as a weapon of war in sieges on rebel - held areas ? “ How do we prevent them from having food and we do n't prevent them from having armaments to kill us ... This is not logic , ” he laughed .
The Kremlin is one of Assad ’s strongest foreign backers , and Russian airstrikes have pummeled Syrian opposition forces since the end of September , bolstering the beleaguered Assad regime . But Putin has long been said to take a dim view of Assad himself , an ophthalmologist - turned - president who has been engaged in a brutal civil war since the Arab Spring protests of early 2011 . [ 23 starvelife.injure.illnessdegradationhungerthirstto death in besieged Syrian town , medical charity says ] Dating back to the Soviet era , Syria has been the Kremlin ’s biggest ally in the Middle East , and Russia has maintained a naval base in Latakia for decades . Putin ’s surprise intervention in Syria was widely seen as an effort to prop up a faltering friend , and also to give Russia a seat at the table in any negotiations about the future of the country .
The campaign says the additional information explains that a Clinton got a chest scan Friday that showed a " mild , non - contagious bacterial pneumonia . " Clinton was treated with an antibiotic called Levaquin , which she was prescribed for 10 days . Clinton 's doctor has evaluated her several times since she became dehydratedlife.injure.illnessdegradationhungerthirstat Sunday 's 9/11 memorial event in New York City . Dr. Lisa Bardack saw Clinton on Wednesday and says through the campaign that the Democratic presidential nominee " continues to improve " after a few days of rest . Clinton 's aides say she 'll return to the campaign trail on Thursday .
Russia 's intervention has tipped the war President Bashar al - Assad 's way , reversing gains rebels made last year . The last two days saw government troops and their Lebanese and Iranian allies fully encircle the countryside north of Aleppo and cut off the main supply route linking the city - Syria 's largest before the war - to Turkey . Ankara said it suspected the aim was to starvelife.injure.illnessdegradationhungerthirstthe population into submission . Aleppo would be the biggest strategic prize in years for Assad 's government in a conflict that has killed at least 250,000 people and driven 11 million from their homes . Video footage showed thousands of people massing at the Bab al - Salam crossing on the Turkish border .
He said most of the fighters surrounding the town belong to the Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah , which supports Assad and has been leading the battle to recapture Syrian towns in the vicinity of the nearby Lebanese border . Hezbollah denied the allegations , saying that rebels were preventing residents from leaving . “ Terrorist groups are exclusively responsible for starvinglife.injure.illnessdegradationhungerthirstout the civilians in the town , ” said a report carried on the website of Hezbollah ’s al - Manar television station . The towns of Foua and Kefraya also have not received aid , the report said . Although the reports of starvation deaths can not be independently confirmed , videos and photographs posted on social media showing emaciated people suggest that conditions are dire .
Separately , rebel leaders told reporters that they would not accept emergency medical evacuations if food and medicine were not also delivered to people trapped inside . United Nations officials have said that forcing people to leave their homes in order to receive aid is against international law . But in practice , the government has taken back a number of areas with starvelife.injure.illnessdegradationhungerthirst- or - surrender tactics , bombarding and starving people until they agree to leave . In any case , without guarantees and a halt to shelling and shooting by all sides , aid agencies can not begin to provide the medical evacuations and humanitarian aid deliveries to eastern Aleppo that United Nations officials said they would aim to carry out after Russia agreed to extend its cease - fire . Advertisement Continue reading the main story
" I want to make this clear , what is happening in Aleppo today is unacceptable . It is beyond the pale . " If people are serious about wanting a peaceful outcome to this war , then they should cease and desist bombing innocent women and children , cease cutting off water and laying siege in medieval terms to an entire community , and work with the international community in order to be able to bring peace to people who are starving – literally starvinglife.injure.illnessdegradationhungerthirst, but also starving for the possibilities of a future without chlorine dropping on them out of the sky , barrel bombs , and indiscriminate bombing . " Referring to the recent bombing of a U.N. aid convoy on its way to a rebel - controlled area west of Aleppo city , Kerry called on Russia to , " set an example , not a precedent , an unacceptable precedent , I might add , for the entire world . " While it 's not clear who carried out the attack that hit the convoy , NPR 's Alice Fordham reported that " American officials say the perpetrators could only be the Syrian air force or its Russian allies . "
* DOES CLINTON HAVE ‘ WALKING PNEUMONIA’ ? NBC News speculates that Clinton could be suffering from a “ near - textbook case ” of “ walking pneumonia , ” which entails this : Patients do n’t feel great , but they ’re not sick enough to stay home in bed or to be hospitalized … .People often feel well enough to go about their business , especially once they start taking antibiotics … But the infection can take a toll , making patients prone to getting tired and dehydratedlife.injure.illnessdegradationhungerthirst. Meanwhile , experts see no reason to think this will be debilitating for Clinton . * DEMOCRATS WORRY ABOUT HILLARY ’S PNEUMONIA : Reuters reports that Democrats are worried about Clinton ’s Pneumonia for two reasons , beyond her well - being : First , does her campaign ’s failure to divulge the illness for two days signal again that her penchant for secrecy is working against her ?
That ’s either cardiovascular or neurologic . Now , her team wants us to believe it is dehydration . She did n’t appear to be dehydratedlife.injure.illnessdegradationhungerthirstand that does n’t get fixed in 90 minutes . ” There 's a very good reason why Bill has already replaced his wife on the campaign trail : Hillary Clinton is suffering from advanced stages of Parkinson 's . And it 's just going to get worse .
The statement was part of medical information Clinton 's campaign released Wednesday after her pneumonia diagnosis last week . The campaign says that Clinton 's physician found that the remainder of the Democratic presidential nominee 's complete physical exam was " normal " and she is in " excellent mental condition . " Dr. Lisa Bardack adds that Clinton is " recovering well with antibiotics and rest " after she became overheated , dehydratedlife.injure.illnessdegradationhungerthirstand felt dizzy at a 9/11 memorial ceremony on Sunday . Clinton 's aides say she 'll return to the campaign trail on Thursday . _ _ _
The United Nations has called on Moscow and Washington to help restore the ceasefire to prevent the complete collapse of talks aimed at ending the five - year conflict in which more than 250,000 people have been killed and millions displaced . Agencies have continued to deliver aid in the west of the country , but say that access is not regular enough and that many Syrians in need still can not be reached . The International Committee for the Red Cross said aid had begun to enter the towns of Zabadani and Madaya , where there were reports of starvationlife.injure.illnessdegradationhungerthirstearlier this year due to a siege by government forces and their allies . Trucks simultaneously entered al - Foua and Kefraya in the northwest province of Idlib , which are surrounded by insurgents . ( Additional reporting by Omar Fahmy in Cairo and Tim Ahmann in Washington ; Editing by Robin Pomeroy , Marguerita Choy and Bernard Orr )
Food prices rose 20 percent last year , according to official statistics , but often Russians say their grocery tab is up by a third or more , thanks in part to sanctions Moscow slapped on Western food imports in retaliation for sanctions the West imposed over Ukraine . Sergei Galustian , 65 , a retired police officer , lives on a downtown street with just 27 houses , their proximity making it easy to assess change . “ Nobody is starvinglife.injure.illnessdegradationhungerthirstyet , but incomes are definitely down , ” he said , noting that homes are colder , that neighbors turn on just two lamps after dark where they once used five and that people have stopped buying new clothes . Retail sales across Russia were down by 13.1 percent for the year ending in November , according to official statistics , with car sales off nearly 40 percent . The 100 or so workers at the giant Seydin Machine Tool Factory , once the pride of the city during the Soviet era , have not seen a paycheck for a year and recently received layoff notices .
" It is the same member of this Council that has recently caused a new wave of massive displacement due to its continued aerial bombardments especially in north and northwest Syria . " Those responsible for such abhorrent violations of international law are not in a position to lecture anyone , " Çevik said . " The Syrian regime continues to resort to all means to prolong its grip on power , keeps employing all instruments of force and violence available to itself , be it chemical weapons , barrel bombs , ballistic missiles , targeted killings , arbitrary detentions , torture , systematic abuse , starvationlife.injure.illnessdegradationhungerthirstand forced displacement , " Çevik added . He also raised concern about intensified Russian aerial bombardments targeting civilians in Syria , noting that such airstrikes had targeted hospitals and schools in the past 24 hours . The UN says up to 50 civilians , including children , were killed in attacks against five hospitals and two schools in Aleppo and Idlib on Monday .
So why would Hillary be receiving a motor neuron test if she was only suffering from pneumonia , as her campaign claimed ? Taken as separate , isolated incidents , one could easily dismiss any of the points made by Dr. Noel . But when examined as a whole , Clinton 's " odd behavior " and " accidents due to dehydrationlife.injure.illnessdegradationhungerthirst" over the last ten years are much harder to dismiss as benign or symptoms of pneumonia . There 's a very good reason why Hillary Clinton has n't held a press conference for nearly 300 days : Her physical and neurological condition simply wo n't allow for it . She ca n't even take softball questions from her list of pre - approved journalsts without breaking into a coughing fit .
( NOTE : Dr. Noel made this observation more than a week before Hillary was " diagnosed " with pneumonia . ) After Clinton " overheated " on September 11 , Dr. Noel made a follow - up video : Hillary 's doctor claims that Clinton 's behavior on September 11 was due to " dehydrationlife.injure.illnessdegradationhungerthirst" , the excuse used every time Clinton has a " medical episode " . Here you really have to watch the video to fully appreciate how unbelievable this claim is — and how often it 's been used . Clinton is wearing blue - tinted glasses , which are used to help stabilize motor functions in those suffering from Parkinson 's .
( CNN ) When an " overheated and dehydratedlife.injure.illnessdegradationhungerthirst" Hillary Clinton stumbled into a van as she left a 9/11 memorial ceremony on Sunday morning , conspiracy theorists rejoiced . A few hours later , after it was revealed she had come down with pneumonia -- a common illness now being treated with antibiotics and a few days ' rest -- they got back to work , retrofitting baseless and lurid suggestions about her health . The weekend wobble was treated by some political rivals and online antagonists as validation -- proof positive that the Democratic nominee was unfit , in the most literal terms , for the presidency .