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’