By: Vladimir V. Putin MOSCOW — RECENT events surrounding Syria have prompted me to speak directly to the American people and their political leaders. It is important to do so at a time of insufficient communication between our societies. Relations between us have passed through different stages. We stood against each other during the cold… Read More
GENEVA (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his team open two days of meetings with their Russian counterparts on Thursday, hoping to emerge with the outlines of a plan for the complex task of safely securing and destroying vast stockpiles of Syrian chemical weapons in the midst of a brutal and… Read More
Syria Update 9/11/2013: (Huff Post) WASHINGTON — Sen. John McCain said Wednesday he worries that the cause of rebels fighting Syria’s President Bashar Assad has been obscured in the rapid-fire military and diplomatic events following a chemical weapons attack near Damascus. “I feel very badly for my friends in the Free Syrian Army today,” McCain… Read More
ABC News - President Obama Urges Congress to Vote Conscience on Syria, Even If Public Opposed (ABC News) President Obama today conceded that he could fail to convince the American public to back proposed U.S. military strikes against Syria, but said that members of Congress should vote to approve the action anyway. “It’s conceivable that, at the end of… Read More
(RT) The potential of strategic US strikes in Syria has sparked fears Damascus’ chemical weapons could fall into the wrong hands if the government is toppled. A recent congressional report says 75,000 troops would be needed to safeguard the WMD caches. The Congressional Research Center (CRS) report, issued just one day before the alleged August… Read More
(CBSNEWS) Authorities have scooped up around 100,000 kilograms (220,000 pounds) of dead fish they say were poisoned by ammonia from a chemical plant, environmental officials and state media said Wednesday, in a reminder of the pollution plaguing the country. The Hubei province environmental protection department, notified of the piles of dead fish in central China’s… Read More
(Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday the U.S. Congress had no right to approve the use of force against Syriawithout a decision from the U.N. Security Council, and that doing so would be an “act of aggression”. He said “anything that is outside the U.N. Security Council is aggression, except self-defense. Now what… Read More
A controversial law banning Vietnamese online users from discussing current affairs has come into effect. The decree, known as Decree 72, says blogs and social websites should not be used to share news articles, but only personal information. The law also requires foreign internet companies to keep their local servers inside Vietnam. It has been… Read More
Israel says it has carried out a joint missile test with the United States in the Mediterranean Sea. The Israeli Defense Ministry announced the joint military exercise on Tuesday, shortly after Russia’s Defense Ministry said it had detected the launch of “ballistic objects” in the region. Israel’s ministry says it launched one Ankor-type missile that was controlled from a… Read More
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The USS Nimitz aircraft carrier and four other ships in its strike group moved into the Red Sea early on Monday, U.S. defense officials said, describing the move as “prudent planning” in case the ships are needed for military action against Syria. The officials said the Nimitz entered the Red Sea around… Read More