Next year, the federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) will celebrate its 50th anniversary as one of the finest laws our Congress has ever passed. It is a vital investigative tool for exposing government and corporate wrongdoing.

The FOIA was championed by Congressman John E. Moss (D-CA), who strove to "guarantee the right of every citizen to know the facts of his Government." Moss, with whom I worked closely as an outside citizen advocate, said that "without the fullest possible access to Government information, it is impossible to gain the knowledge necessary to discharge the responsibilities of citizenship."

All fifty states have adopted FOIA statutes.

Last Tuesday, Dutch PM Mark Rutte attended a meeting with other world leaders in New York at the United Nations concerning the prosecution of those who are responsible for the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17. Rutte then posted this update on his Facebook page following the meeting:

"The government continues to work hard with international partners to implement UN Security Council resolution 2166 in order to get clarity into what happened to MH17 and to prosecute its suspects. In two weeks, on October 13th, the Dutch Safety Board will present the findings of the international investigation into the circumstances of the disaster, showing what caused the MH17 disaster. Earlier today I had a meeting with the political leaders of Malaysia, Australia, Ukraine and Belgium. Together with these countries, the Netherlands is working harmoniously on different alternatives for a trial."

Since Russia vetoed a UN resolution for an MH17 international criminal tribunal in late July, Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Julie Bishop, also present at the meeting in New York, said last week that members seeking criminal accountability for the MH17 crash may create their own prosecution tribunal - one that bypasses approval by the UN. "There are a number of permutations, and I can assure you there are a number of international criminal lawyers who are working on this," she said.

She added that the closest analogy to such a court was the Scottish panel established in the Netherlands to prosecute Libyan suspects after the explosion of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, on December 21, 1988, which killed 259 passengers and crew members, and 11 residents on the ground. That tribunal was controversial and flawed from the beginning, with dubious testimonies and blocked evidence leading to the eventual conviction of an innocent Libyan man, and giving rise to serious doubts that Libya had anything to do with that terrorist attack in the first place. In fact, given the lack of any conclusive investigation in the intervening decades, serious analysts have suggested that the downing of PanAm103 was actually a false-flag operation used to demonize Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. In another remarkable parallel with the downing of MH17, sanctions were imposed on air travel and arms sales to Libya by the UN Security Council in 1992, sanctions that were only lifted when Gaddafi bought off Western leaders for enormous sums of money.

Military sources said that the Russian Navy has positioned three naval vessels off the Syrian coast of Lattakia in anticipation for their massive cruise missile assault on the militant groups that is likely to occur in the coming days.

The sources told Massdar that the Russian navy will play an imperative role against the militant forces, as they prepare to bombard numerous sites in Syria's Western countryside that they deem a threat to the sovereignty of the country.

According to a Syrian army source in Lattakia, the Russian naval vessels can be seen from the shores of the aforementioned provincial capital; this was confirmed by more than one source in the province.

The source added that the Russian navy has prepared their long range cruise missiles to be fired into the country from the Mediterranean Sea.

The huge influx of migrants into Europe is being used by some foreign leaders to weaken the European Union politically, EU president Donald Tusk said Friday in Poland.

"For the first time in my political career I have heard politicians openly declaring that the refugees heading to Europe are their method of getting (us) to act a certain way," Tusk told a European forum in Sopot town on Poland's Baltic coast.

"Some say that it's their method of weakening Europe as a political entity," added Tusk.

The EU President did not name names or detail what kind of "behaviour" he was talking about, contenting himself with inviting his audience to "draw your own conclusions."

He also argued that the "military solutions in Syria proposed by some countries" risked forcing the eight million Syrians displaced within their country to follow the thousands of their compatriots seeking a new life in Europe each week.

"The refugees have become an element in the political battleground and sometimes.. they become a trading item, a new element in the hybrid war of which we have seen the first signs in Crimea and Donbass," he added.

Russia last year annexed Crimea from Ukraine, an act which was followed by pro-Russian rebels fighting Kiev forces in eastern Ukraine areas such as Donbass.

"I am not only talking about Russia," Tusk assured.

If you've watched the news or followed politics, chances are you've heard the term Orwellian thrown around in one context or another. But have you ever stopped to think about what it really means, or why it's used so often? Noah Tavlin dissects the term.

The head of the global oil group was arrested in London along with four others as part of a corruption probe. Diezani Alison-Madeuke, president of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, or OPEC, was arrested in London this morning by British authorities, several sources told Reuters. Four others were also detained.

Nigerian newspaper Premium Times said the United Kingdom's National Crime Agency arrested Alison-Madeuke for crimes related to bribery and corruption.

Before taking on the top position at OPEC, Alison-Madeuke served as Nigeria's petroleum minister under President Goodluck Jonathan.

However, the British authorities did not confirm or deny the arrest. A statement from the British High Commission in the Nigerian capital Abuja said only that five people between the ages of 21 and 60 had been arrested on suspicion of bribery and corruption offenses on Friday morning.

Pacific trade deal opponents hope that if Atlanta round fails, pro-corporate TPP could be knocked off track indefinitely.

As trade ministers from around the world continued meeting in Atlanta on Thursday for final-stretch negotiations on the corporate-friendly Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), civil society groups demonstrated on the streets in a final salvo against a deal they describe as "a wholesale auction of our rights, our freedoms, and our democracy to multinational corporations who put profits over people."

An air strike on a hospital in the Afghan city of Kunduz that killed at least 16 people is "utterly tragic, inexcusable, and possibly even criminal," said the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, calling for a transparent investigation.

"This deeply shocking event should be promptly, thoroughly and independently investigated and the results should be made public," Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein said in a statement on Saturday.

"The seriousness of the incident is underlined by the fact that, if established as deliberate in a court of law, an airstrike on a hospital may amount to a war crime."

He described the bombing as "utterly tragic, inexcusable, and possibly even criminal."

"International and Afghan military planners have an obligation to respect and protect civilians at all times, and medical facilities and personnel are the object of a special protection. These obligations apply no matter whose air force is involved, and irrespective of the location."

Saudi Arabia says Syrian President Bashar al-Assad must leave office or face being removed via military intervention.

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir made the remarks at the UN general assembly in New York on Tuesday following a meeting with his country's allies.

"There is no future for Assad in Syria," Jubeir said. "There are two options for a settlement in Syria. One option is a political process where there would be a transitional council. The other option is a military option, which also would end with the removal of Bashar al-Assad from power."

He noted that a military option would be a lengthier and more destructive process, but the "choice is entirely that of Bashar al-Assad."

The Saudi foreign minister also admitted that the kingdom and other countries are already backing "moderate rebels" fighting the Damascus government but refrained from commenting on the specifics of a military option.

"Whatever we may or may not do we're not talking about," he said.

These autumn days are the most important in the Middle East calendar. The Muslims celebrate Eid al Adha, the Feast of the Sacrifice; the Jews fast at Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement; and the Eastern Orthodox Christians rejoice at Nativity of Our Lady Mary. It appears, surprisingly, the best place to be at this time is Moscow, where Putin received in quick succession the Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the Turkish ruler Recep Erdogan.

They did not come for the lovely Indian summer that blessed Moscow this week, not for the yellow and red leaves covering the maple and birch trees, though this sumptuous new Xanadu is quite fetching this time of the year; its streets refashioned at enormous expense, parks tended by best gardeners; bicycle paths and sidewalks repaved and even its feared traffic jams abated somewhat.

Ostensibly, Abbas and Erdogan came to unveil, together with Putin, the grand new Cathedral Mosque of Moscow, a vast and opulent structure where ten thousand worshippers can pray at once. This city has more Muslims than many a Muslim city has; about two millions of its 14 million dwellers are nominal Muslims.

They unveiled the mosque all right, and used this occasion for a good lengthy talk with Putin. So did Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli PM, who gave a miss to the mosque. And he came with his top brass: the head of staff and the head of military intelligence, after a long-time no-see.

This sudden interest to Moscow is a sign that the Russian entry into the Syrian fray has been playing to a full house. When, some three weeks ago I reported on this decision of Kremlin, my report was met with great doubt, to say the least. Could it be that Russia, after being licked in the Ukraine, will venture that far from home? They were supposed to sulk in the Kremlin under the heavy load of sanctions, not roam around. Now the facts on the ground had justified my previous report. Russian soldiers and marines, Russian weapons, jets and boats are seen on the shore; they are building a new base and fighting the enemy, giving a new lease of life to the embattled Syrian state.