Source: AFP

A deal has been reached for the evacuation of Syrian opposition fighters from the last district under their control in the central city of Homs, the provincial governor told AFP Tuesday.

"All the rebels will leave Waer (district) within two months. A group of 200 to 300 armed men will leave in the first step, which will begin on Saturday," Talal Barazi said.

He said the first stage of the deal would last a week and would see "some heavy and medium weapons turned over to authorities."

Some families of rebels will also leave.


Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/syria-deal-rebels-leave-last-homs-district-governor-131754086.html

http://thedesk.matthewkeys.net/2013/12/heres-how-conan-obrien-gets-news-anchors-to-say-the-same-thing/

Jordan's task of overseeing the development of a list of organizations fighting in Syria that are actually terrorist groups is a job fraught with potential headaches for the kingdom. The assignment by the International Syria Support Group is part of efforts to launch negotiations between the Syrian regime and the so-called moderate opposition early next year. Announced by Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov Nov. 15, the move is also tied to Article 6 of the support group's Oct. 30 Vienna Communique, which states, "Daesh [Islamic State, IS], and other terrorist groups, as designated by the UN Security Council, and further, as agreed by the participants, must be defeated."

The Jordan Times quoted Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communications Mohammad Momani as saying, "Selecting Jordan for this task illustrates the international community's recognition of Jordan's capabilities and the efficiency of its military and security apparatuses." Mohammad Abu Rumman, an expert on Islamist groups, said, however, the assignment might put Amman in a bind, given its special relations with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries, including the United Arab Emirates, its intelligence contacts with the United States and Europe, and its particular knowledge of the groups in Syria, including their financers and other supporters. In addition to US financial and military assistance, it relies on grants from Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Kuwait.

Abu Rumman told Al-Monitor, "This is a complicated issue that could compromise Jordan since adding more groups to the list will provoke their backers and threaten the kingdom's stability." The support group has already agreed to include IS and Jabhat al-Nusra on the list. Among the groups that could possibly be added are Ahrar al-Sham, al-Sham Front and Jaish al-Fatah (Army of Conquest).

"Some of these Islamist groups fall in a gray area. Some will argue that they are radical, while others will claim they are moderate," said Abu Rumman. This, he added, is part of the challenge facing Jordan. The survey group's designations could affect alliances among the anti-regime groups — for instance, Jaish al-Fatah's affiliation with the already designated Jabhat al-Nusra — and weaken the opposition on the ground, especially if foreign backers stop financing some of them, Abu Rumman noted.

http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2015/11/30/are-turkey-saudi-arabia-pressuring-jordan-on-a-terror-blacklist

Last Thursday evening, Nov. 19, the PBS NewsHour did a timely and important segment on how “the Islamic State militant group…one of the richest terrorist armies in history” makes its money. A key source of that money, they reported, is oil.

Economics Correspondent Paul Solman began the segment, setting the stage with what some presidential candidates are saying and pointing out that there is a debate over just how much money ISIS actually has. Then, at 2:22 minutes into the segment, Solman says, “But just yesterday [Wednesday] Army Colonel Steve Warren, spokesman for the joint task force, said the stepped-up offensive against ISIS’ main source of revenue is paying off. For the first time, the U.S. is attacking oil delivery trucks.” Then Col. Warren, in a film clip on screen, says: “We destroyed 116 tanker trucks, which we believe will reduce ISIL’s ability to transport its stolen oil products.”

That may be true, but the bombing camera video shown at the time, according to numerous online sources, came from Russian, not U.S., aircraft and drones attacking the oil facilities and trucks, and was released by the Russian Defense Ministry. The film also uses some Cyrillic-alphabet lettering along the edges.

The foul-up did not go unnoticed and rather quickly resulted in several online critiques and numerous emails to me and messages posted on the NewsHour’s own website. The critical reporting focused on stories and headlines such as, “PBS uses Russian footage to depict US airstrikes on ISIS oil fields,” from RT, a Russian-government supported global news operation. Indeed, RT reported that the use of Russian film was first taken note of by the Moon of Alabama website and picked up by others such as Sputnik, also supported by the Russian government, and Global Research, a Canadian-based site.


http://www.pbs.org/ombudsman/blogs/ombudsman/2015/11/23/bombs-away-russians-strike-isis-oil-but-pbs-gets-blasted/

Two generals and a retired colonel have been arrested on charges of espionage and terrorism for their role in the interception in 2014 of trucks allegedly carrying arms to Syria.

Ankara Gendarmerie Regional Commander Maj. Gen. İbrahim Aydın and former Adana Gendarmerie Regional Commander Brig. Gen. Hamza Celepoğlu and former Gendarmerie Criminal Laboratory head, ret. Col. Burhanettin Cihangiroğlu were detained on Saturday and referred to an İstanbul court for arrest on Sunday.

The İstanbul Second Criminal Court of Peace ruled for the arrest pending trial of Aydın, Celepoğlu and Cihangiroğlu a little after the midnight on Monday.

Maj. Gen Aydın and ret. Col. Cihangiroğlu were arrested on charges of “obtaining confidential information for purposes of political or military espionage; disclosing confidential information pertaining to state security for espionage purposes; attempting to destroy or prevent the government of the Republic of Turkey from functioning; founding or leading an armed terrorist organization.”

snip

The government said the trucks were operated by the National Intelligence Organization (MİT) and dismissed claims at the time that the trucks intercepted and searched by the Turkish military by order of prosecutors in Adana had any arms. Current Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, who was foreign minister at the time, asserted that the cargo was humanitarian aid destined for embattled Syrian Turkmens on the other side of the border.

http://www.todayszaman.com/national_turkish-generals-arrested-in-syria-bound-trucks-case_405655.html

Between the chilly temperatures and the pace of the push-ups, there was plenty to complain about after eight lawmakers straggled into the park behind the Longworth House Office Building for their regular 6:30 a.m. workout.

While the others in the group griped and groaned on a recent Tuesday, Representative Tulsi Gabbard, 34, her Hindu prayer beads wrapped around a wrist for her daily yoga meditation, said little.

“Tulsi, you hearing a lot of whining?” asked Representative Markwayne Mullin, a burly Oklahoma Republican and former professional mixed martial arts fighter who leads the workouts, mocking the complaints of her companions.

“I’m feeling like whining,” she replied between push-ups.

Ms. Gabbard, Democrat of Hawaii, has a reputation among her colleagues for being a composed, contemplative presence in a chamber more prone to reaction than reflection. But lately she has started to shed that persona. Since the deadly attacks in Paris, she has become a high-profile critic of President Obama’s policies in Syria by amplifying her argument that President Bashar al-Assad should stay in power to avoid elevating the Islamic State and by introducing legislation to defund American efforts to overthrow him.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/29/us/politics/tulsi-gabbard-rising-democratic-star-from-hawaii-makes-mark-on-party-by-defying-it.html?_r=0

San Francisco police have found more than two-dozen bats chained to street poles across the city. Some of the bats have nails sticking out of them.

Denise Chew stepped out of an optometrist office on Mission Street near Rolph Street where a bat was found chained to a parking meter.


"This is really odd. I'm kind of speechless about it," said Chew. "It's pretty bizarre and it's weird that there's so many all over the city, but at least they're not going around swinging at people."

http://abc7news.com/news/sfpd-continue-investigation-into-baseball-bats-chained-to-telephone-poles/1102058/



http://sfist.com/2015/11/28/more_bizarre_weaponized_baseball_ba.php

Source: Telegraph UK

Army medical staff are expected to be drafted into NHS hospitals as cover for striking junior doctors, according to a document uncovered by The Telegraph.

The first of three strikes by junior doctors is due to begin on Tuesday Dec 1, when only emergency care is planned, with full stoppages on Dec 8 and Dec 16.

It would be the first full walkouts by doctors in NHS history.

In official guidance on industrial action issued by the British Medical Association (BMA), it said it expects medics from the Armed Forces will be used to help plug the gap on strike days.

Read more: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/nhs/12022876/Army-poised-to-cover-for-striking-NHS-doctors.html

Donald J. Trump will take the next step in his religious outreach effort next week when he announces the endorsement of a group of 100 African-American pastors and religious leaders at his Manhattan headquarters.

The Republican presidential candidate has a private meeting with the group scheduled on Monday before they make their offer of support official, according to his campaign. The endorsement comes as Mr. Trump has faced criticism for stoking racial tension and has seen his support among evangelical Christians start to waver in polls as voters consider Senator Ted Cruz of Texas and Ben Carson.

That tension was evident this week after an activist for the group Black Lives Matter was beaten at a Trump campaign rally, and the billionaire developer said that perhaps the activist deserved to be roughed up. Mr. Trump also angered some when he sent a Twitter message that appeared to play down the recent spate of incidents of police brutality against African-Americans.

However, Mr. Trump has held several meetings with black religious leaders this year as he looks to broaden his appeal, and it appears that he has closed the deal with some of them.

http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2015/11/25/black-pastors-expected-to-endorse-donald-trump/?_r=0