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Turkey and Russia to begin joint patrols in northern Syria on Nov. 1


RFE/RL
Wed, 30 Oct 2019 16:45 UTC
russian military police
© AFP / Delil Souleiman
A Russian military policeman in Syria on October 25, 2019.
Turkish-Russian joint patrols will start in northeast Syria on November 1, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced after the Kremlin said Syrian Kurdish fighters had withdrawn under a deal between Ankara and Moscow.

"We will start the joint work on the ground on Friday [November1], namely we are starting the joint patrols," Erdogan told parliament in a televised speech on October 30.

He added that the joint patrols will operate inside Syria within a strip of land 7 kilometers from the border.

Under the deal agreed in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi last week after Turkey's offensive into northeastern Syria, Kurdish militia forces were given a 150-hour deadline, which expired on October 29. The joint patrols were meant to start after the deadline expired.

Erdogan said Russian authorities informed Ankara that some 34,000 members of the "terror group" have withdrawn -- together with 3,260 pieces of heavy weaponry -- from a zone running 30 kilometers from the Turkish-Syrian border.

"The data we have points to the fact that this wasn't fully achieved," Erdogan said, referring to the Russian assurances.

"We will give the necessary response after we carry out work in the field," Erdogan added.

He again stressed that Turkey "reserves the right to carry out its own operation" if it identifies any Syrian Kurdish militia or if its forces come under attack.

Comment: The Turkish defense minister says military cooperation with Russia is proceeding successfully:
"The Russian military delegation has paid a visit. Their collaboration with our military representatives lasted several days. Currently, our work is completed, our Russian colleagues have returned to Moscow. The work was carried out constructively, in a positive atmosphere based on mutual trust, and per the agreements reached earlier by President Erdogan and President Putin. In general, the work was successful; there were some difficulties, but they are not inextricable, we will eliminate them in the coming days. Our contacts, coordination and cooperation continue", Akar said.

"We continue fighting terrorism, primarily DAESH, PYD (Kurdish Democratic Union Party), PKK (Workers' Party of Kurdistan), YPG. Our cooperation with Russia in this direction is ongoing and successful. We are working on creating a security zone in the region, ensuring security in the border areas of our country, establishing peace and stability in the region, and promoting the safe return of our Syrian brothers to their homeland", he noted.

Akar pointed out that, working in these areas, Turkey acts with respect for the territorial integrity of Syria.

"As you know, members of the Constitutional Committee have arrived in Geneva. We advocated for the creation of a constitution, and for elections to be held in Syria, and we will provide all available support to this process, for as long as possible. We believe that a significant part of the problems in this area will be resolved in the coming days", he said.
Russian Defense Minister Shoigu also shared that there were difficulties:
"The memorandum signed by the presidents of Turkey and Russia is being implemented, not without difficulty, but we see that this is perhaps the only way to ensure peace and maintain Syria's sovereignty", Shoigu said at a meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.
The 'Free Syrian Army' proxy fighting force, apparently working for Turkey these days, reports that it has handed over control of 11 villages and outposts along the M4 motorway running west to east across northeastern Syria.

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Briefcase

No matter what Putin and Orban discuss in Budapest, the US and its allies will highly likely be irritated


RT
Wed, 30 Oct 2019 16:03 UTC
Putin Orban
© Pool via Reuters / Alexander Zemlianichenko / File
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban
Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected in Hungary today at the invitation of Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Whatever the results, their meeting will probably make US and the EU partners angry.

The two leaders will "discuss a range of issues related to Russia-Hungary interaction with a focus on trade, economy and culture" and "exchange opinions on some current international and regional matters," the Kremlin said in a statement ahead of the visit, without offering any additional details as to what those might be.

One obvious candidate for their agenda is the ongoing process of expanding the nuclear power plant at Paks. The only one of its kind in Hungary, it supplies up to 40 percent of the country's energy needs. Construction of two new power units was agreed in 2014 and approved by the EU in 2017, while Moscow has provided a €10 billion state loan for the purpose through 2025.

Comment: Orban appears to be a level-headed statesman, dedicated to the welfare of Hungary's citizens. No wonder he and Putin understand each other.

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Attention

A hasty 'burial at sea' and other Baghdadi raid details parallel Bin Laden death mythology

Tyler Durden
Zero Hedge
Tue, 29 Oct 2019 15:05 UTC
al-Baghdadi, Bin Laden
© Unknown
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi • Osama Bin Laden
Years after the 2011 Navy SEAL raid on the Abbottabad, Pakistan compound which killed Osama bin Laden, a bombshell investigation published in 2015 by legendary reporter Seymour Hersh debunked key elements of the Obama administration's narrative of the hit, especially related to the hasty disposal of bin Laden's body, claimed by the Pentagon to have been buried at sea within 24 hours (after DNA identity confirmation) "in accordance with Islamic tradition". But according to Hersh's sources, there was no burial at sea given "there wouldn't have been much left of bin Laden to put into the sea in any case" as the al-Qaeda leader had been "torn apart with rifle fire".

Instead, pieces of the corpse were "tossed out over the Hindu Kush mountains" by Navy SEALs during the chopper flight out of Pakistan, according to Hersh's sources. It was but one detail contradicting a broader Washington narrative meant to in part conceal the shocking fact that close American ally Pakistan had for years been hiding Osama bin Laden "in plain sight" — with knowledge at the highest levels of Islamabad intelligence officials — even as US special forces combed the mountains of Afghanistan in a futile manhunt.

And now here we are, days after another epic raid on another world's #1 terror leader's compound, with the exact same hasty "burial at sea" story from the Pentagon. In the case of ISIS terror chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's body, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley announced Monday during a Pentagon briefing: "The disposal of his [al-Baghdadi's] remains has been done and is complete and was handled appropriately." ABC and other outlets were then quick to report that —
"The remains of ISIS leader and founder Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi were disposed at sea after he died during the U.S. military raid that targeted his compound in northwest Syria over the weekend, a U.S. official confirmed Monday."

Comment: See also:

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Telephone

Devin Nunes: Early leaks of Trump's calls with foreign leaders were intel gathering products

Ivan Pentchoukov
The Epoch Times
Tue, 29 Oct 2019 00:00 UTC
Devin Nunes
© Independent
House Intelligence Committee Ranking Member Devin Nunes (R-CA)
The leaks of the details of the calls between President Donald Trump and the leaders of Mexico and Australia in 2017 were the products of intelligence gathering, House Intelligence Committee Ranking Member Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) told The Epoch Times in an exclusive interview.

Nunes said that sources confirmed to the House Intelligence Committee that the leaks of the calls between Trump and foreign leaders were based on intelligence products, prompting Nunes to investigate the matter.

He remarked on Oct. 28:
"We knew right away in January that unmasking was occurring. Well, we knew the big one, the major one, was the Flynn transcript that was given out. And then you slowly had the Australian prime minister; you had the Mexican president, plus stories that we were seeing out in the mainstream news media. It was clear that somehow people were getting information from what appeared to be intelligence products."
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Dollar

Middleman helped Saudi fund Obama inaugural, top fundraiser for Clinton, Biden

Alan Suderman, Jim Mustian
AP
Tue, 29 Oct 2019 00:00 UTC
BidenClintonObamaZuberi
© Everything-PR/sundaytimes.lk/KJN
Imaad Zuberi with Joe Biden • Hillary Clinton • Barack Obama
When President Barack Obama was reelected in 2012, a Saudi tycoon and his business associate sent hundreds of thousands of dollars to the U.S. to help pay for the inaugural celebration and get a picture with the president, according to court documents and an analysis of campaign finance records by The Associated Press.

U.S. election law prohibits foreign nationals from making those sorts of political contributions. But the donations Sheikh Mohammed Al Rahbani tried to send to Obama's inaugural committee were funneled through a seasoned straw donor, the records and the AP analysis show.

That intermediary, Imaad Zuberi, agreed this month to plead guilty to making illegal campaign contributions to several American political candidates on behalf of foreign nationals. He is also set to plead guilty to concealing his work as a foreign agent as he lobbied high-level U.S. government officials.
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Cross

Priest denies Biden communion in South Carolina Catholic church for his abortion stance

Jessica Campisi
The Hill
Tue, 29 Oct 2019 08:55 UTC
Biden/Communion
© Unknown
Presidential candidate and former VP Joe Biden
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden was reportedly denied communion on Sunday at a South Carolina Catholic church over his abortion stance.

The former vice president, a devout Catholic, visited Saint Anthony Catholic Church in Florence for mass, but Father Robert E. Morey denied him Holy Communion because of his views on abortion, the South Carolina Morning News reports. Morey told the newspaper in a statement:
"Holy Communion signifies we are one with God, each other and the Church. Our actions should reflect that. Any public figure who advocates for abortion places himself or herself outside of Church teaching.

"As a priest, it is my responsibility to minister to those souls entrusted to my care, and I must do so even in the most difficult situations," the statement continued. "I will keep Mr. Biden in my prayers."
In order to receive communion, a Catholic must be in a state of grace and cannot participate in what is deemed a mortal sin, such as abortion.

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Alarm Clock

House Democrats back down: Release resolution to take Trump impeachment proceedings public - and legal


RT
Wed, 30 Oct 2019 15:39 UTC
schiff impeachment
© Reuters / Erin Scott
House Intelligence Committee Chair Rep. Schiff speaks to media during impeachment inquiry deposition on Capitol Hill in Washington on October 28, 2019.
House Democrats have released a resolution outlining the sequence of impeachment procedures, and hope to silence Republicans' complaints that the process is unfair, secretive, or straight-up illegal, by subjecting it to a vote.

The resolution, released on Tuesday, authorizes members of both parties to subpoena and question witnesses, requisition evidence, and release transcripts (with appropriate redactions). Released by Rules Committee chair Jim McGovern (D-Massachusetts), it is expected to be put to a vote on Thursday.

If it passes, the resolution will add legal heft to Democrats' subpoenas, which have already been ignored at least once. An affirmative vote will help silence the Trump administration's complaint that the proceedings are unconstitutional - though House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has insisted all along that a vote was not necessary for lawful impeachment proceedings to continue, and has maintained that line as recently as Monday, when she announced a vote would be forthcoming anyway.

Comment: Looks like Rep. Jim Jordan and Rep. Steve Scalise managed to bring enough public shame on Dems to get them moving on providing a justification for their 'Soviet-style" secret proceedings.



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Snakes in Suits

Poor George Soros opines on lifelong funding of leftwing causes: 'Tide has turned against me'

Penny Starr
Breitbart
Mon, 28 Oct 2019 00:00 UTC
George Soros
© Francois Mori/AP Photo
Billionaire George Soros, who has spent his fortune promoting leftwing politicians, media, and organizations, said over the weekend that he hasn't failed in his lifelong quest to put socialism in place in the United States, but has been impeded by his opposition, including President Donald Trump.

"Between the election of President Trump and Britain's ongoing debate over Brexit, the billionaire philanthropist George Soros recognizes that populism is on the rise and that his brand of liberal democracy is faltering," said Michel Martin, host of All Things Considered on taxpayer-funded National Public Radio (NPR).

Soros also has supported NPR, including $1.8 million given to the media outlet in 2011.

"When I got involved in what I call political philanthropy some 40 years ago, the open society idea was on the ascendant — closed societies were opening up," Soros said. "And now, open societies are on the defensive and dictatorships are on the rise."


Comment: What a laugh! Under the guise of liberalism, political philanthropy, etc., this machiavellian curmudgeon has done more to destabilize and undermine the sovereignty of world countries than perhaps any other personality alive.

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Camcorder

Guerilla journalists sneak onto Jeffrey Epstein's 'Pedo Island'

Tyler Durden
Zero Hedge
Wed, 30 Oct 2019 04:55 UTC
epstein island statue
A group of guerilla journalists from We Are Change snuck onto Jeffrey Epstein's island, Little St. James, where they recorded the island's features in high-definition.

Founder Luke Rudowski and a crew were able to book a ride onto the deceased pedophile's island, where they found a series of "satanic gargoyles" and explored landmarks such as Epstein's strange cube-shaped 'temple.'

Comment: The other fellow was Jeff Berwick of DollarVigilante.

Kind of a Nothing-Burger. It seems rather obvious that anything incriminating on that island would have been removed long ago. Good for some thrill-seeking, though.

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Light Saber

Russian diplomacy threatens Western imperialism in Africa

Ulson Gunnar Author
New Eastern Outlook
Tue, 29 Oct 2019 12:00 UTC
putin africa vision

Russia-Africa Economic and Security Summit in Sochi (Oct. 23-24)
While Russia has attempted to direct attention toward its first ever Russia-Africa Summit held in Sochi, Russia this month, it has been the systematic smear campaign launched by media in the West that has raised debate over accusations made against Moscow and exposed the hypocrisy of those making these accusations regarding their own activities in Africa.

The debate provoked by Western accusations has helped focus attention on the oft neglected affairs of the African continent and the nations and people living there, as well as compare and contrast centuries of Western abuses there with the approaches of relative newcomers like Russia and China.

For Russia's part, its summit appears well received, and were it of little or no consequence, we would probably not be seeing the significant backlash it has provoked across the Western media.

The West's Way of Dealing with Africa...

Comment: See also:

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