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Liberated by SDF, Raqqa considered occupied until Syrian gov't controls the city


Sputnik
Sun, 29 Oct 2017 20:48 UTC
Raqqa Syria
© Gabriel ChaimAerial shot of Raqqa, Syria
The Syrian city that Daesh terrorists had called their self-proclaimed capital, has been liberated by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces. Syria considers, and will consider, Raqqa an occupied city until it comes under the control of the Syrian army, the SANA news agency reported Sunday citing an official source at the Foreign and Expatriates Ministry.

According to the source, misleading claims by the US-led coalition about the city's liberation from Daesh was aimed at dividing the opinion of the international community from the crimes the coalition and its allies allegedly committed in Raqqa province.

The spokesman added that the statements made by the US authorities, including the White House, the Pentagon, and the State Department, about the crucial role of the Raqqa's liberation in the struggle against the terrorists and the contribution of the US-led coalition to this fight, also could puzzle.

Comment: The SANA report continues:
The source said that the US and its illegitimate alliance are misleading the international community about their intentions towards Syria, stressing that their claims of liberating Raqqa city from ISIS are mere lies aiming to divert international public opinion from the crimes they committed in Raqqa province.

The source said that more than 90% of Raqqa city has been leveled due to the deliberate and barbaric bombardment of the city and the towns near it by the alliance, which also destroyed all services and infrastructures and forced tens of thousands of locals to leave the city and become refugees.

The source said that the US and its allies are celebrating what they call the liberation of Raqqa over the bodies of their victims, as proven by the suffering of the forcibly-displaced citizens who are living on the roads and in camps due to the practices of the so-called "Syrian Democratic Forces" which seize humanitarian aid meant to save the lives of Raqqa locals, adding that these Forces also confiscate locals' IDs and documents and subject them to brutal torture and detainment.

The source went on to say that ISIS wouldn't have exited Raqqa and went to other areas to fight the Syrian and Iraqi armies there if it hadn't been in collusion with the US and the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces.
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The source added that the quick calls by the US and the alliance for rebuilding Raqqa is an act of scam and fraud on the public opinion seeking to cover up the destruction they caused in Raqqa.

The source concluded by saying that Syria calls on the international community to expose what the US and its pawns did in Raqqa, and demands that Security Council resolutions on respecting the unity of Syria be respected, in addition to demanding the dissolution of this suspicious and illegal alliance.


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Pirates

Duma defense chief: Before year ends, ISIS will be destroyed


RT
Mon, 30 Oct 2017 09:43 UTC
Russian Troops
© Ali Hashisho / ReutersRussian troops in Aleppo.
The head of the Lower House Committee for Defense, a former commander of the Airborne Troops, says that by the end of 2017 the Syrian government will regain control of its eastern border and the Islamic State terrorist group will 'cease to exist.'

"We count upon the scenario in which [Syrian] government forces restore control over the eastern border of the Syrian Arab Republic and the Islamic State ceases to exist as a military structure," MP Vladimir Shamanov was quoted as saying by RIA Novosti. The MP was speaking at a meeting between members of the parliamentary defense committees of Russia and Kazakhstan on Monday.

Shamanov also stated that it was already clear that Russian Air Force had successfully fulfilled all major objectives of its Syrian operation.

Last week President Vladimir Putin said that Syrian government forces, supported by the Russian Air Force, had liberated over 90 percent of the country's territory. Earlier, Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said that before Russia sent its Air Force Group to fight the Islamic State, terrorists had controlled about 70 percent of Syrian territory.
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Snakes in Suits

President Barzani resigns, vows to continue fight for Kurds' rights


Sputnik
Sun, 29 Oct 2017 21:01 UTC
Barzani
© TwitterIraqi Kurd President Masoud Barzani steps down.
Amid the grave consequences of a controversial independence referendum in the autonomous region of Kurdistan, its leader Masoud Barzani decided to step down from the presidency.

President of Iraqi Kurdistan Masoud Barzani said on Sunday that he will continue to fight for the rights of the Kurds as a member of the Peshmerga, after his term as the autonomy's head ends on November 1.

Earlier in the day, 71-year-old leader officially refused to extend his duties. Previously both presidential, as well as parliamentary elections, were slated for November 1, however, the chaos that broke out after the independence vote made authorities to postpone elections.

Masoud Barzani is the first president of Iraqi Kurdistan elected in 2005. In 2013 he refused to abandon the post, though his mandate expired. The parliament since then has extended it twice for two years.

Barzani is considered to be an architect of the independence referendum held in Kurdistan on September 25. More than 90 percent of 3.4 million people in northern Iraq's three main Kurdish provinces and in multi-ethnic Kirkuk region voted to have a separate nation-state. The independence vote was deemed illegal by the central authorities. Iraqi government launched an offensive which led to Kurds losing to Baghdad large swathes of oilfields in the disputed province of Kirkuk.
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Dig

Breaking: Tony Podesta quits Podesta Group amid Mueller inquiry

Anna Palmer
Politico
Mon, 30 Oct 2017 18:05 UTC
Red shoes Tony Podesta
Democratic power lobbyist Tony Podesta, founder of the Podesta Group, is stepping down from the firm that bears his name after coming under investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller.

Podesta announced his decision during a firm-wide meeting Monday morning and is alerting clients of his impending departure.

Podesta is handing over full operational and financial control to longtime firm CEO Kimberley Fritts, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the meeting. Fritts and a senior group of the Podesta team will be launching a new firm in the next one or two days. Sources said the transition has been in the works for the past several months.

"[Tony] was very magnanimous and said, "This is an amazing group of people," a source said of Podesta's remarks. Podesta also told staff he "doesn't intend to go quietly, or learn how to play golf." He said he "needs to fight this as an individual, but doesn't want the firm to fight it."

Fritts also addressed the gathering, telling staff that she is "thrilled at this opportunity" and that, "This is not about me, this is about y'all." Several other senior staff spoke about their excitement about the future of the firm. The meeting ended with a resounding ovation for Podesta.
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Map

Germany looking for new allies - turns to Russia

George Friedman
Mauldin Economics
Mon, 23 Oct 2017 17:52 UTC
putin merkel
© REUTERS/ Kai Pfaffenbach
A delegation of executives from major German corporations recently met with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Such delegations are not unusual. Sometimes it is routine, sometimes a courtesy. But occasionally, it has significance. In the case of Russia-Germany relations, such meetings are always potentially significant.

Germany's Unsteady Relations

Two relationships are critical to Germany.

One is with the European Union, the other is with the United States. Neither relationship is stable right now. Brexit, the Spanish crisis, Germany feuding with Poland and the unsolved economic problems of southern Europe are tearing the European Union apart.

The Germans and the EU apparatus claim that none of these threaten the bloc. In fact, almost a decade after 2008, Europe appears to be achieving very modest economic growth. But the Germans know the dangers that lie ahead, even if Brussels does not.

Many of the EU's problems are political, not economic. (I wrote about the inherent weakness of Europe in my free e-book, The World Explained in Maps, which you can find here)

Comment: See also: When Germany turns to Russia the US 'Deep State' will lose Europe

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USA

Congressional Republicans want answers from Wasserman Schultz, Podesta about Trump dossier money


Fox News
Sun, 29 Oct 2017 17:36 UTC
podesta
© Adrees Latif / Reuters John Podesta
Congressional Republicans on Sunday called for Democrats John Podesta and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz to provide further answers about their party paying for a dossier on President Trump's alleged ties to Russia, after telling Senate investigators last month that they had no knowledge of such payments.

Wasserman Schultz is the former chairman of the Democratic National Committee, and Podesta was the chairman of Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign. Both groups purportedly paid millions for research that led to the dossier, The Washington Post reported last week.

South Carolina Rep. Trey Gowdy, chairman of the House Oversight Committee, suggested on "Fox News Sunday" that the DNC paying a law firm for so-called opposition research connected to the dossier was tantamount to money laundering.

wasserman schultz
Debbie Wasserman Schultz

Comment: See:

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Eye 2

Neocon Bill Kristol tied to Free Beacon hiring Fusion GPS to dig up dirt on Trump


True Pundit
Mon, 30 Oct 2017 17:38 UTC
Bill kristol Matthew Continetti Trump
© True PunditBill Kristol and Matthew Continetti
Never-Trump Loudmouth Bill Kristol is among high profile GOP elite linked to the the Washington Free Beacon's hiring of Fusion GPS to dig up dirt on Donald Trump during the 2016 election.

Lawyers for the Free Beacon disclosed Friday to the House Intelligence Committee of its role in commissioning the embattled Fusion GPS research firm to dig up dirt on Trump.

Free Beacon commissioned the project through spring 2016. The editor of the paper, Matthew Continetti apologized Friday for the news group's hiring of Fusion GPS.

Comment: How to drain the swamp when the size of it keeps growing?

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Shoe

Deposed Catalan President Puigdemont allegedly fled to Belgium to avoid prosecution by Madrid - UPDATE: Confirmed

Adam Garrie
The Duran
Mon, 30 Oct 2017 00:00 UTC
deposed Catalan President Carles Puigdemont
Spain's Attorney General Jose Manuel Maza has told local media that Madrid plans to file charges against deposed Catalan President Carles Puigdemont and his deputies, in the aftermath of declaring Catalonia a sovereign republic.

Many openly suspect that the deposed Catalan leadership will be charged with "rebellion", which in Spain can carry a 30 year prison sentence. Additionally, it is thought that the Catalan leaders will also be charged with sedition and embezzlement by Madrid.

Spanish media have also reported that Puigdemont has fled to Brussels in order to avoid prosecution.

Comment: Puigdemont appeared in Brussels along with other members of his cabinet at the same time that Spanish Attorney General Jose Manuel Maza filed a lawsuit against the secessionist leaders on charges of rebellion, sedition and embezzlement. RT reports:
Puigdemont did not go to the Catalonian regional Government Palace on Monday, even though he earlier vowed to "continue working to build a free country" in defiance of Madrid's decision to sack his government and suspend Catalonia's independence, which he said went against the will of the people.

On Monday morning, he posted a photo of the Catalan parliamentary palace, but did not appear there. Later, the Catalan media reported that the sacked regional leader turned up in Brussels alongside with some other members of his cabinet. The Spanish authorities soon confirmed that Puigdemont had indeed traveled to the Belgian capital.
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Catalonia's El Periodico newspaper reported that Puigdemont allegedly traveled to Brussels to meet with Flemish politicians. Two days ago Flanders, the Dutch-speaking region of Belgium, expressed its solidarity with the Catalans in their drive for independence.

Belgian Immigration Minister Theo Francken did not rule out granting asylum to Puigdemont if he applies. The minister called such an outcome "not unrealistic" on Sunday.

His statement, however, provoked a backlash from Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel, who said that giving political asylum to Puigdemont is "absolutely not on the agenda." He also urged Francken "not to fan the flames."


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Binoculars

The Manafort indictment is a sign that the Russiagate investigation is over, found nothing

Alexander Mercouris
The Duran
Mon, 30 Oct 2017 16:55 UTC
mueller manafort
As widely predicted, Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russiagate probe has now formally indicted Paul Manafort, Donald Trump's former campaign manager, in what the media is calling the 'first indictment' in the Russiagate investigation.

Manafort was warned at the time of the search of his home that he would be indicted so the news of the indictment is not surprising.

The timing of the indictment does however raise some interesting questions.

It comes after what was in all other respects a disastrous two weeks for the true believers in the Russiagate conspiracy with the revelation that the Democratic National Committee and the Hillary Clinton campaign financed the 'research' which resulted in the Trump Dossier, and with mounting claims that (as I had previously suspected) the now notorious meeting between Donald Trump Junior and the Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya was indeed a sting set up by Fusion GPS, the intermediary company used by the DNC and the Hillary Clinton campaign to fund the Trump Dossier.

In light of this there has to be some suspicion that the decision to press charges against Manafort and one of his aides now was intended at least in part to distract attention from the revelations and to regain control of the Russiagate narrative, which has been increasingly falling apart.

What reinforces this suspicion is that news of the indictment was leaked - disgracefully - to the media over the weekend even though the indictment had been sealed by a Federal Judge.

Comment: Trump tweets:



See also:

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Pirates

US protectionism bears down on Europe in form of economic war


Sputnik
Sun, 29 Oct 2017 15:55 UTC
America EU flags
© AP Photo/ Virginia Mayo
Former French President Francois Hollande has berated Donald Trump for pursuing protectionist policies. Speaking to Sputnik, French analysts said that the US often used "hidden protectionism" even before Trump was elected and that EU countries are just starting to determine strategies for resisting competition from American multinationals.

Marc German, a specialist in competitive intelligence and enterprise diplomacy, told Sputnik France that Trump "loudly declares the protectionism of the American economy."

"But his battle cry, which boils down to the slogan 'America first', is in fact an unwritten preamble to the American Constitution. And we have been seeing this for two centuries already!" German added.

Comment: It's reasonable that any given country should look to protect their interests. However, what the US does is exploit, divide, and strong-arm other nations (and its own people) to maintain power. This dynamic is ultimately unsustainable and some things at some point will give. We can already see the world changing in terms of the 'balance of power'. Russia is overcoming US influence both within its own borders as well as in the Middle East. China's massive One Belt One Road project is presenting a geopolitical and geo-economic shift toward a united Eurasia. The question remains if Europe is destined for the same fate as the US, or can it overcome its destructive Western foundation and build toward the future?

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