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Purveyor's JournalEra Ends At Washington Post As Amazon’s Jeff Bezos Set To Take The Reins
By Agence France-Presse
Sunday, September 29, 2013 8:00 EDT
With Jeff Bezos set to take over The Washington Post, the big question is: Can he arrest its decline and deliver an economic model for the rest of the industry?
The 49-year-old founder of Amazon could give the storied newspaper a chance to make the transition to the digital age, but it remains unclear whether he has a winning formula for ailing metropolitan daily newspapers.
Bezos, who agreed in August to buy the Post for $250 million and take it private, is expected to close the deal sometime in early October, though no official date has been disclosed.
He has said little about his plans for the 136-year-old daily, which has long been seen as among the most influential in the United States, famous for its trailblazing coverage of the Watergate break-in and subsequent cover up which led to the resignation of president Richard Nixon in 1974.
Bezos said in August that he had “no map” for the Post but in a recent interview with CNN he called the newspaper “an important institution,” and remarked that he was “optimistic about its future.”
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http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/09/29/era-ends-at-washington-post-as-amazons-jeff-bezos-set-to-take-the-reins/
Netanyahu Heads To The US, To Counter Iran’s Charm Offensive
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was flying out Saturday night for a four-day visit to the United States, during which he will lay out Israel’s concerns over the thaw in Western-Iranian ties that has been developing at breathtaking pace in the last few days and culminated Friday with a phone call between the American and Iranian presidents.
The prime minister has said he regards Iran’s outreach as a “smokescreen” designed to “fool” the West while the regime advances toward a nuclear weapons capability. He has set out conditions that he wants the international community to maintain before any lessening of economic sanctions.
On Monday, Netanyahu is scheduled to meet US President Barack Obama at the White House. A day later, he will be the final world leader to address this year’s United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Netanyahu’s meeting with Obama will mark the first time the two leaders have sat together since the American president’s March visit to Israel, and, more dramatically, since the historic phone call between Obama and his Iranian counterpart, Hassan Rouhani, the latest in a series of developments last week that signaled a warming of ties between the new nations. The last time a sitting US president spoke to a sitting Iranian president was before the Islamic Revolution in 1979.
Netanyahu, whose El AL plane was to taking at 12:25 a.m. on Sunday morning, issued no immediate comment on the Obama-Rouhani conversation and instructed his ministers to remain mum. The prime minister intends to discuss Israel’s position on the Iranian president’s charm offensive – which included more benevolent rhetoric on ties with the US and the West, a stated willingness to compromise on transparency of the Iranian nuclear program and an acknowledgement that the Holocaust occurred – during his meetings with senior US officials. He will also make a public plea against easing the sanctions on the regime during his speech Tuesday at the General Assembly.
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http://www.timesofisrael.com/netanyahu-heads-to-the-us-to-battle-irans-charm-offensive/
Syria Vows To Abide By UN Security Council Resolution, Cooperate With Inspectors Destroying Chemical
Source: Associated Press
BEIRUT — Syria will cooperate fully with U.N. inspectors charged with securing and destroying the country's chemical weapons stockpile, the nation's prime minister said Saturday.
The comments from Wael al-Halqi came a day after the United Nations Security Council voted unanimously to purge Syria of its chemical weapons program. The U.N. resolution, passed after two weeks of white-knuckle negotiations, marked a major breakthrough in the paralysis that has gripped the council since the Syrian uprising began in March 2011.
"This resolution is in line with Syria's approach toward joining the chemical weapons convention," al-Halqi said in an interview with Lebanon's Al Manar TV. "Syria will stand by what it promised. We will cooperate and facilitate the work of the inspectors. We have provided lists with the chemical weapons we have and they can check all our institutions."
The U.N. resolution allows the start of a mission to rid Syria's regime of its estimated 1,000-ton chemical arsenal by mid-2014. It also calls for consequences if President Bashar Assad's regime fails to comply, although those will depend on the council passing another resolution in the event of non-compliance.
Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/28/syria-un-resolution_n_4009863.html?utm_hp_ref=world
New Major Earthquake Rocks Southwest Pakistan
QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) -- A major earthquake rocked Pakistan's southwest Saturday, killing at least 15 and sending panicked people running into the street just days after another quake in the same region killed hundreds, officials said.
The U.S. Geological Survey said on its website that a 6.8 magnitude quake was felt in Pakistan's southwestern Baluchistan province.
Pakistan's Meteorological Department measured the earthquake at 7.2 magnitude, saying its epicenter was about 150 kilometers (90 miles) west of the town of Khuzdar.
Baluchistan government spokesman Jan Mohammad Buledi said those killed Saturday died in the Mushkay area of Awaran. The death toll from Tuesday's disaster was 359, he added.
Little may have been left to damage after Tuesday's disaster. Few of the mud and homemade brick houses in the area survived the 7.7 magnitude quake that leveled villages and buried people in the rubble. Since then tens of thousands of people have been sleeping under the open sky or in tents.
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http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_PAKISTAN?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-09-28-16-07-34
White House: GOP Bill 'Reckless,' 'Irresponsible'
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The White House says a House Republican bill that would delay a major provision of President Barack Obama's health care law is reckless and irresponsible.
Obama spokesman Jay Carney also says any Republican who votes for the bill is "voting for a shutdown." He notes that House Republicans have tried and failed to delay or eliminate the law's funding more than 40 times.
The House is expected to vote on the bill Saturday night.
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http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_BUDGET_BATTLE_WHITE_HOUSE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-09-28-17-32-11
Israel and Others in Mideast View Overtures of U.S. and Iran With Suspicion
JERUSALEM — For Israel and Persian Gulf states like Saudi Arabia, President Obama’s telephone call with President Hassan Rouhani of Iran on Friday was the geopolitical equivalent of discovering your best friend flirting with your main rival.
Though few nations have a greater interest in Mr. Obama’s promise to stop Iran from developing a nuclear bomb, his overtures to Mr. Rouhani were greeted with alarm here and in other Middle East capitals allied with the United States. They worry about Iran’s sincerity, and fear that Mr. Obama’s desire for a diplomatic deal will only buy Iran time to continue a march toward building a nuclear weapon.
But beyond that, the prospect of even a nonnuclear Iran — strengthened economically by the lifting of sanctions, and emboldened politically by renewed relations with Washington — is seen as a dire threat that could upend the dynamics in this volatile region.
One gulf academic, in a Twitter post, likened the phone call to “the fall of the Berlin Wall.” An Israeli lawmaker said in a radio interview that he hoped that Mr. Obama would not be the next Neville Chamberlain, known for appeasement of the Nazis in 1938.
“There is a lot of suspicion and even paranoia about some secret deal between Iran and America,” said Jamal Khashoggi, a prominent Saudi journalist who is close to the royal family. “My concern is that the Americans will accept Iran as it is — so that the Iranians can continue their old policies of expansionism and aggression.”
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http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/29/world/middleeast/israel-and-others-in-mideast-view-overtures-of-us-and-iran-with-suspicion.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
Guest Lineups For The Sunday News Shows
“Meet the Press” on NBC• Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas)
• Rep. Raul Labrador (R-Idaho)
• Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman (R)
“Face the Nation” on CBS
• Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.)
• Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.)
• Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), ranking member, House Budget Committee
• Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.)
“This Week” on ABC
• Former President Bill Clinton
• Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif
• Frmer Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm
“Fox News Sunday” on Fox
• House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.)
• Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah)
• Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.)
• Former Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.)
“State of the Union” on CNN
• Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.)
• Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.)
• Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean
• Former Rep. Artur Davis (D-Ala.)
In Tehran, Phone Call Between Presidents Is as Good as a Handshake
TEHRAN — Night had fallen here in the Iranian capital as Hassan Rouhani, the new president of Iran, sent a message via his now-famous Twitter account: He had just gotten off the phone with President Obama, who had called him.
“Wow, this is fantastic,” said Armin Kay, an engineer reacting to the news. “The most important thing is that Obama took the initiative. This will go down really well with our leadership.”
It was the first direct conversation between leaders of Iran and the United States since the Islamic Revolution in 1979.
In Iran, many had been disappointed when Mr. Rouhani failed to show up Tuesday at a United Nations luncheon, where he had been expected to shake hands with Mr. Obama. But the Friday call as Mr. Rouhani was heading to the airport to fly home to Iran, after four days of frenetic diplomacy in the United States, was almost as good as a handshake.
“After the positive meeting between the foreign ministers of Iran and the United States on Thursday, we could see this coming,” Amir Mohebbian, a political adviser close to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said in an interview after the phone call, referring to Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Secretary of State John Kerry. “This was a polite farewell, a thank you for all the positivity from Iran.” S
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http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/28/world/middleeast/in-iran-phone-call-reaction.html?_r=0
U.N. Security Council Unanimously Passes Syria Chemical Weapons Resolution
Source: Washington Post
By Colum Lynch and Anne Gearan
UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously late Friday on an ambitious plan requiring Syria to surrender its chemical weapons for destruction, but the pact does not spell out what penalties the government in Damascus might face if it doesn’t comply.
U.S. and European diplomats concede that some of their toughest demands aimed at compelling Syria to obey the council’s demands and holding perpetrators to account for using chemical weapons were removed from the final resolution at Russia’s insistence.
The proposed agreement binds Syria to turn over its chemical arsenal but provides no automatic punishment if Syria balks. Enforcement would require further negotiation, setting up the prospect of further tussles between the United States and Russia, a close ally of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, which has fervently opposed the threat of force.
Still, the measure constituted the first legally binding action on Syria from the Security Council since the Syrian government launched a brutal crackdown on peaceful protesters more than two years ago. Since then, the conflict has descended into a bloody civil war, leaving more than 100,000 dead, and threatening to engulf the region in sectarian conflict. Russia had previously blocked all attempts to punish or condemn Assad at the Security Council, which can order mandatory sanctions or military action.
Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/un-approval-near-on-syrian-chemical-arms/2013/09/27/da007544-27aa-11e3-9372-92606241ae9c_story.html
U.N. Members Agree on Syria Disarmament
Source: WSJournal
By JOE LAURIA
UNITED NATIONS—The five most powerful members of the United Nations Security Council agreed to a resolution that requires the Syrian government to surrender its chemical weapons, but in a concession to Russia makes no threat of enforcement.
The draft resolution, which was presented to the full Security Council on Thursday night, would implement a U.S.-Russian deal on the destruction of the Syrian arsenal by the middle of next year.
While the resolution adheres to Western demands that it legally bind Damascus to comply, it also bows to the Russians, who wanted no immediate threat of enforcement through sanctions or military action, diplomats said.
If Syria doesn't comply with the plan, under the terms discussed, the Security Council would meet to adopt a second resolution that would impose enforcement measures—but that could be vetoed by Moscow.
Read more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303342104579099341683164208.html
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