Syria Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem says the US, Britain and France have blocked the naming of the real perpetrators of chemical weapons attacks in the Arab country. ● In his address to the 68th UN General Assembly on Monday, Muallem also warned that "terrorists" fighting against President Bashar al-Assad government are being supplied with chemical weapons. The minister also stated that the al-Qaeda-linked militants eat human hearts and dismember people while they are still alive, then send their limbs to family members. Washington had threatened to take military action against Syria over an unsubstantiated claim that the Syrian government had been behind a deadly chemical attack near Damascus on August 21. Syria strongly rejected the allegation, saying the attack had been carried out by the foreign-backed militants to draw in military intervention.

Stephen Lendman: Lavrov: Insurgents Have Chemical Weapons

Soon after the very earliest reporting on Ed Snowden's leaked documents about PRISM, the folks from Datacoup put together the very amusing GETPRSM website, which looks very much like the announcement of a new social network, but (the joke is) it's really the NSA scooping up all our data and making the connections. It's pretty funny. Except, of course, when you find out that it's real. And, yes, that seems to be the latest revelation out of Ed Snowden's leaks. The NY Times has an article by James Risen and Laura Poitras (what a combo reporting team there!) detailing how the NSA has basically built its own "shadow" social network in which it tries to create a "social graph" of pretty much everyone that everyone knows, foreign or American, and it all happens (of course) without a warrant.

San Jose Mercury News: John McAfee reveals details on gadget to thwart NSA
The Guardian: To reform the NSA, fire officials who lie
Common Dreams: NSA Metadata Collection Puts Journalists' Sources at Risk
Russia Today: NSA uses metadata 'to create sophisticated graphs' of US citizens’ social connections
Thomas Gaist: NSA using metadata to compile “social network diagrams” on Americans

A bankrupt France tears itself apart into several regions, and one of them marches over the border to Switzerland to get back its stolen money. The Swiss army has this imaginary scenario covered, according to military simulations revealed over the weekend. ● Switzerland's army simulated a French attack against their country in training exercises in August, the newspaper Matin Dimanche revealed on Sunday. The army imagined a scenario in which France was in financial turmoil and had split up into several regional entities. One of these, "Saônia," was preparing attacks on Switzerland to retrieve money it had apparently stolen from it. Operation "Duplex-Barbara" was practiced at the end of August, according to the Swiss daily, and essentially involves the (existing) Jura region of eastern France breaking away from the rest of the country. "Saônia" then launches the invasion across the Swiss border, with a pro-Saônian government paramilitary group, the BLD (Brigade Libre de Dijon) going "in search of the money Switzerland stole from Saônia," according to Matin Dimanche. "The exercise has strictly nothing to do with France," said Daniel Berger, captain of the Swiss armoured brigade. "It was prepared in 2012 when fiscal relations between both countries were less tense."

Matin Dimanche: L’armée suisse simule l’attaque d’une France surendettée

The al-Qaeda-linked terror organization the al-Nusra front, which fights against the Syria administration, has published a threatening notice announcing it will carry out attacks in Ýstanbul and Ankara in Turkey. ● The notice, issued under the name of “Northern Province, Aleppo Region, al-Nusra Front,” calls directly to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoðan. The notice written in Arabic includes such statements as:

“The allies of Jews in Turkish lands must understand that the provisions of Allah are getting closer to their country. To Recep Tayyip Erdoðan, who chose to be an ally of Jews instead of provisions of God:

1 – If Bab al-Salam (Kilis) and Bab-al-Hawa (Cilvegözü) border gates are not opened by Monday, martyrdom (suicide) attacks will be made in Istanbul and Ankara.
2 – If Erdoðan does not stop aiding his allies the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and the traitors who left from the al-Nusra front, martyrdom (suicide) attacks will be made in Istanbul and Ankara, which will burn the friends of the Jews.”

(Via Aydinlik Daily, an nsnbc international partner media)

At least three people have been killed in a US assassination drone strike in the Boya area of Pakistan’s North Waziristan. ● The attack was carried out during the early hours of Monday, when a killer drone targeted the tribal area near the Afghan border. A senior Pakistani security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the three were killed by two missiles. The incident took place hours after another drone killed at least six people in the northwestern tribal area of Dargamandi in North Waziristan. The attacks come days after the Pakistani government confirmed that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif would seek an immediate halt to the US drone strikes during his speech at the 68th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. On September 22, seven people died in a US killer drone strike in the same area.

Two American journalists are working together to expose the role of the US National Security Agency in what they described as a “US assassination program.” ● Contributor to The Nation magazine Jeremy Scahill and Rio-based journalist Glenn Greenwald are working on the project. "The connections between war and surveillance are clear. I don't want to give too much away but Glenn and I are working on a project right now that has at its center how the National Security Agency plays a significant, central role in the US assassination program," Scahill said on Saturday. "There are so many stories that are yet to be published that we hope will produce 'actionable intelligence,' or information that ordinary citizens across the world can use to try to fight for change, to try to confront those in power," he added. Greenwald was the first journalist who broke the revelations about US spying programs based on documents leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden.

Yahoo: Glenn Greenwald working on new NSA revelations
Russia Today: Greenwald, Scahill vow to unmask NSA’s ‘US assassination program’

An amazing speech by Rainn Wilson on the coming global revolution that must happen in order for us to move forward as a human race. ● "I think that there is another revolution coming. I'm not sure what it's going to look like, but I think it's going to be very interesting and it's going to unfold over the next 10 years." Footage used is a combination of purchased footage and various Youtube videos of protests from around the world.

Lisa O'Carroll: Seymour Hersh has got some extreme ideas on how to fix journalism – close down the news bureaus of NBC and ABC, sack 90% of editors in publishing and get back to the fundamental job of journalists which, he says, is to be an outsider. ■ He is angry about the timidity of journalists in America, their failure to challenge the White House and be an unpopular messenger of truth. Don’t even get him started on the New York Times which, he says, spends “so much more time carrying water for Obama than I ever thought they would” – or the death of Osama bin Laden. “Nothing’s been done about that story, it’s one big lie, not one word of it is true,” he says of the dramatic US Navy Seals raid in 2011. Hersh is writing a book about national security and has devoted a chapter to the bin Laden killing. He says a recent report put out by an “independent” Pakistani commission about life in the Abottabad compound in which Bin Laden was holed up would not stand up to scrutiny. “The Pakistanis put out a report, don’t get me going on it. Let’s put it this way, it was done with considerable American input. It’s a bullshit report,” he says hinting of revelations to come in his book. [H/T]

Twelve cases of unauthorised surveillance documented in letter from NSA's inspector general to senator Chuck Grassley. ● A National Security Agency employee was able to secretly intercept the phone calls of nine foreign women for six years without ever being detected by his managers, the agency's internal watchdog has revealed. The unauthorised abuse of the NSA's surveillance tools only came to light after one of the women, who happened to be a US government employee, told a colleague that she suspected the man – with whom she was having a sexual relationship – was listening to her calls. The case is among 12 documented in a letter from the NSA's inspector general to a leading member of Congress, who asked for a breakdown of cases in which the agency's powerful surveillance apparatus was deliberately abused by staff. One relates to a member of the US military who, on the first day he gained access to the surveillance system, used it to spy on six email addresses belonging to former girlfriends.

The UN Security Council has unanimously backed a resolution requiring Syria to eliminate its chemical weapons. The document, put together by Russia and the US, imposes binding obligations on all parties of the Syrian conflict, but does not authorize immediate use of force for non-compliance. RT's Marina Portnaya reports on a landmark vote, and a rare diplomatic breakthrough.

UN Security Council unanimously adopts Syria resolution
Russia made sure UNSC Syria resolution leaves no loopholes for use of force – Lavrov

In his dramatic speech in New York, Bolivian President Evo Morales called for the UN to be moved out of the US and for Barack Obama to be tried for crimes against humanity. Speaking to RT, Morales explained his controversial proposals. ● In his most controversial demand, Morales said that Obama should face an international trial with human rights watchdogs among the judges. The Bolivian president accused his US counterpart of instigating conflicts in the Middle East to make the region more volatile and to increase the US’s grip on the natural resources it abounds in. He gave Libya as an example of a country where “they arranged for the president to be killed, and they usurped Libya’s oil.” “Now they are funding the rebels that fight against presidents who don’t support capitalism or imperialism,” Morales told Eva Golinger of RT’s Spanish sister channel, Actualidad. “And where a coup d’état is impossible, they seek to divide the people in order to weaken the nation – a provocation designed to trigger an intervention by peacekeeping forces, NATO, the UN Security Council. But the intervention itself is meant to get hold of oil resources and gain geopolitical control, rather than enforce respect for human rights.”

Stephen Lendman: US/Iranian Foreign Ministers Meet ■ On Thursday, they met in New York. They did so on the sidelines of the General Assembly meeting. They held what they called substantive talks. They were the first in over a generation. Smiles, handshakes, and positive sounding language mean nothing. They can't erase decades of unrelenting US hostility. Iran remains justifiably cautious. John Kerry said he and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif "had a very constructive meeting." "Needless to say," he added, "one meeting and a change in tone, which was welcome, doesn't answer those questions yet and there is a lot of work to be done." He wants Iran to prove its good intentions. As usual US policy twists things irresponsibly. America has all the proving to do. Iran long ago sought rapprochement. Washington spurned its good faith efforts. It's done repeatedly. It's done it consistently. It's done it irresponsibly. Don't expect a new leaf turned over now. Doing so would be totally out of character.

A new CBS News/New York Times poll shows: More Americans disapprove than approve of how Mr. Obama is handling relations with Iran. Americans overwhelmingly favor (82 percent) the deal reached between the U.S. and Russia for Syria to turn over its chemical weapons. Americans still would not support airstrikes against the Syrian government, even if Syria fails to comply — an option that the U.S. says remains on the table if the diplomatic solution ultimately fails. Underlying these views, a large majority (68 percent) continues to believe in principle that the U.S. doesn’t have a responsibility to do something about the fighting in Syria.

Greek police have arrested the leader of the far-right Golden Dawn party, Nikolaos Michaloliakos, on charges of forming a criminal organisation. ● Three more Golden Dawn MPs, a party leader in an Athens suburb and 12 other people have also been arrested. The arrests come amid anger over the murder on 18 September of anti-racist musician, Pavlos Fyssas. A man held for the stabbing told police he was a Golden Dawn supporter, though the party strongly denies any link. The MPs arrested on Saturday were party spokesman Ilias Kasidiaris, Ilias Panayiotaros and Ioannis Lagos. It is the first time since 1974 that a party leader and MPs have been arrested. Mr Panayiotaros told reporters before giving himself up: "Shame on them, the people will lift Golden Dawn higher."

Reuters: Greek police arrest leader, lawmakers of far-right Golden Dawn

Andrew Gavin Marshall ■ The government of Canada has, for years, been writing laws and implementing major policies at the direct suggestion of the oil industry, and has increasingly been demonizing those who protest against the policies, especially indigenous and environmental groups. The Canadian government has been increasingly equating protest groups with “terrorists,” and Canada’s spy agencies have been providing information about protesters directly to energy corporations, and even infiltrating such groups in an effort to disrupt their actions. TransCanada provided training information to police agencies across the U.S. in which they refer to anti-pipeline protests as “terrorism.”

Canadian author David Gilmour's comments that he doesn't teach female or Chinese authors has sparked a strong backlash. :: U of T students are holding a literary rally to protest comments made by author David Gilmour, indicating that he doesn’t like Chinese or female writers. “David Gilmour has generously reminded us of the importance of studying Serious Literature by Serious Heterosexual Guys,” wrote the organizers on a Facebook page advertizing the protest. Students of literature aren’t the only ones outraged by Gilmour’s comments, made in an interview with Hazlitt Magazine earlier this week. “When I was given this job I said I would only teach the people that I truly, truly love. Unfortunately, none of those happen to be Chinese, or women. Usually at the beginning of the semester someone asks why there aren’t any women writers in the course. I say I don’t love women writers enough to teach them, if you want women writers go down the hall. What I’m good at is guys.” ‘There isn’t a racist or a sexist bone in my body’

According to the US State Department, "no one definition of terrorism has gained universal acceptance" within our government. And what constitutes a terrorist is rather expansive, as Senator Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) explains. Even former White House Chief of Staff Rham Emanuel meets the criteria. Perianne Boring has more.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov stressed Russia's strong rejection of the attempts of some NATO member states to repeat the Libyan scenario in Syria. ● "A group of NATO countries are violating with their activities the principles set out by the Security Council and thus trying to repeat the Libyan scenario in Syria," said Ryabkov in a talk among experts on the sidelines of the International Exhibition of Arms, Military Equipment in the Russian city of Nizhny Tagil. He affirmed that his country strongly opposes such acts at the international arena.

Moon of Alabama: Syria: The Mask Is Off

Most of Syria’s toxins can be destroyed more easily than officials initially thought. ● U.S. and Russian officials now believe that the vast majority of Syria’s nerve agent stockpile consists of “unweaponized” liquid precursors that could be neutralized relatively quickly, lowering the risk that the toxins could be hidden away by the regime or stolen by terrorists. A confidential assessment by the United States and Russia also concludes that Syria’s entire arsenal could be destroyed in about nine months, assuming that Syrian officials honor promises to cede control of the chemical assets to international inspectors, according to two people briefed on the analysis.

A Syria resolution drafted by Russia and the US and submitted to the UN Security Council does not suggest immediate military action under Chapter 7 of the UN Charter, Russia’s FM Lavrov said. A vote on the measure could take place Friday evening. The Council has begun consultations on the draft and may vote on the resolution on Friday evening, as soon as the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons makes its own decision on the submitted draft, Russia’s UN envoy Vitaly Churkin said. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov might slightly extend his visit to New York to take part in the vote, and his counterparts from the Security Council member states are considering similar moves, Churkin added. The resolution which was submitted to the UN Security Council is fully in line with the Geneva framework on the destruction of chemical weapons in Syria, Sergey Lavrov told the press earlier on Thursday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly's 68th session. “There will be no enforcement in line with Chapter 7,” he emphasized.

VoR: Russia, US agree on draft resolution on Syria chemical weapons - Lavrov
SANA: Lavrov : Russia, U.S reach understanding on Syria chemical arms resolution

US Secretary of State John Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif met Thursday in the highest-level talks between the two countries since the 1979 Iranian revolution. ● Going into the meeting, both US and Iranian representatives voiced optimism that progress could be made toward an agreement on the Iranian nuclear program. “We’re going to have a good meeting, I’m sure,” Kerry said early on Thursday. ● The face-to-face encounter took place in the framework of a joint meeting of the foreign ministers of the so-called P5+1 group (consisting of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council—US, Russia, China, Britain and France—plus Germany), which was formed in 2006 to conduct diplomatic negotiations with Iran on its nuclear program. ● Now the Iranian negotiations have overshadowed the diplomatic maneuvers surrounding Syria. It may well prove that both were part of a bid by the US administration to play for time, using the argument that the “diplomatic path” had been tried and had failed to prepare for military aggression once again.

Fars News Agency: Iran's Zarif, US Kerry Meet in New York
Fars News Agency: President Rouhani Asks for Global Nuclear Disarmament
LisTwns.com: Iran's President: No nation should have nuclear weapons - Video
Moon of Alabama: Some Agreement On U.S.-Iran Negotiations

The CNN aired its interview with Rouhani on Tuesday but the news channel added to or changed parts of his remarks when Christiane Amanpour asked him about the Holocaust. Here is the exact transcript of the Farsi text according to the CNN broadcast:

من قبلا گفتم که من تاریخ دان نیستم و ابعاد حوادث تاریخی را تاریخ دانان باید تبین کنند، بیان کنند و توضیخ بدهند. اما به طور کلی هرگونه جنایتی که در تاریخ علیه بشریت اتفاق افتاده باشد و از جمله جنایتی که نازی ها انجام دادند چه در مورد یهودیان و چه در مورد غیر یهودیان از نظر ما کاملا محکوم است همانطور که امروز هم اگر جنایتی انجام شود علیه هر ملتی یا هر دینی یا هر قومیتی یا هر اعتقادی، ما آن جنایت و نسل کشی را محکوم می کنیم بنابراین کار نازی ها محکوم است, ابعادی که شما می گویید به عهده مورخین و محققین است که آن ابعاد را روشن کنند. من محقق تاریخی نیستم.

Here is the exact English translation of President Rouhani's remarks:

Rouhani's: "I have said before that I am not a historian and historians should specify, state and explain the aspects of historical events, but generally we fully condemn any kind of crime committed against humanity throughout the history, including the crime committed by the Nazis both against the Jews and non-Jews, the same way that if today any crime is committed against any nation or any religion or any people or any belief, we condemn that crime and genocide. Therefore, what the Nazis did is condemned, (but) the aspects that you talk about, clarification of these aspects is a duty of the historians and researchers, I am not a history scholar."

Pakistan is poised to take the issue of Washington’s controversial drone strikes on the Pakistani soil to the United Nations. ● Pakistani government confirmed that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will seek an immediate halt to such attacks during his speech at the annual UN General Assembly session. Senior Foreign Ministry officials say the prime minister will present Islamabad's viewpoint with regards to the ongoing US drone strikes within Pakistani territory while addressing the global platform. Sharif has been a vocal critic of US drone strikes since his party won the general election in May. He has frequently condemned the US assassination drone strikes in his country, describing them as a violation of international law and the UN charter.

Experts 95 per cent certain 'humans are responsible for global warming'. Well, of course they are. If there is one overriding prerequisite of every new IPCC Assessment report, it's to sound even more scary and urgent and certain than its predecessor. Professor Bob Carter noted this progression in his excellent book Climate: the Counter Consensus:

● First Assessment Report (1990) – "The observed [twentieth century] temperature increase could be largely due…to natural variability."
● Second Assessment Report (1996) – "The balance of the evidence suggests a discernible human influence on climate."
● Third Assessment Report (2001) – "There is new and stronger evidence that most of the warming observed over the last fifty years is attributable to human activities."
● Fourth Assessment Report (2007) – "Most of the observed increase in globally averaged temperature since the mid-twentieth century is very likely [= 90 per cent probable] due to the observed increase in anthropogenic greenhouse gas concentrations."

The irony is, of course, that the third, fourth and fifth assessment reports were all produced in a period of rising CO2 levels in which there has been no "global warming" whatsoever. You'd imagine that, had the scientific method been more highly valued by the IPCC, this rather glaring flaw in AGW theory might have been afforded more prominence. But this is not the IPCC Assessment Reports' job. As Christopher Booker and others have often noted, the IPCC's reports are essentially political artefacts rather than scientific ones. This is why some governments – including Germany's and Belgium's – have been manoeuvring behind the scenes to have the new IPCC report "sexed up".

Climate Depot: UN IPCC Report Exposed By Its Own Members as ‘a pure political process’