Airstrikes in northern and eastern Syria kill 20;
 An overnight airstrike likely carried out by the United States-led coalition struck an eastern Syrian town held by the Islamic State group, killing at least 10 people and wounding dozens
  http://www.thespec.com/news-story/7249523-activists-airstrikes-in-northern-and-eastern-syria-kill-20/
 
 
  Bomb in Syria's Aleppo kills six, injures 30: state TV;
 A bomb killed six people and wounded more than 30 in Syria's second city Aleppo on Wednesday, state television reported.
  https://au.news.yahoo.com/world/a/35089924/bomb-in-syrias-aleppo-kills-six-injures-30-state-tv/#page1
 
 
 Contempt prior to investigation:
  France says it has proof Assad carried out chemical attack:
 "There is an investigation underway... it's a question of days and we will provide proof that the regime carried out these strikes," Jean-Marc Ayrault told LCP television on Wednesday.
  http://tinyurl.com/kg3dwwr
 
 
 Lap dog:
  Boris Johnson calls Assad a 'monster' who needs 'decapitating':
 Johnson also suggested that Britain could support the United States in the event of further missile strikes on Syria.
  https://www.klfm967.co.uk/news/uk-news/2271228/boris-johnson-calls-assad-a-monster-who-needs-decapitating/
 
 
  Paul slams McCain and Graham on Syria:
 The neocons were wrong about the war in Libya. They were wrong about the war in Iraq. And they are wrong about getting us further mired in the civil war in Syria.
  http://tinyurl.com/mfudnv9
 
 
  Iraq: PMUs kill 4 IS members in foiled attack north of Tikrit;
 The Popular Mobilization Units killed four IS members, including a suicide bomber, after an attempted attack on Sheikh Ali village, north of Tikrit, Salahuddin province.
  http://www.iraqinews.com/iraq-war/pmus-kill-4-members-foiled-attack-north-tikrit/
 
 
  Iraqi unit with U.S., Australian advisers hit by ISIS mustard gas:
 Six soldiers suffered breathing problems from Sunday's attack and were treated in a field clinic.
  http://www.cbsnews.com/news/iraqi-unit-with-us-australian-advisers-hit-by-isis-mustard-agent/
 
 
  US pays Peshmerga over $20 million monthly: Ministry:
 The fund covers wages for 36,000 Peshmerga troops, Jabbar Yawar, the ministry's secretary general said on Tuesday.
  http://www.iraqinews.com/iraq-war/us-sends-peshmerga-20-million-monthly-ministry/
 
 
  US kills 7 Al Qaeda "suspects" in Yemen :
 Two US drone strikes have killed at least seven suspected Al Qaeda operatives in Yemen's northeastern province of Marib, a security official said on Wednesday.
  http://www.khaleejtimes.com/region/mena/us-drone-strikes-kill-7-al-qaeda-suspects-in-yemen
 
 
  Saudi blockade paralyzing Yemen, causing catastrophe: UN expert:
 Idriss Jazairy, UN special rapporteur on the negative impacts of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights, voiced concerns about the plight of Yemenis in a statement late Wednesday,
  http://en.abna24.com/news/middle-east/saudi-blockade-paralyzing-yemen-causing-catastrophe-un-expert_823681.html
 
 
 Propaganda alert; :
  US Defense Secretary, Mad Dog Mattis slams Iran:
 US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Wednesday that Iran was playing a destabilising role in the region but its influence would be overcome to try to reach a solution to the conflict in Yemen through UN-brokered negotiations.
  http://www.arabnews.com/node/1087026/saudi-arabia
 
 
  US wants 'strong' Saudi Arabia: Mad Dog Mattis:
 The United States wants to see a strong Saudi Arabia, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said during talks Wednesday aimed at reinvigorating the Riyadh-Washington alliance.
  http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2017/Apr-19/402504-us-pentagon-chief-meets-saudi-king-with-iran-in-focus.ashx
 
 
  Emirates cuts flights to US due to Trump's travel policies:
 Emirates, the Middle East's biggest airline, announced Wednesday that it is reducing the number of flights to the United States due to a drop in demand caused by President Trump's recent travel policies.
  http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/emirates-cuts-flights-to-us-due-to-trumps-travel-policies/article/2620664
 
 
  Libya: 15 dead in local fighting says bullish Tarhouna council:
 Reports claim that those responsible were the local Kani brigade, a outwardly Islamist, family-controlled militia which now dominates the formerly pro-Qaddafi town.
  https://www.libyaherald.com/2017/04/19/15-dead-in-local-fighting-says-bullish-tarhouna-municipal-council/
 
 
  Dozens of refugees found dead in drifting dinghy off Libyan coast:
 Almost 30 migrants have been found dead in a boat drifting off the coast of Libya as the number of refugees dying in attempts to reach Europe reach record highs.
  http://tinyurl.com/lnfaqsk
 
 
  Taliban governor among 14 killed in clashes with Afghanistan security forces:
 Afghan security forces launched a large-scale attack on the insurgents the night before in the western part of the province, setting off five hours of intense fighting.
  http://tinyurl.com/mqqukb8
 
 
  Security forces deny access to site of US blast in Afghanistan;
 A spokesman for Afghan special forces said landmines and "pockets of resistance" on top of mountains had slowed down operations in the area. He did not specify if the fighters were from the IS.
  http://nation.com.pk/international/19-Apr-2017/security-forces-deny-access-to-site-of-us-blast-in-afghanistan
 
 
  Washington pushes world to brink of nuclear war;
 "Just in the past two weeks, the world witnessed the strength and resolve of our new president in actions taken in Syria and Afghanistan," Pence declared during a provocative visit to South Korea
  http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2017/04/18/pers-a18.html
 
 
 N uking The West Coast?:
 BBC News Massively Hypes North Korean 'Threat' To The United States
  http://tinyurl.com/n7yvk6n
 
 
 Trump lied again;
  North Korea: US 'armada' was not sailing to Korean peninsula:
 A defence official told the AFP news agency on Tuesday that the ships were still off the northwest coast of Australia.
  http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/04/aircraft-carrier-north-korea-170418230244018.html
 
 
  U.S. Taunted Over Carl Vinson Aircraft Carrier Lie:
 "What Mr. Trump said was very important for the national security of South Korea. If that was a lie, then during Trump's term, South Korea will not trust whatever Trump says."?
  https://www.wsj.com/articles/false-narrative-on-u-s-aircraft-carrier-elicits-jeers-in-asia-1492577625
 
 
  Burmese Nobel Prize Winner Aung San Suu Kyi Has Turned Into an Apologist for Genocide Against Muslims;
 She took a deliberate decision to try and discredit the Rohingya victims of rape.
  http://tinyurl.com/lfxeh48
 
 
  Watch; Russia boasts it can WIPE OUT entire US Navy with 'electronic bomb':
 In the clip, an SU-24 bomber plane deploys its electronic jamming equipment called Kihbiny to wipe out a US destroyer's systems, making it a sitting duck.
  http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/606530/Russia-war-Putin-missiles-electronic-bomb-US-navy-Trump-Kim-Jong-un-video
 
 
  Julian Assange Strikes Back at CIA Director and Talks Trump, Russia, and Hillary Clinton:
 "The CIA is only in the business of collecting information, kidnapping people, and assassinating people. So, it's quite a menacing statement that he does need to clarify," said Assange.
  https://theintercept.com/2017/04/19/assange-strikes-back-at-cia-and-talks-trump-russia-and-hillary-clinton/
 
 
  Theresa May wins backing from parliament for snap UK election:
 Theresa May received overwhelming backing from MPs for a snap UK election that the prime minister said would give her more room for manoeuvre in Brexit negotiations if her Conservative party wins the poll.
  https://www.ft.com/content/033bebde-24d5-11e7-a34a-538b4cb30025
 
 
  US Has Given Green Light for Coup in Venezuela: Maduro:
 Maduro said that security forces had arrested an "armed commando group sent by the opposition in order to attack the mobilization called by the right-wing for Wednesday to generate violence and deaths in the country."
  http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/US-Has-Given-Green-Light-to-Coup-in-Venezuela-Maduro-20170418-0042.html
 
 
  Immigrant arrests up 33 percent since Trump inauguration:
 Despite Trump's claim that he is targeting "criminals" among the undocumented immigrant population, the largest increase in arrests is among immigrants with no criminal record of any kind,
  http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2017/04/18/immi-a18.html
 
 
  First protected DREAMer is deported under Trump:
 Federal agents ignored President Trump's pledge to protect from deportation undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children by sending a young man back to his native Mexico,
  https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2017/04/18/first-protected-dreamer-deported-under-trump/100583274/
 
 
  People Under Arrest Have More Rights Than Travelers at the U.S. Border:
 Without cause, government officials argue they have full authority to require Americans to unlock their phones, laptops, and other digital devices; search through our apps and files; and even copy everything on them.
  https://www.aclu.org/blog/washington-markup/according-government-people-under-arrest-have-more-rights-travelers-border
 
 
  Sessions moves to freeze Barack Obama's legacy on police accountability:
 Accountability for abusive and racist police conduct is now at the whim of Sessions.
  https://thinkprogress.org/sessions-memo-consent-decrees-43f683731d13
 
 
  James Comey used Buzzfeed fake dossier to build Russia collusion case against Trump:
 It now appears that we are entering a phase where the entire Russiagate fake news is collapsing unto itself, with little fanfare and media attention
  http://theduran.com/bombshell-james-comey-used-buzzfeed-fake-dossier-to-build-case-russia-collusion-case-against-trump/
 
 
 Rotten to the core:
  Ivanka Trump won Chinese trademarks the same day she dined with China's president:
 As the first daughter crafts a political career, her brand is flourishing, despite boycotts and several stores limiting her merchandise.
  http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-ivanka-trump-brand-20170418-story.html
 
 
  Ivanka Trump becomes hot commodity in China;
 The rush to trademark Ivanka's name is linked to her rising popularity in China, particularly after her visit to the Chinese embassy in Washington over the Lunar New Year period.
  https://www.rt.com/business/378086-chinese-firms-ivanka-trademark/