Ryan Gosling’s Neil Armstrong biopic First Man will hit theaters this October, but the film’s screenwriter says audiences shouldn’t expect it to follow the usual space movie formula. Directed by Damien Chazelle, First Man will document astronaut Armstrong’s journey to the moon, specifically NASA’s efforts to prepare him. The film is based on James R. Hansen’s 2005 book First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong and will reportedly cover the years 1961 to 1969. First Man reunites Chazelle and Gosling after their previous collaboration La La Land, a 2016 romantic comedy musical that received 14 Oscar nominations, including a win for Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, Best Original Song, Best Production Design and Best Actress for Emma Stone. In 2014, Chazelle’s drama Whiplash also won three Academy Awards. Per The Boston Globe, First Man won’t be a traditional biopic, but rather an action film. Co-screenwriter Josh Singer broke the news, suggesting that Chazelle and company will focus on the “visceral” aspects, and that First Man will 100 percent be “a mission movie.” Singer also stated that five set pieces were filmed, and that Chazelle wanted to be “terrified the entire time.” According to the interview, First Man will mostly emphasize the survival aspects of its story, instead of focusing solely on the unique experience of having landed on the moon. Singer is best known for scripting the 2015 journalism docudrama Spotlight, for which he won an Oscar. More recently, he earned an Oscar nomination for co-writing Steven Spielberg’s 2017 own journalism docudrama, The Post. For First Man, Singer teamed up with Guardians of the Galaxy co-writer Nicole Perlman. Currently in post-production, First Man co-stars Claire Foy as Janet Shearon, Armstrong’s first wife. In supporting roles, she’s joined by Corey Stoll, Kyle Chandler, and Jason Clarke. Last August, The Punisher actor Jon Bernthal was cast, before American Gods’ Pablo Schreiber joined the project in October. Foy, an English actress, played Queen Elizabeth II in Netflix’s The Crown and recently starred in Steven Soderbergh’s 2018 psychological thriller Unsane. Later this year, she will portray Lisbeth Salander in The Girl in the Spider’s Web, the latest big screen adaptation of the Millennium novel series. When First Man hits theaters, the Chazelle/Gosling pairing will undoubtedly appeal to the arthouse crowd. Chazelle has further proven himself capable of developing effective tension-fueled sequences, as evidenced by Whiplash and his script work on the 2013 thriller Grand Piano. Educated at Harvard, Chazelle most definitely has an inquisitive mind, and First Man should be quite the spectacle, at least given the latest news on the production design. KEY RELEASE DATES First Man release date: Oct 12, 2018

Ian Somerhalder has locked down his next role after his hit television series The Vampire Diaries ended its run in 2017. The actor will sticking with the same genre, as he has recently signed on to star in Netflix’s upcoming vampire drama series V-Wars. The latest offering from the streaming service will be based on IDW’s comic book series of the same name written by best-selling author Jonathan Maberry. Somerhalder ended his 8 season run as resident brooding bad boy-turned good vampire Damon Salvatore on The CW’s hit series The Vampire Diaries last year when the series wrapped. Surprisingly, his role in V-Wars has Somerhalder hanging up his fangs to assume the role of the very human Dr. Luther Swann, who is introduced to the horrific world of vampires when a mysterious disease transforms his best friend, Michael Fayne, into a murderous predator who feeds on other humans. THR is reporting that the series, which already has a 10 episode order, will be produced by High Park Entertainment and distributed worldwide by IDW Entertainment (save for Canada). Stargate and Stargate Atlantis‘s Brad Turner will both direct and executive produce the pilot episode of the series, with William Laurin and Glenn Davis (Power Play, Aftermath) serving as the showrunners. Here is the official statement regarding the news from David Ozer, President, IDW Entertainment (who will also serve as one of the series’ co-executive producers): “We could not have dreamed of a better choice than Ian Somerhalder to bring his keen understanding of this genre from his years of starring in The Vampire Diaries to lead the cast of V-Wars as Dr. Luther Swann and to be a creative force on this series, as well as to serve as a director this season. We are thrilled to partner with Netflix to bring the multifaceted world that Jonathan Maberry created to audiences worldwide.” V-Wars will follow Somerhalder’s character Swann as more and more people become infected by a mysterious virus that divides society into monsters and humans. Swann is desperate to find out what is happening and why, while his friend Fayne becomes the leader of the vampire underground. It seems the perfect role for Somerhalder, who knows exactly what it takes to make a series about blood sucking monsters successful, thanks to his experience playing a vampire on television for 8 seasons. Viewers will probably appreciate that the actor wasn’t type cast as vampire character, instead allowing him to play a bit against type. Die hard fans may be upset however, given how talented he was with his portrayal of Salvatore. Judging from Ozer’s statement above, it also looks like Somerhalder will be wearing a director hat on V-Wars in addition to starring. The 39 year old actor directed three episodes of The Vampire Diaries during its seventh and eight seasons, so it will definitely be interesting to see how he brings both his acting chops and directing skills to his latest series. Netlix’s original programming has consistently earned itself an audience amongst subscribers, and there’s no doubt that its latest offering will appeal not only to Somerhalder and Vampire Diaries fans, but to fans of binge-watching in general.

Lucasfilm may be holding the next Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim during fall 2019. As the name suggests, the convention is full of festivities commemorating the ever-popular galaxy far, far away, with numerous panels dedicated to all corners of the franchise. Last year’s Celebration was a particularly memorable occasion, with a 40th anniversary retrospective, a touching tribute to the late Carrie Fisher, and the first trailer for The Last Jedi among the many highlights of the weekend. There won’t be a Star Wars Celebration in 2018, but it was announced last spring it will return in 2019. At the time, the dates and place of the event were unknown, but the latest reports suggest Celebration is heading back to sunny California in the latter stages of next year. Star Wars News Net has heard from one of their sources that Star Wars Celebration will be held in Anaheim next fall. A specific timeframe is not in place yet, though this could be an indicator an official statement is going to be made in the near future. Conventions like Celebration take a considerable amount of time to put together, so Lucasfilm will want to iron out all the details soon. This would be the first time since 2015 Star Wars Celebration is set in Anaheim. Screen Rant has reached out to Disney for comment and will update accordingly. If true, this would mark something of a shift from Lucasfilm’s established marketing patterns. For the first two episodes of the sequel trilogy (released in 2015 and 2017), Celebration took place in the spring, acting as a launching pad for the films’ respective promotional campaigns. Final trailers for both Force Awakens and Last Jedi came out in the fall, but as part of ESPN’s Monday Night Football broadcasts. Should Celebration 2019 be a fall event, the studio would likely have to mix things up a bit. Undoubtedly, Episode IX would be the centerpiece of the convention, and Lucasfilm would want to bring the house down with an explosive preview of the saga’s grand finale. A Star Wars 9 teaser could still release next spring, it just wouldn’t be in conjunction with a major event. San Diego Comic-Con and D23 are in the summer. SWNN speculates the site of Anaheim is related to the fact the Galaxy’s Edge expansion at Disneyland is set to open prior to the one in Disney World. There are few things the Mouse House loves more than corporate synergy, so this could be part of a massive master plan to generate as much enthusiasm as possible about the new theme park. It’ll be interesting to see how it all shakes out, but this is certainly plausible, so fans should begin making early preparations. KEY RELEASE DATES Solo: A Star Wars Story release date: May 25, 2018 Star Wars 9 / Star Wars: Episode IX release date: Dec 20, 2019

Jason Clarke is circling Pet Sematary, the new movie adaptation of Stephen King’s horror novel. 2017 saw several fresh adaptations of King’s work hit the big and small screen alike. There were naturally misses along the way, with Sony’s The Dark Tower movie and Spike’s The Mist TV show being the best examples. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the IT adaptation was both a recording breaking box office smash and critical darling. Netflix films Gerald’s Game and 1922 (both based on King’s literature) were similarly popular with critics and viewers. King’s resurgence in popularity further helped to finally get Paramount’s slow-developing Pet Sematary remake off the ground last year. Kevin Kolsch and Dennis Widmyer (Starry Eyes) are now directing the film and will begin production soon, in order to make a scheduled Spring 2019 release date. Casting for the movie is getting properly underway too, with Clarke being the first actor reported as being in negotiations to join the project. THR is reporting that Clarke is in talks to star in Pet Sematary as the movie’s protagonist, Dr. Louis Creed. King’s story follows Creed and his family as they move from Chicago to the outskirts of a small town in Maine, for Louis’ new job. However, the Creeds are unaware that the pet cemetery near their new home is cursed and rests on an ancient burial ground. When tragedy strikes the family, they then find out just how dangerous the cemetery (which is identified by a sign misspelled “sematary”) next door really is. Clark is no stranger to the horror genre, and only starred in the true story-inspired haunted house film Winchester earlier this year. He’s further earned top marks from critics for his performances in several films, ranging from Zero Dark Thirty to The Great Gatsby, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Mudbound, and this month’s Ted Kennedy drama Chappaquiddick. (Yes, we’re ignoring Terminator: Genisys.) Clarke is also a rather prolific character actor and is slated to appear in three more films (including Damien Chazelle’s space drama First Man) before 2018 draws to a close. Pet Sematary was previously adapted for the big screen in 1989. The film was mostly dismissed by critics as a schlocky and uninventive horror/thriller, but has gained semi-cult status in the decades since then. King’s original story has all the ingredients necessary to make for a chilling modern re-telling, and it remains one of his better known minor works even today (see the Pet Sematary reference in last year’s Justice League, for case in point). Clarke’s casting, if nothing else, is a step in the right direction for the movie remake. KEY RELEASE DATES Pet Sematary release date: Apr 19, 2019

Thanks to a brand-new Deadpool 2 ticket sales teaser, we finally know which mutant character from the comics Julian Dennison is playing. When Hunt for the Wilderpeople star Julian Dennison joined Deadpool 2, there was hardly any doubt that the young New Zealander was added to the film for his comedy chops. However, the two Deadpool 2 trailers so far have revealed “The Kid” plays an even bigger role in the plot, with Cable journeying from the future just to apprehend him (forcing Deadpool to create X-Force in response). There’s been a lot of speculation over who exactly this child is. Some have thought it to be some variation on Hope Summers, with Dennison essentially Cable’s MacGuffin. Another popular theory, bolstered by his pyrokinetic abilities, is that he’s Kid Apocalypse, who has alternative ties to Nathan Summers. However, it appears both of these were off. A new teaser for Deadpool 2 advertising that tickets for the movie are on sale features mostly old footage, but one moment in particular involves Wade referring to Dennison’s character as “Russell.” No more new information is provided, but that may be enough to crack the mystery; assuming he’s pulled from the comics (and most of the characters we’ve seen from the film so far are), the Russell in question almost certainly seems to be Russell Collins aka Firefist, a fire-generating mutant from the late ’80s and early ’90s who seems the perfect fit for the film. Russell “Rusty” Jones was created by Bob Layton and Jackson Guice for 1986’s X-Factor #1. Known as Firefist, the character has hopped around to different teams including New Mutants, Acolytes, and the Mutant Liberation Front. Like Dennison’s character in the footage we’ve seen so far, he can create and manipulate fire. Between the powers, the name, and the era which the character hails from, it seems safe to assume Russell Collins is “The Kid” in question. Collins died in 1995’s X-Men #42, making him firmly a product of the late ’80s and early ’90s in Marvel Comics. That lines him up with Deadpool 2‘s mutant team, which features a lineup of characters mostly forgotten in modern comics outside of Domino. Like the use (and alteration) of Negasonic Teenage Warhead in Deadpool, the sequel is digging deep to pull out a roster of relative unknowns that Fox has no plans of sticking in other films. Thanks to that, the characters can be tweaked, killed off, or just plain made fun of without any ramifications to the larger X-Men universe. We’ll have to wait just a few more weeks to learn the truth of Dennison’s character, but even if he is playing Collins we can expect some changes. The young character is unlikely to have his Navy background from the source material and him joining a variety of different teams is probably out of the question. Luckily, there probably aren’t too many hardcore Firefist fans who will be upset with the changes made to the character in Deadpool 2. KEY RELEASE DATES Untitled Deadpool Sequel/Deadpool 2 release date: May 18, 2018 X-Men: Dark Phoenix release date: Feb 14, 2019 New Mutants release date: Aug 2, 2019 Gambit release date: Jun 7, 2019

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Dave Bautista, who plays Drax the Destroyer in the Guardians of the Galaxy films and Avengers: Infinity War, is teaming up with Marvel Strike Force to raise money for Frankie’s Friends, an animal charity. The initiative is designed to save the lives of pets with life-threatening medical conditions. Developed by FoxNext Games, Marvel Strike Force is a free-to-play, squad-based mobile game that features over 60 Marvel heroes and villains, including the Avengers, the Guardians of the Galaxy, Spider-Man, Wolverine, Doctor Strange, Black Panther, and more. The game, which launched at the end of March, allows players to assemble a customized team of five characters to battle it out in turn-based combat. Bautista voiced Drax in a trailer for the game. The game focuses on strategy, forcing players to be careful about which heroes they add to their team. Strike Force joins a growing list of mobile games based on Marvel Comics, which already includes Future Fight, Contest of Champions, and Avengers Academy. FoxNext Games has announced that they’re partnering with Dave Bautista for their True Heroes campaign. Bautista has chosen to promote Frankie’s Friends, an animal charity dedicated to helping pets with cancer and other life-threatening conditions. In a new video, Bautista says he likes playing Drax the Destroyer because the character is a “big, scary, imposing person” with the “biggest heart“. The actor says his favorite team-up in Marvel Strike Force is Spider-Man and Gamora. Bautista goes on to talk about Frankie’s Friends, which helped to save the lives of over 2,600 pets in 2017. Bautista asks viewers to share the video, as Marvel Strike Force will donate up to $50,000 to Frankie’s Friends, depending on how many people see the video. For every 100,00 views the video receives in a month, Marvel Strike Force will donate $5,000 to the charity. Frankie’s Friends provide grants to help families pay for emergency and specialty care for their pets. Their goal is to give aid to pet-owners who don’t have the money to pay for expensive treatments. The treatments they will help cover apply to animals who would have a positive prognosis of returning to a good quality of life. Frankie’s Friends also provides funding to help certified working dogs, as well as sick and injured wildlife. In addition, the organization believes in the importance of educating pet-owners on the impact of advanced medicine.

Red Bull Racing had a pretty good weekend – its driver Daniel Ricciardo was minutes away from missing the qualification, but his mechanics came through and the Honey badger took home a win. Great time to launch the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ Red Bull Ring limited edition. The bundle includes a branded box and a special Red Bull Ring case (named after the Austrian Grand Prix track). The limited edition phones are available on Vodafone Netherlands starting today and lasting until April 27 (next Friday). The Galaxy S9+ will cost you €30.69 down and €55 a month for 6 GB of data and unlimited calling and texting. With the same plan, the Galaxy S9 is €54.69 down and €48 a month. By the way, it’s not just any case - it has an NFC chip that triggers a change in theme – as soon as you put it on, the Galaxy S9 will switch to a Red Bull theme featuring beautiful shots of its F1 cars. The phones are also pre-loaded with info for each track. You'll also get to enjoy free clips from the Ziggo Sport Formula 1 Cafe and exclusive race images. The Dutch Vodafone seems to be the only one offering these limited edition S9 phones, which stings a little considering Max Verstappen, Red Bull’s Dutch driver, is not having the best start to his 2018 season.

If you need a 60-second introduction to the Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium then this video is just what you’re looking for. It starts with the Motion Eye Dual camera and how could it not when this is Sony’s first foray into double-cam shooting. It places special focus on the low-light capabilities of the camera – it can push its ISO up to 51,200 for photos and up to 12,800 for videos. Of course, the new 12 MP black & white camera with a bright f/1.6 aperture helps too. The camera can shoot 4K HDR videos which you can then watch on the 4K HDR screen – not many of those around. But you came here for a quick introduction, so without further ado, here’s the video:

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As rumors of Bethesda’s E3 offerings continue to circle, it looks like the long-awaited Starfield could be coming this fall. The gaming studio will once again be a big part of E3, and with a couple of months to go before the expo, the internet is awash with rumors and teases of potential announcements. Gaming fans are already pumped for Bethesda’s potential Doom 2 announcement, but there’s no denying that Starfield would be a noteworthy announcement in its own right. Dubbed Fallout in space, the gaming world seems to have forgotten about Starfield until now. When a post by ResetEra user AAMARMO suggested that the title could be a mobile game, it was quickly rebuffed by fan Potterson’s claims that not only will Starfield follow in the footsteps of the Fallout games, but that it is coming to E3. Such wild claims could lead to Potterson being banned from the forum; however, administrators have issued the following statement: “At this time administrators cannot verify the contents of the quoted post made by Potterson in this thread are accurate. However, the user has shared information with us that suggests they could be in a position to know the information they claim in the post. As always, ResetEra members take full responsibility for what they post.” An open world first-person shooter in the same vein as the ever-popular Fallout series, Starfield is thought to exist in the same universe as radroaches and Pip-Boy, but takes the premise up into the cosmos. For the first time ever, the series could move away from the apocalyptic wasteland of the Commonwealth or New Vegas and head even further into the future. Given Fallout‘s already dystopian tone, it would be amazing to see where Bethesda’s imagination could go in space. Starfield has reportedly been in development since Fallout 3‘s release in 2008 and was reported to be a big reveal of E3 2017. Now, could it be second time lucky for the space-faring RPG? Bethesda has developed a habit of announcing games just months before they hit the shelves, so E3 could be the perfect time for Starfield to unveil itself. However, with Starfield trademarks having existed for a number of years now, who is to say that the latest round of rumors are anything to take note of? Fallout has already made a name for itself in the sci-fi genre, but just imagine a world where psychotic robots roam around the cavernous halls of a space station and take on the remnants of human life. The studio is clearly working on something big for E3, but it’s best to take everything with a very large grain of salt for the time being. If Starfield really is coming though, prepare to look to the stars for something new, especially if the game makes its debut at E3.

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No Man’s Sky for Xbox One may have a definite release date, if this Amazon Italy listing is to be believed. While No Man’s Sky was already expecting an Xbox One launch, the only release window offered was Summer 2018. Now the actual release date may have slipped out thanks to this Amazon Italy page that decided to jump the gun. As spotted and reported by IGN, Amazon Italy claims No Man’s Sky will launch for Xbox One on June 29, 2018. Since the date is more specific than the first day of Summer, June 21, there’s a good chance it’s authentic. The Xbox One version of No Man’s Sky will collect all previously-released content from the PC and PS4 editions on disc. It will also include support for 4K resolutions and HDR.

Last year the Rhode Island-based company Hanna Instruments accused Microsoft and the Software Alliance of trying to extort money via baseless piracy claims. In their reply, the two organizations deny these allegations, showing that Hanna's own evidence reveals that it used unlicensed product keys. For many years, Microsoft and the Software Alliance (BSA) have carried out piracy investigations into organizations large and small. Companies accused of using Microsoft software without permission usually get a letter asking them to pay up, or face legal consequences. This also happened to Hanna Instruments, a Rhode Island-based company that sells analytical instruments. Last year, the company was accused of using Microsoft Office products without a proper license. In a letter, BSA’s lawyers informed Hanna that it would face up to $4,950,000 in damages if the case went to court. Instead, however, they offered to settle the matter for $72,074. Adding some extra pressure, BSA also warned that Microsoft could get a court order that would allow U.S. marshals to raid the company’s premises. Where most of these cases are resolved behind closed doors, this one escalated. After being repeatedly contacted by BSA’s lawyers, Hanna decided to take the matter to court, claiming that Microsoft and BSA were trying to ‘extort’ money on ‘baseless’ accusations. “BSA, Microsoft, and their counsel have, without supplying one scintilla of evidence, issued a series of letters for the sole purpose of extorting inflated monetary damages,” the company informed the court. Late last week Microsoft and BSA replied to the complaint. While the two companies admit that they reached out to Hanna and offered a settlement, they deny several other allegations, including the extortion claims. Instead, the companies submit a counterclaim, backing up their copyright infringement accusations and demanding damages. “Hanna has engaged and continues to engage in the unauthorized installation, reproduction, and distribution and other unlawful use of Microsoft Software on computers on its premises and has used unlicensed copies of Microsoft Software to conduct its business,” they write. According to Microsoft and BSA, the Rhode Island company still uses unauthorized product keys to activate and install unlicensed Microsoft software. Turning Hanna’s own evidence against itself, they argue that two product keys were part of a batch of an educational program in China — not for commercial use in the United States. Microsoft / BSA counterclaim https://torrentfreak.com/images/microreply.png Another key could be traced back to what appears to be a counterfeit store which Microsoft has since shut down. “The materials provided by Hanna also indicate that it purchased at least one copy of Microsoft Software from BuyCheapSoftware.com, a now-defunct website that was sued by Microsoft for selling stolen, abused, and otherwise unauthorized decoupled product keys,” Microsoft and BSA write. According to Hanna, BSA previously failed to provide evidence to prove that the company was using unlicensed keys. However, the counterclaim suggests that the initial accusations had merit. Whether BSA’s tactic of bringing up millions of dollars in damages and a possible raid by the U.S. Marshalls is the best strategy to resolve such a matter is up for debate of course. It could very well be that Hanna was duped into buying counterfeit software, without knowing it. Perhaps this will come out as the case progresses. That said, it could also help if both sides simply have a good conversation to see if they can make peace, without threats. — Microsoft and BSA’s reply and counterclaim is available here (pdf). Source: Torrentfreak.com

Moscow has ‘irrefutable’ evidence chem attack in Syria’s Douma was staged – Russia’s envoy to OPCW Moscow has “irrefutable proof” that the alleged chemical incident in Syria’s Douma was a “false-flag attack,” orchestrated by UK security services with support from the United States, the Russian envoy to the OPCW said. “We have not just a ‘high level of confidence,’ as our Western partners uniformly put it; we have irrefutable proof that there was no chemical attack in Douma on April 7,” Russia’s Ambassador to the Organization for the Prohibition of the Chemical Weapons Aleksandr Shulgin said at a special meeting of the UN chemical watchdog’s executive council. The diplomat added that the incident had been a “pre-planned false-flag attack by the British security services, which could have also been aided by their allies in Washington.” “Things unfolded according to the pre-written scenario prepared by Washington. There’s no doubt, the Americans play ‘first fiddle’ in all of this,” Shulgin said, adding that “attack” was staged by “pseudo-humanitarian NGOs,” which are under the patronage of the Syrian government’s foreign adversaries. Russian radiological, chemical and biological-warfare units carefully examined the scene of the alleged attack mentioned in the NGOs’ reports immediately after the liberation of Douma from the militant groups, Shulgin said. He then drew attention to the fact that the Russian military specialists found “not a single piece of evidence” substantiating the claims about the alleged chemical attack. Instead, they found local witnesses who said that the video allegedly showing the aftermath of the perceived attack was in fact staged. The timing of the attack was also bewildering, the Russian diplomat said, adding that the Syrian government had absolutely no reason to gas its own citizens when the city was already almost liberated from the militants. Under such circumstances, the accusations against Damascus look “absurd,” he said. “The senselessness of these claims is striking,” Shulgin added, referring to the statements of Western leaders. The US and its allies are not interested in a real investigation into the alleged Douma attack, the Russian envoy to the OPCW said. Washington, London and Paris immediately pinned the blame for the incident on Damascus, and launched strikes against Syrian military and civilian facilities without waiting for the OPCW team even to start its investigation on the ground. Shulgin extended his gratitude to the OPCW investigators for their work in Douma and called on the organization’s executive council to adopt a document supporting their efforts. He also denounced the actions of the US, the UK and France as “military aggression,” adding that “this crime can be by no means justified.” Washington, London and Paris “are playing the hypocrite as they pretend to be the defenders of the international law. In fact, however, no one except for their allies… has any doubts that the major threat to the world comes from these ‘leaders’ of the Western [political] camp,” Shulgin said. Washington and its allies launched a missile strike targeting Syrian military and civilian facilities on Saturday, in retaliation for the alleged “chemical attack” in Douma. Russia denounced the strikes, calling them "hooliganism" in international relations and “an aggression against a sovereign state.” Meanwhile, the OPCW investigators are expected to start their work in Douma on Monday. They met with Syrian officials on Sunday to discuss the details of their work. Damascus says it hopes that the experts will “stay neutral and not yield to pressure.” The OPCW team plans to finish its work on Wednesday and present its preliminary report to the UN before its departure from Damascus, local media report.

Use of the term ‘false flag’ is often met with raised eyebrows and accusations of conspiracism. But false flags are a very real and very present feature of geopolitics — and denying that is simply denying reality. Last week, the United States, along with the United Kingdom and France, bombed Syrian government targets, ostensibly in retaliation for an alleged chemical attack which was carried out one week before in the city of Douma. The story we’re told is simple: Syrian President Bashar Assad is an evil maniac who uses poison gas on his citizens for the sheer entertainment value. As neocon think tank the Atlantic Council put it last week, when Assad gasses people, he is simply “indulging an addiction” — an addiction which he seems to have only recently acquired, given the fact that before Syria’s war began, American journalists were busy praising the “educated” and “informed” Assad and marveling at the “phenomenal” levels of peace and religious diversity within Syria. Anyway, so intense is Assad’s newfound desire for watching Syrian babies foaming at the mouth, that he is willing to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory by deciding to use these weapons despite knowing it would provoke worldwide outrage and potentially a major US military effort to oust him. So, that’s the story. Assad is a monster and the world must unite to stop him. There are plenty of people who are less than convinced by this narrative, however. One of them is Peter Ford, the former British ambassador to Syria. Ford told BBC Radio Scotland that “in all probability” the alleged chemical attack never happened and that the video and image evidence used as proof by the US and its allies was falsified. There are others who believe that the attack could have been real, but that the perpetrators were anti-Assad rebels trying to provoke fresh military action from the US — in other words, it was very possibly a false flag event which served its purpose perfectly. One of the best questions to ask when something like this happens, is: Who benefits? Very clearly in this case, Assad has not benefited at all, but the rebel groups fighting against him have. Whatever the truth about this alleged chemical attack, the notion of false flag events being used to prompt military action should not be met with such skepticism. The US has a long history of using lies (or ‘fake news’ you might call it) as a pretext for war. It is important to look at recent events in Syria within that context. Nayirah testimony Perhaps the most famous of all examples was the heart-wrenching testimony to Congress of a 15-year-old Kuwaiti girl, identified only as Nayirah, which was used to sell the first Gulf War to the American people in October 1990. An emotional Nayirah told the Congressional Human Rights Caucus that she had witnessed Iraqi soldiers taking babies out of incubators and leaving them on the floor to die. What Americans did not know, was that Nayirah was the daughter of the Kuwaiti ambassador to the US and she had been coached by the American PR firm Hill and Knowlton. But before the details of the stunt and false testimony became widely known, it had already been used to sell America’s war against Iraq in 1991. Operation Northwoods In the 1960s, American military leaders devised plans to bomb US cities and blame Cuban leader Fidel Castro in order to manufacture public and international support for a war. The plan was codenamed Operation Northwoods and what it advocated was nothing short of horrendous. The American military suggested sinking boatloads of Cuban refugees, hijacking planes and bombing Miami. The goal was to convince Americans that Castro had unleashed a reign of terror upon them. The top brass were even willing to cause US military casualties by blowing up an American boat in Guantanamo Bay and blaming Cuba. Why? Because, as they put it, “casualty lists in US newspapers would cause a helpful wave of national indignation” and help manufacture support for war. The plans were quashed by President John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated one year later, leading some to speculate on a link between those events. Gulf of Tonkin Top US officials also distorted the facts in the lead-up to the Vietnam War and the media dutifully reported the official narrative as absolute fact, helping launch perhaps the most disastrous war in America’s history. On August 2, 1964, North Vietnamese torpedo boats attack the USS ‘Maddox’ while it was on “routine patrol” in international waters in the Gulf of Tonkin. Two days later, the US Navy reported a second “unprovoked” attack on the ‘Maddox’ and the USS ‘Turner Joy’ — a second destroyer which had been sent in after the first attack. President Lyndon B. Johnson told the American people on TV that “repeated acts of violence” against the US ships must be met with a strong response. Soon after Johnson appeared on TV, Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which pre-approved any military action that he would take from that moment on. The only problem was, there was no second attack on the US ships at all — and the allegation that the first attack had been “unprovoked” was also a lie. In reality, the USS ‘Maddox’ had been gathering intelligence and providing it to South Vietnamese boats which were attacking North Vietnam. As for the second attack, the US boats had misinterpreted radio signals and radar images and spent two hours firing at nothing. Nonetheless, the “attack” was used to convince the American people to support war. Soviet aircraft false flags Recently declassified documents show yet more American false flag plotting, this time against the Soviet Union. A three-page memo, written by members of the National Security Council, suggested that the US government should acquire Soviet aircraft which would be used to stage attacks and provide the pretext for war. Such aircraft, the memo said, “could be used in a deception operation designed to confuse enemy planes in the air, to launch a surprise attack against enemy installations or in a provocation operation in which Soviet aircraft would appear to attack US or friendly installations to provide an excuse for US intervention." The government even considered producing the soviet planes domestically in a massive covert operation. They went so far as to acquire estimates from the Air Force on the cost and length of time such an operation would take. This is by no means an exhaustive list. Is there even any need to rehash the lies which were told in the lead-up to the Iraq war? The media here again swallowed the government’s lies, one by one — and 15 years later, the region is still suffering the consequences and very few lessons appear to have been learned. These are not conspiracy theories. They are cold, hard evidence that the US has no qualms whatsoever about using false flag events and fake evidence to provide pretext for military action. Continued lack of critical inquiry from the media, given the severe potential consequences of escalating the conflict in Syria, is tantamount to a crime.

The European Union failed to agree new sanctions against Iran on Monday amid fears that punishing Tehran for its missile program and regional role would not stop US President Donald Trump from abandoning a separate nuclear deal. The ministers hoped holding Iran accountable for this could help convince Trump not to walk away from the nuclear agreement. However, they ran into opposition from Italy, backed by Austria. After EU foreign ministers’ discussions in Luxembourg, some diplomats said the outcome meant the EU might not make Trump’s May 12 deadline to “fix” the 2015 nuclear accord, Reuters reported. The EU is eager to safeguard the pact.