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Jet3

War strategizing: Russia's new wartime state management system gives full power to military


RT
Tue, 11 Oct 2016 10:23 UTC
russian tanks
© Mikhail Voskresenskiy / Sputnik
A recent military exercise in southern Russia saw the first real-time test of the state management system that allows the Defense Ministry to assume direct control over municipal and regional authorities, police, state security and emergency services.

"In the course of the strategic war games Caucasus-2016, the Defense Ministry has for the first time tried how a military district command can directly manage the regions of the Russian Federation," popular daily Izvestia quoted an unnamed high-placed military source as saying.

"Exercising the interaction with state power bodies was one of the main objectives of the war games. In general it went well, but we also encountered some problems and presently we are preparing some legislative proposals that would correct the revealed drawbacks," the source added.

In particular, the military wants to switch completely from the previous scheme, under which in times of war all regional authorities and federal ministries worked on their own dedicated tasks and the Defense Ministry only had a coordinating role.

The new rules of wartime administration would give all administrative powers to the military, which would issue direct commands to regional authorities, law enforcers, rescuers and the National Guard.

Comment: Prelude to further military intervention? Russia conducts massive war games in Caucasus

Colonel Cassad comments:
These changes are logical, taking into account the need for massive military exercises, civil defense inspections and inventory of bomb shelters. Apparently, the authorities do not rule out a major war involving Russia. So far, inspections and preparations are aimed at a hypothetical scenario of military confrontation with the US and NATO, in which case Russia will declare a full military emergency.

Taking history into account, we will borrow some things from the Soviet experience, adapting them to today's realities (cybersecurity, information, control of network streams etc.). The current situation demonstrates the validity of a purely volunteer army. However, in the event of conflict with NATO, we will have to institute a draft. The professional army suffices in peace time, but must be increased by mobilization when war breaks out (governors will be personally responsible for mobilization when regional military leaders declare a state of emergency.)

Overall, serious preparation are under way. Whether they will come into play depends on the further course of the Syrian war and the war in Ukraine.


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Info

Syrian War Report: 35,500 terrorists killed past 6 months (VIDEO)


South Front
Tue, 11 Oct 2016 15:22 UTC
Syrian war report
On October 7, the Syrian army and the National Defense Forces (NDF) launched a major counter-attack on the joint terrorist forces of the Free Syrian Army (FSA), Ahrar al-Sham, Jund al-Aqsa and Jabhat Fatah al-Sham (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra) northeast of the Syrian city of Hama.

Initially, the Syrian army and the NDF took control of the village of Junaynah, then, after a series of firefights, they liberated Sha'atha and Tulaysiyah. On October 8, the pro-government forces freed from terrorists the vilalge of al-Qahira, the al-Shu'tha hills and the nearby agriculture airstrip, Khefseen and checkpoints near al-Khaima and al-Naqra. On October 9, the army and the NDF continued operations in the direction of Tamat al-Khalifah, Qubaybat Abu al-Huda and Kubbariyah. By October 10, they have recaptured the strategic town of Ma'an and the nearby village of Kubbariyah after a series of heavy firefights with terrorists.

Ma'an had been one of the major towns (others are Taibat al-Imam, Al-Lataminah and Kfar Zitam) strategically located near the M5 highway and captured by the joint terrorist forces.

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Vader

The insanity of Clinton's 'no-fly zone' in Syria

John Wight
Sputnik
Tue, 11 Oct 2016 14:47 UTC
Clinton second debate
© Reuters/ Rick Wilking
Lost in the furore whipped up in the Western media over Donald Trump in response to the release of the now infamous audio tape, during which he is heard making obscene comments about women, is the fact that his opponent in the race for the White House, Hillary Clinton, appears intent on going to war against Syria and Russia, if elected.

This is the only conclusion to be drawn from the second US presidential debate between both candidates, when during the part of the debate focused on Syria, the former secretary of state said: "Well, the situation in Syria is catastrophic. And every day that goes by, we see the results of the regime by Assad, in partnership with the Iranians on the ground, the Russians in the air, bombarding places, in particular Aleppo, where there are hundreds of thousands of people, probably about 250,000 still left. And there is a determined effort by the Russian air force to destroy Aleppo in order to eliminate the last of the Syrian rebels who are really holding out against the Assad regime."

This qualifies as a monstrous distortion of the facts when it comes to the ongoing conflict in Aleppo. Firstly, the putative next president, a politician whose foreign policy experience and knowledge is considered by her supporters to be her strongest suit, has either willfully or ignorantly abstracted the existence of the 1.5 million civilians who are living in government-controlled western Aleppo.
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Stock Down

Saudi Arabia to slash capital spending by 71% and plan more austerity measures


RT
Tue, 11 Oct 2016 14:50 UTC
Saudi Arabia money riyal
© Fahad Shadeed / Reuters
With the largest budget shortfall among the world's 20 biggest economies, Saudi Arabia is planning more austerity measures this year. The kingdom will scrap projects worth more than $20 billion as it comes to terms with cheaper oil.

According to the Saudi government's bond prospectus obtained by Bloomberg, capital expenditure is expected to fall to $20.6 billion (75.8 billion riyals) this year compared with $70.2 billion (263.7 billion riyals) in 2015. Two years ago, the country's capital spending was $98.6 billion (370 billion riyals).

"I would've liked to have seen more cuts to current spending rather than focusing almost entirely on capital expenditure," said Khatija Haque, head of Middle East and North Africa research at Emirates NBD. She added "in the short-term, the impact will be slower growth" as government spending and investment is reduced.
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Stock Down

A warning to the world: Key points from Putin's World Energy Congress speech


Tsargrad / Fort Russ
Tue, 11 Oct 2016 13:21 UTC
Russian President Vladimir Putin
© Ruptly
Translated by J. Arnoldski

The World Energy Congress is underway in Istanbul. Delegations from 85 countries and more than 250 presidents, ministers, and other senior officials are taking part in the event. On the of the most anticipated speeches at the event was that of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Without ever uttering the word "crisis," the Russian leader outlined a rather bleak and pessimistic picture awaiting humanity in the next 15 years. What did Putin say? Tsargrad has recorded the most striking theses from the Russian president's speech.
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Eye 1

Kiev 'does not consent' to next Normandy format meeting, blames Russia


Interfax.ru / Fort Russ
Tue, 11 Oct 2016 13:27 UTC
Poroshenko, Lukashenko and Putin
© Grigory Dukor/Reuters Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko followed by Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko and Russian president Vladimir Putin after talks in Minsk
Translated by Tom Winter

Ukraine has not agreed to hold a meeting of leaders of the "Normandy format"

The Ukrainian side has not consented to hold a meeting of leaders of the "Normandy format," said the agency "Interfax" citing a source in diplomatic circles.

"Ukraine did not give consent to participate in the Normandy format summit "So long as there is not an agreed upon "Roadmap," which will provide for the implementation of the security conditions in Minsk by Russia, such a meeting will not take place," said the official close to the negotiations.

Comment: Kiev conveniently forgets that Putin already nixed them from the Normandy format, and for good reason:
"Vladimir Putin drew his partners' attention to the gross provocations by the Ukrainian side, which sent a group of saboteurs to the territory of the Russian Federation in Crimea to carry out terrorist attacks in early August. Kiev's tendency towards such types of military operations is detrimental to the Minsk Process and cooperation in the framework of the Normandy Format," the report reads.

Normandy 4 now 3: Poroshenko excluded from Donbass discussion


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Bad Guys

DNC chief Donna Brazile leaked Sanders campaign info to Killary

Michael Sainato
Observer
Tue, 11 Oct 2016 14:33 UTC
Donna Brazile
© ABC News
WikiLeaks hack reveals DNC's favoritism as Clinton staff in damage control over Hillary's support for Defense of Marriage Act

On October 10, Wikileaks released part two of their emails from Clinton campaign chair John Podesta.

Friday, Wikileaks released their first batch of Podesta's emails, which included excerpts from Clinton's Wall Street transcripts that reaffirmed why Clinton refused to release them in full. During the second presidential debate, Clinton confirmed their authenticity by attempting to defend one statement she made in the speech about having a public and private stance on political issues. She cited Abraham Lincoln, a defense comparable to her ridiculous invocation of 9/11 when pressed on her ties to Wall Street during a Democratic primary debate.

The latest release reveals current DNC chair Donna Brazile, when working as a DNC vice chair, forwarded to the Clinton campaign a January 2016 email obtained from the Bernie Sanders campaign, released by Sarah Ford, Sanders' deputy national press secretary, announcing a Twitter storm from Sanders' African-American outreach team. "FYI" Brazile wrote to the Clinton staff. "Thank you for the heads up on this Donna," replied Clinton campaign spokesperson Adrienne Elrod.

The second batch of emails include more evidence of collusion between the mainstream media and Clinton Campaign.

Comment: The fix was in from the beginning to push the Killary-bot to center stage.

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Light Saber

Well deserved: Putin wins the Hugo Chavez Peace Prize

Adam Garrie
The Duran
Tue, 11 Oct 2016 00:00 UTC
Putin Chavez

Whereas the Nobel Peace Prize has been increasingly discredited by its obviously pro-Western bias, the award of Venezuela's newly created Hugo Chavez Peace Price to Vladimir Putin is just and fair.

The Nobel Peace Prize has become increasingly farcical.

In recent decades, the prize has gone to Mikhail Gorbachev, a man who created Europe and central Asia's largest refugee crisis since the 1940s.

It has gone to the war-hawk Barack Obama and was awarded to him just moments after he wiped his feet by the White House door.

At the time many said that 'not being George W. Bush' was enough to qualify one for the prize. I had a feeling the bar should have been set somewhat higher.

In 2012 the European Union collectively won the award. This is the same European Union whose leaders have lit a match to gunpowder in Kiev. Someone call for a Nobexit!

Comment: Well done! There are few, if any, leaders on the world stage today who are more deserving of such an award!

Is Putin incorruptible? U.S. insider's view of the Russian president's character and his country's transformation

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Smoking

Duterte has gone too far! Philippines government bans smoking

Loulla-Mae Eleftheriou-Smith
Independent
Mon, 10 Oct 2016 14:26 UTC
Duterte
© Lean Daval Jr / Reuters Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte
A nationwide smoking ban is set to be implemented across the Philippines, replicating rules currently observed in president Duterte's former jurisdiction, Davao City, where he was mayor.

The new rules, which have been drawn up in an executive order and are awaiting the president's approval, will see all public places across the country - indoor and outdoor - become smoke-free areas.

"What is being done in Davao is set to be done nationwide," health secretary Pauline Ubial said, the Manila Bulletin reported.

"There will be nobody smoking in public places anymore, whether indoor or outdoor. Parks, bus stations, and even in vehicles. All these are considered public places," the health secretary said, adding that the executive order is expected to be signed this month.

The move comes two weeks after president Duterte re-stated his plans to ban smoking in the Philippines, claiming that it brought diseases to both smokers and non-smokers, the Philippine Star reported.

The country's department of health is also attempting to amend "grey areas" in the current law around the sale of tobacco. Ms Ubial said the department wants to "totally prohibit point-of-sale advertisements" for tobacco and designated indoor smoking areas.

Comment: Duterte has gone on an understandable campaign to rid The Philippines of drugs, corruption and Western influence. Unfortunately, in his zeal he apparently hasn't made the connection that the global anti-smoking crusade is an insidious aspect of Western dominance. Reconsider, Duterte!

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Bad Guys

ISIS detonated Assyrian church in culture-rich Nineveh, Iraq


RT
Tue, 11 Oct 2016 10:18 UTC
ISIS
© AFP
Islamic State has demolished an Assyrian church in Karmlis, a town outside Mosul, Iraq. The group used multiple charges inside the building, which joins dozens of other Assyrian churches and prized archaeological heritage sites in Nineveh Governorate.

The terrorists "detonated a number of explosive devices inside the church on Sunday afternoon," according to human rights activist Ghazi Shamoun, who spoke to ARA News. "The church was completely destroyed."

The destruction of the building follows a similar string of grave offences, as Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) attempts to wipe out precious cultural artefacts they consider sacrilegious. These include the partially-destroyed ancient ruins of Palmyra, the 2,000-year-old Gate of God in Iraq, Syria's national treasure - the Assyrian-era Tal Ajaja settlement - and countless other prized relics that have faced IS explosives and sledgehammers.

It emerged in March this year that all six UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Syria have either been damaged or destroyed in the five years of civil war. In Iraq, the destruction took off in earnest a little later, in 2014, after the fall of Mosul to IS. Over 28 historical relics and places of worship have been attacked and looted.

Comment: Assyrians are a large minority in northeastern Syria and northern Iraq. Hundreds were kidnapped when the Islamic State marauded through their villages in Syria and thousands more continue to be exiled from the historically Assyrian Nineveh plains east of Mosul in Iraq.

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