) as referred to by Muslims was closed for the first time in decades after two Israeli police officers were shot dead by three Arab-Israeli attackers Friday. The assailants were then pursued, shot and killed by police.

Metal detectors and additional CCTV cameras were hurriedly installed to prevent weapons from being smuggled inside in the future.

Several knives were reportedly discovered at the compound when it was searched by the security forces over the weekend.
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Stop

Child sex trafficking increase in the USA: Florida state admits it isn't stopping it

Rachel Blevins
The Free Thought Project
Sun, 16 Jul 2017 20:56 UTC
girl with US flag over mouth
A recent report on the number of sexually exploited children in Florida gives insight into a horrific world that is often ignored by the media, and that rarely holds millionaires, politicians and even local officials accountable for their involvement.

A report from the Florida legislature's Office of Program Policy Analysis & Government Accountability concluded that the state's Department of Children and Family (DCF) and its lead agencies "have not resolved issues related to serving commercially sexually exploited children."

The report found that in 2016, 356 verified commercially sexually exploited child victims were identified, as opposed to 264 identified in 2015. It noted that many of the victims who were identified earlier were, "both children in child welfare dependency and those living in the community with family - have since been re-victimized, involved with the criminal justice system, or only attended school intermittently."
"During 2016, DCF's Florida Abuse Hotline received 2,013 reports alleging the CSE of children, which is a 57% increase over the 2015 reports. Child protective investigators investigated 1,386 (or 69%) of those reports. Counties with the highest number of CSE reports include Miami-Dade (248), Broward (232), Orange (150), and Hillsborough (144). DCF hotline staff did not refer cases for investigation if the allegation did not rise to the level of reasonable (74%), there were no means to locate the victim (11%), or the alleged perpetrator was not the child's caregiver (8%). Of the reports that were referred for investigation, most came from DJJ, the Department of Corrections, or criminal justice personnel (20%) and law enforcement (15%)."
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Megaphone

A whistleblower uncovers massive fraud at CIA, and 'nothing gets done' about it

Tim Johnson
McLatchey DC
Thu, 13 Jul 2017 15:03 UTC
CIA sweeping up
When wayward contract employees at the CIA began pilfering snacks from vending machines back in 2013, the Office of the Inspector General sprang into action. Surveillance cameras went up, the culprits were nabbed, and all lost their jobs.

From start to finish, the case of the $3,314.40 in stolen snacks lasted two months.

When more serious allegations of wrongdoing arise at the CIA, though, inspectors may be far less speedy, especially when their findings could embarrass the Langley, Va., spy agency.

In one notable case, that of John Reidy, a contractor whose resume shows that he worked with spies deep inside Iran's mullah-run regime, charges of wrongdoing have sat idle in the hands of CIA inspectors. Details of Reidy's charges remain highly classified. The case is now seven years old, and seems only to gather dust.
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Camera

Photos of Aleppo Rising: Swimsuits, concerts and rebuilding in first jihadi-free summer

Tyler Durden
Zero Hedge
Sat, 15 Jul 2017 19:45 UTC
Aleppo orchestra concert, Summer 2017
© via Sarah AbdallahAleppo orchestra concert, Summer 2017
When taxi and bus drivers take journalists into Syria via the Beirut-Damascus Highway these days, there's a common greeting that has become a kind of local tradition as the drivers pull into their Damascus area destinations. They confidently tell their passengers: "welcome to the real Syria." Local Syrians living in government areas are all too aware of how the outside world perceives the government and the cities under its control. After years of often deceptive imagery and footage produced by opposition fighters coordinating with an eager Western press bent on vilifying Assad as "worse than Hitler", many average Syrian citizens increasingly take to social media to post images and scenes of Syria that present a different vision: they see their war-torn land as fundamentally secular, religiously plural, socially tolerant, and slowly returning to normalcy under stabilizing government institutions.

As the most intense phase of fighting in Aleppo was unfolding in 2016, veteran journalist Stephen Kinzer took to the editorial pages of the Boston Globe to remind Americans that the media has created a fantasy land concerning Syria. Kinzer painted a picture quite opposite the common perception:
Coverage of the Syrian war will be remembered as one of the most shameful episodes in the history of the American press... For three years, violent militants have run Aleppo. Their rule began with a wave of repression. They posted notices warning residents: "Don't send your children to school. If you do, we will get the backpack and you will get the coffin." Then they destroyed factories, hoping that unemployed workers would have no recourse other than to become fighters. They trucked looted machinery to Turkey and sold it...

The United States has the power to decree the death of nations. It can do so with popular support because many Americans — and many journalists — are content with the official story.
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