Podcast appearances and mentions of al nusra front

Seit die islamistische HTS, vormals Al-Nusra Front, die Macht in Syrien übernommen hat, herrscht insbesondere unter den religiösen Minderheiten, den Christen, Alewiten und Drusen die pure Angst. Die neuen Machthaber betreiben – unter dem Beifall des Westens – eine radikale Islamisierung des Landes, die mittlerweile alle Bereiche der Gesellschaft, Schulen, Universitäten, Justiz und Medien erfasst.Weiterlesen

Ein Kommentar von Tilo Gräser.In Syrien zeigen die mit westlicher, israelischer und türkischer Hilfe an die Macht gekommenen Dschihadisten, wessen Geistes Kind sie sind. Berichten zufolge massakrierten sie in den letzten Tagen mehr als 1.000 Menschen im Westen Syriens, zumeist Alawiten, töteten Frauen und Kinder, misshandelten und erschossen Männer. Die Gewalt traf aber auch die christliche Minderheit, wie berichtet wurde. Die Verbrecher haben sich noch dabei gefilmt und die Videos auf Online-Plattformen hochgeladen.Es ist unerträglich und menschenverachtend, was da in aller Offenheit geschieht – und doch war es absehbar. Die Gewalt konzentriert sich auf das Kernland der alawitischen Gemeinschaft, ein Ableger des schiitischen Islam, der etwa zehn Prozent der Syrer zugerechnet werden. Alawiten dominierten die herrschende Klasse und die oberen Ränge des syrischen Militärs unter den Assads, die von 1970 bis 2024 das Land regierten.Nun geben sich alle entsetzt, auch jene, die den Sieg der Islamisten im vergangenen Jahr bejubelten und überhaupt erst ermöglichten. Selbst die Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) meldete am Sonntag, die Gewalt gegen Alawiten in Syrien sei „außer Kontrolle“ geraten. Das würde eigentlich zu der Frage führen, ob vorher die Gewalt der herrschenden Islamisten gegen Andersgläubige und Minderheiten „unter Kontrolle“ war, die aber nicht gestellt wird. Das hatten sich jene im Westen gewünscht, die den Siegeszug der islamistischen Terror-Miliz Haiat Tahrir al-Scham (HTS), hervorgegangen aus der terroristischen Al Nusra-Front als Zweig von Al Qaida, und den Sturz von Präsident Bashar al Assad im Dezember 2024 als „fundamentalen Akt der Gerechtigkeit“ (Joseph Biden), „gute Nachricht“ (Olaf Scholz) und „ein erstes großes Aufatmen nach einer Ewigkeit der Gräuel des Assad-Regimes“ (Annalena Baerbock) begrüßten.So unerträglich und verabscheuungswürdig die Gewalt ist, so abstoßend sind die heuchlerischen Krokodilstränen jener im Westen, die fast 13 Jahre lang alles dafür taten, den syrischen Präsidenten Assad zu stürzen. Nun fordern sie die Übergangsregierung in Damaskus auf, „weitere Übergriffe zu verhindern, die Vorfälle aufzuklären und die Verantwortlichen zur Rechenschaft zu ziehen“, wie unter anderem das Auswärtige Amt am Sonntag erklären ließ. Dabei waren es allen Informationen nach die Truppen dieser neuen Machthaber in Syrien, die die Verbrechen begingen und begehen, in Uniform, und nicht irgendwelche versprengten Milizen. Sie mordeten und folterten im Rahmen einer offiziellen „Militäroperation“ gegen Aufständische. ...hier weiterlesen: https://apolut.net/massaker-in-syrien-die-mitschuld-des-westens-von-tilo-graser/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

HELP WAM! OUR MARCH 2025 FUNDRAISER: https://gogetfunding.com/?p=9091885 GET NON-MRNA FREEZE DRIED MEAT HERE: https://wambeef.com/ Use code WAMBEEF to save 20%! GET HEIRLOOM SEEDS & NON GMO SURVIVAL FOOD HERE: https://heavensharvest.com/ USE Code WAM to save 5% plus free shipping! Get local, healthy, pasture raised meat delivered to your door here: https://wildpastures.com/promos/save-20-for-life/bonus15?oid=6&affid=321 USE THE LINK & get 20% off for life and $15 off your first box! GET YOUR APRICOT SEEDS at the life-saving Richardson Nutritional Center HERE: https://rncstore.com/r?id=bg8qc1 Josh Sigurdson reports on the genocide of over 1,000 Alawites and Christians in Syria as the Israeli proxy terrorist government takes over and kills all those who oppose it. The massacre of men, women and children is shocking as videos are posted and quickly erased from the internet. President Trump and Putin are set to meet to discuss this disgusting act of violence but it's unlikely the US will side with Russia considering Trump's cabinet is "Israeli First" and Israel is directly involved in the HTS (formerly Al Nusra Front) offensive. After overthrowing Assad, the HTS Wahabi terrorists even openly opposed Palestinian resistance. It couldn't be more obvious that they're a Mossad asset to help bring in the "Greater Israel Project." We've been reporting on this and warning of it since 2013 but in 2018 we reported on a few interesting CIA documents that laid out this EXACT situation happening. One document called "Bringing Real Muscle To Bear In Syria" from 1983 talks about "covertly orchestrating simultaneous military threats against Syria from three border states hostile to Syria: Iraq, Israel and Turkey." This is EXACTLY what happened. And who were the targets mentioned in these documents? Firstly, it was to overthrow Assad, at that time Assad Sr. Secondly, a 1986 document called "Syria: Scenarios of Dramatic Political Change" says the targets are Alawis and Sunnis as well as Christians in general. Right now, we're witnessing a massacre of Alawites. This horrifying prediction on our part in April of 2018 was not a miracle. They said this would happen themselves, via the CIA which bows to Mossad. An offensive from Turkey, Iraq and Syria. Precisely. Overthrowing Assad. Precisely. Targeting Alawites, Sunnis and Christians. Precisely. The whole world is a stage! Next on the list is Iran, one of Russia and China's top allies. Isn't it obvious where this is heading? Stop sitting on your hands! These are scripted events! Stay tuned for more from WAM! SIGN UP FOR HOMESTEADING COURSES NOW: https://freedomfarmers.com/link/17150/ Get Prepared & Start The Move Towards Real Independence With Curtis Stone's Courses! GET YOUR WAV WATCH HERE: https://buy.wavwatch.com/WAM Use Code WAM to save $100 and purchase amazing healing frequency technology! GET ORGANIC CHAGA MUSHROOMS HERE: https://alaskachaga.com/wam Use code WAM to save money! See shop for a wide range of products! GET AMAZING MEAT STICKS HERE: https://4db671-1e.myshopify.com/discount/WAM?rfsn=8425577.918561&utm_source=refersion&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=8425577.918561 USE CODE WAM TO SAVE MONEY! GET YOUR FREEDOM KELLY KETTLE KIT HERE: https://patriotprepared.com/shop/freedom-kettle/ Use Code WAM and enjoy many solutions for the outdoors in the face of the impending reset! BUY GOLD HERE: https://firstnationalbullion.com/schedule-consult/ HELP SUPPORT US AS WE DOCUMENT HISTORY HERE: https://gogetfunding.com/help-wam-cover-history/ PayPal: ancientwonderstelevision@gmail.com FIND OUR CoinTree page here: https://cointr.ee/joshsigurdson JOIN US on SubscribeStar here: https://www.subscribestar.com/world-alternative-media For subscriber only content! Pledge here! Just a dollar a month can help us alive! https://www.patreon.com/user?u=2652072&ty=h&u=2652072 BITCOIN ADDRESS: 18d1WEnYYhBRgZVbeyLr6UfiJhrQygcgNU World Alternative Media 2025

At the end of November, groups aligned with Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) or the “Levant Liberation Committee” and previously known as the Al-Nusra Front, launched significant attacks on the Syrian government in the Idlib and Aleppo regions, taking part of the city of Aleppo. The Syrian Arab Army has mobilized to push back against HTS.The offensive of course comes within days of the ceasefire in Lebanon that we discussed in our last episode, but also after more than a decade of US-backed insurgent groups attempting to overthrow the Syrian government. Syria has long been a target of attempted coups, assassination attempts, regime change operations, sanctions and war. This legacy and the current Western-backed attempts to overthrow the Syrian government show us why there is a critical need for anti-imperialist politics in the anti-war movement in the United States.To dive into this history and what's happening today, we're joined by Taylor Gol, an anti-war organizer who is originally from Türkiye.Support the show

GET HEIRLOOM SEEDS & NON GMO SURVIVAL FOOD HERE: https://heavensharvest.com/ USE Code WAM to save 5%! Get local, healthy, pasture raised meat delivered to your door here: https://wildpastures.com/promos/save-20-for-life/bonus15?oid=6&affid=321 USE THE LINK & get 20% off for life and $15 off your first box! GET TICKETS TO ANARCHAPULCO HERE: https://anarchapulco.com/ Save money by using code WAM GET YOUR WAV WATCH HERE: https://buy.wavwatch.com/WAM Use Code WAM to save $100 and purchase amazing healing frequency technology! BUY GOLD HERE: https://firstnationalbullion.com/schedule-consult/ GET YOUR APRICOT SEEDS at the life-saving Richardson Nutritional Center HERE: https://rncstore.com/r?id=bg8qc1 Josh Sigurdson reports on the latest manufactured escalation in the move towards World War 3 as Israel/United States/Qatar armed and funded group HTS (formerly Al Nusra Front) takes over Aleppo and Hama in Syria and battles the Syrian government as well as the Russian government. The group which benefits Israel greatly (which Israel itself admits) is forcing Russia and Iran into further conflict with Israel, destabilizing the region by design. Bashar Al Assad and Vladimir Putin have met with the new Iranian President Pezeshkian and the Iranian Foreign Minister in talks that are no doubt about what moves to make next in this scripted war on "terror" created by proxy by the United States, Israel and Qatar. As NATO moves to bring 800,000 troops to war with Russia and Russia warns of further long range missiles from Ukraine sent from the United States and the United Kingdom, this latest conflict connects the crisis with Israel. All the while, Russian submarines were spotted off of The Philippines as Russia and China continue to coordinate both in war and defense. For those waiting for the Trump administration to save them from this conflict, don't forget that the new Secretary Of State, Marco Rubio alongside John McCain and Lindsey Graham helped arm ISIS over a decade ago against Assad. This conflict will perpetuate as the agenda to bring in the Great Reset continues and both mainstream and mainstream alternative media push controlled opposing "solutions" that keep people sitting on their hands forever. Prepare yourselves now. This isn't about fear, it's about truth and utilizing what you know to ensure your survival. We will win eventually but it'll get worse before it gets better. Stay tuned for more from WAM! GET YOUR FREEDOM KELLY KETTLE KIT HERE: https://patriotprepared.com/shop/freedom-kettle/ Use Code WAM and enjoy many solutions for the outdoors in the face of the impending reset! GET FREEZE DRIED BEEF HERE: https://wambeef.com/ Use Code WAMBEEF to save 25%! 10+ Year Shelf life & All Natural! HELP SUPPORT US AS WE DOCUMENT HISTORY HERE: https://gogetfunding.com/help-wam-cover-history/ PayPal: ancientwonderstelevision@gmail.com FIND OUR CoinTree page here: https://cointr.ee/joshsigurdson JOIN US on SubscribeStar here: https://www.subscribestar.com/world-alternative-media For subscriber only content! Pledge here! Just a dollar a month can help us alive! https://www.patreon.com/user?u=2652072&ty=h&u=2652072 BITCOIN ADDRESS: 18d1WEnYYhBRgZVbeyLr6UfiJhrQygcgNU World Alternative Media 2024

Anti-corruption lawyer Bill Steinman joins the Anti-Corruption & Governance Center (ACGC) podcast to discuss cases of companies cutting deals with terrorist organizations in dangerous foreign markets. The lively discussion starts with the now infamous Lafarge enforcement action, announced by the U.S. Department of Justice in October 2022. It involves a French multi-national cement firm that pled guilty for "conspiring to provide material support and resources" to both ISIS and Al-Nusra Front in Syria in 2013 and 2014. Listen now to hear the similarities and shocking differences between Lafarge's decision-making and parallel cases in Colombia and the Niger Delta, the rationale behind a zero-tolerance U.S. legal standard for payments made to known terrorists, and how Lafarge executives ended up providing U.S. authorities copies of agreements signed on ISIS letterhead. The podcast is co-hosted by Lola Adekanye, CIPE Program Director for Africa, and Ben Schmidt, Program Officer with ACGC. 

Trainiere dein Hörverstehen mit den Nachrichten der Deutschen Welle von Mittwoch – als Text und als verständlich gesprochene Audio-Datei.Seehofer verbietet Islamisten-Verein Ansaar International Bundesinnenminister Horst Seehofer (CSU) hat den salafistischen Verein Ansaar International und alle Teilorganisationen der islamistischen Vereinigung verboten. Begründet wird das Verbot damit, dass die Spendensammlungen von Ansaar in der Absicht erfolgt seien, das Geld an terroristische Vereinigungen im Ausland weiterzugeben, insbesondere an die Al-Nusra-Front in Syrien, an die palästinensische Hamas sowie an Al-Shabaab in Somalia. Das Verbot sei am frühen Mittwochmorgen mit Durchsuchungen und Beschlagnahmungen in zehn Bundesländern vollstreckt worden, hieß es aus dem Innenministerium. Biden will Hälfte der US-Bürger bis 4. Juli komplett impfen US-Präsident Joe Biden hat neue Ziele für das amerikanische Corona-Impfprogramm herausgegeben. Bis zum Nationalfeiertag am 4. Juli sollten 160 Millionen Erwachsene - grob die Hälfte der Bevölkerung - komplett geimpft sein, sagte Biden in Washington. Zudem sollten 70 Prozent mindestens eine Impfdosis erhalten haben. Um diese Ziele zu erreichen, müssten in den kommenden zwei Monaten rund 100 Millionen Impfdosen verabreicht werden. Der Präsident rief deswegen erneut eindringlich alle auf, sich impfen zu lassen. Verteidigung beantragt Neuauflage von George-Floyd-Verfahren Der Verteidiger des wegen Mordes an Georg Floyd für schuldig befundenen Polizisten Derek Chauvin hat eine Neuauflage des Prozesses beantragt. Als Begründung führte Anwalt Eric Nelson rechtliche Fehler und Fehlverhalten von Gericht und Staatsanwaltschaft an. Der Prozess sei nicht fair gewesen und habe Chauvin seiner von der Verfassung garantierten Rechte beraubt, schrieb Nelson. Die Geschworenen hatten Chauvin unter anderem des Mordes zweiten Grades schuldig gesprochen. Ihm drohen damit bis zu 40 Jahre Haft. Die Verkündung des Strafmaßes am Gericht in Minneapolis ist für den 16. Juni geplant. Keine fristgerechte Regierungsbildung in Israel Für Ministerpräsident Benjamin Netanjahu ist die Frist für eine Regierungsbildung in Israel abgelaufen. Kurz vor Mitternacht hat der Regierungschef das Büro von Präsident Reuven Rivlin informiert, dass er nicht in der Lage war, rechtzeitig nach den Wahlen vom März eine Regierung zu bilden. Damit hat er das Mandat an den Staatschef zurückgegeben. Rivlin könnte den Auftrag zur Regierungsbildung nun einem anderen Politiker erteilen. Im Gespräch ist Oppositionsführer Jair Lapid, dessen liberale Zukunftspartei bei der Wahl den zweiten Platz belegt hatte. Klarer Wahlsieg der Konservativen in Madrid Bei der vorgezogenen Regionalwahl in der spanischen Hauptstadtregion Madrid hat die konservative Volkspartei (PP) einen beachtlichen Triumph erzielt. Nach der Auszählung von 95 Prozent der Stimmen gewann die Partei der populistischen Regionalpräsidentin Isabel Díaz Ayuso 65 der 136 Sitze im Regionalparlament. Damit hat sie ihr Wahlergebnis von 2019 mehr als verdoppelt. Die Sozialistische Partei von Regierungschef Pedro Sánchez verlor 13 Sitze und kommt nur noch auf 24 Mandate. Die linksgerichtete Podemos holte lediglich zehn Sitze. Parteichef Pablo Iglesias erklärte darauf seinen Rückzug. Teenager tötet drei Kinder und zwei Erzieherinnen Im südlichen Brasilien soll ein 18-Jähriger mit einer schwertähnlichen Waffe in eine Kinderkrippe eingedrungen sein. Drei Kleinkinder und zwei Erzieherinnen sind tot, ein weiteres Kind ist verletzt. Offenbar hatten Betreuerinnen so viele Kinder wie möglich im Wickelraum versteckt und die Tür verriegelt. So konnten weitere Opfer verhindert werden. Das Motiv des Täters, der sich auch selbst verletzte, ist offen. Im betroffenen Bundesstaat Santa Catarina wurde eine dreitägige Staatstrauer ausgerufen. Man City erstmals im Champions-League-Finale Der designierte englische Fußball-Meister Manchester City hat erstmals das Champions-League-Finale erreicht. Das Team von Startrainer Pep Guardiola besiegte im Halbfinal-Rückspiel Paris Saint-Germain mit 2:0. Das Hinspiel beim Vorjahresfinalisten und Bayern-Bezwinger hatte Manchester bereits mit 2:1 gewonnen. Am 29. Mai trifft Man City im Endspiel in Istanbul auf den Sieger des zweiten Halbfinals zwischen dem FC Chelsea mit Trainer Thomas Tuchel und Real Madrid.

LOOSE TRANSCRIPTGood morning and welcome to another episode of Alternative News on 3CR, 855AM, 3CR Digital and streaming at 3CR.org.auThis show is produced by the Campaign for International Development and Disarmament on the stolden lands of the Wurundjeri people. Today we're going to look at Job Keeper by the numbers, some ideas for redirecting military spending to social spending and a quick look at sanctions on Syria.----Coronavirus at home----States are beginning to roll out the legislature to enforce the eviction moratorium which was proposed by the nation cabinet earlier this month.Victoria has put aside 500 million dollars to assist landlords during the pandemic. Renters in dire straits can apply to have $2000 given straight to their landlord as long as the renter has less than $5000 in savings and rent makes up at least 30% of their income.This is another example of the poor and marginalised not being allowed to have savings. This is something which disability activists have been bringing to our attention for a long time. It is now that "ordinary Australians" - apologies for the loaded and exclusionary term - are seeing the truth of the situation.Anecdotal reports of an increase in experienced racism from ethnically Asian people - check in on your mates, let them know you're paying attention.Trades Hall has launched wearerenters.org.au and the IWW-organised Rent Strike struggles along. wearerenters.org.au is collecting stories about renting during the time of COVID-19. These stories will be used to inform the approaches to the government from the union sector. So far the Victorian Trades Hall Council has sent a letter to Marlene Kairouz, the Victorian Minister for Consumer Affairs calling for immediate action to protect residential renters in Victoria. "We simply cannot expect all tenants to be able to negotiate a fair solution" in reducing their rent burden, VTHC Secretary Luke Hilakari writes, "Instead, agents should be brokering the waiving or reduction of rent where workers have lost income as a result of the current pandemic, advising tenants and landlords of the no eviction policy and assisting landlords to access mortgage relief."and members of our community.Îigrant workers, temporary visa holders and casuals who do not meet the current requirements for the Job Keeper payment are at the highest amount of risk in this time. "Having a home is a key to staying safe. It's time to make renters safe in their homes." Education Minister Dan Tehan told international students, “you are our friends, our classmates, our colleagues and members of our community.” Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said "We have a responsibility as a ciountry to look after our fellow Australian regardlerss of their age, regardless of their income, regardless of their background." This he says while a million casual workers are left out of Job Keeper and migrant workers are left out of Job Keeper AND Job Seeker. The "Australian" part of the quote is the important part. Frydenberg doesn't think that Australians have any obligation to people who work and pay tax here but don't enjoy the status of Australian citizen.Let's take Job Keeper: $1,500 / fornight BEFORE tax. $3k per month, roughly. The projected costs are $133bn. This works out to $18k per eligible recipient over the 6 month term. this is about 7.4 million workers. Currently there are 2.2mil workers missing out on JK. To provide JK for them, assuming none of them can access Job Seeker, which is not correct, but for the sake of the exercise we will calculate a higher figure than in reality, would cost a futher $40bil. For a estimated projected cost of $173bil we could provide JK to just under 10 million workers. Yes, this would mean the economy takes more of 'a hit' or whatever - but this money is social spending: the great majority of this money goes back into the economy in the form of subsistence spending - food, clothing, shelter etc. The people, as a whole, bear the brunt of this spending into the future and this increased cost is managed by whatever government is in power. The alternative is we have increased poverty, deprivation and division between the Australian "haves" and the migrant "have nots" in society.This division is imposed in economics by an uncaring ruling class. If we want some extra money let's scrap the expansion to the $1.1bil expansion to the Tindal Royal Australian Airforce base in the Northern Territory. This expansion only exists to appease the United States of America. We're paying for the US to house their strategic bombers in our country. Let's nix the $80bil submarine project. It is already subject to delays and the first submarines aren't projected to be delivered until 2035. Fifteen years of waiting for some war toys for the boys? War toys which are largely constructed and maintained in France by the French Naval Group? No, I think not. Let's have less poverty, less homelessness, less precarity in our communities RIGHT NOW. If we want a better Australia then the people inside Australia's borders must be accounted and provided for.When the depression hits, when our lives are shit for ten years because the ruling class couldn't push the desires of the market below the capacity for the state to accomodate its populace we won't be able to eat submarines or use them to bolster our economy. A $40b provision to provide JK to 2.2mil workers is a drop in the bucket of the response to coronavirus. This drop in the bucket feeds, waters and homes 2.2 million people, rather than , in the case of the submarines, representing 50% of the cost of the design and construction of 12 submarines by the French. The penny pinching must stop. Military expenditure must be shifted to social expenditure.I don't believe the cost of our national debt is greater than the cost of the impoverishment of our nation's working class. 10% of military spending should redirected to social spending. This is a demand which applies outside of crisis. During the current crisis we need more social spending, not more bombing platforms.If there is a "war" on coronavirus - if the essential workers are "heroes" then we need to stop imagining that we're also at a war with certain countries in West Asia - notably Iran. Obviously, we wouldn't be messing around sending our ships and aircraft to Gulfs in the middle east if we weren't obsessed with playing deputy sherrif for the United States of America. If Australia is a sovereign nation then we should be able to tell the US 'no'. A brief look at our history shows the ruling class of our country to be incapable of this.The idea of national security extends beyond the military interests of the state. National security should start with the interests of the people of a nation. The interests of the people of Australia are not the interests of the ruling class of Australia. Our interests do not lie in the purchase of F-35 Joint Strike fighter jets or murdering civilians in Afghanistan. Our interests lie in knowing that we have a stable roof over our heads during the pandemic. There cannot be a secure state if there are not secure people who reside under the state. If the people are insecure then why would they support the goals of the state?Please reflect on this in your own time.Refugee Action Collective Car Convoy fines and charges:CICD calls for the 26 $1652 fines for breaking stage 3 restrictions to be waived and the charges levelled against protest organiser Chris Breen to be dropped. The stage 3 restrictions imposed by the state are being enforced arbitrarily to shut down political activity by the people.Sinophobia and coronavirus:----Comments sections of social media - the people are enamoured with USA media,claims of "Wuhan" "CCP" and "China" virus. CICD members, as dedicated anti-imperialists, should push back against these claims. Anti-Chinese sentiment has no place in our analysis of our govts response to the virus. The speculation around the idea that the virus was manufactured and intentionally or unintentionally released are distractions.To conclude this segment I am proud to announce CICD's 'Clown of the week' The Committee for the Present Danger: ChinaThis cold-war era body has been resurrected by alt-right darling Steve Bannonand neo-con Frank Gaffney. This is one of the sources of the anti-Chinatalking points we're hearing from our governments."There is no hope of coexistence with China as long as the Communist Party governs the country. We seek China’s peaceful evolution into a nation that respects the rule of law and individual human rights, instead of threatening its own people, as well as others." (guiding principles) [clown noises throughout] China is a signatory to the covenant of economic human rights, whereas the USA, UK and Australia and the rest of the West are signatories to the covenant of civil and political human rights. The civil and political human rights covenant is good in that anyone can come on 3CR and insult the government over its lack of provision of afforable housing which has produced a homelessness crisis in the "lucky country". The economic covenant is good in that it provides homes. From the above quote we can see that this "independent and non-partisan" think tank which purports to take "no idological point of view" in fact will only rest when the CPC has been removed from power in the PRC. In short, this organisation is a regime-change proponent. War----In this time of global crisis the need for the end to war continues. On the 23rd of March the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for a global ceasefire.Continuing war will hinder the health response to the coronavirus and the economic recovery to the same. On the topic of war we turn toSanctions in the time of COVID-19----It is the CICD's position that sanctions are designed to promote the full extent of US foreign policy and on that basis all sanctions should be lifted, forever. During the time of COVID-19 this demand increases in necessity. The death-toll in Iran was 5,391 at the time of writing while the US blocks medical devices and equipment from getting to Iran. US Sanctions have exacerbated the impact of coronavirus on Iran.Sanctions of Venezuela are smashing the state's capacity to respond to coronavirus as oil prices plunge thanks to the US's fracking industry refusing to reduce production - another example of toxic US execptionalism.For the past 9 years the US, EU and a raft of other countries including Australia have imposed and increased the serveity of sanctions on Syria, ostensibly to force Bashar Al-Assad's hand and somehow have him dissolve the government of Syria. The sanctions are aimed at forcing regime change - as they are wherever they are applied. What sanctions actually do is impede aid and harm the populace of Syria. This immiserates the people and causes great social harm. Some of the generated unrest is levelled against the incumbent government, sure, we can see this in the membership of the Free Syrian Army as well as Al Nusra Front and ISIS. We must remember: the enemy of my enemy is not my friend and this applies to everyone. So, Al-Assad's enemies in Syria are not our friends here in Australia or the friends of the United States- they are, in many cases, terrorists who despise the West as well as the Syrian government.For clarity I want to add that Assad is no enemy to the people of Australia. The line that alleged rights violations can be addressed with sanctions is a political lie designed to deceive the naive. Embarrassingly the lie seems to be effective. CICD condemns the sanctions levelled against Syria.---[Presenter signs off]

Matthew Schrier was on his way home from Syria after spending months photographing the war going on there, when, just 45 minutes from the safety of the Turkish border, he was taken prisoner by the Al-Nusra Front — a branch of Al-Qaeda in Syria. For the next seven months he was starved and tortured in six different prison camps. Yet he survived, becoming the first Westerner to escape Al-Qaeda. Today he teaches the military about what he learned through his experience. Today on the show, I talk to Matt about his book, The Dawn Prayer, which details what he learned about how to survive a Syrian prison, as well the lessons he learned in what not to do from a fellow American with whom he was held captive. Get the snow notes at aom.is/dawnprayer.

Welcome to the radio magazine that brings you news, commentary and analysis from a Black Left perspective. I’m Glen Ford, along with my co-host Nellie Bailey. Coming up: the U.S. has been trying to overthrow the leftist government in Venezuela ever since it was voted into power, back in 1998, but Trump is threatening to use direct American military force; the Syrian so-called “White Helmets” are treated like Hollywood heroes, but they are really Al-Qaida terrorists, subsidized by Britain and the U.S.; and, Mumia Abu Jamal reviews a book about Black communists organizing in Alabama in the 1930s. Folks on the Left have a lot to say about the pros and cons of Deocrats like Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, the young woman that won an upset congressional victory against a machine Democrat in New York City. But Black Agenda Report managing editor Bruce Dixon says left activists should concentrate on improving their own organizational skills, if they want to serve the people effectively. Mark Weisbrot is an economist and co-director of the Washington-based Center for Economic and Policy Research. The center intensely follows U.S. policy in Latin America. Mark Weisbrot hit on a novel way to critique U.S. behavior in Latin America since the turn of the 21 st century. He wrote a totally fictional letter in which Thomas Shannon, a long term U.S. diplomat in Latin America, gives advice to Mike Pompeo, President Trump’s Secretary of State. Weisbrot’s fictitious ambassador Shannon tells Pompeo that President’s Bush and Clinton carried out remarkably similar policies to undermine leftist governments in Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, and elsewhere – and with much success. The so-called White Helmets are hailed as heroes in the U.S. and Britain, but Syrians say the White Helmets are actually part of the Al Nusra Front, the Al Qaida terrorists in Syria, and are not in the business of rescuing anybody. Vanessa Beeley is a crusading journalist, one of few westerners that actually cover the war in Syria. Beeley has done more than any other reporter to expose the Helmets as a fraud. Now that the Syrian Army is closing in on Al Qaida and the other western-backed jihadists in Syria, Israel is lobbying to allow hundreds of jihadists to escape, through its territory or through Jordan, including those claiming to belong to the White Helmets. Vanessa Beeley was interviewed by Phil Taylor, on his radio program in Toronto, Canada. The nation’s best known political prisoner, Mumia Abu Jamal, has reviewed a book on Black Communists in Alabama, during the Great Depression.  

Bulgaria, with the worst press freedom record in EU, is to take over presidency in January. According to the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders [RSF], Bulgaria is the worst country in the EU country in terms of press freedom. In the last rankings it stands at a dismal 109th position out of 179 in the 2017 Press Freedom Index. This puts it on a par with Bolivia, Gabon and Paraguay. On January 1, Sofia will take over the rotating presidency of the European Union, but will it clean up its act? On August 24, 2017, journalist Dilyana Gaytandzhieva was fired by her newspaper. As a reporter for the mass-circulation Trud [“Labor”] daily, she had published a story outlining allegations that massive amounts of US, Saudi and Bulgarian weapons were shipped by the Azerbaijani Silk Way airline to Syria. Weapons to Syria Ultimately, the arms ended up in the hands of jihadists related to Al Qaeda and the Al Nusra Front. Gaytandzhieva was the first to use leaked documents in Russian, English and Bulgarian, published by Anonymous Bulgaria, and obtained after a cyber breach at the Azerbaijani embassy in Sofia. The documents explained how the US, Saudi Arabia, Bulgaria and other countries chartered the Azerbaijani Silk Way airline to transport massive amounts of weapons to Syria. The documents also corroborated Gaytandzhieva’s own findings from a trip, in December 2016, to Aleppo after troops of the Syrian government army had retaken the city. There, she said, locals had pointed her to an underground warehouse, left behind by alleged Jihadists, filled with mortar grenades and assault weapons made in Bulgaria. National security questions However, one-and-a-half months after the story was published, Gaytandzhieva says she received a call from by the State Agency for National Security [DANS ] telling her to visit them. “I didn’t get a subpoena, or further notice that I would have been interrogated, I just got a phone call by a special agent from the Bulgarian National Security Agency the previous day,” she told RFI. DANS only questioned her about the leaked documents, not about the weapons supplies [story] in general. “I felt anger because nobody interrogated me after I found Bulgarian weapons in Aleppo in December of 2016,” she says. Media interference Two hours after her run-in with the Agency, the editorial manager of her newspaper urged her to come to the office, where, to her shock, she was told she had to immediately leave her job, even though she was preparing a follow-up trip to Syria. Petio Blaskov, the owner and editor of Trud, did not reply by emailed queries by RFI as to the reasons why Gaytanzhieva was fired. “There are many cases like this,” says Lada Trifonova Price, a Lecturer in Journalism with Sheffield Hallam University, “it is a pattern. “Journalists are being either physically attacked with violence, intimidated or harassed, or fired from their jobs or demoted,” she says. Corruption prevails The reason, RSF explained, is an “environment dominated by corruption and collusion between media, politicians, and oligarchs including Deylan Peevski, a former head of Bulgaria’s main intelligence agency and owner of the New Bulgarian Media Group. A 2014 study by the European Association of Journalists – Bulgaria chapter - found that “more than half (52%) of the journalists in Bulgaria admit that political pressure is continuously exercised upon their media. More than 30% say that politicians pressured them themselves. This can take many forms. Rossen Bossev, a journalist with Capital Weekly, an economic publication, relates that his newspaper was fined heavily after a series of publications on fraudulent actions by corporate commercial banks. “But instead of looking at the alleged fraud, “the prosecutors’ office in Sofia opened a preliminary investigation into the officials who leaked [the information],” says Bossev. The journalists who investigated the leaks ended up being questioned. They were charged for writing about misconduct at corporate commercial banks, or what is said to be “attacking bank stability in Bulgaria.” The punishment, handed down by the Bulgarian Financial Supervision Committee is €75,000 and an additional €5,000 for the journalists’ refusal to disclose sources. Journalists assaulted There are more severe examples. Sheffield lecturer Price cites the case of Stoyan Tonchev, owner of the local news website Zad Kulisite (Behind the Scenes) who was known for his investigations into alleged corruption and abuse of power in his city, the Bulgarian Black Sea resort town of Pomorie. On January 14, 2015, Tonchev was brutally beaten by what he described as a “man dressed in black.” The Committee to Protect Journalists, which highlighted the case, reported that Tonchev reports that the attacker “repeatedly hit him on the head with a blunt object while asking, ‘How long will you keep writing?’" Tonchev survived with a skull fracture, a concussion, a broken nose, and multiple hematomas that disfigured his face and after he was hospitalized for two weeks. According to Price, an arrest was made, but the person who allegedly assaulted Tonchev was released on bail. “So far there’s been no result into this investigation,” she told RFI. Bulgaria running the EU On January 1, Bulgaria will head the rotating presidency of the European Union for a period of six months. After meeting on 8th of November with Bulgaria’s Prime Minister, the former karate coach and Interior Minister Boyko Borisov, European Council President Jean-Claude Juncker stated that Bulgaria’s upcoming presidency is “a unique chance for this marvelous country [ … ] to show, to prove, to demonstrate that the Bulgarians know what is what when it comes to Europe. Europe is part of the DNA of Bulgaria. Indeed, part of Europe’s DNA flows into Bulgaria in the form of financial support, but not always to the places it was intended to go. This years’ report on the state of the Bulgarian media commissioned by the International Research & Exchanges Board [IREX], an international, non-profit organization that specializes in global education, says that some of the media with links to the media empire of Delyan Peevski, “are among the biggest beneficiaries of EU funds distributed by the government.” “It is really disgusting,” says Bossev. “The government is contracting mediators who subcontract those sites." In this way, “yellow press” tabloids that, according to Bossev, “spread fake news” receive EU money via the government meant, “to promote the Bulgarian presidency of the EU.” This is done through a process that RSF says “is conducted with a complete lack of transparency, in effect bribing editors to go easy on the government in their political reporting or refrain from covering certain problematic stories altogether." Meanwhile, the EU does take notice and on several occasions has issued stern warnings and reports that highlight abuses to Bulgaria’s media freedom. “Unfortunately, journalists in Bulgaria are not happy about that,” says Price, the Sheffield Hallam University media lecturer “The EU seems to be taking the hands-off, soft approach, despite its spoken commitment to media freedom and the importance of journalism for democracy," he said. “They are constantly calling for the government to respect media freedom, to society to debate, to see how it can be changed, but there are no specific actions to achieve this." The fact that the Bulgarian government is sensible to criticism was evinced when it withdrew the fines against Capital Weekly and other media outlets after pressure from the Organization for Security Cooperation in Europe [OSCE], the Council of Europe and NGOs. However, no apologies were offered. RSF’s Pauline Adès-Mével expressed hope that Bulgaria will become “more efficient in its fight against mafias and rampant corruption before taking on the EU presidency” in January. As for Dilyana Gaytandzhieva, she is now working as a freelancer, again working on an investigation related to the weapons trade. “I definitely feel better as I am not obliged to follow editorial policy,” she wrote to RFI. However, her task will not be easy. According to Nikolay Staykov, of the Sofia-based Anti-Corruption Fund, the Bulgarian military industry is going through a “golden time; all big and the smaller manufacturers work on double shifts,” and there is a “kind of national consensus to remain silent on what’s going on with these weapon exports,” he says. Gaytandzhieva knows this. She explained that the director of DANS [the agency that called her in for interrogation], the ministers of Defence, of Economy and of Interior, are all members of the Commission for Export Control which gives permits and export licenses to arms dealers. This means that the director of DANS is well aware of all those weapons deals as well as Bulgarian ministers. “How are they going to investigate themselves? In Bulgaria, there is no such thing as freedom of speech, in Bulgaria the media organisations serve politicians, not the Bulgarian people,” she said.

welcome to Syria The Truth, our episode title for today is: Syria: Obama Administration Responsible for “Crimes of Aggression” in Violation of Rome Statute and UN Charter. By Dr. Robert P. Abele Global Research, July 03, 2013 On May 23, Secretary of State John Kerry threatened Syrian President Bashar al-Assad with the following statement concerning U.S. military support of Syrian rebels: “In the event that we can’t find that way forward, in the event that the Assad regime is unwilling to negotiate Geneva I in good faith, we will also talk about our continued support and growing support for the opposition in order to permit them to continue to be able to fight for the freedom of their country.” He repeated that threat again yesterday, July 2, using the same appeal to Geneva I. So the obvious question—one completely unaddressed by mainstream media—is: “What does Geneva I say that Kerry is so resolute in appealing to it?” This article aims only to address this question briefly, and to suggest a few points of discussion for an examination of what the U.S. is doing in Syria that might be applicable to Geneva I, which so animates Kerry’s assertions of Assad’s international legal responsibilities. As is the case of all U.S. government pronouncements these days, one must examine the consistency, or lack of it, that stands under or behind U.S. decrees. Those seeking consistency from the Obama administration’s policy toward Syria would be disappointed to learn that Geneva I calls for two specific responsibilities of nations involving themselves in military conflicts within other nations. In each of these two cases, the Obama administration outright ignores these laws while holding Assad accountable to the Convention. Geneva I is entitled “The Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded and Sick in Armed Forces in the Field.” Among other things, it contains the following two prescriptions for “outsider” nations involving itself in the internal violence of another nation: Art. 11. “Any neutral Power, or any organization invited by the Power concerned or offering itself for these purposes, shall be required to act with a sense of responsibility towards the Party to the conflict on which persons protected by the present Convention depend, and shall be required to furnish sufficient assurances that it is in a position to undertake the appropriate functions and to discharge them impartially.” Art. 50. “Grave breaches to which the preceding Article relates shall be those involving any of the following acts, if committed against persons or property protected by the Convention: willful killing, torture or inhuman treatment, including biological experiments, willfully causing great suffering or serious injury to body or health, and extensive destruction and appropriation of property, not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully and wantonly.” Regarding Article 50, we can begin the discussion by noting two things. First, we know that the rebels being supplied by the U.S. have used chemical weapons supplied by the U.S. Although the U.S. has consistently attempted a propaganda campaign to pin this use on Syrian troops, the fact is the opposite: Last month, Syrian rebels in the Al Nusra Front were arrested on the border of Turkey, literally caught red-handed with chemical weapons materials in their possession—i.e. 4-1/2 pounds of sarin nerve gas. In addition, Carla del Ponte, United Nations Commissioner on the board of inquiry regarding Syria, stated publicly that the bulk of the evidence indicates that the rebels being armed by the U.S. are the ones using chemical weapons. Second, one need only examine the barrage of news stories that demonstrate the atrocities of the rebel gangs in Syria being militarily supported by the U.S. Even a cursory examination of the stories demonstrates that these gangs are deliberately attacking civilians and causing other injury and destruction “not justified by military necessity” (Article 50). The standard U.S. line in response to this is that President Assad’s army is doing the same thing. However, this excuse is both morally and legally (to say nothing of logically) insufficient to justify one’s own actions. Regarding Article 11, there likewise are at least two things to be noted to start a discussion about what the U.S. is doing in Syria. First, even given the vague use of the term “responsible” in the Article, one must ask how “responsible” it is to deliberately attempt to overthrow another government that is not threatening to the interfering nation, and which does not have a legitimate internal humanitarian crisis within its borders. The latter is being created by U.S. support of rebel forces, while the former is the fundamental condition for warring against another nation, both in the Rome Statute (see below) and the U.N. Charter. Second, it is important to underscore the most glaringly obvious point regarding the U.S. ignoring international conventions, and that is in the crime of aggression, by definition (in the Rome Statute in 1998, Article 5), the use of armed force by one State against another State without the justification of self-defense or authorization by the U.N. Security Council.  It is based on the dual principles of limiting the power of nations to engage in military aggression, with the sole exception of self-defense, and making that proscription apply equally to all nations. Justice Robert H. Jackson, chief prosecutor in the Nuremberg Trials, made those principles quite clear, and they were used in the U.N. Charter concerning war. For our purposes here, it is important to highlight Article 8, Section I of the Rome Statute, which states that the “crime of aggression” means the planning, preparation, initiation or execution, by a person in a position effectively to exercise control over or to direct the political or military action of a State, of an act of aggression which, by its character, gravity and scale, constitutes a manifest violation of the Charter of the United Nations.” Most critically, note Section 2(g) of the Statute, where the crime of aggression is spelled out most clearly regarding the supply of rebels, such as the U.S. is doing in Syria: “The sending by or on behalf of a State of armed bands, groups, irregulars or mercenaries, which carry out acts of armed force against another State of such gravity as to amount to the acts listed above, or its substantial involvement therein.” So once again, we have a United States government making proclamations and threats holding another government to the letter of the law, while it egregiously violates the most important parts of the law to which they are holding another nation; in this case, Syria. It is not too much for us to demand that the Obama administration act consistently within the rule of law if it intends to capture the moral high ground with regard to its actions in Syria. But, then again, with all the duplicity and direct violations of international law coming out of the administration, capturing the legal or moral high ground seems not to be Obama’s real concern at all. This is much to the detriment and safety of the entire world, since the sole world superpower is demonstrating itself to be simply a rogue state. Dr. Robert P. Abele holds a Ph.D. in Philosophy from Marquette University He is the author of three books: A User’s Guide to the USA PATRIOT Act (2005); The Anatomy of a Deception: A Logical and Ethical Analysis of the Decision to Invade Iraq (2009); Democracy Gone: A Chronicle of the Last Chapters of the Great American Democratic Experiment (2009). Goodnight and goodbye