RUSSIA: JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES FACE POSSIBLE LIQUIDATION Victoria Arnold, Human Right Without Frontiers International  May 26 2016 Forum 18 (24.05.2016) – http://bit.ly/1Uf1Rwo – If prosecutors proceed with their threat to liquidate the Jehovah’s Witness headquarters near St Petersburg, thousands of local congregations across Russia could also face prohibition of their activities and individuals could be vulnerable to criminal charges for

72 years later, Russia is still after Crimean Tatars' Hale Turkes, Anadolu Agency 18 May 2016 Image: On 72nd anniversary of infamous deportation, academics and NGOs say Russia's persecution of Crimean Tatars continues ANKARA  Russia continues its policy of persecuting Crimean Tatars nearly three-quarters of a century after the infamous exile ordered by dictator Josef Stalin, according to academics and Crimean NGOs. Hakan Kirimli, a history professor

Are the US and Russia helping or deceiving the Syrians? Marwan Bishara, Al Jazeera  18 April 2016   Image: A girl shows a sniper bullet that was found in the school yard in the rebel-held city of Douma, on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria [EPA]   When American and Russian spokespersons deny the existence of a secret agreement between them over Syria, they’re not necessarily lying - but they are being misleading.  They don’t need

Russian Sappers Arrive in Syria to Clear Mines in Palmyra VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV, ASSOCIATED PRESS 31 March 2016   This photo released on Monday March 28, 2016, by the Syrian official news agency SANA, shows some damage at the ancient ruins of Palmyra, central Syria. A Syrian antiquities official says demining experts have so far removed 150 bombs planted by the Islamic State group inside the archaeological site in the historic town of Palmyra.

War with Russia – Cold or Hot? By Ken Meyercord   There’s much talk these days about a new cold war with Russia, but the prognostications may be way behind the facts. Our tense relations with Russia may have already gone from cold to tepid to hot. The evidence is hardly conclusive but is so disturbing it should be examined. First, what’s clear. The United States and Russia are circling each other warily, posturing as if preparing to

Russian Cruise Missiles Help Syrians Go on the Offensive Anne Barnard and Andrew E. Kramer, New York Times 7 October 2015   Image: Moscow said it had fired 26 missiles from the Caspian Sea. Credit  - Russian Defense Ministry , via Agence France-Presse — Getty Images BEIRUT, Lebanon — Russia and Syria unleashed a coordinated assault by land, air and sea on Wednesday, seeking to reverse recent gains by rebel groups that were beginning

Russia Military's Actions in Syria Cause Rift with Turkey Tim Arango, New York Times 6 October, 2015   Image: President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, right, with Jean-Claude Juncker, the president of the  European Commission, in Brussels on Monday. CreditFrancois Lenoir/Reuters ISTANBUL — Russia’s bombing of rebel groups in Syria backed by Turkey and the incursions by Russian warplanes into Turkish airspace have undercut President Recep

Russian Moves in Syria Widen Role in Mideast Eric Schmitt and Michael R. Gordon, New York Timse 14 September 2015   Image: Russia has military presences near Latakia and in Tartus. CreditSANA, via Agence France-Presse — Getty Images WASHINGTON — Russia has sent some of its most modern battle tanks to a new air base in Syria in what American officials said Monday was part of an escalating buildup that could give Moscow its most significant

New Diplomacy Seen on U.S.-Russian Efforts to End Syrian Civil War Anne Barnard, New York Times 11 August 2015   Image: The Saudi foreign minister, Adel al-Jubeir, met with the Russian foreign minister, Sergey V. Lavrov on Tuesday in Moscow. Credit Maxim Shemetov/Reuters Advertisement BEIRUT, Lebanon — With President Bashar al-Assad of Syria facing battlefield setbacks, diplomats from Russia, the United States and several Middle Eastern powers

U.S. and Russia to Back U.N. Resolution to Identify Who Used Chemical Weapons in Syria Michael R. Gordon, The New York Times 06 Aug 2016   Image: Secretary of State John Kerry, center, before a news conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Thursday.CreditPool photo by Brendan Smialowski KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — The United States and Russia will support a United Nations Security Council resolution to identify the perpetrators of attacks using