Turkey Invades Syria: Who Are the Players and What Do They Want? | DW News

Civilians are fleeing northern Syria as Turkish troops advance in Kurdish-controlled areas. The offensive was made possible by the withdrawal of US troops. It has opened a new front in Syria's eight-year-old war. So, who are the key players in this particular conflict and what are their goals? Let's begin with Turkey: Ankara wants to establish a so called "safe zone" along its border stretching about 30 kilometers into Syria territory. This area is currently controlled by Kurdish militias. Turkey wants to clear it of Kurds – and then resettle some two million Syrian refugees there who are currently living in Turkey. Then there are the Syrian Kurds. Groups like the Kurdish People’s Protection Units or YPG want autonomy. The latter fought alongside the US AND Turkey against the so-called Islamic State. But Ankara's offensive could now force Kurdish militias to throw in their lot with the Syrian government and its Russian and Iranian allies. And there is the US. The main goal of the United States and its allies was to defeat Islamist forces in Syria, like ISIS. Washington says ISIS has now been defeated and has started withdrawing its troops from north-eastern Syria, clearing the way for the Turkish offensive.

Britain’s against Brexit, So Why Is It Still Happening? Plus Are Extinction Rebellion Being Heard?

Brexit Is a Necessary Crisis – It Reveals Britain’s True Place in the World

THE GUARDIAN: A determined ignorance of the dynamics of global capitalism is bringing about a long-overdue audit of British realities

Who backs Brexit? Agriculture is against it; industry is against it; services are against it. None of them, needless to say, support a no-deal Brexit. Yet the Conservative party, which favoured European union for economic reasons over many decades, has become not only Eurosceptic – it is set on a course regarded by every reputable capitalist state and the great majority of capitalist enterprises as deeply foolish.

If any prime minister in the past had shown such a determined ignorance of the dynamics of global capitalism, the massed ranks of British capital would have stepped in to force a change of direction. Yet today, while the CBI and the Financial Times call for the softest possible Brexit, the Tory party is no longer listening. » | David Edgerton | Wednesday, October 9, 2019

Turkey Launches Airstrikes on Syrian Kurdish Territory | DW News

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced the start of Turkish military action in northern Syria. Turkish television reports that jets are carrying out airstrikes on Syrian Kurdish positions in the border town of Tal Abyad. Early video footage shows strikes hitting fields. But reports from the Kurdish-led Syrian democratic forces say the air strikes are causing "huge panic among the people." Before the strikes, Erdogan announced offensive "Operation Peace Spring" in two tweets.

Sachsen-Anhalt: Tödliche Schüsse in Halle - Bundesanwaltschaft ermittelt

In Halle (Saale) sind zwei Menschen erschossen worden. Mehrere bewaffnete Täter seien auf der Flucht. Die Polizei fordert die Menschen auf, in ihren Wohnungen zu bleiben.

ÉDITORIAL : La diplomatie irresponsable de Donald Trump

LE MONDE : Editorial. Le président américain a annoncé, lundi 7 octobre, le retrait des troupes américaines au nord de la Syrie, avant de rétropédaler face au tollé provoqué par cette décision. Mais le mal est fait.

Depuis son arrivée à la Maison Blanche, Donald Trump a souvent agi sur des coups de tête, a multiplié les revirements soudains et les décisions à l’emporte-pièce. Mais la confusion qu’il a semée à propos du retrait des forces américaines de certains secteurs du nord de la Syrie convoités par la Turquie est inouïe et inédite. Provoquant la sidération non seulement de la part des alliés des Etats-Unis, de sa propre administration, mais aussi, une fois n’est pas coutume, de son propre camp politique, le président américain a affaibli la parole de la première puissance mondiale. » | Editorial du « Monde » | mardi 8. Octobre 2019

Brexit Deal Is Now ‘Essentially Impossible’, Says Downing Street Source

Tonight, the chances of a Brexit deal appear to be slim or none.

American Germany

GI's in Rubbleland - by Mathias Haentjes"

Frankly, I had very little sympathy for the Germans. After all they were the ones who started the damn war, not us." These sentiments as expressed by US Press Officer Gene Mater are shared by many former GIs who came to Germany at the end of the war. The years 1945-1949 were for many of these young soldiers the most important time of their lives.

'American Germany' tells the stories of German-American rapprochement from the perspective of former occupying troops. The Americans, who had previously only known the Germans from the battlefield or from propaganda, found that their opinion of the local population changed as a result of living in close quarters with them.

At the time, they were undertaking a task that was the first of its kind, i.e. to re-educate politically the population of a conquered country, to put that country back on its feet economically and to help its population achieve a whole new attitude to life.

In this documentary, Gene Mater and other occupying soldiers discuss their experiences in Germany. They tell us of the misery of post-war Germany, of distrust between the Americans and the Germans, of the black market and of the hunt for hidden Nazis. And they tell us of great emotions. Love amid the rubble - at that time this was no cliché but a reality a thousand times.

'Reckless, Dangerous, Pathetic': Key Players React to No 10 Briefing

THE GUARDIAN: Leaders on both sides of Channel react angrily to suggestion Brexit deal looks impossible

A No 10 source who said the German chancellor Angela Merkel’s demands for Northern Ireland after Brexit had made a deal “essentially impossible” has sparked furious exchanges on social media between prominent politicians.

Donald Tusk, the president of the European council, criticised Johnson directly, tweeting it was not about “winning some stupid blame game”. » | Martin Belam | Tuesday, October 8, 2019

Boris Johnson Ready to Give Up on Brexit Deal

THE GUARDIAN: No 10 source says agreement looks ‘essentially impossible not just now but ever’

Boris Johnson is poised to give up on Brexit deal talks with the EU after speaking to the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, with a No 10 source briefing that an agreement looked “essentially impossible not just now but ever”.

The prime minister appears to be heading for a more explicit no-deal strategy after speaking to Merkel to discuss his Brexit proposals, which have been given a frosty reception by the EU.

An anonymous No 10 source briefed broadcast journalists, saying Merkel “made clear a deal is overwhelmingly unlikely and she thinks the EU has a veto on us leaving the customs union”. Downing Street did not deny the contents of the statement and Berlin is yet to give its side of the conversation. » | Rowena Mason, Deputy political editor | Tuesday, October 8, 2019

THE GUARDIAN: The Guardian view on Boris Johnson: let no such man be trusted » | Editorial | Monday, October 7, 2019

The Brexit Deal Is Dead »

The Hidden World of the Harem | Suleiman the Magnificent Documentary | Timeline

The Guardian View on a Changing EU: Leaving Britain Behind

THE GUARDIAN: Brexiters routinely underestimate the resilience of the European project and overstate their own importance on the continent

There is a common misperception among British Eurosceptics that the EU is as obsessed with obstructing Brexit as they are with completing it. That is untrue in two ways. First, the priority in Brussels is to facilitate the UK’s orderly departure. There was a phase of grief, but that has mostly given way to frustration at British politicians’ collective ineptitude – remainers as well as leavers. » | editorial | Sunday, October 6, 2019

Macron Gives Johnson Until End of Week to Overhaul Brexit Plan

THE GUARDIAN: French president’s insistence that UK should give way raises chances of talks imploding

The French president has given Boris Johnson until the end of the week to fundamentally revise his Brexit plan, in a move that increases the chances of the negotiations imploding within days.

The UK proposals tabled last week are not regarded in Brussels as being a basis for a deal and Emmanuel Macron emphasised that it was up to the UK to think again before an upcoming EU summit.

After declining to meet with the prime minister in person, Macron further insisted during a phone call on Sunday that the talks would only be advanced through Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief negotiator. » | Daniel Boffey in Brussels | Sunday, October 6, 2019

Health Matters: The Truth about Heart Disease & Cholesterol — Dr. Dwight Lundell

Watch this MOST informative and educational presentation.

Saudi Arabia to Allow Unmarried Foreign Couples in Hotel Rooms

THE GUARDIAN: Kingdom relaxes rules as it turns to tourism to bolster economy for post-oil era

Saudi Arabia has announced it is to allow unmarried foreign couples to rent hotel rooms together as the ultra-conservative kingdom begins offering tourist visas for the first time.

The tourism authority said in a statement on Twitter on Sunday that Saudi women travelling alone would also be able to check into a hotel by presenting valid ID. In the past, couples wanting to stay in a hotel had to prove they were married.

“This is no longer required for tourists,” the statement said.

Saudi Arabia announced on 27 September it was opening its doors to holidaymakers with the goal of diversifying its oil-dependent economy. » | Agence France-Presse in Riyadh | Sunday, October 6, 2019

Trump: Is Fox News Turning Its Back on US President? | The Listening Post (Full)

‘We Cannot Change What We Are’: Michel Barnier Stares Down Tory Threats

THE OBSERVER: EU’s chief negotiator reaffirms that a no-deal outcome would be the responsibility of Boris Johnson

As the Brexit pressure ratchets up another notch, Michel Barnier appears everything most of the current British government is not: clear, calm, precise – and logical to a fault.

“I promised myself from the start,” the EU’s silver-haired, grey-suited chief negotiator told a packed theatre near the Gare du Nord in Paris on Saturday, “that I would not allow passion or emotion into my approach to Brexit.

“I work on facts, on figures. On what is legal and operable. My obligation is to defend, calmly and firmly, the interests of the European Union, of its citizens, its companies, its regions … And in leaving, the UK cannot ask us to change what we are.” » | Toby Helm and Jon Henley | Saturday, October 5, 2019

THE OBSERVER: Michel Barnier: blame Boris Johnson for a no-deal Brexit » | Saturday, October 5, 2019

China Calls It Re-education, But Uighur Muslims Say It's 'Unbearable Brutality'

Uighurs are Muslims who trace their roots back thousands of years in Central Asia, most currently living in the Chinese province Xinjiang. The group represents less than 1 percent of China's population, but they have endured what the U.S. calls one of the worst human rights crises of modern times. Nick Schifrin reports on how Communist China has persecuted this religious and cultural minority.

US Immigrants Will Be Denied Entry If They Can't Afford Health Care

THE GUARDIAN: White House says too many non-citizens taking advantage of the country’s ‘generous public health programs’

Immigrants applying for US visas will be denied entry into the country unless they can prove they can afford health care within 30 days of entering or can’t pay for it themselves, according to a proclamation signed by President Trump.

The new rule, which comes into force on 3 November, will be applied to people seeking immigrant visas, not those in the US already. It does not apply to those seeking asylum seekers, refugees or children.

But it would apply to the spouses and parents of US citizens. That could have an impact on families who are trying to bring their parents to the US.

The proclamation said immigrants will be barred from entering the country unless they are to be covered by health insurance within 30 days of entering or have enough financial resources to pay for any medical costs. » | Agencies | Saturday, October 5, 2019

Thatcher Sent Pinochet Finest Scotch During Former Dictator's UK House Arrest

THE GUARDIAN: New revelation adds colour to close relationship between pair / Pinochet oversaw death and torture of thousands of Chileans

While he was under house arrest in Surrey in 1999, the former Chilean military dictator Augusto Pinochet received a fine malt from an old friend.

“Scotch is one British institution that will never let you down,” read the accompanying note from its sender: the former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher.

The detail, revealed this week in the third volume of Charles Moore’s biography of Baroness Thatcher, adds further colour to the close relationship between Thatcher and the man responsible for the death of more than 2,000 people and the torture of many more.

Thatcher was appalled that the Labour government had allowed the arrest of Pinochet while he was in London for medical treatment, overriding his diplomatic immunity. » | Matt Youkee in Santiago | Friday, October 4, 2019

The Guardian View on Donald Trump: An Abuser of His Office

THE GUARDIAN: The US president is trying to normalise his self-serving breaches of his oath of office. America must hold him to account and restore the rule of law and ethics

Until very recently indeed, the idea that the president of the United States might stand outside the White House and call on Communist China to investigate one of his presidential challengers would not merely have seemed far-fetched. It would also have seemed unpatriotic (presidents don’t involve foreign powers in domestic politics), unprincipled (this is the same China with which he is fighting a trade war and which may soon crack down on Hong Kong democracy protests), illegal (US law bans attempts to solicit foreign assistance to fight American elections), and a breach of his oath of office (in which he promises to protect and defend the constitution). It [sic] short, such a thing was unthinkable.

It is a mark of Donald Trump’s ability to trash the rules of domestic and international politics, and make up an entire new set of his own, that the unthinkable happened this week without causing much more than a weary collective shake of the American head. Speaking on live television outside the White House on Thursday, Mr Trump openly solicited America’s greatest international rival to help him get re-elected. Next year, Mr Trump may face a presidential contest against Joe Biden, the former vice-president, whose son Hunter – like Donald Trump Jr, as it happens – is a businessman and lobbyist with overseas interests. This week Mr Trump said: “China should start an investigation into the Bidens.” » | Editorial | Friday, October 4, 2019

Hong Kong Protesters Attack Metro Stations after Face Mask Ban

Thousands of people swept into the streets of Hong Kong for a night of violent protests after the government activated sweeping colonial-era powers for the first time in over half a century, using them to ban face masks. After darkness fell, crowds set fire to two metro stations and vandalised shops and businesses considered pro-China, leading riot police to respond with teargas Violence grips Hong Kong as Lam activates emergency powers

THE GUARDIAN: Violence grips Hong Kong as Lam activates emergency powers » | Emma Graham-Harrison in Hong Kong | Friday, October 4, 2019

Prince Harry Launches Phone-hacking Case against Sun and Mirror Owners

THE GUARDIAN: Royal continues fight with UK newspapers after attacking treatment of his wife, Meghan

Prince Harry has issued legal proceedings against the owners of the Sun and the Daily Mirror over alleged phone hacking, in an escalation of his all-out war with the British newspaper industry.

The decision follows Harry’s strongly worded attack on the British media’s treatment of his wife, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.

Buckingham Palace confirmed claims had been filed at the high court regarding alleged illegal interception of voicemail messages. News Group, which published the News of the World until its closure as well as the Sun, confirmed a claim had been issued.

There were no details on the nature of the intended claims but they were filed by Clintons, a law firm that has brought multiple phone-hacking claims in the past and won substantial payouts on behalf of its clients. » | Jim Waterson and Caroline Davies | Friday, October 4, 2019

Is UK's Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Brexit Proposal for the EU Workable? | Inside Story

Britain's Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, may have to live up to his words very soon - that's if the European Union doesn't approve his proposals for Brexit.

The EU has already said there are problems - key, is what happens to the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland.

There are more talks planned for October 17th - but that's just 10 days before Boris Johnson says leave will mean leave, even if it's against the law as it now stands.

With one eye on a possible general election, UK MPs would have to vote for what he wants, knowing that the EU can ultimately veto the whole thing anyway.

So, is the European Union ready to compromise?

Presenter: Peter Dobbie | Guests: Donnacha Ó Beacháin, Professor of Politics at the School of Law and Government, Dublin City University; Pieter Cleppe, Head of the Brussels Office, Open Europe think tank; Professor Alex De Ruyter, Director of Centre for Brexit Studies at Birmingham City University

Donald Trump demande ouvertement à la Chine d’enquêter sur son rival Joe Biden

LE MONDE: Menacé par une procédure de destitution pour avoir demandé à son homologue ukrainien des informations compromettantes sur Joe Biden, le président américain a dit qu’il pourrait formuler la même demande au président chinois.

Alors que la procédure de destitution à son encontre s’accélère au Congrès, le président américain persiste et signe. Jeudi 3 octobre, Donald Trump a ouvertement appelé la Chine à enquêter sur son rival Joe Biden. « La Chine devrait lancer une enquête sur les Biden parce que ce qui s’est passé en Chine est tout aussi grave que ce qui s’est passé en Ukraine », a déclaré le président devant la presse.

Le président américain est sous la menace d’une mise en accusation(impeachment) après qu’il a demandé à son homologue ukrainien de l’aider à rassembler des informations compromettantes sur Joe Biden, bien placé pour l’affronter dans la présidentielle de 2020.

Martelant que son échange avec Volodymyr Zelensky était « parfait » et sa requête légitime, Donald Trump a franchi un nouveau cap jeudi en déclarant qu’il pourrait « assurément »formuler la même demande auprès du président chinois. Le milliardaire républicain répète à l’envi que Joe Biden et son fils Hunter ont « arnaqué la Chine et l’Ukraine ». » | Le Monde avec AFP | jeudi 3. octobre 2019

Silence Still Surrounds the Murder of My Fiancé, Jamal Khashoggi. Who Will Speak Up?

THE GUARDIAN: A year on, no action has been taken about the killing. The Trump administration has much to answer for

Exactly one year ago, I stood outside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, waiting for my fiance, Jamal Khashoggi, to come out with the marriage documents we needed to begin our life together. I was optimistic, even excited. Yet I never saw Jamal again.

I did not expect to have my life transformed. I did not expect to have to alert the authorities to Jamal’s disappearance, or to find myself at the centre of a story that would shake the world. I did not expect, on a day that seemed unremarkable, to have my dreams shattered. By necessity I was put on a path, compelled to begin a campaign for justice for the man who was not only stolen from me but also taken away from those who read his work, and who admired him for his courage and his unrelenting commitment to the truth. » | Hatice Cengiz | Wednesday, October 2, 2019

Boris Johnson's Brexit Plan Hangs by Thread as EU Dismisses Weekend Talks

THE GUARDIAN: Sources say PM’s insistence on Ireland customs border means there is no basis for discussions

Boris Johnson’s Brexit plans look to be falling apart as the European commission has said there are no grounds to accept a request from the UK for intensive weekend negotiations two weeks before an EU summit.

EU sources said there remained considerable doubt as to whether there was any basis for such discussions, given the British prime minister’s insistence on there being a customs border on the island of Ireland.

Johnson’s chief negotiator, David Frost, along with a team of a dozen British officials, failed to convince their EU counterparts in Brussels on Friday that he had a mandate from Downing Street to compromise on what the EU sees as major flaws in the UK government’s proposals. » | Daniel Boffey and Jennifer Rankin in Brussels | Friday, October 4, 2019

Pig Ignorant: Spanish PM Ridiculed for Mixing Up His Hams

THE GUARDIAN: Pedro Sánchez confuses prized jamón ibérico for plain old jamón serrano in ‘serious error’

Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has confused jamón ibérico, the prized Spanish ham, with run-of-the-mill jamón serrano in a gaffe on a par with a French politician referring to a fine burgundy as plonk.

Speaking at the centuries-old livestock fair in Zafra in Extremadura, western Spain, Sánchez left his audience open-mouthed when he told them “you can be sure that when the Chinese president visited Spain he would have been served a plate of jamón serrano from Extremadura”.

Extremadura is the cradle of jamón ibérico, a delicacy capable of throwing Spaniards of all political persuasions into a gastronomic swoon. The local farmers’ association said it had dispatched some to Madrid to educate Sánchez, lest he once again cast his swine before pearls. » | Stephen Burgen in Barcelona | Friday, October 4, 2019

MbS' Words on Khashoggi ‘An Empty Gesture’ – George Galloway

Turkish President Recep Erdogan wrote in a recent op-ed that the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi is the most influential and controversial incident of the 21st century, barring the September 11, 2011 attacks. Khashoggi’s one-year death anniversary falls on Wednesday. Former UK MP George Galloway, Khashoggi’s close friend, weighs in.

Johnson Will Write to EU Requesting Article 50 Extension, Court Told

THE GUARDIAN: Government pledge appears to contradict claim Brexit will happen on 31 October

The UK government has promised a court that Boris Johnson will send a letter to the EU seeking an extension to article 50 as required by the Benn act.

The undertaking appears to contradict the prime minister’s statements the UK will leave the EU on 31 October regardless and unattributed claims from Downing Street that he will find a way to sidestep the act.

The pledge has been given in legal papers submitted to the court of session in Edinburgh after anti-Brexit campaigners began legal action to force Johnson to uphold the act’s requirements. » | Severin Carrell and Heather Stewart | Friday, October 4, 2019

The Debate: How Nasty Will It Get? Trump Impeachment Probe Opens in Run-up to 2020 Campaign

EU Parliament: Boris Johnson Brexit Plan Not Remotely Acceptable

THE GUARDIAN: Leading MEP says it is ‘nearly impossible’ to see how Irish border plan can be basis of deal

The European parliament has told Boris Johnson that his proposals for the Irish border do not “even remotely” amount to an acceptable deal for the EU, in comments echoed by Ireland’s deputy prime minister.

The committee of MEPs representing the parliament’s views on Brexit said the prime minister’s proposals could not form the basis for an agreement, describing them as a “last-minute” effort. The European parliament will have a veto on any withdrawal agreement.

“Safeguarding peace and stability on the island of Ireland, protection of citizens and EU’s legal order has to be the main focus of any deal,” it said in a statement. “The UK proposals do not match even remotely what was agreed as a sufficient compromise in the backstop.”

Simon Coveney, the Irish foreign minister and deputy to the taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, reiterated those concerns. » | Daniel Boffey in Brussels | Thursday, October 3, 2019

Lung Damage from Vaping Resembles Chemical Burns, Report Says

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Doctors at the Mayo Clinic examined samples of lung tissue from 17 patients, all of which looked as if the people had been exposed to toxic chemicals, the researchers said.

The lung damage in some people who have become ill after vaping nicotine or marijuana products resembles a chemical burn, doctors from the Mayo Clinic reported on Wednesday.

Their findings are based on samples of lung tissue from 17 patients around the country whose biopsy specimens were sent to Mayo to be examined under the microscope by experts in lung pathology. Two samples came from patients who died.

“All 17 of our cases show a pattern of injury in the lung that looks like a toxic chemical exposure, a toxic chemical fume exposure, or a chemical burn injury,” said Dr. Brandon T. Larsen, a surgical pathologist at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Ariz. “To be honest, they look like the kind of change you would expect to see in an unfortunate worker in an industrial accident where a big barrel of toxic chemicals spills, and that person is exposed to toxic fumes and there is a chemical burn in the airways.”

The injuries also look like those seen in people exposed to poisons like mustard gas, a chemical weapon used in World War I, he said. » | Denise Grady | Wednesday, October 2, 2019

Joe: Mike Pompeo Is Shaming Himself and America | Morning Joe | MSNBC

The panel discusses Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's reaction to the Trump Ukraine scandal and to a House committee requesting to interview five State Department officials. Aired on 10/2/19.

Democracy Now! Top US News & World Headlines — October 2, 2019

Trump's Foreign Policy Is For Sale. That Threatens Our National Security

THE GUARDIAN: The president’s efforts to govern in his own self-interest will undermine the world’s faith in our commitments

The Ukraine scandal is not only undermining American democracy – it’s damaging national security. US foreign policy increasingly looks like that of a mafia state, wielded at the behest of, and for the benefit of, one man’s personal interests, and for sale to the highest bidders. This is devastating America’s role in the world.

Trump led an effort – along with other government officials and the president’s personal lawyer – to use the power of the United States to pressure the government of Ukraine to fabricate smears about one of Trump’s domestic political opponents. As the White House admitted in a transcript of Trump’s 25 July call with the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Trump asked Zelenskiy for a “favor” – to look into the former vice-president Joe Biden and his son – and said that the US attorney general, Bill Barr, and Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, would help.

At the same time, Trump withheld military assistance to Ukraine – which is fighting a war with Russia – on a timeline that makes it clear that it was part of an attempt to use taxpayer dollars as leverage to get Ukraine to do Trump’s personal bidding. » | Michael H Fuchs | Wednesday, October 2, 2019

Mohammed bin Salman: How Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Rose to Power

BBC: Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, known as MBS, is transforming and modernising a deeply conservative country.

Yet at the same time, he has dragged Saudi Arabia into a war in Yemen, and locked up women’s rights protesters, Islamic clerics and bloggers. He is also widely suspected of being behind the murder of critic Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul a year ago.

So just who is the man they call MBS?

Jeddah, September 2013, and under a blazing Red Sea sun the palace guards stepped aside as our car swept through the reinforced gates. It had taken days to get an audience with the ageing then-Saudi Crown Prince and Defence Minister Salman bin Abdulaziz.

Years earlier, in 2004, Prince Salman had been governor of Riyadh when gunmen ambushed our BBC team, shooting me six times, leaving me for dead and killing my Irish cameraman, Simon Cumbers. I’m told the prince visited me in hospital but I have no recollection since I was in a medically induced coma.

Today Salman is king and in frail health. Even then, in 2013, I noticed he was resting his hand on a walking stick as we sat on ornate gilt chairs in a palace reception room.

His long, solemn face cracked frequently into a smile as he spoke slowly, in English, in a deep, stentorian voice, telling me how much he liked London. » | Frank Gardner | Wednesday, October 2, 2019

Donald Trump 'Suggested Shooting Migrants in the Legs'

BBC: US President Donald Trump suggested shooting migrants in the legs to slow them down, according to a new book.

The book, by two New York Times journalists, says Mr Trump suggested extreme methods of deterring migrants from crossing the southern border.

They included building an electrified, spiked border wall and a snake or alligator-infested moat.

Building a wall on the border with Mexico is one of Mr Trump's main policy objectives.

The construction of the wall has now begun, with the Pentagon allocating $3.6bn (£2.9bn) of military funding towards its development.

The White House has not commented on the latest reports . » | Wednesday, October 2, 2019

Looking Back: Interview with Jamal Khashoggi: 'Saudi Arabia is becoming One-man Rule' | November 16, 2017

Ralph Peters: Trump Must Keep 'Throne' to Avoid Prison

Retired Army Lt. Col. Ralph Peters tells CNN's Anderson Cooper that he thinks if President Donald Trump loses the 2020 election, he could be spending time in court for the rest of his life.

In Blow to Hopes for a Brexit Deal, a Leaked British Plan Is Rejected

THE NEW YORK TIMES: MANCHESTER, England — With time running out for a deal on Brexit, the Irish government and European Union officials have rejected the latest British thinking on how to resolve an impasse over the Irish border, a serious setback to prospects for a breakthrough.

Progress on the border issue is urgent if Britain is to agree with the European Union on the terms of its withdrawal, which is scheduled to take effect at the end of the month. Leaving without an agreement, experts warn, would mean a disorderly, possibly chaotic and damaging rupture. » | Stephen Castle | Tuesday, October 1, 2019

Meghan Sues Mail on Sunday as Harry Launches Attack on Tabloid Press

THE GUARDIAN: Prince compares wife’s treatment to Diana’s as proceedings over private letter are announced

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex has take the unusual decision to sue the publisher of the Mail on Sunday after the newspaper published a handwritten letter she had sent to her estranged father.

The decision came as Prince Harry launched an extraordinary and highly personal attack on the British tabloid press and its treatment of his wife, saying he could no longer be a “silent witness to her private suffering”.

Emphasising his respect for the importance of “objective, truthful reporting”, he accused parts of the media of “waging campaigns against individuals with no thought to the consequences” and compared the treatment of Meghan to coverage of his mother. » | Jim Waterson, Media editor | Tuesday, October 1, 2019

Coming Soon?

Trump’s in luck! Orange seems to be his favourite colour, so he’ll probably feel at home in the jumpsuit. Pity about the WC, though! Gold toilets don’t come as standard!

Would Trump Resign for Nixon-like Immunity?

Could Trump use his presidency as a bargaining tool to keep himself and his children from facing the consequences of their crimes or do the American people want to see Donald Trump impeached and convicted?

Democracy Now! To Impeach or Not to Impeach? Chris Hedges & John Bonifaz Debate What Congress Should Do Next

House Democrats subpoenaed President Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani Monday, seeking documents related to his work in Ukraine. Last week, Guliani admitted on television that he had urged the Ukrainian government to investigate Trump’s political rival and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden. This comes as House Democrats continue to build their case for impeaching the president, following a whistleblower complaint focused on a phone call in which Trump asked the Ukranian president to do him a “favor” investigating the actions of Democrats, including Joe Biden and his son Hunter. Meanwhile, Trump is continuing to threaten lawmakers who are pushing impeachment, and publicly admitted he is trying to find out the identity of the anonymous whistleblower, in possible violation of whistleblower protection laws. We host a debate on impeachment with John Bonifaz, co-founder and president of Free Speech for People, one of the organizations demanding Trump’s impeachment, and Chris Hedges, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, award-winning author and activist.

Brexit: Could Scotland Back Independence to Stay in the EU? – BBC Newsnight

Newsnight explores how #Brexit could impact the union between Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Egypt Protests Continue Despite Government Repression

Angela Joya discusses the return of demonstrations in Egypt against President Al-Sisi. After thousands were arrested and police brutality was unleashed at the protesters, the demonstrations only grow larger.