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Chess

SOTT Focus: Russia Brings Turkey to the Right Side of History - Terrorists and Israel React Badly to Sochi Agreement on Idlib

Putin erdogan netanyahu
© Fort Russ News
With Turkey's military presence in northern Syria and its support of militant groups in Idlib, it was to be expected that the Syrian Army offensive in the region would be postponed until a compromise was reached between Erdogan and Assad's allies, as I explained earlier. Russian president Vladimir Putin held talks with his Turkish counterpart Erdogan, for the third time in less than a month, in Sochi on September 17th. They agreed to establish a demilitarized zone in Idlib; later, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu confirmed to journalists there would not be a large military operation in the province.

According to Russian diplomatic sources who spoke with Al-Watan newspaper, the Russian-Turkish agreement will be implemented in three stages:
  1. The first stage will go into effect by mid October to create a 15 to 20 km weapons-free zone along the contact line between militant groups and government forces. All radical groups, including ISIS and Jabhat al-Nusra/Al Qaeda will have to leave this zone, which will be patrolled jointly by Russian and Turkish military units.
  2. In the second stage the heavy weapons will be collected from the region until November 10 and the militants will leave civilian areas.
  3. In the third stage, lasting to the end of this year, state institutions will resume activities in Idlib.
Notice that for the completion of all three stages, the cooperation of militant groups is necessary. This is the point that may result in the partial or complete collapse of the demilitarization efforts - but that is not necessarily a failure.

Briefcase

Volkswagen agrees to cease most operations in Iran to comply with US sanctions

VW ceases operations Iran sanctions
© Mike Blake / ReutersThe German manufacturer will join the ranks of European companies such as Total, Adidas and Daimler who have already said they will scale back or abandon all operations in Iran due to Washington’s sanctions.
Weeks of negotiations with the Trump administration have ended with carmaker Volkswagen (VW) agreeing to cease most of its operations in Iran, said US Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell, as cited by Bloomberg.

"Volkswagen has told us they will comply with US sanctions on Iran," said Grenell, adding: "We are pleased with this decision because Iran diverts its economic resources away from its people to spread violence and instability across the globe."


Comment: Projection, much?


Grenell explained the automaker will still be allowed to do some business in Iran under a humanitarian exception.

Comment: See also:


Smiley

Hysterical: UK Sun hypes low-profile Russian model's claim that Putin "wants her dead" after rat poison incident - UPDATE

Anna Shapiro
© missannawebb / Instagram
A 30-year-old Russian model, whose husband may have been poisoned by rat poison at a Salisbury restaurant, has claimed "Vladimir Putin wants me dead." Even more astonishingly, a British tabloid decided this was front page news.

When the story was first breaking on Sunday, the excitement in the Sun's newsroom must have been palpable. Another reported poisoning in a knock-off Italian eatery in Salisbury, and a Russian was involved as well. Almost too good to be true, this was the Skripal poisoning all over again.

Anna Shapiro, a 30-year-old Russian model (although a part-time model, which one assumes is a bit like a part-time actor) and event organizer, described to The Sun how she found her husband Alex King fighting for his life in the toilet at restaurant Prezzo and "foaming at the mouth."

Police closed the restaurant and the streets surrounding it, and investigators in HAZMAT suits went in to check it out. Understandably, the local force was a bit jumpy, but later confirmed "we were able to rule out the presence of Novichok quickly [and]... at this stage, it is unclear as to whether or not a crime has been committed," adding also that "we would remind everyone that speculation is not helpful."

Comment: This anti-Russian nonsense has gone from crazy-hysterical to LOL-hysterical. It's only a matter of time before British grannies start going to the Sun with accusations that Putin hacked their AOL accounts or kidnapped their puppies.

Update: RT reports the Sun has deleted the story
In one of the least surprising developments in an ongoing story, the Sun newspaper has been forced to remove a report from its website in which a Russian model claims Vladimir Putin is trying to kill her.

The article has since been removed "for legal reasons," and, some are speculating, probably for some 'truth' reasons as well.

Russian-born Anna Shapiro and her British husband Alex King were at the center of another poisoning scare in Salisbury last Sunday in an incident that appeared at first to echo the attack on ex-Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in the very same city.

The details were compelling, a reported poisoning in another Italian eatery chain in Salisbury (this time Prezzo), a Russian was involved, and the police closed off streets and deployed specialists in hazmat suits.

The story also carried a hint of too-good-to-be-true, but The Sun was so seduced by Shapiro's claim that Putin was after her, it ran a front page splash. The fact she was willing to claim "Putin wants me dead" while at the same time doing a sexy photo shoot probably helped.

There was no sign of nerve agents being used, but The Sun claimed to have 'security sources' which told them rat poison may have been used against the couple, while claiming King was fighting for his life. Soon after the hospital confirmed that actually both had been discharged.

However, other details began to emerge after the Sun splashed. The police, who have not suggested any crime actually took place, admitted one of their lines of inquiry into what happened in Salisbury's Prezzo is now whether it may have been a hoax.

Then the BBC reported that King, who was reportedly found foaming at the mouth in the restaurant's toilet, is a "convicted criminal who once hoaxed Prince Charles" and had previously been convicted of "distributing indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of children."

Then the Daily Mirror reported that King is an alleged drug dealer, and Shapiro is a high-class escort who told friends she was a "honeytrap spy" used by Israel's Mossad to seduce men.

Essentially what appeared to be an extremely questionable story from the very start seems to be disintegrating, so why would a national newspaper decide to run this story at all without doing a basic background checks?

The obvious conclusion is simply that it's too easy to make any accusation you like about Russia because readers are willing to believe anything in the current political climate.

The Sun said in a statement: "Like any newspaper, we were keen to talk to those at the centre of the incident and give them the opportunity to share with the public their version of events."

But were they keen to check whether any of it was accurate?



Briefcase

Afghanistan government ready for direct talks with Taliban under constitution

Taliban fighters
© Associated Press / Allauddin Khan/ FileTaliban fighters
The Afghan authorities are ready to hold direct negotiations with the Taliban without preconditions, if talks are held within the framework of the Afghan constitution, deputy presidential special envoy for the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Mohammed Ibrahim Tamil told Sputnik.

"The Afghan government has repeatedly stated that it is always ready for dialogue, for meetings. We do not have any preconditions, except one - these negotiations should be held within the framework of the Afghan constitution. We are ready for any direct dialogue, meetings with the Taliban, we are ready to listen to their demands and express our opinion on this matter," Tamil said.

Afghanistan hopes that the Moscow format meeting on resolving the ongoing conflict will be held before the end of the year, but considers quality rather than speed a top priority, Mohammed Ibrahim Tamil said.

Comment: It's unlikely Washington would welcome the outbreak of peace in Afghanistan.

No peace allowed: US strikes Taliban after group agrees to join Moscow talks


Vader

No peace allowed: US strikes Taliban after group agrees to join Moscow talks

US helicopter miitary Afghanistan
© Agence France-Presse / Thomas Watkins / FileIn this October 23, 2016 image, a US military helicopter is seen flying toward Bagram airbase from Kabul, Afghanistan.
The decision of the Taliban movement to take part in the Moscow format meeting on the Afghan settlement has led to the US large-scale operations against it in northern Afghanistan, which enabled the Daesh terrorist group to mount an offensive in this area, Delawar Aimaq, a member of the Afghan National Assembly's security commission, told Sputnik.

"Daesh* militants have become very active in northern Afghanistan recently, rather than the Taliban*, because the United States strikes the latter, but does not touch the former ones. The Taliban members are often offered to surrender to the Afghan government forces or persuaded to join Daesh, provide their assistance to it ... Large-scale operations are now being carried out against the Taliban in northern Afghanistan because the Taliban agreed to participate in this [Moscow format] meeting," Aimaq said.

Afghanistan's government forces have long been fighting Taliban insurgency, as well as the Daesh terrorist group, with the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces conducting joint counterterrorist operations across the country.

*Daesh (also known as ISIS/ISIL/IS) and Taliban are terrorist groups banned in Russia.

Chess

WADA reinstates Russia's anti-doping agency after 3 year suspension

rusada
© Evgeny Odinokov / Sputnik
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Executive Committee has voted to reinstate Russia's anti-doping agency (RUSADA), after it reached agreement on two remaining requirements stipulated by the watchdog.

RUSADA was declared compliant with the WADA code at an Executive Board meeting in the Seychelles on Thursday.

According to reports, nine out of 12 Executive Committee members voted to reinstate Russia's anti-doping body, with two members voting against it and one abstaining.

In a statement, WADA President Craig Rededie said: "Today, the great majority of WADA's ExCo decided to reinstate RUSADA as compliant with the Code subject to strict conditions, upon recommendation by the Agency's independent CRC and in accordance with an agreed process.

Comment: Renowned Swiss sports lawyer Lucien W. Valloni called the decision by WADA a "turning point" which will allow Russian athletes to get back to competing and winning championships. It's about time that politics in international sports was set aside so that the athletes can just do what they want, compete with each other and not get drawn into political infighting.


Bad Guys

Trump tears up rules-based order and Palestinians suffer as a consequence

Palestinian flags
© European Press Agency/Abed Al HashlamounPalestinians hold flags near the Bedouin village of Khan Al Ahmar.
However ineffectual international institutions have proved, the US, like Israel, still prefers to be without them altogether

Washington's decision to intensify swingeing aid cuts to the Palestinians - the latest targets include cancer patients and peace groups - reveals more than a simple determination to strong-arm the Palestinian leadership to the negotiating table.

Under cover of a supposed peace effort, or "deal of the century", the Trump administration hopes to solve problems closer to home. It wants finally to shake off the burden of international humanitarian law, and the potential for war crimes trials that have overshadowed US actions in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Syria - and may yet prove treacherous in dealings with Iran.

The Palestinians have been thrust into the centre of this battle for good reason. They are the most troublesome legacy of a post-war, rules-based international order that the US is now committed to sweeping away. Amputate the Palestinian cause, an injustice festering for more than seven decades, and America's hand will be freer elsewhere. Might will again be right.

Network

Kim Jong Un lavishes 2 tons of prized mushrooms on S. Korea as peace token

mushrooms
© Pyeongyang Press Corps/Pool via REUTERSA box of pine mushrooms given by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is pictured in North Korea, September 20, 2018
As the latest three-day inter-Korean summit continues, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has sent a lavish gift and peace offering to his southern counterpart in the form of highly-prized Pine mushrooms.

"While the president and his wife continued to stay in the North, Chairman Kim Jong-un's gift arrived here. Two tons of pine mushrooms arrived at Seoul Air Base early this morning," Press Secretary Yoon Young-chan told a press briefing Thursday, as cited by Yonhap. The current peace talks mark the fifth inter-Korean summit and the third this year alone.

South Korea's President Moon Jae-in ordered that the mushrooms be distributed to members of the families who have been separated from their loved ones in the North. Roughly 4,000 elderly South Koreans will receive about 500 grams each before the Chuseok holiday next week.

Map

Zakharova requires explanations from Israel - Lieberman blames 'unprofessional' Syrian military for shooting down Russian aircraft

Tragedy with Il-20 over Latakia
The tragedy with Il-20, shot down over the Mediterranean Sea in Syria, will require additional explanations from Tel Aviv. Israeli pilots in the current situation acted unprofessionally, Russian MFA spokesperson Maria Zakharova believes, saying:

"For my part, I believe that the Israeli pilots, as a result of whose actions a threat was created and the Russian aircraft was killed, - this is evidenced by the data of our military experts - behaved at least unprofessionally. I want to say that it's embarrassing to hide behind those who provide including your safety, and, fulfilling your duty, can not deviate from the bullet, which is not addressed to you, "

According to the diplomat, new data on the crash of the Russian military aircraft will be received in the very near future and will be made public. "The tragedy that took place on September 17 will require additional investigations and, of course, clarification from the Israeli side." I am sure that they will follow in the near future," Zakharova summed up.

Comment: The Israeli Minister of Defense Avigdor Lieberman stated on Thursday morning that the 'unprofessional' Syrian military was to blame for shooting down the Russian aircraft off the coast of Latakia on Monday evening.
"The plane was shot down by irresponsible and unprofessional Syrian air defense personnel who fired when (our) air force jets had already returned to Israeli territory," Lieberman told Israel's Army Radio.
See also: Satellite images show Syria strike as Israeli Air Force chief goes to Moscow to explain Il-20 incident


Vader

EC President Tusk to May: Brexit plan 'will not work'

eu leaders
© REUTERS/Lisi NiesnerBritain's Prime Minister Theresa May at the European Union leaders' informal summit in Salzburg
The head of the European Council (EC) has declared that Theresa May's proposed economic partnership with the EU post-Brexit "will not work." EC President Donald Tusk says the UK PM's plans risk undermining the EU's single market.

Tusk was speaking at the end of an EU summit in Salzburg, where the leaders of the 27 remaining states in the bloc were discussing Brexit. He said that while there were "positive elements" in May's Chequers plan, a deal that puts the single market at risk cannot be accepted.

"Everybody shared the view that while there are positive elements in the Chequers proposal, the suggested framework for economic co-operation will not work, not least because it is undermining the single market," Tusk said, adding that he could not "exclude" the possibility that the UK could exit the EU in March with no deal.