The US Military Is Now Recruiting Soldiers To Fight In A War That Started Before They Were Born
10/10/2018, 10:39:04 AM“Most Americans are only vaguely aware that we’re still fighting overseas, and the reason for that is that they don’t have any skin in the game.” ✔ More than 70% of young Americans between 17 and 24 the Army’s prime recruiting demographic are ineligible to serve due to not meeting fitness standards; having medical, mental health, or substance abuse issues, substance abuse, or a criminal history
Russia backs Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad to stay in power despite bloody conflict
10/10/2018, 8:21:26 AMWESTERN leaders have quietly dropped their demands for the removal of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad as they search for a solution to end the war-torn country's bloody seven-year conflict, according to a senior Russian diplomat. ✔ While the Pentagon's stated mission in Syria remains limited to defeating ISIS, Defence Secretary James Mattis told reporters in August the US goal was to move the Syrian civil war into the Geneva process so the Syrian people can establish a new government that is not led by Assad and give them a chance for a future that Assad has denied them, with overt Russian and Iranian support
South Korea considers lifting some sanctions on North Korea
10/10/2018, 8:10:31 AMSEOUL--Seoul is considering lifting some of its unilateral sanctions against Pyongyang to create mor ✔ Seoul's Unification Ministry said Tuesday the water being supplied to the office has been provided to the town's residents as well ✔ Other moves by the Koreas to reduce tensions between them include temporary reunions between war-separated relatives and military agreements that called for reducing weaponry and guards at the border and demining sections of the Demilitarized Zone
Mukalla is an oasis of stability in war-torn Yemen. So why do some residents miss Al Qaeda? - Los Angeles Times
10/10/2018, 10:07:30 AMTwo years ago, Mukalla was a prime Al Qaeda redoubt, a place where gunshots rang out at night and the corpses of suspected spies were strung up from an overpass. Now Emirati troops and their local allies have driven the militants out, and the city is an oasis of stability amid Yemen's brutal war. ✔ Fuel truck driver Ali Astal wouldn’t dare cross this country brimming with guns and militias without a Kalashnikov or two stashed under the dashboard ✔ asked a father of five, who did not want to be identified for fear of running afoul of the city’s current leaders
Ukraine Launches Large-Scale Air Drills With US and Other NATO Countries
10/10/2018, 9:01:11 AMUkraine announced the beginning of the Clear Sky 2018 operation in the west of Ukraine. The operation centers on warplanes focusing on coordinated air defense, with Ukraine presenting it as preparation to “protect the airspace” from Russia. The US and several other NATO nations are participating in this operation,which is to last until October 19. Ukraine emphasized the idea of coordination with Poland and Romania, two nations that they border. ✔ The US and several other NATO nations are participating in this operation,which is to last until October 19 ✔ Ukraine has been keen to push the idea that Russia is an imminent military threat to them, to the point where for the past several years, top Ukrainian officials have suggested World War 3 will start over Ukrainian territory
Sectarian conflicts in the Middle East can be resolved
10/10/2018, 8:38:54 AMSectarianism is a modern-day phenomenon in the Middle East and should be addressed as such. ✔ This is a widespread view in the media, policy circles, and in some corners of the academia as well ✔ In fact, the post-US invasion political system in Iraq was built to reflect and consolidate sectarian cleavages ✔ ABOUT THE AUTHOR Marwan Kabalan Marwan Kabalan is the Director of Policy Analysis at the Arab Centre for Research and Policy Studies
Establishment Media Has Abandoned Objectivity and Engages Mostly in Agenda-Pushing
10/10/2018, 11:12:30 AMAfter reading The New York Times piece “The Plot to Subvert an Election” I put the paper down with a single question. ✔ After reading The New York Times piece The Plot to Subvert an Election I put the paper down with a single question ✔ The most significant was in Eastern Ghouta in August 2013 followed by attacks in Khan Sheikhoun (April 2017) and Douma (April 2018) ✔ That once President Trump is dumped, all will return to normal and professional standards will be restored
Far-right German NGO visits Syria, tells refugees to return
10/10/2018, 8:51:43 AMAlternative Help Association says Syria, where more than 500,000 have been killed, is a safe country to return to. ✔ He left Syria in November 2012 following a six-month detention in the Air Force Intelligence Directorate in Damascus suburbs ✔ In March 2016, Staffan de Mistura, the UN's special envoy for Syria, estimated the death toll to be at around 400,000 ✔ The number killed is now believed to have risen above 500,000, while millions remain displaced and impoverished
Russia Can Remain a Great Power in the 21st Century -- If It Adds Ukraine
10/10/2018, 11:54:31 AMI suppose that if superintelligence is developed soon, or the entire world melts together into a post-historical open borders dystopia/utopia, or some existential risk does as all in, then these considerations will become rather irrelevant. However, if the 21st century continues on a more or less “business as usual” path, then having 200 million people (most of Ukraine + Belorussia + South Siberia) will be preferable to having 150 million due to the greater economies of scale and innovation that having more people enables. ✔ I suppose that if superintelligence is developed soon, or the entire world melts together into a post-historical open borders dystopia/utopia, or some existential risk does as all in, then these considerations will become rather irrelevant ✔ Russia needs to come up with a program along the lines of China’s 31 Measures for Taiwan, involving a complex package of subsidies, marketing, and immigration deregulation to strip mine the separatist entity of its human capital
NATO Welcomes Another Military Midget
10/10/2018, 10:22:46 AMDuring the Cold War, NATO actually meant something. The Soviet Union was a totalitarian predator, the Western Europeans were exhausted, and Washington did not want to face a Soviet-dominated Eurasia. ✔ During the Cold War, NATO actually meant something ✔ Today the transatlantic alliance has descended into farce ✔ And while the invitation was issued by the Obama administration, the Senate did not approve Montenegro’s membership until President Trump had taken over
'Age old cities' exhibition: A virtual tour of the Middle East's landmarks
10/10/2018, 9:49:01 AMMIDDLE EAST MATTERS : Ancient cities destroyed by war are brought back to life, thanks to state-of-the art virtual reality. A new exhibition at the Arab World... ✔ A new exhibition at the Arab World Institute in Paris shines a spotlight on Aleppo, Palmyra and Mosul ✔ Richelle Harrison Plesse speaks to the curator of the exhibition, Aurélie Clemente-Ruiz ✔ The country is already suffering from cholera, famine, and a Saudi-led bombing campaign
Turkish police looking to quiz 15 men over missing Saudi journalist
10/10/2018, 10:46:16 AMThe Sabah newspaper identified fifteen men who flew into Istanbul on the day journalist critic Jamal Khashoggi went missing last Tuesday after walking into the Saudi consulate. ✔ The black Mercedes van (pictured today) which police believe may have been used to transport Khashoggi's body to the airport Saudi officials gather outside the consulate in Istanbul last week, in front of the door where Mr Khashoggi entered, but never exited An aerial photo shows the Saudi Arabia consulate, centre, in Istanbul where Khashoggi was last seen on Tuesday last week Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the US, Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, said claims Khashoggi had been killed or detained by Saudi authorities were 'absolutely false, and baseless,' according to a statement provided to CNN
The website that unmasked the alleged Salisbury poisoners
10/10/2018, 9:55:16 AMBellingcat on Monday named the real identity of one of the Russian agents allegedly involved in the nerve agent poisonings of a former spy and his daughter. ✔ MUST WATCH London (CNN Business)The true identities of the suspects accused of poisoning a former Russian spy in the United Kingdom have reportedly been revealed, but not by sleuthing journalists from The Guardian or The New York Times ✔ But one of the mice asks who will risk their life to place the bell on the cat
The totalitarian prince: Trump's questionable friend in the Middle East
10/10/2018, 11:58:42 AMWith the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi, President Trump's seemingly unwavering loyalty to Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is being put to the test. ✔ Imprisoned in the luxurious confines of the Ritz Carlton in Riyadh, they were gradually released in what looked like a shakedown rather than any genuine legal process -- but only after huge sums of money had been extracted from them, according to the New York Times
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Preventing Sino-Japanese arms race
10/10/2018, 8:17:46 AMundefined ✔ By Mahmood Elahi This refers to the article: Why China needs to make concessions for end-of-war declaration ✔ It will signal that the U.S. may not be there to protect Tokyo from any confrontation with Beijing ✔ And Japan may decide to go nuclear, triggering a nuclear arms race in the region ✔ Mahmood Elahi (omega51@sympatico.ca) is a freelance writer in Ottawa
Seoul seeks inclusion in nuke inspection
10/10/2018, 9:18:04 AMundefined ✔ Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha answers a lawmaker's question during a National Assembly audit, at the ministry building in Seoul, Wednesday ✔ The remarks came during the National Assembly's audit of the ministry ✔ Security Council will continue until it achieves complete denuclearization
No PACE cooperation in 2019 due to ‘anti-Russian hysteria’ – snr lawmaker
10/10/2018, 9:50:25 AMAs Russia will most likely not return to PACE in 2019 because the group had postponed the discussion of national delegations’ rights following the lead of Russophobic minority, a senior State Duma MP has said. ✔ He said that before January it would be possible to fully rewrite the resolution omitting the articles concerning the sanctions on national delegations instead of applying just cosmetic retouches which, apparently is the document’s current state ✔ Russia has also proposed changes to the assembly regulations making the discrimination against separate member-states more difficult, but the resolution has stalled due to strong opposition from several states, in particular the UK, Ukraine, which is now represented by MPs who had come to power as a result of the violent overthrow of the lawfully elected government, and the Baltic nations
'Discussions ongoing on including Koreans in Punggye-ri inspection'
10/10/2018, 8:29:26 AMundefined ✔ Regarding the question whether the inter-Korean project to connect railways went against sanctions on the North, she stated that under current circumstances, only preparations such as inspections are taking place and that actual construction will begin once the issue of sanctions is resolved
Pakistan appoints new head of powerful intelligence agency
10/10/2018, 9:05:48 AMLieutenant-General Asim Munir will take over from the outgoing ISI chief Lt-Gen Naveed Mukhtar, says military. ✔ Relations between the erstwhile allies have been rocky since US President Trump cut more than $1.1bn in security assistance to the country, accusing Pakistan of [having] given us nothing but lies & deceit ✔ Lt-Gen Munir, as the new chief of the ISI, will be expected to play an active role in facilitating that process
Turkish narcotics seizures surge, $460 million worth captured this...
10/10/2018, 10:42:42 AMTurkey seized more than $460 million worth of narcotics in the first nine months... ✔ Turkey is on the so-called Balkan Route of drugs trafficking which is used to supply the West with drugs from Asia and the Middle East, including heroin moving from Afghanistan to Europe ✔ Turkey has in recent years expanded its anti-narcotics activities following a rise in drug use and deaths caused by synthetic marijuana consumption ✔ Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles
We could have had a better deal than this new and not improved Nafta
10/10/2018, 11:51:58 AMThe new trade deal is not as good as the TPP, nor is it an overall improvement over Nafta. But it is better than blowing up trade in North America. ✔ Overall, the TPP would have been , even from a narrow mercantilist perspective ✔ After all, in the USMCA negotiations, the U.S. agreed to give Canada increased access to its own dairy market, as well as to two of its other most highly protected agricultural areas: peanuts (and processed peanut products) and sugar (including sugar-containing products) ✔ This article was published with permission of We Want to Hear from You Join the conversation Comment
Tears for Sears, SoftBank and WeWork, HSBC Settlement: CEO Daily for October 10, 2018
10/10/2018, 9:51:32 AMMust-read business news, delivered every morning. ✔ BBC Currency Warning U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has warned China not to devalue its currency as a trade-war tactic ✔ Spektral develops machine-learning technology for image and video-editing purposesits software makes it possible to identify things in images and remove them from their surroundings ✔ Find previous editions here, and sign up for other Fortune newsletters here
Reproduction of Russian Kalashnikov firearms in US tantamount to ‘theft’
10/10/2018, 10:57:38 AMRussian state corporation Rostec says the production of Russian weapons in the US without a relevant license is illegal. The firm holds the majority stake in Kalashnikov Concern, the maker of the iconic AK-47 assault rifle. ✔ The USSOCOM said it won’t provide any technical drawings, parts and raw materials to the interested companies ✔ Applicants will have to manufacture the weapons only on US territory, using only the US-produced materials and only employing US citizens ✔ For more stories on economy & finance visit RT's business section
Mother has her tenth baby just months after saving pensioner's life
10/10/2018, 11:36:47 AMTracy Archer saved a 70-year-old man's life when she pulled his body from a burning car on the A48 near the Forest of Dean, despite knowing she was pregnant with baby number 10. ✔ A mother who was pregnant with baby number 10 when she saved a pensioner's life has given birth to the 'gorgeous little dude' ✔ ' I had it in Gloucester on the Tuesday and on the Friday they rang up and said the baby definitely had Down's ✔ 'He knows more than anybody else that having a disability does not stop you living your life
It is right that IS terrorists should pay a heavy price, says TIM NEWARK
10/10/2018, 8:36:20 AMSHOWING mercy to those who have shown none to the hundreds of prisoners and hostages they have cruelly tortured and executed is not something the UK Government should pursue. ✔ It is one of the advantages of having a tough talking US president in power that Donald Trump let it be known to Javid that he would be very disappointed if the UK blocked the pursuit of justice against foreign fighters because of our usual legal opposition
Michael Lewis Wonders Who’s Really Running the Government
10/10/2018, 10:28:28 AM“The Fifth Risk” examines the crucial, often life-or-death, work done by officials in three government agencies. ✔ Donald Trump appointed the former Texas governor Rick Perry as energy secretary ✔ Benfica, a Big-Time Club, Is Going After Small-Time Bloggers A Journalist’s Disappearance: Where Jamal Khashoggi Was Last Seen A Mom’s #HimToo Tweet Ignites a Viral Meme, and Her Embarrassed Son Clarifies
Transcript: Sen. James Lankford talks with Michael Morell on "Intelligence Matters"
10/10/2018, 10:11:37 AMThe Oklahoma GOP senator spoke with Morell about threats to the U.S. On upcoming elections, he said, "I've not seen anything that looks close to what we saw in 2016" ✔ MICHAEL MORELL: We have at least a couple things in common ✔ This is when a lot of those election officials were basically giving Jeh Johnson the Heisman and pushing him back and saying, No, we're-- you can't come over here ✔ MICHAEL MORELL: Senator, thank you very much for joining us
The Democrats Have an Immigration Problem
10/10/2018, 10:28:19 AMFamily separations, multibillion-dollar border-wall schemes, unleashed ICE officers —the Trump presidency has taught the Democrats what they stand against. Now they have to figure out what they stand for. ✔ Sessions, the ranking Republican member on the Senate Judiciary Committee, typically framed the immigration debate as a straightforward matter of enforcing laws on the books, but he also openly stoked white fears, later warning of a scenario in which we’ll have the highest percentage of Americans, nonnative born, since the founding of the republic
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