PROTESTS SWEEP LEBANON FOR A SECOND DAY
18 OCTOBER 2019 (SOURCE: REUTERS) – Protesters across Lebanon blocked roads with burning tires on Friday and marched in Beirut for a second day in demonstrations targeting the government over an economic crisis. In Lebanon’s biggest protest in years, thousands of people gathered outside the government headquarters in central Beirut on Thursday evening, forcing the…
MURDER OF SYRIAN POLITICIAN HIGHLIGHTS RISK FOR MINORITIES
17 OCTOBER 2019 (SOURCE: CRUX) -When Hevrin Khalaf, a young Syrian politician and advocate on behalf of women and religious and ethnic minorities in Kurdistan, was murdered by a Turkish-backed fringe group on Saturday amid Turkey’s new offensive in Syria, her death sparked outcry from around the world. Many have voiced outrage, saying her senseless…
HOW RUSSIA IS FILLING THE GAP LEFT BY THE U.S. IN SYRIA
16 OCTOBER 2019 (SOURCE: INDEPENDENT) -Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw American troops from Syria has started to change the balance of power in the war-torn country where regional and international powers have long been involved in a complex situation. Russian troops have now moved into northern Syria to fill the security vacuum left by the United States,…
SAUDI VISIT SIGNALS VLADIMIR PUTIN’S GROWING MIDDLE EAST INFLUENCE
15 OCTOBER 2019 (SOURCE: IOL) – President Vladimir Putin signalled Moscow’s growing Middle East clout on Monday on his first visit to Saudi Arabia in over a decade, buoyed by Russian military gains in Syria, strong ties with Riyadh’s regional rivals and energy cooperation. Moscow accrued power in the Middle East in 2015 by sending troops…
KURDISH FORCES ANNOUNCE DEAL WITH ASSAD GOVERNMENT TO FIGHT TURKEY
14 OCTOBER 2019 (SOURCE: NYTIMES) -Kurdish forces long allied with the United States in Syria announced a new deal on Sunday with the government in Damascus, a sworn enemy of Washington that is backed by Russia, as Turkish troops moved deeper into their territory and President Trump ordered the withdrawal of the American military from…
US – CHINA TRADE TALKS
11 OCTOBER 2019 (SOURCE: REUTERS) – Top U.S. and Chinese negotiators wrapped up a first day of trade talks in more than two months on Thursday as business groups expressed optimism the two sides might be able to ease a 15-month trade war and delay a U.S. tariff hike scheduled for next week. U.S. Treasury…
TURKEY LAUNCHES OFFENSIVE AGAINST U.S.-BACKED SYRIAN MILITIA
10 OCTOBER 2019 (SOURCE: NYTIMES)-Turkey launched a ground and air assault on Wednesday against a Syrian militia that has been a crucial American ally in the fight against ISIS, days after President Trump agreed to let the operation proceed. As Turkish warplanes bombed Syrian towns and troops crossed the border, the chaos in Washington continued,…
TRUMP THREATENS TO ‘OBLITERATE’ TURKISH ECONOMY
08 OCTOBER 2019 (SOURCE: BBC) -President Donald Trump has threatened to destroy Turkey’s economy if Turkey goes “off limits” after his surprise decision to pull US forces out of north-eastern Syria. In a series of angry tweets, Mr Trump defended the move that could open the way for Turkey to launch an attack on Kurdish…
IRAQ PROTEST DEATH TOLL PASSES 100
07 OCTOBER 2019 (SOURCE: GUARDIAN) -An Iraqi interior ministry spokesman has said an investigation is underway to determine how protesters were shot dead during six days of unrest that have killed more than 100 people and injured thousands. Twelve anti-government demonstrators were killed on Sunday in ongoing protests in Baghdad. Saad Maan, a spokesman for the ministry,…
DEATH TOLL CLIMBS, UNREST SPREADS IN IRAQ
04 OCTOBER 2019 (SOURCE: REUTERS) – Iraqi security forces opened fire on thousands of demonstrators who defied a curfew in Baghdad on Thursday and exchanged fire with gunmen in southern cities, bringing to 27 the death toll from three days of anti-government protests. The protests spread to other cities in predominantly Shi’ite Muslim southern Iraq,…