kerry lavrov
John Kerry being a good sport after diplomatically being beaten into submission during marathon Syria negotiations.
Syria ceasefire update

The ceasefire is supposed to go into effect tomorrow at sundown. So far at least, most sides are expressing their intention to honor the ceasefire, which is to be expected. FSA says they're ready for ceasefire - IF the Syrian government complies:
"The upholding of the ceasefire by the armed opposition depends on being upheld by the regime and by Russia, the previous agreement was not upheld by the regime, which attacked moderate opposition under the pretext of fighting the Islamic State," Abu Zeid told RIA Novosti. "For us, the protection of the civilian population is important, and we want to establish a real truce in order to protect civilians, but our experience of interacting with the regime totally precludes us from such optimism," the representative said.
The Syrian government approved the agreement, according their state news agency. Somewhat improbably, the FSA also say they support the fight against al-Qaeda/al-Nusra/al-Sham: "Regarding the clauses of the agreement on carrying out strikes against Jabhat Fatah al Sham, of course we do not want al-Qaeda to have a presence in Syria," FSA legal adviser Abu Zeid told RIA Novosti. Which is patently untrue, but they say what they're expected to say.

On the other side, Hezbollah fighters support the deal: "The allies of Syria promise to fully abide by whatever the Syrian high command and the government decides with regard to the ceasefire. We fully support the ceasefire," an unnamed Hezbollah field commander for Syria operations said as quoted by Lebanon-based Al Mayadeen broadcaster.

The problem is, just like the last ceasefire in February, it is easy enough to just continue fighting while claiming "self-defense". For its part, the U.S. has formally told their jihadis via a letter to disentangle themselves from al-Nusra (i.e., shave their beards and change their flags), or face "dire consequences", but they already tried that in February and it naturally didn't work. It doesn't look very likely to work this time either:
"Fateh al-Sham [al-Nusra] is a faction present on the ground and it takes part in most of the military operations, and the matter of separating it is not possible, particularly given that there are attempts to merge, within some factions, with Fateh al-Sham," Fares al-Bayoush, commander of the FSA unit "Northern Division" said, as cited by Reuters.
The letter also says they have the right to retaliate to Russian and Syrian attacks. So, we'll just have to wait and see, but we're not holding our breaths....

Other updates of stories we've been covering on SOTT:

North Carolina man arrested for lying about clown sighting

David Wayne Armstrong, 24, has been arrested after admitting to filing a false police report. He had claimed that a clown had knocked on his window. Police haven't been able to find anyone matching the descriptions given by several alleged witnesses. Are these clowns trained in spycraft? Hoaxes? Or what?

Israel attacks Syrian government in Golan Heights

After another projectile struck Israeli-occupied territory in the Syrian Golan Heights (occupied illegally by Israel) - no one was injured - Israel's air force targeted the Syrian army's artillery positions. The Israelis take every chance they can get to target Syrian positions, like they do in Gaza. It's a bit harder now that Syria is backed by Russian military, of course. They get away with it in Golan, but remember this: Israel tries to intercept drone from Syria with Patriot air defense - all three missiles fail (later revealed to be a Russian drone).

Thousands of banned Iranians protest against Saudis as Hajj begins

After being barred from entry into Saudi Arabia, and the war of words between Saudi and Iranian officials, thousands are marching in Tehran, some chanting, "Death to Al-Saud and the traitors!" "We don't have any problems with the people of Saudi Arabia. They are Sunnis and are our brothers," protester Habibullah Abulfazli told AP. "But the Al-Saud family are puppets of Britain and America. They are fighting proxy wars against Shi'ites and against all Muslims." The Saudis "believe they are the owners -- that Mecca and Medina are their properties," Said Ohadi, the head of Iran's Hajj Organization, told AFP. "No, they are the properties of Islam."

Trump goes belligerent on Iranian boats

No wonder Iranians can't stand America. On Friday, Trump threatened to "shoot out of the water" any Iranian ships that "harass" U.S. ships harassing Iranian ships. Trump said he would make the U.S. military "so strong that nobody's going to mess with us." "When they circle our beautiful destroyers with their little boats, and they make gestures at our people that they shouldn't be allowed to make, they will be shot out of the water." If only the tables were turned.

Pyongyang responds to American threat to increase sanctions: "Laughable!"

From North Korea's KCNA news agency, quoting a foreign ministry spokesman: "The group of Obama's running around and talking about meaningless sanctions until today is highly laughable, when their 'strategic patience' policy is completely worn out and they are close to packing up to move out ... As we've made clear, measures to strengthen the national nuclear power in quality and quantity will continue to protect our dignity and right to live from augmented threats of nuclear war from the United States."

Russia releases videos of war games, Washington answers the call of nature

More here and here. And this one, which demonstrates an anti-missile defense system that actually works, unlike the U.S. Patriot and Israeli Iron Dome failures.


Europe

Ukrainian saboteurs repelled, DPR promises retaliation

Deputy commander of Donetsk People's Republic Eduard Basurin: "Yesterday, our units prevented the penetration of two sabotage-reconassiance groups ... The purpose of the penetration attempt by Ukrainian saboteurs was opening fire on the residential areas of the district from the DPR's own positions on its territory ... Currently, a joint investigation is being carried out on this incident with representatives of the Special Monitoring Mission of the OSCE and Joint Center for Coordination and Control in order to record the results of the Ukrainian saboteurs' breakthrough...Further shelling by the punishers and attempts to infiltrate our territory will be severely suppressed."

Czech prez says Crimea is Russian

On Friday, the Czech President Milos Zeman stated the obvious. While agreeing with world opinion that Russia "annexed" Crimea, he added: "Khrushchev committed an unforgivable stupidity [giving Crimea to the Ukraine] and the world's politicians acknowledge today that Crimea cannot be given back to Ukraine." Zeman has been vocal about lifting anti-Russian sanctions, and was the only Western leader to attend Russia's 2015 WWII celebrations.

EU tightens the noose on Greece

Eurozone finance ministers meeting in Slovakia on Friday expressed faux "concern" that Greece was falling behind its reform schedule. In order to get their €2.8 billion in bailout funds, Greece must implement "economic reforms", i.e., tax hikes, pension cuts, privatization of public assets. This is the way the international economic system works. "Do what we tell you to do with your country, no matter how bad it is for your country, otherwise you can't have any money and we'll make your life hell."

Kiev shot itself in the foot by cutting ties with Russia - can't get parts for plane production

The Ukrainian aircraft producer Antonov can't even complete the planes it has half-built thanks to Kiev's petulance. Antonov produces the An-225 Mriya, the "world's largest plane". But production is at a standstill because Russia has all the spare parts. Antonov plans to partner with China to produce the planes. Kiev insists only a roadmap for negotiations exists at present, but others tell a different story: Ukraine refuses to pay its debts, so China takes their rare cargo plane.

Bad glue may delay Austrian presidential re-run

Austria might not be able to stick to the date it has set for its presidential election rerun due to faulty postal ballot papers that simply won't seal. The embarrassment has already become the subject of online ridicule with the web community. -- The election could be "indefinitely postponed". How convenient! The previous vote was contested, being very close (0.6% difference between candidates) with reports of "irregularities".

Terror

Imperial emissary Jen Stoltenberg's visit to Turkey

The Imperial Lord of NATO visited his vassal state Turkey last week to smooth over understandably shaky relations after the failed NATO/CIA coup. He had the gall to say NATO protects Turkey, citing AWACS patrols, the very AWACS most likely used to coordinate the coup plotters actions back in July. Katehon points out that there are still many NATO supporters in Turkey's government and military, thus providing the need leverage "to organize a new anti-Erdogan coup, and hence the possibility of a new attempt at ousting the Turkish president from power is preserved." Daesh to (finally) attack Israel?

An anonymous Israeli military officer allegedly told the UK's Telegraph that the Daesh-linked Wilayat Sinai group based in Egypt are plotting to attack Israel within six months, saying: "It could happen today, tomorrow, in a month but within the next six months we will come into an engagement with Wilayat Sinai... In the next six months they will try to carry out an attack and try to do something against Israel." We'll believe it when we see it.

Is Iraq America's 51st state?

As Iraq prepares to retake Mosul from Daesh, a fresh injection of U.S. troops brings the official number stationed there up to 4,460 (unofficial estimates are at least 6000 - mission accomplished, eh guys?). France has sent over some military equipment too. Iraq relocates Israeli-backed Iranian opposition terror group to Albania

280 MEK supporters who have been living in a camp in Iraq have been relocated to Albania. The group has been based in Iraq since the 80s and the Iran-Iraq war. Like al-Qaeda and the other jihadi groups in Syria used against governments that resist American hegemony, MEK has been supported by the West and Israel as a proxy terrorist opposition against Iran. The Iraqi government has grown closer to Iran since the American invasion and occupation, and Iranian-backed groups had attacked MEK during the war.

U.S. trains another anti-Iran terrorist group: PAK

If MEK has failed in its goals, the U.S. has a back-up plan: the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK), which is trying to do what the U.S. wants the Kurds to do in Syria and carve out an independent Kurdistan in Iran. They have received military training from U.S. advisers, and arms and ammo from additional Western countries. Their leader, Hussein Yazdanpanah, told AP that his group has carried out terror attacks inside Iran toward this goal (six this year so far), under the cover of "fighting Daesh", of course - though he admits that fight "was never an alternative" to the fight against Iran.

22-yo Australian attacks 59-yo in Sydney, "reportedly" pledged allegiance to Daesh

The attacker, known to police as a person of interest for "odd and unusual" behavior during encounters with police - but not on any terror watch lists - approached the man, whom he did not know, with a "large knife" and attacked him. When police arrived, he tried to stab an officer and was detained on terrorism charges. "During the incident he reportedly shouted some words in Arabic, which indicated a link to IS in the minds of investigators." While his motives are not clear, police say he "has strong religious beliefs inspired by ISIS" and they believe he was incited by ISIS propaganda. 'Murica

Wolf Blitzer doesn't have a conscience

In an interview with Kentucky senator Rand Paul, one of four senators seeking to stop a $1.15 bln arms deal with Saudi Arabia, CNN's Blitzer let loose this doozy: "So for you, this is a moral issue. You know, there's a lot of jobs at stake. Certainly if a lot of these defense contractors stop selling warplanes, other sophisticated equipment to Saudi Arabia, there's going to be a significant loss of jobs, of revenue here in the United States. That's secondary from your standpoint?" (Video here.) Well, Wolf, you know, there's a lot of lives at stake. Saudi Arabia's war has already cost at least 10,000 lives. That's secondary from your standpoint, you heartless bastard?

CNN says what they really think: Al-Qaeda are heroes

In another CNN revelation, Middle East "super-correspondent" Clarissa Ward called al-Qaeda "heroes", proving once again that we are living an a sci-fi bizarro parallel reality created equally by the evil twins of George Orwell and Franz Kafka. Ward told Charlie Rose back on August 10: "even though some of these more extremist factions are not hugely popular with everyone living in rebel-held areas, they are also the people who have unfortunately, Charlie, emerged as the so-called heroes in this narrative because they are the ones who have stepped in to fill the void."

Clear channel banned all Rage Against the Machine songs after 9/11, plus 158 more
Three days after the attack, the now-famous memo was emailed with 158 tunes - and all songs by Rage Against the Machine - which some of its program directors felt would be too sensitive to play in the aftermath of what is called the world's deadliest "terrorist" attack.

Movie and television producers also tweaked their output after the attack, including a one-off episode of the NBC series 'West Wing' which compared the Islamic extremism of al-Qaeda to the Christian fundamentalism of the KKK and acknowledged the perpetrators "specific complaints" like "troops in Saudi Arabia, sanctions against Iraq, and support for Egypt."
And since it's 911, here's Lars Schall interviewing Professor Marc Chesney on 9/11 insider trading: