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UK to change constituency boundaries, threatening Corbyn's seat


RT
Tue, 13 Sep 2016 00:28 UTC
labour party
© Suzanne Plunkett / Reuters
New government plans to change constituency boundaries could see a series of MPs lose their seats, including the leader of the opposition, Jeremy Corbyn.

The changes to be announced on Tuesday are likely to reduce the number of parliamentary seats from 650 to 600, with the Labour Party coming out as the biggest loser. The new boundaries will be in place ahead of the next general elections, expected in 2020, but the full impact of the changes will not be known until experts analyse the proposals.

England alone will lose 32 of its MPs, and Wales nearly a third of its current Westminster representatives.

Regions where Labour led in the 2010 general elections will see the largest losses, with London going from 73 (45 Labour) to 68 seats and the North West from 75 (51 Labour) to 68. But only one of the Conservative strongholds, West Midlands, sees a cut as high as six seats.
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Eye 1

US' deceit means certain failure for latest Syrian ceasefire

Adam Garrie
The Duran
Tue, 13 Sep 2016 11:37 UTC
Kerry and Lavrov in Geneva
The fundamental difference in outlook between the US and Russia about the Syrian conflict makes the failure of the latest 'cessation of hostilities' agreement all but certain.

The recent Russia-US brokered ceasefire was a hard won gesture which in a perfect world would have far reaching consequences for Syria.

In reality, for the people of Syria who are heroically battling on the front line of a war between civilisation and barbarism, the agreement isn't worth the secretive paper it's written on.

A terrorist called Ali al-Omar who leads the Al-Qaeda affiliate Ahrar Al-Sham (formally Al-Nusra) has rejected the ceasefire and claims his group will continue to wage war.

Comment: Further reading: Surprise! US-backed 'moderate rebels' fail to uphold ceasefire in Syria

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Eye 1

Syrian Army & US-backed terrorists continue fighting despite nationwide ceasefire


South Front
Tue, 13 Sep 2016 11:49 UTC
Syrian army soldier flag
© Sputnik/ Iliya Pitalev
Heavy firefights and artillery duels were reported in and at Aleppo City on September 13 as Syria entered the 2nd day of nationwide ceasefire.

The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and Hezbollah shelled and engaged Jaish al-Fatah militants in Qarassi, Zeitan, Khan Touman and Khalsah while Jaish al-Fatah units targeted the pro-government forces' positions in the Malah Farms and at the Ramouseh Artillery Base.

Jaish al-Fatah is a major militant operation room that includes the Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (formerly Jabhat Al Nusra) terrorist group opposes the SAA and its allies across the country.

On September 12, a significant part of Jaish al-Fatah (including one of the biggest militant groups in Syria, Harakat Ahrar Al-Sham) claimed that it did not support the ceasefire agreement. According to Jaish al-Fatah members, the agreement should not exclude Jabhat Fateh Al-Sham because this Al Qaeda-linked organization is a common example of Syrian opposition.

Comment: Further reading: Surprise! US-backed 'moderate rebels' fail to uphold ceasefire in Syria

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Chess

Surprise! US-backed 'moderate rebels' fail to uphold ceasefire in Syria


South Front
Tue, 13 Sep 2016 11:37 UTC
Lavrov
© AFP 2016/ Yuri Kadobnov
Russia has welcomed the Syrian government's decision to honor the ceasefire regime and expressed serious concern over refusal by some Syrian opposition groups to respect it, the Foreign Ministry of Russia said on September 12.
"At the same time the most serious concern is the reaction of some of the armed groups of the Syrian opposition, the largest of which — "Ahrar ash-Sham" - refused to follow US-Russian agreements and expressed its unwillingness to break with their "comrades in arms" from Jabhat Fatah al-Sham group," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
We remind that over 20 Syrian 'opposition' groups with US-backed Ahrar al-Sham as a leading force of the move, have rejected to participate in the peace plan proposed by Russia and the United States. Other groups that rejected the deal are Failaq Al-Sham , Nour Al-Deen Al-Zanki, Jaish al-Islam, Shamia front, Ajnad al-Sham, Jaish Al-Nasr and Jaish al-Tahrir.

Comment: Further reading:
A previous attempt at implementing a truce back in February failed within days of that initiative because anti-government insurgents affiliated with the al-Qaeda terrorist network refused to abide by that earlier agreement.

There is no reason why this second ceasefire attempt should otherwise succeed in holding.

There may well be a temporary lull in violence simply because opposition militia will avail of the opportunity to regroup and repair. But the core of the insurgents are dominated by terrorist groups like Jabhat Fatah al Sham (formerly al-Nusra Front) and Daesh and numerous other affiliates.

These proscribed terror groups have no interest in negotiating a political transition in Syria with the incumbent government of President Bashar Assad. Their whole purpose is to overthrow the state and turn it into a so-called caliphate ruled by fear.

The US does not want a ceasefire in Syria -- it wants breathing room


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Light Saber

Israeli warplane and drone have been shot down in Syrian airspace: Syrian Army said in a statement


RT
Tue, 13 Sep 2016 07:23 UTC
Israeli drone
© Arnd Wiegmann / ReutersAn Israel Aero Space Industries (IAI) Heron 1 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).
An Israeli warplane and a drone have been shot down by Syrian forces in the southern Quneitra countryside, Golan Heights, the Syrian Army said in a statement. It comes after the Israeli military targeted Syrian positions in the Golan Heights. The Israeli military denied that any of its military planes were shot down by Syria, Reuters reported. According to the IDF, two Syrian missiles targeted their aircraft, but both missed.

"Overnight two surface-to-air missiles were launched from Syria after the mission to target Syrian artillery positions. At no point was the safety of [Israeli] aircraft compromised," the Israeli military said, as cited by Reuters. Several hours ago, the Israeli Army claimed that a "projectile" was fired from the Syrian side. According to a military spokeswoman, the projectile was most likely not intentional, rather spillover from "internal fighting in Syria," AFP reported.

Comment: In 2012 Syrian security forces reportedly seized yet another cache of weapons, bearing traces of Israel's contribution to unrest inside the country. The Israeli shipment had been smuggled into Syria for anti-government armed groups, who nowadays are known as moderate rebels or ISIS.
See also:

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Newspaper

Former DNC chairman calls for Clinton contingency plan

Kyle Cheney
Politico
Mon, 12 Sep 2016 00:00 UTC
It's extremely unlikely Democrats will have to change the ticket. But even some Clinton allies say there should be a clearer process.
DNC calm cartoon
© UnknownAdd Health to the list
A former Democratic National Committee chairman says President Barack Obama and the party's congressional leaders should immediately come up with a process to identify a potential successor candidate for Hillary Clinton for the off-chance a health emergency forces her out of the race.

"Now is the time for all good political leaders to come to the aid of their party," said Don Fowler, who helmed the DNC from 1995 to 1997, during Bill Clinton's presidency, and has backed Hillary Clinton since her 2008 presidential bid. "I think the plan should be developed by 6 o'clock this afternoon."

Fowler said he expects Clinton to fully recover from her bout with pneumonia, which forced her to leave a Sept. 11 memorial event early and cancel an early-week fundraising swing. But he said the Democratic Party would be mistaken to proceed without a contingency plan. The party's existing rules empower the DNC to name a replacement candidate but include few guidelines or parameters.
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Quenelle

The Syrian people will never accept a deal that removes Assad from power

John Wight
CounterPunch
Fri, 09 Sep 2016 01:54 UTC
Syria Assad support
Once again a plan for democratic transition in Syria has been drawn up by a coalition of opposition groups meeting in London, supported by the usual suspects in the shape of Turkey, the EU, US, and Gulf States. It is described as a detailed plan committing Syria to democratic and religious pluralism. Predictably, and the reason why it is a non-starter, it contains the pre-condition of Bashar al-Assad's removal from power.

The coalition behind this ludicrous scheme goes by the name of the Higher Negotiating Committee (HNC), and is said to comprise thirty different 'moderate' political and military groups united in the objective of removing Assad as the country's president. Who exactly these people represent in Syria itself, nobody knows. What we do know is that Assad retains the support of the vast majority of his people, who will not accept any colonial arrangement to depose their president.
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Arrow Up

China ups the ante in the South China Sea

Pepe Escobar
Sputnik News
Mon, 12 Sep 2016 19:20 UTC
Itu Aba
© Reuters/Ministry of Foreign Affairs/Handout via Reuters/File PhotoAn aerial photo taken though a glass window of a Taiwanese military plane shows the view of Itu Aba, which the Taiwanese call Taiping, at the South China Sea, March 23, 2016
The Joint Sea-2016 started this Monday; that's the fifth annual China-Russia naval drill, featuring stalwarts from both navies in action at the eastern waters of Zhanjiang, in Guangdong province, the HQ of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy Nanhai Fleet.

Considering this is the first time that the Joint Sea is happening in the South China Sea, apocalyptic alarms from the usual suspects could not be more predictable - and thoroughly dismissed by the Beijing leadership.

The Joint Sea-2016 intervenes just after a quite significant holding hand moment last week in Laos. Hand holders were no less than China's premier Li Keqiang and Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte, a.k.a. The Punisher, clad for a change in full suit and tie regalia.

There were good reasons for such camaraderie. After all China and ASEAN had just agreed that the framework for a legally binding code of conduct in the South China Sea will be in effect before the end of the year.

Singapore lobbied "vigorously" for this key development. Beijing regards Singapore as "a key partner for cooperation in the region", as Li told Xinhua. The Punisher's own press secretary, Martin Andanar, squared the circle; "Our president also expressed his approval of having a framework for a code of conduct."

The setting — Laos — could not be more strategically appropriate for China. For three years now China is Laos's biggest investor - mostly in energy and mining, including the construction of the $868 million Nam Ngiep 1 hydropower project. Key planned projects include the $1.6 billion Luang Marsh Special Economic Zone (SEZ) near Vientiane, and — what else - a 472 km railway between Kunming in Yunnan province and Vientiane, with an extension to Thailand, to be completed by 2021. That will be part of the Southeast Asian branch of the New Silk Roads.
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Yoda

Russian Defense Minister: US confusing international order with an 'American one'


RT
Mon, 12 Sep 2016 00:05 UTC
shoigu ash carter
© ReutersU.S. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter (L) and Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu
The US is confusing international order with an "American" one, said Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu, questioning Washington's policies. It comes in response to Ash Carter's accusations that Moscow wants to erode the principles of international order.

In the statement, Shoigu noted that numerous US-led interventions have actually contributed to the security challenges that the international community is currently facing.

"It is the United States, alongside their Western partners, who have been consistently destroying the basic foundations of the existing world, starting with Bosnia, Kosovo to Iraq and Libya".

Shoigu's statement comes in response to the comments made by US counterpart Ash Carter, who accused Russia of aiming to change the world order. Speaking to students at Oxford University on Wednesday, Carter did not mince his words, saying that Moscow pursues a "clear ambition to erode the principled international order."
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Megaphone

Russian MP: Killary as potential commander-in-chief has no right to cover up her health issues


RT
Mon, 12 Sep 2016 20:34 UTC
hillary
© Brian Snyder / Reuters
It is unacceptably dangerous for the potential president and the commander-in-chief of a major nuclear power to cover up his or her health issues, said the leader of the Russian Liberal Democrats, known for his eccentric behaviour and bold statements.

"We won't speculate about Clinton's health condition," head of the populist-nationalist Russian LDPR party Vladimir Zhirinovsky said during a live broadcast on a Russian TV. "We feel for her. That's a sensitive matter. But a head of state can't hide [his/her] health condition."

"She blacks out in the middle of a work day!" Zhirinovsky noted, adding that it's vitally important for a nuclear power such as the US to have a healthy leader who is fully aware of their actions.

"What if she faces a decision: to bomb or not to bomb? And at that time she suffers seizure and faints?" Zhirinovsky asked.

Zhirinovsky's comments come after Hillary Clinton stumbled and reportedly almost fainted at a 9/11 memorial ceremony in New York the day before.

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