Syria is resisting efforts by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to identify the perpetrators of chemical attacks and has refused a visa for the head of its investigative team, al-bab has learned.
The Syrian deputy foreign minister, Faisal Mekdad, has...
Blog archive: All
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25th May 2019
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25th May 2019New details have emerged regarding claims that investigators from the Organisation for Prevention of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) “suppressed evidence” in their report of an alleged chemical attack in Syria. In March, after a lengthy investigation, the OPCW’s Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) issued a...
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23rd May 2019The United States is threatening a "strong, swift response" to what it describes as "signs that the Assad regime may be renewing its use of chemical weapons" against rebels in north-west Syria. Last Friday, Jonathan Cohen, the acting US representative at the United Nations, warned...
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21st May 2019Claims that international investigators "suppressed" evidence relating to chemical weapons in Syria have been circulating on social media during the past week. The renewed controversy revolves around two conflicting documents, both emanating from the Organisation for...
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16th May 2019A leaked document which contradicts key findings of an official investigation into chemical weapons in Syria has surfaced on the internet. Described as an "engineering assessment" and marked "draft for internal review", it appears to have been written by an employee of the Organisation for...
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13th May 2019Yemen's Houthi rebels began pulling back their forces from three key ports at the weekend in what the UN hopes will start a gradual de-escalation of the conflict and improve the flow of humanitarian aid. However, the ousted Yemeni government – which is backed by a Saudi-led military coalition...
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11th May 2019For the twelfth consecutive Friday, protesters took to the streets in Algeria yesterday, continuing their battle to dismantle Le Pouvoir – the corrupt network of political, military and business elites that has ruled the country for decades. Tens of thousands demonstrated in Oran, Tizi Ouzou...
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10th May 2019"Labour Friends of Palestine" is a Twitter account that purports to be connected with the British Labour party. Its choice of name seems intended to cause confusion with Labour Friends of Palestine & the Middle East, a genuine organisation which is recognised and supported by more than 100...
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9th May 2019More than five years after Assad regime said it was renouncing chemical weapons, international inspectors are still unable to verify that it has really done so. Syria joined the Chemical Weapons Convention under international pressure in 2013 following a nerve agent attack in Ghouta that killed...
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8th May 2019A mysterious organisation that calls itself "Labour Friends of Palestine" has started posting tweets in support of Nigel Farage and his Brexit party. It posted two of them on Monday – one from the Brexit party saying "Another fantastic rally in Chester!" ... ... and one from Farage himself...
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7th May 2019If you've seen the Monty Python film where the Judean People's Front were enemies of the People's Front of Judea, this story will sound a bit familiar. Here in Britain we have "Labour Friends of Palestine" and "Labour Friends of Palestine & the Middle East". The latter group – LFPME for...
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1st May 2019The annual Arab Youth Survey is potentially a valuable source of information about the attitudes of Arabs in the 18-24 age range. Unfortunately, though, its usefulness is marred by a flaw in the methodology which means views from the smaller Arab countries – mainly in the Gulf –...