Lead story

Russia and Syria pound terrorists

by our Arab Affairs correspondent

RUSSIAN and Syrian jets are pounding the terrorists in Aleppo and throughout the country following the collapse of the ceasefire that ended after US war-planes launched a deadly attack on Syrian Arab Army positions in the besieged town of Deir ez Zor last weekend. Islamic State (ISIS) fire has downed a Syrian war-plane north of Damascus but the pilot was rescued. And an alleged humanitarian aid convoy was destroyed in an attack that the rebels blame on the Russians but the Kremlin says they did it themselves.

The ceasefire lasted barely a week. In fact the Syrian army was the only force that observed the truce brokered by Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov and his American counter-part, John Kerry, after marathon talks in Geneva. After hundreds of ceasefire breaches the Syrian Government formally declared that the truce was over, ordering its troops to resume the offensive against the rebel-held enclave in Aleppo and driving the terror gangs out of villages that they had seized during the lull.

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Russia and Syria pound terrorists

Thousands march for refugees

by New Worker correspondent

AN ESTIMATED 10,000 people gathered in Park Lane, London on Saturday for a march and rally to demand that Theresa May and her government fulfil their obligations under international law to admit more refugees to Britain to help to alleviate the growing world refugee crisis.

The march, organised by Solidarity with Refugees, Amnesty International, the Stop the War Coalition and a number of charities was one of many around the world aiming to put pressure on the United Nations (UN) summit for refugees and migrants, which began in New York on Monday and was hosted by US President Barack Obama. Theresa May has attended this summit.

Currently there are 65 million displaced people and another 20 million in danger, the highest number since the end of the Second World War.

Marchers carried banners and placards from many diverse organisations, parties and community groups. Prominent slogans were: “No-one is illegal”, “Stop the drowning”, “Choose love” and “Be human”.

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Thousands march for refugees

Editorial

Playing with Fire in Syria

THE AMERICAN attack on Syrian army positions, mistaken or otherwise, has effectively put an end to the ceasefire so labouriously agreed with the Russians the week before. US imperialism quickly moved to implicate Britain and its other NATO allies in its murderous attack. The British, Australian and Danish governments immediately complied with the American scenario even though the Russians and Syrians say that the raid was carried out by US war-planes alone.

Whether it was a genuine error or a deliberate attempt by the war party within the ruling circles of US imperialism to sabotage the Russian-American agreement remains to be seen. The US airforce is certainly notoriously prone to launching “friendly fire” attacks on allies or third parties. But their mealy-mouthed apology has failed to convince many Russians, let alone the Syrian government, which formally ended the truce the following day.

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Playing with Fire in Syria

Bye Bye Cameron

NO ONE is going to shed a tear, least of all from our ranks, at the departure of former premier David Cameron from the political stage.

Cameron may not have flaunted his wealth in office but he certainly flaunted his privileged background. At university Cameron was a member of an exclusive club of parasites known for drunken binges and the trashing of restaurants, not to mention allegations of strange initiation ceremonies involving pigs. Some would, perhaps, draw a veil over such youthful indiscretions. This Eton and Oxford man wore his membership of the Bullingdon Club as a badge of honour.

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Bye Bye Cameron