British trainee bankers at JP Morgan sacked after cheating at 'basic' maths test
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Nearly a dozen junior bankers, some of them British graduates, told to pay for their own flights home from New York after cheating discovery
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NEW YORK (AP) -- Rushing to meet a deadline proved to be the downfall of Dan Rather and his CBS News team when their story questioning former President George W. Bush's military record collapsed in 2004, a media scandal that is the basis of the current film "Truth."...
CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian security forces have arrested Hassan Malik, a leader of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, security officials said, part of a sustained crackdown on Islamists.
US Senate Takes Initial Step on Cybersecurity Billby webdesk@voanews.com (Associated Press)
The Senate has taken an initial step toward passing a bill aimed at improving cybersecurity. The bill is intended to encourage the sharing of threat information among companies and the U.S. government. Thursday's 83-to-14 procedural vote was a healthy endorsement of the bill. It's opposed by companies such as Apple, who say it lacks key privacy protections. The Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act is co-sponsored by California Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein and...
 Washington Post |
Michelle Obama to host Britain's Prince Harry next week
Washington Post WASHINGTON — Britain's Prince Harry is joining forces with Michelle Obama and Jill Biden. The White House says the trio will visit Fort Belvoir on Wednesday to meet wounded military members in recovery and rehabilitation programs. They'll also tour a ... Prince Harry in US Next Week to Promote Sporting EventNew York Times Prince Harry teams up with Michelle ObamaThe Hill (blog) Prince Harry Meets with Wounded Veterans and Families at 'Emotional' Service ...People Magazine Whitehouse.gov (press release) all 44 news articles » |
TBILISI (Reuters) - Georgian Prime Minister Irakly Garibashvili on Thursday branded the main opposition party a "criminal organization" after the leaking of a video purporting to show sexual abuse of detainees by law enforcement officers that took place when it was in power.
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BEIRUT (Reuters) - Warplanes bombed the eastern Syrian city of Raqqa, stronghold of Islamic State insurgents, on Thursday, hitting some of the group's offices, residents and a monitor group said.
British Prime Minister David Cameron and Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived at a pub in the village of Ellesborough on Thursday evening. Cameron was treating Xi to a traditional British meal - fish and chips - at the village’s The Plough and Cadsden pub
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MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Kremlin believes it has taught Washington an object lesson in how to take on Islamist militants in Syria. Basking in the afterglow of Bashar al-Assad's surprise visit to Moscow this week, it now believes it could lead the way diplomatically too.
 New York Daily News |
Secret Service agents caught sleeping on duty, including one at White House: feds
New York Daily News Two U.S. Secret Service members caught snoozing on the job prompted federal watchdogs to issue a scathing warning to the agency about overworking its staff. The pair of sleepy agents was recently discovered dozing on duty in two different posts ... Secret Service Officers Disciplined for Napping on the JobABC News Secret Service officers found asleep on job; watchdog to warn of overworked staffWashington Post Too Tired to Protect the President? Secret Service Asleep on the JobSputnik International Mediaite -WND.com all 13 news articles » |
Spain’s Defense Ministry says a military helicopter that was heading from Senegal to the Canary Islands has crashed in the Atlantic Ocean and a search is on for the three crew members aboard.
Russia shows military might in Syria, also pushes diplomacyby Vladimir Isachenkov | AP
As Russia unleashed fighter jets Thursday from this air base in western Syria to pound militant targets, President Vladimir Putin pushed diplomatic efforts with the West, stressing the need “to consider each other as allies in a common fight.”
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The Russian president said he has received permission from the Assad regime to offer support to rebels in Syria who are prepared to ‘really fight’ against Islamic State—even though Russian jet fighters have been bombing opposition groups there for weeks.
 Washington Times |
President Obama: ALL LIVES MATTER
Daily Caller In a meeting with top law enforcement leaders Thursday, President Obama explained the “All Lives Matter” vs. “Black Lives Matter” question, ultimately saying, “I think everybody understands that all lives matter.” “Everybody wants strong, effective law ... Obama speaks out for Black Lives Matter movementWashington Times Obama Defends Black Lives Matter Movement During Criminal Justice Reform PanelInternational Business Times In the age of Black Lives Matter, throwback artists want the art without the ...National Post all 10 news articles » |
Named as Anton Lundin-Pettersson in Swedish media, he entered school wearing Nazi helmet and Darth Vader mask before stabbing pupils and teachers
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Believing that Islamic State captives held on a compound in northern Iraq faced ‘imminent mass execution,’ dozens of US special operations troops and Iraqi forces raided the site Thursday, freeing approximately 70 Iraqi prisoners in an operation that saw the first American killed in combat in the country since the US-led coalition war against the Islamic State began in 2014
Photograph: Safin Hamed/AFP/Getty Images
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The White House is calling on Congress to make a plan to help Puerto Rico deal with its crushing debt, in order to avoid a "humanitarian crisis".
WASHINGTON (AP) -- With a calm demeanor and detailed answers, Hillary Rodham Clinton sought to turn an hours-long congressional grilling on the deadly Benghazi attacks into an opportunity to look more presidential than political....
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AP FACT CHECK: Clinton and critics on Benghazi, emailsby By CONNIE CASS and CALVIN WOODWARD
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Congressional investigations, by definition, are about finding facts. But some facts were twisted Thursday in a showdown between Hillary Rodham Clinton and her Republican questioners over how history - and voters - will remember the deadly 2012 attack on a diplomatic compound and CIA quarters in Benghazi, Libya....
The Carter Center, the nonprofit organization founded by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, confirmed on Thursday that Carter corresponded with Russian President Vladimir Putin about Moscow’s intervention in the Syrian war and provided reports and maps to the Russian embassy in Washington.
The Washington Free Beacon reported on Carter’s recent comments about Putin, in which he said the two “have a common interest in fly fishing” and have exchanged email addresses. Carter said he offered to send maps of the Syrian conflict to Putin amid reports that Russian forces have been targeting U.S.-backed rebels, not the Islamic State terrorist group as Moscow has claimed.
“So in the future, if Russia doesn’t bomb the right places, you’ll know it’s not Putin’s fault but it’s my fault,” he said.
The Carter Center said it has regularly posted online updates about the Syrian war, including maps showing that the majority of Russian airstrikes have not been launched against the Islamic State:
The Carter Center closely follows events in Syria and regularly publishes reports about conflict developments on its website. These reports are publicly available and are forwarded to all interested parties, including Syrians across political divides and governments in the west and in the region. A recent report details Russia’s ongoing airstrikes in Syria, underscoring that the vast majority of the airstrikes do not target ISIS, as the Russian government asserts.
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter brought the Carter Center’s published reports and maps on the Syrian conflict to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s attention on Oct. 15, and his office shared a copy of the same publicly available online report and maps with the Russian Embassy in Washington on Oct. 19.
It remains unclear what the Russian embassy will do with the maps and reports from the Carter Center. Reuters reported on Wednesday that nearly 80 percent of Russia’s airstrikes have targeted areas not controlled by the Islamic State, including the northwestern provinces of Homs, Hama, Latakia, Idlib, and Aleppo.
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Hillary Clinton told Egypt’s prime minister that the attack on the Benghazi consulate had “nothing to do” with an anti-Islam film just one day after the attack, according to testimony at the House Benghazi committee hearing on Thursday.
Clinton also told Egyptian Prime Minister Hesham Kandil that it was pre-planned and not part of a protest, according to notes from their phone call on Sept. 12, 2012, that were turned over to the House select committee.
“We know that the attack in Libya had nothing to do with the film. It was a planned attack—not a protest,” said Clinton. “Based on the information we saw today we believe the group that claimed responsibility for this was affiliated with al Qaeda.”
Clinton’s comments indicate that she did not initially believe the attack was spontaneous and related to a protest against the low-budget YouTube clip titled “The Innocence of Muslims,” which was the narrative pushed by the State Department and the White House in the days after the attack.
At the time Clinton spoke to Kandil, she had already publicly linked the film to the attack and had yet to describe it as pre-planned.
“Some have sought to justify this vicious behavior as a response to inflammatory material posted on the Internet,” said Clinton in a statement on the evening of Sept. 11, 2012. “The United States deplores any intentional effort to denigrate the religious beliefs of others. … But let me be clear: There is never any justification for violent acts of this kind.”
A week after the attack, then-U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice went on ABC News This Week and said the attack resulted from a spontaneous protest against the movie.
“Our current best assessment, based on the information that we have at present, is that, in fact, what this began as, it was a spontaneous—not a premeditated—response to what had transpired in Cairo,” said Rice.
According to an email obtained by the House Benghazi select committee, Clinton also told her family the evening of the attack that the Americans had been “killed tonight by an al Qaeda-like group.”
Republicans have accused the Obama administration of intentionally obscuring the fact that the assault was a planned terrorist attack for weeks due to political calculations. The attack occurred less than two months before the 2012 presidential election, and President Obama had been campaigning on his success at targeting al Qaeda.
Clinton told the committee that she was dealing with conflicting information in the days after the attack and was not intentionally trying to mislead the American people.
Clinton also said uring the first round of questions at Thursday’s hearing that she did not believe Ambassador Stevens knew her personal email address, which she used exclusively at the State Department. Stevens and other State Department officials in Libya had been requesting additional security at the U.S. diplomatic compounds, but many of these appeals were rejected. Clinton said she did not see the requests.
The Democratic presidential candidate also said she asked aides to pass on intelligence information about Libya to other administration officials that was sent to her by her long-time confidante Sidney Blumenthal, but to remove his name from the documents. At the time, Blumenthal had personal business interests in Libya.
Clinton told the committee that she asked for his name to be omitted so that officials could evaluate the information objectively.
“I thought it would be more important to just look at the substance,” she said.
The post Benghazi Panel Grills Clinton on Talking Points, Blumenthal in First Round appeared first onWashington Free Beacon.
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Two Russian-speaking militant groups, including a battalion within Al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate the Al-Nusra Front, claim they are preparing to fight Syrian government forces in the central province of Hama.
Syria has warned Qatar of a "harsh response" after Doha threatened that it may intervene militarily in the Arab country.
For President Barack Obama, who had until recently promised to bring home American forces before the end of his presidency, the pledge to extend America's longest war offers a new and potentially important point of leverage. The Taliban and its Pakistani patrons will no longer be able to wait out the American presence.
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DEA Agents Who Threw ‘Sex Parties’ Rewarded With Bonusesby Elizabeth Harrington
Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents involved in the prostitution scandal in Colombia were rewarded with bonuses as high as $32,000, according to a new report by the Office of Inspector General (OIG).
The regional director, who did not report to DEA management that his subordinates were throwing “sex parties” with prostitutes paid for by drug cartels in Cartagena, Colombia, received nearly $70,000. Half of the 10 agents who were investigated also received bonuses.
“Our review found there were 20 award requests made in connection with the 14 individuals described in our report,” the OIG audit said, referencing its first audit that detailed the prostitution scandal in March. “Although none of the 14 individuals received promotions, we found that in 10 instances, 8 employees received bonuses, awards, or other favorable personnel actions, contrary to DEA policy.”
DEA policy bars employees from receiving bonuses for three years following discipline for “significant misconduct” or while an investigation is ongoing.
“We also found three instances in which there was no documentation reflecting the basis for going forward with a favorable personnel action under these circumstances and seven instances in which the DEA followed policy for these employees,” the OIG said.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R., Va.) requested the OIG examine whether agents involved in the prostitution scandal were promoted or received bonuses. Goodlatte said the OIG’s findings were troubling.
“Today’s Inspector General report raises serious concerns about the disciplinary process at the Drug Enforcement Administration,” Goodlatte said. “Not only did the agents involved in sexual misconduct outlined in a previous report escape appropriate punishment, the majority of them received bonuses or other work perks.”
“This is unacceptable and I expect leadership at the DEA to fix its disciplinary process so that instances such as these never happen again in the future,” he said.
The amount of bonuses received by agents involved in the scandal ranged from $1,500 to nearly $32,000. The regional director, who handled the matter internally instead of reporting the misconduct to the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR), received a $31,938.80 bonus in May 2013.
The director himself became the subject of an OPR investigation and was punished only with a “counseling session.”
“Thus, because the DEA does not consider ‘counseling’ to constitute formal discipline, it appears that the DEA’s policy generally requiring a 3-year waiting period before an award or promotion can be given to an employee disciplined for ‘significant misconduct’ did not apply to the Regional Director,” the OIG said.
The regional director received $68,600 in bonuses between October 2010, when the investigation began, and April 2014.
The review also found that one special agent received a $2,000 bonus while under investigation for patronizing prostitutes and frequenting brothels.
Another special agent “allegedly entertained prostitutes at his government-leased quarters on a frequent basis and on one occasion reportedly assaulted a prostitute.”
The DEA began investigating the agent for misconduct in June 2010. One month later, he received a $1,500 bonus.
An assistant regional director also received a $5,000 bonus after receiving a letter of reprimand. The director was accused of making “numerous inappropriate sexual comments,” and asking an assistant to “watch pornographic movies.”
Goodlatte said his committee would continue to provide oversight over the agency.
“Leadership at the DEA must crack down on bad behavior so that trust is rebuilt with the American people,” he said.
The post DEA Agents Who Threw ‘Sex Parties’ Rewarded With Bonuses appeared first onWashington Free Beacon.
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At one point during a major summit of the Roman Catholic hierarchy that ends this weekend, a senior conservative bishop took the floor inside the Vatican's assembly hall and promptly charged his liberal peers with doing the devil's work.
In this abandoned desert town on the front line of the war against the Islamic State in Raqqa, local fighters are fired up by announcements in Washington that the militants' self-proclaimed capital is to be the next focus of the war. But there is still no sign of the help the United States has delivered ostensibly for the use of the Arab groups fighting the Islamic State
Some Joe Biden supporters are reluctant to support Hillary Clinton in the 2016 Democratic primary race even after the vice president officially announced that he will not run for president.
The New York Times reported:
While some prominent Biden admirers say they will now support her, others are expressing reluctance, and several are resisting–citing concerns about Mrs. Clinton’s electability, the threat of the investigation into her email practices as secretary of state, or a lack of enthusiasm for a veteran combatant in the country’s political wars. Within minutes of Mr. Biden’s announcement on Wednesday that he would not run for president, senior Clinton advisers began contacting many of her central allies–donors, party officials and other well-connected figures–to strategize on the best ways to galvanize support from two critical groups: high-ranking Democrats who were waiting for Mr. Biden’s decision until choosing a candidate, and influential leaders and donors within the party establishment who were loyal to Mr. Biden.
While some Biden supporters say that they will support Clinton, several appear characterized by a lack of excitement in the former secretary of state as she continues to battle controversy surrounding her private email.
“Will I write her a check? I suppose I’ll be compelled to. But she has enough help. I’m interested in getting back five Senate seats,” Jim Torrey, a fundraiser, said, expressing concern that the Democratic Party has “no bench.”
Lobbyist David Kennedy, who netted more than $1 million for President Obama’s reelection campaign, explained that he is “just not inspired the way [he] was when the president first ran.”
At least one Biden supporter is turning towards Clinton’s challenger, independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, in the wake of the vice president’s announcement.
“I’m leaning more toward Sen. Sanders,” Democratic superdelegate Nancy Jacobson said. “He’s talking about regular working people.”
The lack of enthusiasm for Clinton–even with Biden sitting out of the 2016 race–comes just as the former secretary of state appears before the House committee investigating the 2012 Benghazi attacks and faces questions regarding her private email system.
The FBI is currently investigating the personal server she used at the State Department to conduct all of her work email communications.
Former chair of the South Carolina Democratic Party Richard Harpootlian suggested that Clinton may not have enough support in swing states to win the general election next year.
“Hillary just has huge problems right now in terms of getting elected next November,” Harpootlian stated.
Meanwhile, a recent analysis revealed that more than 90 percent of the 833 individuals who raised money for the Obama-Biden reelection campaign are not listed among Clinton’s biggest bundlers.
The post Some Biden Backers Reluctant to Support Hillary Clinton appeared first on Washington Free Beacon.
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October 22, 2015, 10:18 PM (IDT)
Someone is tipping off Syrian rebels on the whereabouts of Iranian officers targeted for assassination. Eighteen IRGC officers have been murdered, five just in October.
October 22, 2015, 10:19 PM (IDT)
Russia’s military expedition to Syria has not got very far. It is held back by a shortage of advanced weapons and outdated aerial warfare tactics.
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October 22, 2015, 10:19 PM (IDT)
The late King Abdullah’s favorite, Prince Muqrin, was shunted aside by his successor and is now the live wire behind an intrigue to topple Salman and his son. His has many princely sympathizers and backing from Washington.
October 22, 2015, 10:19 PM (IDT)
Moscow and Iran agree to Assad’s phased exit after secret collaboration understandings are reached between Obama and Putin to fight ISIS together.
Lawmakers are lashing out at the Obama administration for vetoing on Thursday a major defense spending bill that would provide the U.S. military with a pay raise.
While the House and Senate approved the massive defense bill known as the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), Obama vetoed it Thursday afternoon over a passage that would prevent terrorist detainees held at Guantanamo Bay from being transferred to the United States.
The NDAA also provides funding to most American military operations and defense efforts across the globe, including efforts to battle the Islamic State (IS) and other terrorist groups. Future funding for these operations will be stalled until Obama decides to approve the legislation.
The White House and congressional Democrats also have opposed the legislation because it would provide an additional $38 billion boost to U.S. defense efforts, which they claim surpasses previously approved budgets caps.
Rep. Vern Buchanan (R., Fla.) slammed the White House and Obama in a statement to theWashington Free Beacon.
“During these perilous times, the last thing we need is uncertainty surrounding the funding of our national security priorities,” Buchanan said. “Our soldiers are not props for a press release—they deserve to be properly funded and supported by our country.”
UPDATE 3:50 P.M.: Sen. John McCain (R., Ariz.) and Rep. Mac Thornberry (R., Texas), chairmen of the Senate and House Armed Services Committee, declared Obama’s veto as “reckless” and “dangerous.”
“President Obama’s veto of the National Defense Authorization Act is not only unprecedented, but it is reckless, cynical, and downright dangerous,” the lawmakers said in a joint statement. “Never before has an American president used the bill that provides pay and support to our troops and their families as political leverage for his domestic agenda.”
“The American people, and most importantly, the men and women in uniform deployed to fight in dangerous war zones around the world, expect more from their Commander-in-Chief,” the said.
Obama should not be playing political games during a time of such great unrest across the globe, the lawmakers added.
“At a time when crises around the world have never been greater, and when U.S. global leadership has never been weaker, this veto will only intensify the challenges we face while putting vital missions in danger,” the said.
The NDAA fulfills Obama’s own demands about funding for defense priorities and provides the military and troops with resources necessary to protect America and allies across the world, the added.
“It gives our service members new tools to battle ISIL and al Qaeda, and it provides the Ukrainians the lethal assistance they need to combat Russian aggression,” said McCain and Thornberry.
UPDATE 4:05 P.M.: Sen. Dan Coats (R., Ind.) also criticized President Obama’s veto in a statement.
“Today, our country faces the most distributed and diverse terrorist threats since 2001, yet President Obama is playing politics with our national security,” Coats said. “The president is willing to veto a bipartisan bill in order to push Congress for increased spending on items unrelated to this legislation.”
The post Obama Vetoes Pay Raise For Troops appeared first on Washington Free Beacon.
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This week (October 20), Syrian President Bashar al-Assad visited Moscow for talks with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in the Kremlin. Russia began an aerial bombing campaign in Syria on September 30, to suppress the Syrian opposition forces, which Moscow and Damascus indiscriminately designate as “terrorists.” Three weeks later, Al-Assad came to Moscow to discuss further joint military action. According to footage provided by the Kremlin press service, Putin told al-Assad: “We believe that, based on positive results of military action, a long-term solution in Syria may be achieved through a political process involving different political, ethnic and religious groups.” Al-Assad agreed that military action must be followed by political moves and that “the people must decide” (TV Channel One, October 21). Most likely, putting the decision back in the hands of “the people” implies the use of traditional Middle Eastern rigged elections to reinstate the present regime.
President al-Assad reportedly spent over three hours in the Kremlin, meeting Putin, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, as well as security and intelligence chiefs. This was the first foreign visit by al-Assad since 2011, when the Syrian uprising and ensuing bloody civil war began. The visit was officially announced one day after al-Assad returned to Damascus. The Syrian leader’s airplane apparently flew to Moscow over Iraq, Iran and the Caspian Sea—the route used by Russian military and transport aircraft to deploy forces in Syria and bring reinforcements. Al-Assad’s probable air route took him over northern Syria and Iraq, where jets of the United States and its allies conduct daily operations and Islamic State (IS) forces are on the ground. He was most likely flying to Moscow and back on a Russian plane to minimize risks, according to a Kremlin-connected website (Vzglyad, October 21).
Putin’s sudden summoning of al-Assad to Moscow was interpreted by some in the West—like French President François Hollande—as a possible beginning of a new political initiative to end the Syrian civil war by pressing Syria’s president to make concessions and step down (Kommersant, October 22). Such wishes seem farfetched: Putin would not invite and publicly honor al-Assad if the latter was expected to step down anytime soon. Kremlin rulers (going all the way back to the tsars) do not have a habit of publicly meeting and personally pampering disgraced leaders, even if they are eventually given refuge in Russia (say, like former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych)—contacting a disgraced former ruler could infect the tsar with bad luck. According to Kremlin-connected sources, al-Assad’s visit was deliberately made public to demonstrate Moscow’s full unequivocal support in the war effort to wipe out the Syrian opposition, while talk of al-Assad “stepping down” must end. Russia is backing al-Assad militarily and will not tolerate any regime change by any means. The West and Sunni Muslim countries in the Middle East must accept al-Assad at the helm in Syria as a sounder alternative to the Islamic State, while Russia and its allies wipe out the armed Syrian opposition. Putin’s Russia must be internationally accepted as a dominant power in the Middle East on par with the US (Kommersant, October 22).
After the Putin–al-Assad summit, the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters: “It is obviously impossible to discuss any political accord in Syria while the terrorist threat dominates and threatens [Syria’s] political and territorial integrity. The first priority is to fight the terrorist extremist organizations and after will come the time of political resolution” (Interfax, October 21). According to the Kremlin’s chief of administration Sergei Ivanov, the land offensive against “terrorists in Syria” must be carried out by the Syrian army loyal to al-Assad and its allies, including Kurdish forces. Ivanov told reporters: “It all depends on good coordination of land force operations and aerial bombing.” Ivanov refused to spell out in detail the talks with al-Assad, but disclosed they were about “coordinating the Russian and Syrian forces and the possible future political resolution.” Ivanov expressed hope that through diplomatic dialogue, Moscow could achieve a good level of cooperation with Middle Eastern countries—Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt, Iraq and Jordan—as well as the US to work together against “terrorism” and with al-Assad (RIA Novosti, October 22).
Apparently, the Kremlin has publicly pledged to back al-Assad until victory in the Syrian civil war, assured with Russian air support. After al-Assad and his allies wipe out the armed Syrian opposition and the government in Damascus reasserts control, some political process may be envisaged, possibly involving new elections, which the incumbent head of state will surely rig and win, regaining legitimacy and one more presidential term. Any move by Putin to force al-Assad to relinquish power seems out of the question: This would be seen as treachery by many influential hardliners in Moscow (Vzglyad, October 21). According to a recent poll by state-controlled pollster VTsIOM, Putin’s approval rating has reached an all-time high of 89.9 percent, and this is largely the result of armed action in Syria (Wciom.ru, October 22). To date, there have been no officially admitted Russian casualties in Syria, the US has been humiliated, and a deafening propaganda onslaught by state-controlled TV is creating a public vision of restored Russian superpower status in the Middle East. While the Russian economy is in the doldrums, the price of oil is low and living standards are falling, it would seem unwise for Moscow to risk shattering this superpower restoration dream by pressing for al-Assad to step down.
In fact, Russia has other plans for Syria. Last week, the deputy chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, chief of the main operational directorate Colonel-General Andrei Kartapolov, who is apparently the overall coordinator of Russian military activity in Syria and the larger Middle East, told reporters Moscow is planning to create a joint permanent naval, army and air force base in Syria. This base would unite its long-time naval logistical support facility in Tartus and the newly established airbase in Latakia—both on the Syrian Mediterranean coast (Komsomolskaya Pravda, October 16). The Syrian authorities immediately agreed the Russians may have any bases they wish, and could even deploy land forces (Interfax, October 16). Of course, the armed Syrian opposition is still resisting, which seems to be the last obstacle that could alter Putin’s grand plans.
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Video of a Damascus neighbourhood filmed by a Russian drone has provided a rare glimpse into the staggering scale of destruction that years of fighting has inflicted around the Syrian capital, seat of President Bashar Assad’s power. The video shot over the district of Jobar by RTR war correspondent Yevgeny Poddubny on 18 October and obtained by the AP on Thursday shows blocks of bombed-out residential buildings, most of them with gaping holes and others with their top floors collapsed.
Continue reading...Turkey Facing Isolation in Bid to Designate Kurdish Group as Terrorists by webdesk@voanews.com (Dorian Jones)
Turkey's National Security Council is increasing pressure on the Syrian Kurdish militia, the YPG, by stepping up its efforts to get the group designated internationally as a terrorist organization. But with the militia viewed by Washington and Moscow as key in the battle against the Islamic State group, Ankara could find itself alone. Turkey accuses Syria’s Democratic Union Party, the PYD, and its YPG militia of being an extension of the PKK, a Kurdish rebel group that Turkish security forces are fighting. Ankara is expected to press its case Friday in Vienna at a meeting on Syria at which the U.S. and Russian foreign ministers will be present. But Sinan Ulgen, a visiting scholar at the Carnegie Institute in Europe, said Turkey is likely to find itself isolated. "Internationally, what we have seen, certainly, is an improvement in the international perception of PYD to the extent the PYD has become one of the leading forces on the ground in the struggle against the Islamic State," Ulgen said. "To force other countries to categorize PYD as a terrorist organization is going to face quite an uphill struggle." Moscow has made no secret that it views the Syrian Kurds as an important force in the fight against IS and alluded to its willingness to arm the group. Analysts claim this month’s U.S. airdrop of arms for Syrians fighting the jihadists could be an attempt to preempt Moscow’s courtship of the Kurds. Semih Idiz, a political columnist for the Cumhuriyet newspaper and Al-Monitor website, said Turkey fears the PYD could benefit from a bidding war between Moscow and Washington. "The Kurds are in a very advantageous situation ... with both superpowers more or less trying to cooperate with them," Idiz said, adding that most military, diplomatic and political analysts he'd talked to were saying "there is absolutely nothing Turkey can do" about that situation. Observers say the growing prominence of the Syrian Kurds is adding to calls within Turkey for a fundamental rethinking of its Syrian policy, a change that could come after the November 1 general election.
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Seventy years ago, on Oct. 24, 1945, the United Nations charter came into force, ratified by the five permanent members of the Security Council and the majority of other states that had signed it previously.
Russia and Ukraine will close their airspace to each other's airlines on Sunday, ending direct flights between the two countries.
Russian President Vladimir Putin says Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad told him he was ready to talk to armed opposition groups if they are committed to dialogue and to combating Islamic State (IS).
70 заложников были освобождены сегодня во время совместной спецоперации, проведенной курдскими формированиями (Пешмерга) - и американским спецназом. Заложники удерживались боевиками «Исламского государства» на севере Ирака. Пентагон также сообщил о гибели американского военнослужащего – первой жертвы войны в Ираке с 2011 года.
Russia's Syrian Campaign Under Fireby support@pangea-cms.com (Pete Baumgartner)
Moscow's military campaign in Syria is taking some heat amid reports that medical facilities have been targeted by air strikes, hundreds of civilians have been killed, and Russian fighters are dying in battle.
US Official Slams Russian Airstrikes in Syriaby webdesk@voanews.com (Margaret Besheer)
The U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations slammed Russia’s military intervention in Syria on Thursday, saying it has made the Islamic State terrorists (ISIL) stronger and allowed them to seize more Syrian territory. The Russian strikes, which began on September 30, have been “profoundly counter-productive,” often concentrating on groups fighting ISIL, Samantha Power told a meeting of the U.N. Security Council on the Middle East. “By attacking non-extremist groups Russia has boosted, perversely, the relative strength of ISIL, which has taken advantage of this campaign by seizing new territory in rural Aleppo.” Power added Russia’s intervention has “worsened an already dire situation,” and according to the Syrian Network for Human Rights, the air strikes have hit schools and markets around Aleppo and killed at least 100 civilians. The United Nations has said the new offensive has forced as many as 50,000 people from their homes in southwest Aleppo city and 35,000 from Hama. “That’s 85,000 newly displaced in a relatively short period of time,” Power said. “Let me be clear: aiding and abetting [Syrian leader Bashar al-] Assad’s military as it targets the very groups we need to bring to the negotiating table will only prolong the conflict and push a political solution further from reach,” she added. Russian envoy Vitaly Churkin only touched on his government’s military offensive briefly in his comments to the council, saying Moscow is acting at the request of the Assad government. Moscow is a close ally of Damascus and does not share the Western view that Assad has become an illegitimate leader. But speaking to reporters afterwards, he expressed surprise at Ambassador Power’s remarks, saying “in these circumstances there is always a propaganda war going on” and that Moscow is conducting its military offensive “with great transparency.” He said he did not have any confirmed reports of civilian casualties. Churkin criticized the U.S.-led coalition, which has been conducting anti-ISIL air strikes over Syria for more than a year, saying “they have been bombing with no visible progress." “I think the policy which the United States has been conducting is basically a policy of endless conflict,” he said, “because it did not produce any realistic prospect of the conflict being resolved.” Churkin said the U.S. goals of toppling Assad and preparing “so-called moderate fighters” have been unrealistic. On Friday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, will meet in Vienna. Ambassador Power said Washington hopes the meeting “will result in Russia re-committing in words and in action to a political solution for Syria.”
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