War

The mainstream media is busy ushering the entire nation back into the Cold War, blithely discussing nuclear weapons and launch codes like it’s about to be 1957 instead of 2017. By Melissa Dykes MSNBC host Chris Hayes kicked the fear porn up a notch recently, saying, “Trump’s comments about nuclear weapons have experts worried he could literally inadvertently trigger a catastrophe.” “Literally”? His guest, Esquire writer Charlie Pierce, went on to say: We have what, I think the total is 7100, individual nuclear war heads. I don’t even want to know what the destructive capabilities there.

Two days ago, Turkey's outspoken president Erdogan, now grudgingly pivoting into the Russian sphere of influence and away from NATO, accused the US of supporting and arming ISIS and said he has "confirmed evidence" to back up his claim: "They give support to terrorist groups including ISIS" Erdogan said during a speech in Ankara on Tuesday, adding that US coalition forces "give support to terrorist groups including Daesh, YPG, PYD. It's very clear. We have confirmed evidence, with pictures, photos and videos."

Yesterday we reported that, in what was the latest "PR fiasco" for the outgoing Obama administration, Turkey and Russia sat down, and appeared on the edge of hammering out a ceasefire plan for Syria between the two nations - something which the UN has been unable to achieve for years - in a deal which would not include the United States and be distinct from separate intermittent U.N.-brokered negotiations, which have so far failed to end the fighting in the proxy Syria war.

Some 54,000 people were told to evacuate their homes in a southern German city on Christmas Day so that authorities could disarm an unexploded 1.8 tonne aerial bomb dropped by the British during World War 2. The bomb which was found last week during construction work on an underground car park in the city of Augsburg forced the biggest single evacuation for an unexploded Allied bomb in post-war Germany.

The Syrian capital Damascus has been without water for five days. Authorities have accused “terrorist groups” of deliberately poisoning water resources and the government cut off water to Damascus on Friday after concerns that rebel groups west of the city had poisoned wells and pipes. While media in the West has blamed the Syrian government for disrupting the water supply, there is evidence that rebels are behind the crisis, with renewed video threats. RT’s Lizzie Phelan reports. Damascus continues to be considered the safest place in Syria.