A grisly video footage circulated on the web shows foreign-backed insurgents killing Syrian "soldiers" execution-style at a checkpoint in the crisis-hit country. - The video, whose authenticity cannot be verified, was posted on the video-sharing website YouTube and is believed to be the tip of the iceberg of the killing of 28 Syrian "soldiers" at three checkpoints in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib on Thursday, AFP reported. In the footage, which was reportedly filmed at Hamisho checkpoint west of the northwestern city of Saraqeb, the insurgents beat about 10 "soldiers" before executing them with automatic rifles. [...] The Syrian government says that the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country, and there are reports that a very large number of the insurgents are foreign nationals.

UPI: Syrian rebels carry our mass execution war crime
Tony Cartalucci: US-Backed Terrorists Mass Murder Unarmed Civilians in Syria
Killing Prisoners Of War Is A War Crime - Video

[RT - StopImperialism.com] 'US defeat in Syria would be end of US hegemony in MidEast' -The United States is doing everything possible to salvage 'operation Syria' and in doing so hedging all their bets on its success, says Eric Draitser, geopolitical analyst from stopimperialism.com. But that strategy, Draitser believes, will fail - READ FULL SCRIPT on RT

Britain is considering stationing warplanes in the Persian Gulf as the confrontation with Iran over its nuclear programme continues amid rising tension in the region, The Independent has learnt. The possible deployment of the Eurofighter Typhoons follows talks with the United Arab Emirates to bolster the UK’s presence in the region at a time when Israel is threatening military strikes against Tehran and much of the Middle-East is in turbulence in the aftershock of the Arab Spring and Syria’s civil war. The decision on whether to send the planes at such a volatile time will be made by David Cameron, after further talks with the rulers of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and an announcement is expected to be made in the near future. The arrival of British aircraft is bound to fuel the Iranian sense of insecurity even if there are assurances that the move is not aimed at them. The Defence Secretary Philip Hammond yesterday said European nations must be prepared to “take a bigger role in relation to North Africa and the Middle East”. Israel, whose Defence Minister Ehud Barak is in London at the moment with the Iran crisis the main topic of discussion, is said to be “fully aware” and supportive of the discussions over the warplanes.

The owner and editor of a respected investigative magazine was acquitted Thursday on charges of breaching privacy laws in publishing the names of more than 2,000 Greeks believed to be holding accounts at a bank in Switzerland. The case tested news media freedom in Greece and fueled a scandal over whether officials here failed to aggressively pursue people suspected of evading taxes. The verdict came four days after a phalanx of police officers arrested the editor, Kostas Vaxevanis, as his magazine, Hot Doc, hit newsstands with the list. Before a packed court, Mr. Vaxevanis and his lawyers portrayed him as the target of a politically motivated campaign aimed at damping the public anger at Greek officials. The list that Mr. Vaxevanis obtained and published was handed to the Greek authorities two years ago by Christine Lagarde, then the French finance minister and now the head of the International Monetary Fund, to help Greece crack down on tax evasion as it was trying to mend its economy.

AWIP: Greek journalist arrested over exposing politicians' alleged tax evasion (10/29/12)

So yesterday: Germany... today: Ecuador... tomorrow: the World? Because while Ecuador, with its 26.3 tonnes of gold, may be small in the grand scheme of gold things, all it takes is for more and more banks to join the bandwagon and demand delivery in kind from official repositories (i.e., New York and London), and the myth that is the overcollateralization of hard money by central banks will promptly come to an abrupt, bitter and, likely, quite violent end.

Der Spiegel: German Politicians Demand to See Gold in US Federal Reserve...

Arab spring has left US-friendly rulers in region nervous about possible impact of an Israeli strike on Iran's nuclear programme. - US military commanders have warned their Israeli counterparts that any action against Iran would severely limit the ability of American forces in the region to mount their own operations against the Iranian nuclear programme by cutting off vital logistical support from Gulf Arab allies. US naval, air and ground forces are dependent for bases, refuelling and supplies on Gulf Arab rulers who are deeply concerned about the progress Iran has made in its nuclear programme, but also about the rising challenge to their regimes posed by the Arab spring and the galvanising impact on popular unrest of an Israeli attack on Iran. The US Fifth Fleet is headquartered in Bahrain and the US air force has major bases in Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Oman. Senior US officers believe the one case in which they could not rely fully on those bases for military operations against Iranian installations would be if Israel acted first.

PressTV: Israel will not outsource Iran decision even to closest allies: Barak
Russia Today: Israel ‘postpones’ nuclear Iran red line by ‘8 to 10 months’ - Video

Israel acknowledged Thursday it killed Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's deputy in a 1988 raid in Tunisia, lifting a nearly 25-year veil of secrecy and allowing a rare glimpse into the shadowy world of its secret operations. - One of the commandos was disguised as a woman on a romantic vacation, and one of the weapons was hidden in a box of chocolates. Khalil al-Wazir, who was better known by his nom de guerre Abu Jihad, founded Fatah, the dominant faction in the Palestinian Liberation Organization, with Arafat and was blamed for a series of deadly attacks against Israelis. Two of those involved in the operation that killed al-Wazir now hold high political office in Israel — Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Vice Premier Moshe Yaalon. At the time, Barak was deputy military chief, and Yaalon was head of the elite commando unit Sayeret Matkal. Their precise roles in the operation were not divulged, and both men's offices declined comment. Israel has long been suspected of assassinating al-Wazir. But only now has the country's military censor cleared the Yediot Ahronot daily to publish the information, including an interview with the commando who killed him, at least 12 years after the newspaper obtained the information.

Al Jazeera: Israel 'admits' killing Arafat's deputy
HuffPo: Israel Admits To Assassination Of Abu Jihad, Arafat Deputy In 1988

Thousands of Greek police officers, coast guards, firefighters, and medical professionals have held demonstrations to protest against the government’s austerity measures.

The protesters took to the streets in the capital Athens on Thursday, Reuters reported. Thousands of police officers and coast guards from various Greek regions marched to parliament to protest against salary cuts expected to be included in a new austerity bill. Next week, Greek Finance Minister Yannis Stournaras is likely to send the parliament a bill of labor reforms, which includes the officers' salary cuts. In protest to the cuts, the police officers and the coast guards also handed out bowls of bean soup to the needy. A large number of Greek firefighters chanting anti-austerity slogans also marched on the parliament.

PressTV: EU, IMF give Greece until October 18 to implement reforms

A political analyst says the US and European countries are sacrificing the well-being of their own people for the sake of the Israeli regime, Press TV reports.

“It is pretty obvious, I think to everyone, that the higher prices of oil and gas right now are partially due to the sanctions against Iran and therefore Europeans and Americans are sacrificing basically the well-being of their own people for the sake of the Israeli regime,” said Mohammad Marandi, a professor at the University of Tehran.

He also noted that by imposing sanctions against Iran, the US and its European allies will lose their interests in the region and provoke anger among Iranians and other people of the world.

Bill C-309 passed with a vote of 153 to 126 in the Canadian Parliament. It will now move on to the Senate. If it becomes law, mask-wearers at "riots" face up to 10 years in jail. Those busted wearing a disguise at an "unlawful protest" could be sentenced to up to five years in the big house. The sanctions would not apply to those taking part in "peaceful demonstrations or protests". Parliamentarian Blake Richards, who sponsored the bill, says the measure is aimed at targeting the “growing threat” of vandalism and violence. Lawmakers are particularly targeting the Blak Bloc anarchist group, whose members dress in black and hide their faces with glasses, scarves, and hoods. The group engaged in violence during the Quebec student protests earlier this year.