The Syrian regime invites rebels in east Aleppo to a football match

On Wednesday morning  Syrians citizens received on their mobile phones two “absurd” text messages from the regime. They were addressing civilians and rebels in east Aleppo, asking them to participate to a football match on Thursday at noon, “a goodwill gesture on the road to national reconciliation.”

Text message received by Syrian citizens

“Rebels in the neighborhoods of east Aleppo, anyone who wants to attend or participate in the football match should come to Hamdaniyeh Stadium on Thursday 11/24 at 12:00 pm through the passageways announced previously”

“Rebels in the  neighborhoods of east Aleppo, the governorate of Aleppo invites you to attend and participate in a football match, as a gesture of goodwill on the way to achieving national reconciliation”

 

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Keep Calm because Raqqa is not happening anytime soon

SDF commanders announced the Raqqa operation

While the drums of war are all over the internet, we should keep calm. Raqqa, the capital of the so-called Islamic State, is not happening anytime soon. “The current battle is only to liberate the area north of Raqqa. Currently there is no preparation … to liberate Raqqa, unless as part of a campaign which will come after this campaign has finished,” says Talal Silo,  spokesman for the U.S.-backed Syria Democratic Forces (SDF) alliance to Reuters.

In other words, SDF is marching around the city, and most probably trying to cut off all the supply routes.

On Tuesday afternoon most of the media around the world announced the operation. Pictures of  YPG and YPJ preparing for the battle circulated widely. Morale was hyped up in every front. Finally the US could formally announce what the Obama administration was eager to accomplish in the war against ISIS. Many believes that the US president wants the two major ISIS cities (Raqqa and Mosul) to fall before he leaves office, and that is no easy task.

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On April 13 Syria will hold parliamentary election, but who is going to vote?

Homs has been completely destroyed
The city of Homs

While the civil war continues with no possible solution ahead, the Syrian government has scheduled parliamentary  election for April 13. I found it pretty surreal. Citizens are asked to choose 250 members of the People’s Council  from 15 multi-member constituencies but nearly half of those are not under the government control.

As we well know Raqqa is occupied by the Islamic State which recently partly lost control of Deir ez-Zor. Homs is completely destroyed, and in Aleppo the ongoing fight makes it almost impossible to vote. Latakia is also partly controlled by the Syrian Army. The Kurds who established an autonomous region, known as Rojava, will not hold the elections.

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How far from reality is the TV show Okkupert? Maybe not that much

okkupert

In a near future, Norway will elect a Green Party Prime Minister who wants to cut off all fossil fuel production, and replace it with a Thorium-based nuclear energy. When Jasper Berg announces it his plans, he couldn’t imagine the EU reaction: they have him kidnapped and forced him to sign an agreement for maximum capabilities of the oil production. To make sure Norway will honor this agreement, the EU asked Russia to operate a velvet glove invasion of the country and overlook the productivity.

From that moment on the TV show Occupied — or Okkupert — plays off an intriguing plot. The Russia and the EU representatives are bad guys, who show no remorse on misleading, cheating and try to manoeuvre the Norwegian PM on their advantage, while occupying the country. Berg tries to be positive and believes that his allies such as the US will eventually help him out. He could not be more mistaken.

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Benedetta Argentieri

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