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Iran: Ayatollah Khamenei rules out talks with Washington

Ali Khamenei
© official websiteIran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei
Iran's supreme leader said Tehran would keep in place its ban on holding any talks with the United States.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made the comments on state TV on November 3, on the eve of the 40th anniversary of the seizure of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran.

"One way to block America's political infiltration is to ban any talks with America. It means Iran will not yield to America's pressure," Khamenei was quoted as saying.

"Those who see negotiations with the U.S. as the solution to every problem are certainly mistaken," he was quoted as saying. "Nothing will come out of talking to the U.S. because they certainly and definitely won't make any concessions."

Lemon

John Bolton called to testify in impeachment inquiry

Bolton
© UnknownFormer National Security Advisor John Bolton
US President Donald Trump's former national security adviser, John Bolton, has been called to testify next week before House lawmakers in the ongoing impeachment inquiry.

Politico reported Wednesday afternoon that Bolton, who was fired by Trump last month, was scheduled for a House deposition on November 7, citing "a source familiar with the matter."

Other Trump subordinates, such as Vice President Mike Pence and Trump's personal counsel, Rudy Giuliani, have followed the president's lead in refusing to answer subpoenas issued by a bevy of House committees for documents and testimony concerning their impeachment probe. It's unclear if Bolton, who left the administration amid extensive disagreement on foreign policy issues with the president, will follow suit.

Charles Cooper, Bolton's lawyer, told NBC News later Wednesday that "Bolton is not willing to appear voluntarily," adding that he is standing "ready at all times to accept service of a subpoena on his behalf."

While until this point, depositions in the probe have been performed behind closed doors, House Democrats stand poised to introduce a new resolution on Thursday that will lay the groundwork for a new phase of the inquiry based on public hearings.

Wall Street

Keiser Report: Banks are begging the Fed for money but it may all fall in a domino effect

Federal Reserve
The Federal Reserve
RT's Max Keiser sat down with publisher David Morgan to discuss the turmoil in the repo markets*, which are already flashing red sirens, and how banks that are desperate for cash may come to insolvency one by one.

"If these banks, like JP Morgan or Deutsche Bank, are unable to settle trades because they don't have the cash...then when the end of the quarter comes they're gonna have to, by law, if there is the rule of law anymore, it's an open question, announce that they're insolvent. And therefore, they're gonna set off the cascade... and [it] will be the continuation of the 2008 crisis, but much much worse," Keiser told his co-host Stacy Herbert as they delved into exploding "debt bomb" that the Federal Reserve is trying to cover up in the repo market.

Bad Guys

Trump 'likes' stealing others' property, reaffirms intentions to keep Syrian oil - Assad damns Trump with praise for his honesty

us oil syria smuggling
23 fuel trucks can seen in this aerial image captured near an oil-gathering facility 42km east of the city of Deir ez-Zor, according to the Russian MoD
Donald Trump is not trying to hide Washington's true policies and intentions behind doublespeak about freedom and democracy - and that makes him "the best American President," Syrian President Bashar Assad said.

"We've stayed back and kept the oil," Trump reiterated on Friday, reaffirming the main US interest in Syria and making clear that all less immediately lucrative endeavors like keeping peace and reconstructing the devastated country should be taken care of by someone else. "Other people can patrol the border of Syria... let them - they've been fighting for a thousand years."
I like oil! We're keeping the oil!
Trump's remarkably blunt approach was commended by Syria's Assad, who noted in a recent interview that Nobel Peace Prize laureate presidents always pose as the "defenders of human rights and noble and unique American values," rather than "criminals who represent the interests of American lobbies."
He is the best American President, not because his policies are good, but because he is the most transparent president... What can be better than an honest enemy?

Comment: See also:


Light Saber

How China is breaking the West's debt stranglehold on the world

drone photo rich poor neighborhoods
© Johnny Miller/Unequal Scenes
The west has colonized, exploited, ravaged and assassinated the people of the Global South for hundreds of years.

Up to the mid-20th Century Europe has occupied Africa, and large parts of Asia.

In Latin America, though much of the sub-Continent was "freed" from Spain and Portugal in the 19th Century - a new kind of colonization followed by the new Empire of the United States - under the so-called Monroe Doctrine, named after President James Monroe (1817 -1825), forbidding Europeans to interfere in any "American territory". Latin America was then and is again today considered Washington's Backyard.

In the last ten years or so, Washington has launched the Monroe Doctrine 2.0. This time expanding the interference policy beyond Europe - to the world. Democratic sovereign governments in Latin America that could choose freely their political and economic alliances in the world are not tolerated. China, entering into partnership agreements with Latin American countries, sought after vividly by the latter - is condemned by the US and the west, especially vassalic Europe.

Comment:


Attention

What you're not being told about UkraineGate

UkraineGate
© Corbett Report
If you're one of those poor, deluded souls who relies on the mainstream media for their understanding of the news, you'll have noted that the issue of President Trump's phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is the one and only issue worth talking about in the entire world. In fact, much to Trump's chagrin, not even resurrecting the oft-mutilated corpse of Abu Bakr al-Bogeyman was able to keep Ukraine from being the top link on Drudge for more than one weekend.

But if you are one of those poor, deluded souls then you probably have no idea what this story (oh-so-originally dubbed "Ukrainegate") is even about in the first place, much less the much deeper (and darker) back story to this tale that blows the lid off the left/right nonsense that so preoccupies political normieland.

So buckle up and hang on. You're about to get a crash course in the reality of Ukrainegate. Here are three things you're not being told about the scandal that's threatening to topple Trump.

Snakes in Suits

US 'deal of the century' is attempt to swap international law for rules it finds convenient - Lavrov

israel
© AP Photo / Ariel Schalit
The so-called deal of the century on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict settlement that Washington says it is preparing is an example of how the international law is changed for rules that the United States finds convenient, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.

"Instead of implementing these [UNSC] resolutions, the United States promises everyone to present some 'deal of the century,' which, as you have already understood, will not envision the creation of a full-fledged Palestinian state. This is an example of how international law represented by UNSC resolutions is swapped for rules that the United States has invented and which it finds convenient", Lavrov said in an interview on TV on Friday.

The administration of US President Donald Trump has for years said it would announce its plan for the Israeli-Palestinian peace place. In July, it released what was characterized as an economic component of the plan — an infrastructure and investment project to support Palestinians.

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Chart Bar

Saudi Crown Prince finally approves float of state oil company Aramco

armaco
© REUTERS / Maxim Shemetov
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Friday approved the go ahead of the initial public offering of state oil giant Aramco, which will be announced on Sunday, five sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

The world's top oil company will announce its intention to float on November 3, the sources told Reuters, adding that "the crown prince finally gave the green light."

Saudi Aramco officials and advisers have held meetings with investors throughout the past few days trying to achieve as close to a $2 trillion valuation - the largest IPO in history - as possible ahead of an expected listing launch on Sunday, according to sources. The final meeting by the Saudi government on Friday evening was to decide whether to go ahead with the listing.

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Star of David

IDF shoots down Gaza rockets, follows with airstrikes to the heart of Gaza - videos

Israeli airstrikes gaza
© Sputnik screenshotIsraeli airstrikes on Gaza
Air raid sirens sounded Friday evening near the Israeli city of Sderot, which sits a short distance from the border with Gaza, according to the Israel Defense Force. Several hours later, the IDF responded with retaliatory strikes in Gaza.

Following two sets of rocket attacks near Sderot that originated in the Gaza Strip, Haaretz has reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in contact with the IDF chief of staff and is "instructing the army to respond to the rocket fire with the necessary measures." Video captured nearby showed Israel's Iron Dome air defense system intercepting several projectiles.

Comment: Sputnik, 2/11/2019, reported:
A Palestinian man died as a result of Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, Ashraf al-Qidra, a spokesman for Gaza's Health Ministry, said Saturday. "The 27-year-old Palestinian died today at dawn as a result of an Israeli airstrike in the city of Khan Younis in the enclave," al-Qidra said.
See also: Israeli AF chief: All Israeli air defenses are on alert for maybe an Iranian attack


Blue Planet

'Artificial wall broken down': Kashmir's autonomy in India officially ceases to exist

Kashmir
© PIB / AFP
The Indian-ruled part of disputed Kashmir was split into two parts, with its long-lasting self-governing status officially extinguished. Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised the move will usher in a new "age of stability."

On Thursday, India's Muslim-majority state of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) was officially split into two new union territories - Jammu and Kashmir in the west, and Ladakh in the east. Their newly-appointed lieutenant governors have been sworn in office in Srinagar and Leh, respectively.

Having become union territories, each entity is now directly ruled by the central government in New Delhi, as opposed to states that have autonomy in internal affairs. Citizens from all across India have gained the right to own property - and to hold public office - in Kashmir. Until today only natives had enjoyed these privileges.

Comment: Analyst Israel Shamir in The conflict in Kashmir writes that this move, barring foreign meddling, really could improve life for Kashmiris' overall:
Cancellation of the special status makes a lot of sense. Since the Partition, the religious fanatics and ethno-nationalists of the hardest kind came to the top and stayed there. A few prominent local families treated the state as their fief. A lot of nepotism, no democracy, no social lifts. The autonomy miserably failed to satisfy the people. Opening the state up could improve the Kashmiris' lot.
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