Saturday, 2 June 2018

Trump calls for Samantha Bee to be fired

Trump calls for Samantha Bee to be firedThe president asked Friday morning why the late-night host who insulted his daughter (and later apologized for it) hasn’t been fired by her network. The day before, the White House press secretary made a similar complaint.




Bashar al-Assad warns US troops to leave Syria as he raises prospect of clash

Bashar al-Assad warns US troops to leave Syria as he raises prospect of clashThe US should learn the lesson of Iraq, President Bashar al-Assad said on Thursday, threatening to expel American troops from Syria and retake areas from its Kurdish allies. In the interview with RT, the Russian state's international broadcaster, Assad raised the prospect of conflict with US forces if they do not leave Syria.  He vowed to recover territory where American troops have deployed, either through negotiations with Washington's Syrian allies or by force. Assad, who is backed by Russia and Iran, appears militarily unassailable in the war that has killed an estimated half a million people, uprooted around 6 million people in the country, and driven another 5 million abroad as refugees. Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) shakes hands with his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad during their meeting in Sochi on May 17 Credit: AFP After recovering much of the rebels' onetime strongholds, Assad now controls the biggest part of Syria. But tracts remain outside his control. That includes large parts of the north and east where US special forces deployed during the fight against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil), supporting the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Assad said the government had "started now opening doors for negotiations" with the SDF, whose main component, the Kurdish YPG, has mostly avoided conflict with Damascus in the war. "This is the first option. If not, we're going to resort to ... liberating those areas by force. We don't have any other options, with the Americans or without the Americans," he said. Rojda Felat, a Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) commander, waves her group's flag at the iconic Al-Naim square in Raqqa  Credit: AFP "The Americans should leave, somehow they're going to leave. "They came to Iraq with no legal basis, and look what happened to them. They have to learn the lesson. Iraq is no exception, and Syria is no exception. People will not accept foreigners in this region anymore," he said. The US-led invasion of Iraq that toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003 was followed by an insurgency that lasted years. People walk near a portrait of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad hanging in a street in the Syrian capital Damascus  Credit: AFP US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on April 30 the United States and its allies would not want to pull troops out of Syria before diplomats win the peace. Kurdish groups, which are supported by the US, currently control around a third of the country. having taken huge swathes of territory from Isil. The Kurdish have been fighting for autonomy from the Syrian regime, hoping to create their own state in the north. Assad has said on numerous occasions that he plans to reclaim "every inch" of Syria. 




Anti-Kremlin journalist defends faking own murder

Anti-Kremlin journalist defends faking own murderRussian journalist Arkady Babchenko on Thursday defended faking his own murder with the cooperation of the Ukrainian security services, after the shock operation was criticised by fellow reporters. Kiev has come under fire after it admitted staging the killing in a bid to foil what it said was a real assassination plot by Moscow against the anti-Kremlin journalist. Babchenko made a scarcely credible reappearance at a press conference in Kiev on Wednesday, less than 24 hours after the Ukrainian authorities reported he had been shot dead at his home in a contract-style killing.




Trump: North Korea nuclear summit is back on

Trump: North Korea nuclear summit is back onPresident Trump announced the decision to meet on June 12th in Singapore after a historic and lengthy Oval Office meeting Friday with Kim Yong Chol, who is the top deputy to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.




Hawaii volcano lava burns 2 buildings at geothermal plant

Hawaii volcano lava burns 2 buildings at geothermal plantHONOLULU (AP) — Lava has burned down two buildings at a geothermal plant near Hawaii's erupting Kilauea volcano.




Samantha Bee Loses Advertisers After Comments About Ivanka Trump

Samantha Bee Loses Advertisers After Comments About Ivanka TrumpSamantha Bee used her show Wednesday night to highlight the Trump




The Latest: New Mexico wildfire threatens more homes

The Latest: New Mexico wildfire threatens more homesEAGLE NEST, N.M. (AP) — The Latest on a northern New Mexico wildfire (all times local):