He would win with 99 percent score. But you have to change american constitution for that. Only naturak born american citizens can become an american presodent now.

Our Father, who art in heaven

Hallowed be thy Name,

Thy kingdom come,

Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread

And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For thine is

The kingdom,

And the power,

And the glory,

For ever and ever.

Amen.

How and Why Russia Launched Its Cruise Missiles Against ISIS

An impressive - and unexpected - display of military capability, increasing the military pressure on the Islamic State

The Russian Defence Ministry has just confirmed that Islamic State positions in Syria have been attacked with 26 long range cruise missiles launched by four Russian warships in the Caspian Sea.

The missiles would have been the long range subsonic land attack version of the Klub cruise missile family.

The Klub family is a modular family of different cruise missiles tasked for different roles depending on their motors and guidance systems.

Some members of this family of missiles are used for attacking surface warships, and others for attacking submarines.  Those that are used to attack surface warships typically skim close to the sea, but have a supersonic terminal phase.  Those used to attack submarines are short range, sometimes supersonic, and launch a light anti-submarine torpedo into the sea near the point where the submarine has been spotted.

The land attack version of the Klub used in this attack uses a combination of inertial and satellite guidance and in order to achieve a longer range (up to 2,500 km is claimed) uses a turbojet as opposed to a rocket engine to fly subsonically at Mach 0.8.

It is exactly analogous to the subsonic long range cruise missiles the US has regularly used in conflicts starting with the 1990 Gulf war.

The Russians have not identified the warships that were used to launch the missiles.

The key point about the Klub missile family is however that it is modular.  This means that different versions of the missile can be launched from the same launcher.

Russia’s Caspian Sea Flotilla is known to possess two Gepard class frigates and six Buyan class missile corvettes, all of which would be capable of launching these missiles.


In order to strike Islamic State targets in Syria, the Russians will have needed to obtain permission from Iran and Iraq through whose airspace the missiles would have had to fly.

The missile strike therefore confirms two things (1) that the Russians again have demonstrated a capability that previously only the US had demonstrated; and (2) that the coalition they have created with Syria, Iran and Iraq is a fully operating reality, that is able to confer and agree on missile strikes.

Missile strikes have certain advantages over air attacks.

They limit the risk of casualties, making it easier to attack fixed targets that are more likely to have strong anti-aircraft defences.

The Islamic State is known to possess man portable short range surface to air missiles including Russian made Strela and Igla missiles.  They are also known to have anti-aircraft cannon.

Whilst their air defence systems are unlikely to be very strong or sophisticated, and the Russians have well developed methods to protect their aircraft from such systems, there is no reason why the Russians should risk their aircraft and pilots when an entirely safe alternative exists.

In addition, supplementing the aircraft strike force with long range missiles greatly increases tactical flexibility, enabling a greater number of targets to be attacked.  For obvious reasons, cruise missiles are suitable for attacking fixed targets, such as weapons depots or headquarters. Using them to do so frees the aircraft to attack mobile targets, such as artillery or tanks.

Subsonic cruise missiles are exceptionally difficult to observe and track - and shoot down - so the element of surprise is increased.  The Islamic State now knows it can be attacked anywhere and at any time - day or night - without warning.

Lastly, it is significant that the Russians have chosen to launch their missiles from the Caspian Sea rather than the Mediterranean (land based versions of long range cruise missiles are prohibited by the 1987 Intermediate Nuclear Forces (“INF”) Treaty).

The choice of the Caspian Sea is dictated by the political situation.  The US has very powerful fleet and intelligence assets in the Mediterranean - as do US allies such as Israel.  Launching their missiles from the Caspian Sea enables the Russians to do so without outside observation or interference.

http://russia-insider.com/en/military/how-and-why-russia-launched-its-cruise-missiles-against-isis/ri10315

Russian missiles 'hit IS in Syria from Caspian Sea'

Russia says it has launched rocket strikes on Islamic State group targets in Syria from warships in the Caspian Sea - about 1,500km (930 miles) away.

Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said four warships fired 26 sea-based cruise missiles at 11 targets, destroying them and causing no civilian casualties.

Meanwhile, Syrian ground troops have launched an offensive under Russian air cover, Syrian officials say.

Russia denies claims that its week of strikes have mainly hit non-IS targets.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported "the most intense fighting in months" in Hama and Idlib provinces. The clashes followed a wave of Russian air strikes in the same areas, it said.

It appears to be the first co-ordinated offensive since the air campaign by Russia - a staunch ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad - began on 30 September.

Russia says it is targeting "all terrorists", but at least some of its air strikes have reportedly hit civilians and Western-backed rebels.

In a separate development, Russia's foreign ministry has said Moscow is willing to establish contact with a Western-backed rebel group, the Free Syrian Army, to discuss fighting IS "and other terrorist groups", and "preparing the ground for a political settlement in Syria".

US Defence Secretary Ash Carter said that coalition forces fighting IS in Syria would not co-operate with Russia.

"We believe Russia has the wrong strategy," he said. "They continue to hit targets that are not IS. We believe this is a fundamental mistake."

Pentagon officials later revealed they had had to carry out at least one "safe separation" manoeuvre to avoid a US jet coming too close to a Russian aircraft over Syria. They said this happened after 1 October, without giving a specific date.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-34465425

Nope. You are wrong. Putin trying to save Assad couse if syria will fall then all middle east will be on fire. Islamic state will eventually take everything. Dozens of countryes. In middle east, in north africa, then in asia and in caucasus region. That's why syria is a crucial point. That's why america wants to break it.

Water discowered on mars long time ago. Polar caps on mars contains a lot of water. It's not a sensation. But finding living microorganisms on mars will be a sensation. That would be exciting. Im waiting for this.

If catalonia will split with spain. Will they stay in european union and in euro zone? Or they will become completely independent? Separatist war in western europe would be a disaster.

PUTIN goes to WAR against ISIS: Stop dithering and FIGHT, Russian leader tells West

VLADIMIR Putin has stepped up Russia's military presence in Syria and told the west it must back its leader Bashar al-Assad in order to tackle the growing threat of Islamic State (ISIS).

The superpower has brought in 28 fighter aircraft and thousands of soldiers to the war-torn Middle East country to support the Assad regime.

That puts Russia in direct opposition to a US-led coalition which has brought military action against the Syrian government.

The US has accused Syria of a series of atrocities against its own people.

But Putin said backing Assad was the only way to defeat the terrorism rapidly growing in the area.

In a televised interview Putin said action against Assad's government would "create a situation" seen in countries such as Libya "where all the state institutions are disintegrated".

He added: "There is no other solution to the Syrian crisis than strengthening the effective government structures and rendering them help in fighting terrorism."

Putins calls come as Britons also back a military offensive against ISIS.

Findings of a poll released today show nearly half (46 per cent) want troops on the ground fighting terrorists in Syria.

Only 31 per cent of those asked were against such an operation.

The survey, carried out by Sky News, also found almost three quarters backed bombing specific targets in the region.

It came weeks after it was revealed the Government had killed two Britons fighting for ISIS in a drone attack in Syria.

Assad's regime is at war with ISIS but the west is carrying out air strikes against both sides of the conflict.

more - http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/608121/Putin-west-Assad-fight-against-ISIS

IS conflict: France launches air strikes in Syria

France has carried out its first air strikes against Islamic State militants in Syria, the president's office says.

French planes had hit targets identified during reconnaissance missions over the past fortnight, the statement said, without giving details.

The French prime minister said the strikes had hit IS "sanctuaries where those who attack France are trained".

A US-led coalition has been carrying out air strikes against IS in Syria and Iraq for more than a year.

France, like the UK, has previously confined its air strikes against the Islamic State group to Iraqi airspace.

The UK announced earlier this month it had carried out a drone strike against two British citizens in Syria but has yet to fly manned operations in Syrian airspace.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-34372892

Russian fighter jets enter Syria with transponders off

Washington (CNN)A U.S. official told CNN Thursday that Russian fighter jets turned off their transponders as they flew into Syria in an apparent attempt to avoid detection. The official said the fighters flew very close to a transport plane that had its transponder on and functioning.

U.S. satellites rapidly saw that the aircraft were there, according to the official.

The assessment over the weekend was that the fighter jets were on their way. The same official said the Russians have begun flying drones around the coastal city of Latakia.

With no ISIS fighters in the area, the move raises serious questions about the Russians' intentions with their military buildup, which the U.S. has questioned the purpose of and watched with wariness. The action points to a higher likelihood that the Russian plan is to prop up Syrian President Bashar al-Assad rather than fight the terror group.

The U.S. has its own effort underway to defeat ISIS but has also said that Assad must go.

Asked about what the U.S. can do about the situation, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter told CNN at a press conference Thursday that "it's a matter of seeing what the Russians do."

Carter said he hopes the Russians will fight ISIS, "but if it's a matter of pouring gasoline on the civil war in Syria, that is certainly not productive from our point of view."

http://edition.cnn.com/2015/09/24/politics/syria-russian-fighter-jets/

Obama agrees to meet Putin after 'repeated requests'

Washington (AFP) - US President Barack Obama appeared to pause a two-year effort to isolate Vladimir Putin Thursday, agreeing to what the White House said were "repeated requests" for a meeting.

The Kremlin and White House said the two leaders will have their first formal meeting in two years on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly on Monday, although they gave differing views as to whether the talks will center around Syria or Ukraine.

And the announcement was accompanied by a series of disparaging remarks from the White House about image-conscious Putin and Russia, underlining the festering distrust between the old Cold War foes.

The decision to hold talks checks a US policy of punishing Putin for his invasion of Ukraine, a stance that also brought international sanctions that have crippled the Russian economy.

"The president did make a decision that it was worth it at this point to engage with President Putin in a face-to-face meeting to see if the interests of the United States could be advanced," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said.

A senior US official told AFP Obama decided it would be "irresponsible not to test" whether Russia is ready to play a more constructive role.

Russia is a protagonist in crises in Ukraine and Syria, where Moscow props up the regime of Bashar al-Assad.

While saying Obama would not show "overt hostility," Earnest went on to describe Russia as a regional power with an economy that was slightly smaller than Spain's -- in comments sure to rile Putin and the Kremlin.

Earnest also asked aloud whether Moscow's quick announcement of the meeting showed they were "more desperate."

"I think it is fair for you to say that based on the repeated requests we've seen from the Russians, that they are quite interested in having a conversation with President Obama," he said.

- 'Particular image' -

The White House spokesman went on to remark on Putin's seemingly disinterested public image and his posture after a recent meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"Putin was striking a now-familiar pose of less-than-perfect posture and unbuttoned jacket and, you know, knees spread far apart to convey a particular image," Earnest said.

The announcement was also followed by conflicting messages from Moscow and Washington on what the meeting would focus on.

"Naturally the top-priority topic will be Syria," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed to Russian news wires, adding the meeting would last around an hour.

The two leaders could also touch on the conflict in Ukraine "if there is time left," he said.

The White House said the talks would be focused on Ukraine and Russia's commitment to withdraw troops from the eastern part of the country.

"The president has made clear that he's prepared to waive those sanctions as soon as Russia is prepared to demonstrate commitment to complying with the agreements that were reached in Minsk," said Earnest, referring to a peace deal that has failed to have the intended effect.

Washington and its EU allies have also urged Moscow to explain its military buildup in its longtime ally Syria, which has been reported to include airport facilities and bases, as well as planes and tank-landing ships.

Putin and Obama last held a fleeting meeting on the sidelines of an APEC Asia-Pacific summit in Beijing in November 2014.

Their last official bilateral meeting was in June 2013 at the G8 summit in Northern Ireland.

Moscow on Thursday announced naval exercises in the east Mediterranean, which are set to run into next month.

http://news.yahoo.com/rejecting-putins-offer-talks-obama-irresponsible-us-official-150828519.html

What is Putin's end game in Syria?

With Western policy on Syria in a state of flux could the timing of Russia's military move into that country be more perfect?

The operation to move dozens of combat aircraft and hundreds of troops to the aid of President Bashar al-Assad must have been given the green light some weeks ago, but think of what's been happening during the past 10 days as reports emerged of the Russians appearing at an air base near the Assad stronghold of Latakia.

With American policy stalled and arguments about the degree to which its bombing campaign has blunted Islamic State (IS), the president's envoy, retired General John Allen, and several other senior officials have decided to step down. Gen Allen was known to believe the US should harden its position on the overthrow of President Assad, and in the need for a safe zone in the north of Syria - instead the prospect seems to be slipping away of either happening.

Last week the US general running Central Command, the Pentagon's Middle East arm, went through humiliating testimony in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee in which he had to admit that the number of Syrian rebels trained under a $500m (£325m) US programme who had actually made it into the field could be counted on the fingers of one hand, and that plans for a safe area in northern Syria to protect civilians would be meaningless without ground troops, but he could not recommend the commitment of US soldiers on such a mission.

    What nobody knows is whether Russia will continue sending ground forces to Syria - and deploy them with aims more offensive than protecting its air and naval facilities

As for Britain, last week the National Security Council was considering ambitious proposals to commit forces to help protect civilians in northern Syria.

This week they are facing up to the possibility that the aircraft pounding rebel held areas might soon be Russian instead of Syrian.

Other countries - from France to the Netherlands, and Australia - are either thinking of starting strikes against targets in Syria belonging to the so-called Islamic State or have recently begun them.

Will many Syrians now assume that such missions are all part of the same effort to save President Assad's government that Russia seems set to launch?

All calculations in the region have been thrown into disarray by the speed and scale of Russia's deployment.

And on social media on Tuesday morning I noted two eminent professors of strategic studies discussing "Putin envy" among their Western colleagues.

It's been evident since late August that Israel expected the imminent deployment of Russian fighter squadrons - the Americans chose to stall for a few days before giving any response to these early stories, mindful presumably that President Putin was about to commit on the ground in a way President Obama has dreaded doing since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war four years ago.

From 20 August shipments of equipment from Black Sea ports, via the Bosphorus, to the Syrian port of Tartous started picking up.

The operation followed a logical military pattern: secure the Latakia airfield; improve its facilities; create a defence against possible air attack; and lastly, bring in your combat aircraft.

Then dozens of flights by heavy Antonov cargo planes started augmenting the sea lift.

As of Tuesday morning the Russians had moved in 28 combat jets (12 Su24 bombers, 12 Su25 ground attack aircraft and 4 Su-30 multi-role fighters), two types of drones, and 20 helicopters (a mix of gunships and troop carriers).

Some reports suggest that the deployment is getting so large that it will need more than one airfield for its operations, and indeed the latest satellite pictures of the Syrian coastal region suggest that other military facilities may be under preparation for further deployments.

Pentagon officials were briefing on Monday, that the drones were already operating, presumably searching for targets, and that offensive air operations could be expected "within days".

The Russians, in a fortnight, have moved in a striking force of roughly equivalent power to the few dozen surviving capable aircraft at Syria's disposal - but with more modern guided weapons and surveillance systems.

This initiative, just like the Kremlin's moves in Ukraine last year, strikes at a delicate transatlantic seam.

There are clear differences of perspective between the White House, and some European allies that are receiving hundreds of thousands of refugees from Syria.

The Daily Beast, canvassing US officials on Monday, reported: "Privately, many seemed to welcome a Russian intervention if it alleviated the burden on the US for fighting ISIS."

In the UK however, with a government canvassing for a parliamentary vote on military action, and on the verge of pledging support to a no-fly zone to stop Syrian bombing in the north of the country, Russia's action is profoundly troubling.

Assad's bombardments have been the cause of most casualties in the war, and indeed of millions fleeing their homes.

But with the prospect of Russian muscle being added to that effort, Britain can see even more refugees being created, and enforcing a no-fly zone against Mr Putin's air force risks hideous escalation.

It is the need to prevent people shooting down one another's planes by accident that has caused the Americans and Israelis to make liaison or "deconfliction" arrangements swiftly with Russia.

The arrival in Moscow on Monday of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with his army chief of staff and head of military intelligence for unprecedented discussions with the Russian military is a measure of how far the Kremlin's move deserves that often overused term "game changer".

If there is widespread admiration among strategists and military people in Western countries of Mr Putin's tactical sense, willingness to embrace risk, and desire to show up the emptiness of western political rhetoric, there is also a body of thought that he has no bigger plan, and indeed that his actions in the past 18 months have cost thousands of lives in Ukraine as well as bringing enormous economic costs to Russia.

What is his end game? Will Syria be his Afghanistan?

Mr Putin has given public explanations of what he is trying to achieve.

Sitting next to Mr Netanyahu yesterday he said, "our main goal is to protect the Syrian state".

Scoffing at Israeli fears that Syria intended to sponsor militant attacks across the Golan Heights, Mr Putin told his visitor that the Syrian army was in no state to open a second front.

The Kremlin's objective, stated plainly, has been to prevent an implosion of the Syrian state - or what's left of it. Mr Putin last week said he intended to prevent a complete implosion of government authority of the kind that happened in Libya, following Nato's 2011 intervention there.

It's a smart message, that taps into Western guilt about what has happened since Colonel Gaddafi's overthrow.

What's more, the idea of preserving the Syrian armed forces and security agencies, while working towards a transitional government or peace process finds some support in Western countries, and indeed the American line has shifted significantly in recent days to allow President Assad to remain in power for the time being, making his removal subsidiary to the aim of crushing Islamic State.

Syrian opposition groups are already disregarding the subtleties of this message - fearing that Washington's shift and its military coordination with Russia are signs it is effectively now siding with Assad.

What nobody knows is whether Russia will continue sending ground forces to Syria - and deploy them with aims more offensive than protecting its air and naval facilities.

There have already been reports of Russians fighting on front lines, but so far in numbers sufficiently small to make little difference.

Perhaps Mr Putin's speech at the UN in New York next week will give us an idea of his broader plan - and indeed how far the US and others might have acquiesced to it.

But for now, we can watch events on the ground, asking in the coming weeks: when will strikes start? What will their targeting tell us? How will Russia react if its personnel are captured? And will larger ground forces be deployed?

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34330151

Putin plans air strikes in Syria if no U.S. deal reached

Russian President Vladimir Putin is preparing for unilateral air strikes against Islamic State in Syria if the United States rejects his proposal to join forces, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday, citing two people familiar with the matter.

Russia has increased its military presence inside Syria and its arms supplies to the Syrian army as it steps up support of longtime ally President Bashar al-Assad, drawing warnings of further destabilization from Western countries that oppose Assad.

A Russian diplomatic source told Reuters on Wednesday that Moscow sees a growing chance to reach international agreement on fighting terrorism in Syria and end the crisis that has stretched into its fifth year.

Bloomberg reported that Putin's preferred course of action was for the U.S. government and its allies to agree to coordinate their campaign against Islamic State militants with Russia, Iran and the Syrian army. It cited a person close to the Kremlin and an adviser to the Defense Ministry in Moscow.

Bloomberg cited a third person as saying Putin's proposal called for a "parallel track" of joint military action accompanied by a political transition away from Assad, a key U.S. demand. Russia has communicated the proposal to the United States, according to the news service.

But one source told Bloomberg that Putin was frustrated with U.S. reticence to respond and was ready to act alone in Syria if necessary.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/09/24/us-mideast-crisis-russia-airstrikes-idUSKCN0RO01320150924

Putin defends Russia's military assistance to Syrian regime

DUSHANBE, Tajikistan (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday strongly defended Moscow’s military assistance to the Syrian government, saying it’s impossible to defeat the Islamic State group without cooperating with Damascus.

Putin’s statement comes amid the signs of an ongoing Russian military buildup in Syria, which the U.S. says signals Moscow’s intention to set up an air base there.

Speaking at a meeting of heads of states at a Moscow-dominated security alliance of ex-Soviet nations in Tajikistan, Putin urged other nations to follow Russia’s example and offer military support to Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government.

“We are supporting the government of Syria in the fight against a terrorist aggression, are offering and will continue to offer it necessary military-technical assistance,” Putin said in televised remarks. “Without an active participation of the Syrian authorities and the military, it would be impossible to expel the terrorists from that country and the region as a whole, and to protect the multi-ethnic and multi-confessional Syrian people from destruction.”

He said that Assad was ready to conduct political transformations and engage a “’healthy part of the opposition,” but added that “pooling forces in the fight against terror takes the priority now.”

USA TODAY

Kerry confronts Russia over reports of escalating involvement in Syria

Russia has staunchly backed up Assad throughout Syria’s devastating civil war that has killed about 250,000 people and turned millions into refugees, shielding him from United Nations sanctions and continuing to provide him with weapons despite Western criticism.

Putin shrugged off allegations that Moscow’s support for Assad has sparked a flow of refugees, saying that without Russia’s support for Assad’s regime the number of Syrian refugees heading to Europe would have been even bigger.

“People are fleeing Syria primarily to escape fighting that has been fueled from the outside with supplies of weapons and hardware, they are fleeing to escape terrorist atrocities,” he said. “Without Russia’s support for Syria, the situation in the country would have been worse than in Libya, and the flow of refugees would have been even bigger.”

The Pentagon says that Russia is in the midst of a steady military buildup at an airport in Syria’s coastal province of Latakia, indicating Moscow intends to create a forward air operations base there, although no fighter jets or helicopters have arrived yet.

Asked earlier this month if Russian troops could join the fight against IS, Putin seemed to keep the door open for that, saying that “we are looking at various options.”

The Russian leader is set to address the Syrian crisis when he speaks to the U.N. General Assembly later this month, and observers in Moscow believe he wants a Russian military force on the ground to be ready by that time.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2015/09/15/putin-defences-syria-regime-assistance/72295674/

MArs-one? LOL, is this scam still active? It was obvious from the very beginning that they are not going anywhere. They don't have experience in space sphere at all. Just a bunch of losers trying to gain some money.

Some wear uniforms, some don’t, but from highway checkpoints to jet fighters, Russians are being spotted all over the Assad dictatorship’s heartland.

Russian military officers are now in Damascus and meeting regularly with Iranian and Syrian counterparts, according to a source with close contacts in the Bashar al-Assad regime. “They’re out in restaurants and cafes with other high officials in the Syrian Army,” the source told The Daily Beast, “mainly concentrated in Yaafour and Sabboura, areas that are close to each other, and in west Mezze,” referring to a district in the capital where Assad’s praetorian Fourth Armored Division keeps an important airbase. “The Russians aren’t in uniform, but they’re constantly hanging out with officers from the Syrian Army’s central command.” 

Other Syrians claim to have seen Russians in uniform.

One family that recently traveled from Aleppo to Damascus by taxi before emigrating by plane to Turkey says it saw a small contingent of Russian troops embedded with Syrians at a military checkpoint in the capital. “We were near the Shaghour district when we noticed two soldiers who were not Syrian,” a family representative said. “They were tall, blond and blue-eyed and wore different fatigues from the Syrians and carried weapons. I’m telling you, they were Russian.”

The opposition-linked website All4Syria seems to corroborate such eyewitness accounts. Many residents of Damascus, it claimed, have “observed in the first three days of September a noticeable deployment of Iranian and Russian elements in the neighborhoods of Baramkeh, al-Bahsa, and Tanzim Kfarsouseh.” The Venezia Hotel in al-Bahsa “has been turned into a military barracks for the Iranians.”

Such news comes amid a flurry of reports that Russia has made plans for a direct military intervention in Syria’s four-year civil war and may actually have started one already. The New York Times reported Saturday that Russia has sent prefabricated housing units, capable of sheltering as many as 1,000 military personnel, and a portable air traffic control station to another Syrian airbase in Latakia. That coastal province, the Assad family’s ancestral home, has already seen Russian troops caught on video operating BTR-82 infantry fighting vehicles against anti-Assad rebels, atop rumors that Moscow may be deploying an “expeditionary force,” including Russian pilots who would fly combat missions.

They may already be doing so. A social media account affiliated with the al-Qaeda franchise Jabhat al-Nusra posted images of what appeared to be Russian Air Force jets and drones flying in the skies of Syria’s northwest Idlib province. They were, specifically, the Mig-29 Fulcrum, the Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker, the Su-34 Fullback, and the Pchela-1T drone. These images were analyzed as credible by the specialist website The Aviationist, which also noted that “during the past days, Flightradar24.com has exposed several flights of a Russian Air Force… Il-76 airlifter (caught by means of its Mode-S transponder) flying to and from Damascus using radio call sign ‘Manny 6,’ most probably supporting the deployment of a Russian expeditionary force.”

    “The Russians are clearly setting themselves on the ground in regime areas. … This, ironically, reinforces the Obama administration’s position.”

ISIS isn’t in Idlib; the terror army that calls itself the Islamic State was driven out of the province completely. As one U.S. intelligence official put it to The Daily Beast, “The question is, what are Russia’s underlying motivations? Are they really there to fight [ISIS], or just to prop up Assad?”

The concern is that Russia could use military strikes against ISIS as a kind of cover or feint for attacking rebel forces as well, including non-Islamist groups. The U.S. sees these forces as a potential bulwark against ISIS. But they also have as one of their primary goals overthrowing Assad—an effort that Washington has been unwilling to support.

The White House has fallen back on its customary posture of wait-and-see as proof mounts that the Russians are coming. Spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters this week: ”We are aware of reports that Russia may have deployed military personnel and aircraft to Syria, and we are monitoring those reports quite closely. Any military support to the Assad regime for any purpose, whether it’s in the form of military personnel, aircraft supplies, weapons, or funding, is both destabilizing and counterproductive.” Another unnamed U.S. official told Britain’s Daily Telegraph, ”Russia has asked for clearances for military flights to Syria, [but] we don’t know what their goals are.”

Actually, their goals aren’t terribly hard to discern, nor do they necessarily contradict implicit White House policy, whatever Josh Earnest says.

Photographs circulated on social media showing what appeared to be Russian soldiers in Zabadani, a city 45 kilometers north of Damascus, which has changed hands several times during the civil war. For months rebels have been fending off a scorched-earth assault by the Syrian army, Hezbollah and Iranian forces, which the U.N. assesses to have led to “unprecedented levels of destruction.” So the injection of Russian legionnaires into a multinational cocktail of combatants duking it out in Zabadani would make perfect sense. The city is considered the sine qua non of Iran’s “strategic corridor” in Syria, which runs from the capital to Lebanon and up along the Mediterranean coastline. The formidable Islamist rebel brigade Ahrar al-Sham knows who’s in charge here—it has even negotiated an ultimately unsuccessful ceasefire directly with the Islamic Republic rather than with Assad.

“The Russians are clearly setting themselves on the ground in regime areas, planting the flag in ‘Alawistan,’ as it were,” says Tony Badran, a Syria expert at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, referring to the Alawites, the schismatic Shia sect to which the Assad clan and the more powerful Syrian regime elites belong. “This, ironically, reinforces the Obama administration’s position, which has drawn a clear line around the regime enclave: The opposition is not to enter Damascus and the coastal cities. So the Russian deployment actually fits well with the administration’s approach.”

Right on cue, then, came Russian President Vladimir Putin’s announcement Friday that Syria would soon hold new parliamentary elections and inaugurate a power-sharing government with what he deemed a “healthy” opposition. He did not specify what he considered the diseased opposition, although this would almost certainly include Free Syrian Army fighters the CIA and Pentagon has been recruiting as U.S. proxies. 

While Putin dismissed the existence of any Russian combat forces in Syria as “premature,” he did allow that he was “looking at various options” for militarily involving himself in the war.  Coming from someone who only admits to Russian invasions after the fact, such a signposting of motive should not be ignored.

Moscow’s close coordination with Tehran, both in Damascus and internationally, is also no coincidence. Iran is now busy shopping a new international “peace plan” for Syria, one that goes beyond the parameters of the previously inked Geneva II protocol. 

Intriguingly, just weeks after Iran agreed to a deal to control its nuclear program in exchange for international sanctions relief, Major General Qasem Soleimani, the commander of its own expeditionary force, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps-Quds Force, flew to Moscow for talks with Russian officials, violating the international travel ban related to his terrorist activity. No doubt solidifying Russian backing for whatever he has planned for Syria was high up on Soleimani’s agenda.

It’s worth noting that this isn’t the first time since the Syrian war broke out that there’s been chatter about Russian troops in Damascus.

In May 2013, sources close to the Kremlin suggested that Putin had dispatched the Zaslon special forces detachment to the Syrian capital. Formed in 1998, and conceived as a clandestine unit combining the purviews of America’s Delta Force and Secret Service, Zaslon consists of a mere 280 highly trained operatives. It answers to Russia’s foreign intelligence service, the SVR, and is tasked with protecting high-value Russian officials in uncertain conditions and sometimes even conducting assassinations. It was rumored to have killed Iraqi insurgents in 2006 after the latter had captured and executed Russian diplomats.

As Mark Galeotti, a New York University-based specialist on Russia’s military and security forces, observed two years ago: “According to one Russian report, two Zaslon elements were also deployed to Baghdad in the dying days of the [Saddam] Hussein regime. Their mission was to seize or destroy documents which Moscow would have found embarrassing had they ended up in U.S. hands. Given the scale and depth of Russian support for Assad, it could similarly be that they are also in Syria to cover Moscow’s tracks or else ensure that sensitive military technology—including new surface-to-air systems—does not end up in foreign hands.”

Under the present circumstances, it is now likely that any Russian soldiers in Damascus are there to fortify and ring-fence another spent Baathist regime, if not to join in a war that is fought increasingly by “foreign hands.”

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/09/05/exposing-russia-s-secret-army-in-syria.html

Are there Russian troops in Syria?

Recently information has been spreading through blogs and media on Russian troops being moved to Syria with an intent to take part in the fighting.

We tried to investigate the information, verify, confirm or refute the assumptions and find new facts. Here's what we got.

The information on "Putin moving troops to Syria!" became widespread after a recent video from Syria, shot presumably on August 23 during fighting to the north of Latakia, Syria's main port city.

http://ruslanleviev.livejournal.com/38649.html

Russia has it's own problems now. To send humanitarian aid somewhere? LOL They need help themselfes. Russian currency dropped 50% percent last year. Economy is in ruins.

The melancholy billionaire: Minecraft creator unhappy with his sudden wealth

You might think the developer of Minecraft, who sold his video game to Microsoft for $2.5 billion, would be living the dream.

But according to a series of tweets over the weekend, Marcus "Notch" Persson is pretty unhappy with his life and his huge wealth.

Persson sold his wildly popular game a year ago. Since then he bought a 23,000-square-foot mansion in Beverly Hills for $70 million, reportedly outbidding Beyonce and Jay Z. But even those ultra-luxury digs aren't enough to make him happy.

"The problem with getting everything is you run out of reasons to keep trying, and human interaction becomes impossible due to imbalance," he wrote at the start of series of tweets.

His depression apparently struck a cord with the twitterverse. Nearly 1,400 people retweeted that first tweet, and 2,200 favorited it.

    The problem with getting everything is you run out of reasons to keep trying, and human interaction becomes impossible due to imbalance.
    — Markus Persson (@notch) August 29, 2015

But Persson wasn't done there. He followed with tweets about never feeling more isolated.

    Hanging out in ibiza with a bunch of friends and partying with famous people, able to do whatever I want, and I've never felt more isolated.
    — Markus Persson (@notch) August 29, 2015

Part of the isolation apparently comes from having nothing to do, just sitting around waiting for friends and family.

    In sweden, I will sit around and wait for my friends with jobs and families to have time to do shit, watching my reflection in the monitor.
    — Markus Persson (@notch) August 29, 2015

Persson feels unappreciated by the workers at his former company, who he said he made sure were taken care of in the sale to Microsoft (MSFT, Tech30).

    When we sold the company, the biggest effort went into making sure the employees got taken care of, and they all hate me now.
    — Markus Persson (@notch) August 29, 2015

And apparently part of his loneliness comes from not being able to date the woman he would like to, because of his wealth. She apparently wanted to date a "normal person."

    Found a great girl, but she's afraid of me and my life style and went with a normal person instead.
    — Markus Persson (@notch) August 29, 2015

Some people suggested he follow the example of Elon Musk, who took the fortune he made from selling his stake in PayPal (PYPL, Tech30) to eBay (EBAY) and used it to start businesses he was passionate about. Musk, of course, launched Tesla Motors (TSLA), which is trying to combat global warming by developing an affordable electric car, and SpaceX, which is trying to create an affordable rocket to take people to Mars. But Persson rejected the idea of such visionary efforts.

The tweets brought encouragement from some others who had enjoyed sudden success, although maybe not actual billions. It also brought offers from people who said they'd be willing to hang out with Persson and be his friend. He said he appreciated all the offers and reassurances.

    People who made sudden success are telling me this is normal and will pass. That's good to know! I guess I'll take a shower then!
    — Markus Persson (@notch) August 29, 2015

    And just venting and not feeling like I had to hide made it feel a bit easier to cope with already. ❤
    — Markus Persson (@notch) August 29, 2015

And when one person tweeted him about his regretting the sale to Microsoft, he responded early Monday that "selling out was the best thing I ever did."

    @plankzt You're completely wrong. Selling out was the best thing I ever did.
    — Markus Persson (@notch) August 31, 2015

He seemed to be taking a more positive view of things in his tweets Monday morning, saying he was having a nice day. And he mocked news reports about the tone of his melancholy tweets over the weekend.

    fwiw, while there are articles about my depression because I had a bad day and vented on a trend I saw, I'm sitting here having a nice day.
    — Markus Persson (@notch) August 31, 2015

CNNMoney (New York) August 31, 2015: 1:06 PM ET

http://money.cnn.com/2015/08/31/technology/minecraft-creator-tweets/index.html

Hundreds arrested as Beijing launches stock market crackdown

Chinese authorities have arrested nearly 200 people for alleged online rumor-mongering about China's stock market turmoil and a recent, deadly chemical factory explosion in Tianjin.

Among the arrested is Wang Xiaolu, a journalist for financial publication Caijing Magazine, "who has been placed under 'criminal compulsory measures' for suspected violations of colluding with others and fabricating and spreading fake information on securities and futures market," according to Chinese state media.

Government officials have also been placed under arrest, including Liu Shufan, an official with the China Securities Regulatory Commission, who has been accused of bribery, fraud and completing under-the-table deals. At least four senior executives from Citic Securities, a top Chinese investment bank, were arrested on insider trading charges.

Roughly 165 online accounts have been shut down over related violations, according to state media.

Wang, Liu and the Citic executives have confessed to the accusations, according to state media. Suspects are sometimes coerced or forced into signing confessions in China.

It's not uncommon for people to be arrested in China for spreading rumors on any platform. In the past, Chinese authorities have punished individuals that allegedly spread false information about a bank's solvency or incited crowds to protest.

China's government frequently censors information -- domestic media is heavily state-controlled, and social media sites such as Google and Facebook are blocked online. The country's censorship program, dubbed the "Great Firewall," often blocks foreign news websites as well.

China's stock market has tumbled since a mid-June peak, after rallying to incredible highs earlier in the year. The prospect of slower economic growth and a surprise devaluation of the yuan have added to worries.

Earlier this month, a number of deadly explosions occurred at a chemical storage warehouse in Tianjin, a major port city on the northeastern coast of China.

http://money.cnn.com/2015/08/31/investing/china-arrests-markets-crash/