Singapore-US relationship is based on strategic congruence of views, deep

cooperation: PM Lee Hsien Loong

Published32 min ago

SINGAPORE - Singapore has a deep and multi-faceted relationship with the United States, and
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong hopes to develop it further when he visits Washington next week,
he said in an interview with US news channel CNBC on Friday (Oct 20).

"It is a very sound relationship that is based on a basic strategic congruence of views about the world
and the region, and deep cooperation over many years, in the economic sphere, trade, investments, in
defence and security," he said.

The upcoming visit is also an opportunity to meet President Donald Trump formally, and also to
meet key officials and leaders of Congress, he noted in the interview which will air on Friday (Oct
20) and Saturday, a transcript of which was published today.

PM Lee also hopes to underline the point that Asia is important to the US, and that the US should
cultivate its relations with the region and continue to contribute to its peace and stability.

Asked if he worried about America turning inwards, he said: "We have long depended on an
America which has got a clear sense of its stakes in the world and how much it depends on the world
as well as how much the world and its allies and friends depend on the United States of America,
and we hope this will continue."

His visit comes ahead of Mr Trump's first visit to Asia as president next month, during which he will
visit Beijing, Tokyo and Seoul, and attend two key regional summits - of the Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation (Apec) in Vietnam and Asean in the Philippines.

Asked how he would describe Mr Trump, Mr Lee said "he is confident of himself".

"There are things which he wants to do. He has a very set view of the world and of people. And we
will work with him. He has been elected, he has a mandate from the American voters and he
represents the United States of America," he added.

"I think every administration has a settling in process. There is always an adjustment between what
you can say during a campaign and what you find are the possibilities and imperatives when you win
the election, when you enter the Oval Office. The Trump Administration is not different.

"Perhaps the adjustment is bigger in this case because President Trump represented such as radically
different rethink to so many things which the American policy intelligentsia had considered to be
shared conventional wisdom - but reality and forces of events press down on every president," he
said.
One key campaign pledge Mr Trump has kept is to withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership,
whose remaining 11 members have tried to press on with a version of the deal among themselves.

"We are still talking, the 11 remaining members are still discussing how we can take it forward and
we hope we will be able to get somewhere," Mr Lee said.

"Many of the 11 are quite keen. The trade ministers have been meeting and Apec is coming up soon.
By the time Apec comes up, perhaps there will be further developments," he added.

The TPP was a key plank of the Obama administration's pivot to Asia, and would have enhanced
relations and interdependence among its members.

Nevertheless, Mr Lee noted that the volume of trade between the US and the region is substantial
"and we hope that it would still be able to grow".

"They pulled out of the TPP means that we did not conclude this deal to have a free trade agreement.
It does not mean that the existing trade stops. It does not mean that the investment flows are
abandoned. It does not mean that Asians are not travelling to America to work, to study and for
tourism, or that Americans are not all over the region.

"These are very big stakes we have in each other and which will continue. We had hoped that with
the TPP, that would have given it an extra boost. That was not to be. But we have what we have and
we will find other ways to take it forward," he said.

As for whether the pact would be revisited in future, he added: "There is a tide in these affairs. If you
miss the tide, you may be able to achieve the same objectives one day. It will have to be in a
different form, in a completely different way."

PM Lee also hopes the US will continue to pay attention to the region because Asia has been a
source of strength and prosperity for America, which has many partners and security interests here.

"It is something which I say on every visit to the US. It is a message which bears repeating because I
think it is the truth, which is not going to change in the short while and which needs to be made a
reminder because the US has so many other preoccupations - domestically and also internationally,
in other parts of the world," he said.

PM Lee was also asked about Singapore's relations with China, following his visit to Beijing last
month and the rough patch in ties before that.

"We are forward looking. We are two countries and sovereign countries, so there will always be
issues where we do not completely see eye to eye. But fundamentally, there are no basic conflicts in
our perspectives and we both wish to do more together bilaterally and also in the context of Asean,"
he said.

Singapore is chairman of Asean next year, and has been coordinating the grouping's dialogue
relations with China.
North Korea threatens unimaginable strike
on US after military drills
Thursday 19 October 2017 18:16 BST

North Korea has threatened to launch an unimaginable strike on the US, accusing the Trump
administration and its South Korean puppet allies of seeking to ignite a war on the Korean
peninsula at any cost.

The statement released by the Korean Central News Agency, Pyongyangs officials mouthpiece,
predicted imminent catastrophic disaster in the region.

Using typically hyperbolic language, it vowed to mercilessly smash the war frenzy of the US and
South Korean puppet warmongers to get rid of the abyss of ruin through dangerous war gambling
and inflict the most miserable death on the invaders.

The threat came in response to joint US-South Korea military drills in waters east of the Korean
peninsula involving the USS Ronald Reagan, a nuclear powered aircraft carrier.

Forty warships have been deployed in a line stretching from the Yellow Sea to the Sea of Japan.

The presence of the US Navy's biggest warship in Asia, coupled with F-18 Super Hornets and B1-B
strategic bombers, comes ahead of Donald Trumps first official visit to the region, set to start in
Japan on 5 November.

The White House is yet to decide whether the President will visit the demilitarised zone (DMZ)
during his 12-day trip, which will see him visit South Korea on 7 November and leave for China a
day later.

North Korea said America's plans to evacuate US civilians in South Korea beginning on Monday
would intentionally create the tension on the eve of war.

Next weeks drill, known as Courageous Channel, is being used by the US Department of Defence to
respond to a wide range of crisis management events.

The drill takes place every six months but has garnered more attention amid escalating tensions on
the peninsula.

North Korea's statement added: The US is running amuck by introducing under our nose the targets
we have set as primary ones.

The US should expect that it would face unimaginable strike at an unimaginable time.
North Korea urges Australia to distance itself
from US
1 hour ago
From the section Australia bbc.com

The Australian government says it has received a document from North Korea urging Canberra to
distance itself from the Trump administration.

The note denounces the US president's warning that America would destroy North Korea if forced to
defend itself.

Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull said the letter had been sent to other nations.

He said it demonstrated that diplomatic pressure on North Korea was working, despite the document
being "basically a rant" consistent with earlier rhetoric.

The one-page letter was sent via North Korea's embassy in Indonesia and attributed to the Foreign
Affairs Committee of Pyongyang's Supreme People's Assembly.

It urges other governments to turn away from the "heinous and reckless moves of the Trump
administration", reiterating that the US could be responsible for a "horrible nuclear disaster".

Mr Turnbull said North Korea was responsible for escalating tensions by "threatening to fire nuclear
missiles at Japan and South Korea and the United States".

"They have sent [the letter] to a lot of other countries, like a circular letter," Mr Turnbull told local
radio station 3AW.

Australia Foreign Minister Julie Bishop described the letter as an "unprecedented" step from North
Korea. Mr Turnbull then appeared to downplay its significance, comparing it to other "ranting and
complaining about Donald Trump" by the state.

However, both agreed it could be a sign that global pressure on North Korea was yielding success,
and expressed hope of further international engagement.

On Saturday, Pyongyang warned Australia would "not be able to avoid a disaster" if it followed
America's policies towards Kim Jong-un's regime.

North Korea has defied international consensus in recent months by conducting its sixth nuclear test
and launching two missiles over Japan.

The US has responded with threats of military force, but Secretary of State Rex Tillerson insists that
Mr Trump is keen to resolve tensions through diplomacy.
Venezuela opposition claims evidence of
tampered vote count
By Jorge Rueda|AP October 19 at 8:31 PM

CARACAS, Venezuela Venezuelas opposition presented evidence Thursday of possible ballot

tampering in gubernatorial elections, seeking to bolster its claim that its shock loss at the polls was
the result of fraud.

The Democratic Unity Roundtables claim rests on results from a single race, in industrial Bolivar
state, where pro-government candidate Justo Noguera was declared the winner by just 1,471 votes
over opposition candidate Andres Velasquez.

The opposition coalition said the results on the National Electoral Councils website dont match the
tallies from 11 ballot boxes certified by poll workers representing multiple political parties. It said
the inconsistencies resulted in 2,199 votes from those polling stations being awarded incorrectly to
Noguera, enough to swing the vote in his favor.

Electoral authorities had no immediate comment.

For the opposition, the disputed figures represent a glimmer of hope following days of internal
feuding in which crestfallen leaders have alternately blamed their big loss in Sundays regional
elections on voter apathy, strategic missteps and a series of pre-election maneuvers by the
government to suppress turnout.

Pre-election polls predicted that popular outrage over triple-digit inflation, widespread food
shortages and the recent crackdown on dissent gave the opposition a virtual lock on the majority of
Venezuelas 23 governorships. But in the end, President Nicolas Maduros opponents carried only
five districts, suffering defeat even in strongholds such as Miranda state surrounding Caracas that
was engulfed by months of anti-government unrest earlier this year.

The contest in Bolivar state was the only one not called on election night because results were too
tight. Although far from the political battles of Caracas, the state is a vital economic motor that is
home to a major steel factory. Its also where the government is working with private companies to
expand large-scale mining in a bid to diversify the economy away from oil exports and generate
badly needed hard currency.

Noguera, the former head of Venezuelas national guard, was slapped with sanctions by the U.S. in
2015 for human rights violations committed by security forces during a crackdown on protesters in
2014.

Venezuelas electronic voting system is technically robust and considered tamper-proof when
manual audits of printed tallies from voting machines are performed, as they were Sunday.
EU leaders want to 'responsibly' cut Turkey
pre-accession aid - Merkel
Reuters Staff

1 Min Read

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The human rights situation in Turkey is unacceptable,

German Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters on Thursday, adding European
Union leaders had asked their executive arm to look at cutting pre-accession aid to
Ankara in a responsible way.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel speaks during a news conference during a

European Union leaders summit meeting in Brussels, Belgium, October 20, 2017.
REUTERS/Dario Pignatelli

Merkel urged her fellow leaders on Thursday to cut European Union funds to Turkey
that are linked to Ankaras bid to join the bloc. She was supported by Belgium and the
Netherlands.

But speaking to journalists after the a dinner at which leaders discussed relations with
Turkey, Merkel said she wanted a common EU position on the accession talks and
said dialogue with Turkey had to continue.

She also said she did not foresee talks with Ankara on expanding a customs union
with the EU.
Rajoy vows to suspend Catalonias parliament

Oct2017 Friday 20thposted by Morning Star in World

Madrid moves to suspend autonomy after Puigdemont renews threat of split

SPAIN moved to suspend Catalonias government yesterday after regional President Carles
Puigdemont refused to back down from seeking secession.

Just minutes before the morning deadline set by Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy for the regional
government to renounce is secession bid, Mr Puigdemont sent a letter threatening to declare
independence if Madrid refused his demand earlier this week for two months of talks.If the state
government persists in blocking dialogue and the repression continues, the parliament of Catalonia
will proceed, if deemed appropriate, to vote on the formal declaration of independence, he wrote.

Mr Puigdemont claimed a mandate for independence after pressing ahead with an October 1
referendum in defiance of a constitutional court ruling against it and a police crackdown that injured
hundreds of people.But just 43 per cent of the electorate turned out, probably due to widespread
abstention by No sympathisers.

Mr Rajoy responded to Mr Puigdemonts defiant letter yesterday by calling a special cabinet meeting
for Saturday, at which ministers will begin activating article 155 of the constitution to suspend the
Catalan parliament.

Article 155 allows the federal government to assume the powers of any of the 17 autonomous
regional governments.The cabinet meeting will approve the measures that will be sent to the Senate
to protect the general interest of all Spaniards, a government statement said.

Opposition Socialist Party secretary Jose Luis Abalos backed Mr Rajoys action against Catalan
secession but called for the measures to be limited in scope and time.The Ciudadanos party in the
governing coalition said it wanted the powers enacted swiftly and new elections called in Catalonia
immediately.Meanwhile, European Union leaders, whose support the pro-EU Catalan government
had hoped to receive, continued to turn their backs on Barcelona and express support for Madrid.

French President Emmanuel Macron said yesterdays EU summit in Brussels would be marked by a
message of unity around member states amid the crises they could face, unity around Spain.

Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel said: There is a constitution that must be respected.

I hope they are going to find a solution, political, diplomatic, and they talk together. No other
solution would be good.
Taliban guerillas kill 43 in attack on army camp
monrningstaronline.com

Oct
2017
Friday 20th
posted by Morning Star in World

TALIBAN guerillas killed at least 43 Afghan troops when they overran an army camp
in southern Kandahar province, authorities said yesterday.

Security forces spokesman Dawlat Wazir said the Wednesday night attack began with
two suicide car bombings, followed by hours of fighting.

He said 43 soldiers had been confirmed dead, nine had been injured and six more were
missing, while 10 guerillas had been killed.

A Taliban statement claimed responsibility for the attack.

Elsewhere, Balkh province police spokesman Shir Jan Durani said six officers had
been killed in a Taliban ambush in the north of Teh province on Wednesday night.

Another Taliban attack on police posts in the western province of Farah, also late on
Wednesday, killed nine police officers, said police chief Abdul Marouf Foulad.

He reported that 22 insurgents had been killed in the ensuing gun battle.

A wave of Taliban suicide bomb attacks on police and government buildings claimed
74 lives on Tuesday.
Spain to suspend Catalonia's autonomy in response to independence
threat
Read more at http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/spain-to-suspend-catalonia-s-autonomy-
in-response-to-independence-threat-9324826

MADRID/BARCELONA: Spain's central government said on Thursday it would suspend

Catalonia's autonomy and impose direct rule after the region's leader threatened to go ahead with a
formal declaration of independence if Madrid refused to hold talks.

In an act unprecedented since Spain returned to democracy in the late 1970s, Prime Minister
Mariano Rajoy said he would hold a special cabinet meeting on Saturday that could trigger the
move. The Socialist opposition said it backed the government but suggested the measures should be
limited in scope and time.Catalan president Carles Puigdemont, ignoring a 10 a.m. deadline to drop
his secession campaign, wrote a letter to Rajoy threatening a formal declaration of independence.

The war of words increased uncertainty over a standoff that has raised fears of social unrest, cut
growth prospects for the euro zone's fourth-largest economy and rattled the euro."If the government
continues to impede dialogue and continues with the repression, the Catalan parliament could
proceed, if it is considered opportune, to vote on a formal declaration of independence," Puigdemont
said.

Catalonia, which has a distinctive culture and language, triggered Spain's biggest political crisis for
decades with a secession bid it put to a referendum on Oct 1. Only 43 percent of voters participated
but those who did voted overwhelmingly to secede, while opponents of secession mostly stayed
home.

Spanish courts have ruled the referendum illegal, but Puigdemont says the result is binding and must
be obeyed.The European Union declined to help mediate, saying the crisis was for Madrid and
Barcelona to resolve."Member states are clear there is no room or space for any kind of mediation,"
European Council President Donald Tusk told a news conference during an EU leaders summit in
Brussels.

The regional authorities have not made clear how and when a declaration of independence would
take place and whether it would be endorsed by the regional assembly. Some pro-independence
lawmakers have said they want to hold a vote in the Catalan parliament to lend it a more solemn
character.

Rajoy plans to invoke Article 155 of the 1978 constitution, which allows taking control of a region if
it breaks the law.

A senior government source said the exact measures would be agreed on Saturday and probably
voted through the upper house Senate on Oct. 30, giving the secessionists a few days of leeway to
respond before Madrid takes control.The regional authorities could use that time to split unilaterally,
call elections in the hope of strengthening their mandate, or back down, although this is seen as
highly unlikely.
Fighters in Syria's Raqa prepare for civilian handover
Read more at http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/fighters-in-syria-s-raqa-prepare-for-
civilian-handover-9325354

RAQA: US-backed forces who captured Raqa from the Islamic State group prepared
on Thursday (Oct 19) to hand the Syrian city over to a civilian authority, with some of
their fighters already headed to the next battle.

Inside the city, positions that had long been manned by fighters of the Kurdish-Arab
Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) were abandoned, though some remained in the
central Al-Naim square, dancing and ululating as they celebrated their victory.

The SDF battled for more than four months, with US-led coalition support, to capture
the city that was once the de facto Syrian capital of IS's self-styled "caliphate".

They announced the end of combat on Tuesday, though operations to clear explosives
and seek out sleeper cells were ongoing.

Raqa's capture leaves the militants with little remaining territory in Syria, most of it in
neighbouring Deir Ezzor province, where some SDF fighters were already headed to
carry on the campaign.

"Some of the forces withdrew, others will remain in the city until we finish the minor
combing operations, then the city will be handed over to the civil council," said SDF
commander Rojda Felat.
Chinese naval hospital ship arrives in Angola,
provides free medical services
0 Comment(s) Print E-mail Xinhua, October 20, 2017
Adjust font size:
The Chinese naval hospital ship Peace Ark has arrived in Luanda, capital of Angola
on Thursday morning, on an eight-day mission to deliver free medical services to the
local people.
Guan Bailin, Task Group Commander, said this is the first time Peace Ark has visited
Angola, and the mission is aimed at enhancing the cooperation between the two
countries.
The Peace Ark was commissioned in 2008 and has traversed 34 countries, providing
free medical services where they arrived, Guan said.
In the years between 2010 and 2015, the Peace Ark paid visits to Asia, Africa, the
Americas and Oceania. 120,000 people from a total of 29 countries and regions have
received free medical and humanitarian services on board.
The Peace Ark is 178 meters long, with a total area of 4,000 square meters. It has
eight operation rooms, seven healthcare offices and 300 beds. A total of 115
healthcare professionals are on board, mostly from the Naval Medical University, of
which 60 percent have senior titles.
The Peace Ark, upon completing mission in Angola, will travel to Mozambique,
Tanzania and other countries to provide free medical and humanitarian services
FBI joins investigation on Niger ambush
by Diana Stancy Correll | Oct 20, 2017, 8:59 PM washingtonexaminer.com

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is now part of the investigation looking into the deadly ambush
of the joint patrol of U.S. and Nigerien forces in Niger earlier this month, which took the lives of
four American soldiers.

Although it is not typical for the FBI to be involved with an investigation regarding a military
operation, it isn't unprecedented, FBI officials told the Wall Street Journal. The FBI has not taken
over the investigation, even though it has the authorization to do so.

The FBI will assist collecting and checking evidence concerning those responsible for the attack,
which occurred on Oct. 4, and how they were informed about the joint U.S. patrol.

As U.S. military officials are still determining a timeline for how the attack transpired, lawmakers
have condemned the Pentagon and the White House for not providing more clarity on the matter.
Additionally, questions still loom regarding whether the U.S. force had sufficient resources and if
the mission had a clear purpose.

The U.S. has maintained a force in Niger to assist the nation to combat several jihadist groups in
southwest Niger.

Officials said the joint U.S. Nigerien patrol stopped at a village and engaged with local leaders as
they were picking up supplies. It is not clear whether villagers intentionally held up the troops from
leaving to allow the attackers to prepare the ambush.

The White House announced on Tuesday that President Trump has spoken over the phone with all
four of the families of the members of the U.S. Army Special Forces killed in Niger.
Nigeria, Turkey join forces against terrorism
Posted By: Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja On: October 20, 2017

President Muhammadu Buhari and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have agreed to strengthen
cooperation between Nigeria and Turkish security agencies to counter terrorism.Speaking at a joint
news conference yesterday in Ankara after a meeting, President Buhari said he was very pleased
that the defence ministers of both countries held extensive discussions on developing new strategies
on counter-terrorism.A statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and publicity Garba
Shehu, quoted the President as saying We are very pleased with the progress of the meeting so far
and we are going to wait for the details of meetings between the two countries.

We will as a result of the meeting between the ministers and officials of both countries strengthen
rapidly whatever their recommendations are.

President Buhari described the improved security situation in the NorthEast as an eloquent testimony
to the efforts of his administration in combating terrorism.He said: We were very surprised and
disturbed by the claim made by Boko Haram on what they have been getting from ISIS.

We know we will be able to contain them and we have proven that we can do it.We are very
pleased that Turkey is in a position to assist us and it has been strengthening our educational and
health institutions, President Buhari said.

The President said the two leaders also discussed the prospects of increasing their bilateral trade,
which has exceeded $779 million in the first eight months of 2017.There are a lot of potentialities in
terms of investments and a lot is being done in the educational and health sectors in Nigeria.

These will be strengthened and I assure you that Nigeria is prepared to accept Turkish business
people to come and explore more of Nigerias potentialities, the Nigerian leader said.

President Erdogan said Nigeria had great potentials and remains a global actor in terms of
economy, demographics and its peacekeeping records.

On the fight against terrorism, the Turkish leader said: there is no difference between Boko Haram,
Fethullah Terrorist Organisation or Daesh (ISIS), which have all killed, inflicted pain and hardship
on innocent people.

All of these organisations are hordes of murderers that feed on the innocent people, and in the fight
against terrorism, we will stand with our Nigerian friends, and we are ready to share our experience
and provide all kinds of support.

We also expect the same cooperation from Nigeria in fighting against Fethullah that murdered 250
Turkish citizens last year, he said.
President Buhari visited the mausoleum of Turkeys founding father Mustafa Kemal Ataturk before
his meeting with the Turkish leader.

Top envoys from the Developing Eight (D-8) countries met in Istanbul yesterday on ways to boost
trade relations.

We need to use our wealthy potentials more effectively by creating business partnerships in a broad
range of fields, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said at the opening session.

The member states are: Nigeria, Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Pakistan and Turkey.

The D-8 countries, representing around 15 per cent of the worlds population, boast rich natural and
human resources as well as huge potentials, the top Turkish envoy said.
Kuwait renews its commitment to Palestinian
cause
October 20, 2017 at 2:43 am | middleeastmonitor.com

In a speech at the UN Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East on Wednesday,
Ambassador Mansour Al-Otaibi, the Permanent Representative of the State of Kuwait to the United
Nations, said that the State of Kuwait, which is about to join the Security Council as a non-
permanent state member for the period 2018-2019, would like to stress the importance of making
practical progress that would be led by the concerned international authorities and the Security
Council, in particular the five permanent state members as well as the Quartet on the Middle East
and international partners.

He added that these efforts should focus on setting a clear timeframe to complete the negotiations
between the Palestinian and Israeli sides in order to reach a two-state solution. This would result in
the establishment of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital on the 4 June, 1967 borders.

He also mentioned that for more than 50 years ago and since the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian
territory, including East Jerusalem, we have only witnessed the continuous series of violations of the
most basic rules of international law and Israels continuous non-adherence to its legal obligations
that are defined by international covenants and treaties.

Al-Otaibi explained that the illegal Israeli policies and plans, which aim at judaizing the Holy City,
distorting its Arabic identity, disarranging its demographic structure and isolating it from its
Palestinian surroundings, are still continuing, along with the expansion of illegal and illegitimate
settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territories.

He stressed that these violations come despite all the Security Council resolutions over the past years
that condemned the Israeli practices and affirmed its illegality and illegitimacy, the latest of which is
Resolution No. 2334. Al-Otaibi added that in contrast, the international community is unfortunately
unable to force the occupying power to implement its resolutions. What is more troubling is the
occupying powers disrespect of the Security Council and its resolutions, which are supposed to be
binding in accordance with Article 25 of the Charter of the United Nations.

He also stressed that the State of Kuwait rejects all the unilateral Israeli steps, which aim at changing
the facts on the ground and undermining the two-state solution on the 1967 borders, and insists that
the desired peace must begin with the end of occupation, which has completed its 50th year. This
should be based on the resolutions of international legitimacy, the principle of the land for peace, the
road map and the Arab peace initiative adopted by all Arab countries at the 2002 Beirut summit.
Venezuelan President Maduro Denounces Brutal Campaign Against
Venezuela

Last update: 20/10/2017

CARACAS, Oct 20 (Bernama) -- Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro slammed on Thursday a

"brutal campaign" against his country, orchestrated "from Washington, from Bogota, from Madrid,
against the Bolivarian revolution", China's Xinhua news agency reported.

During the swearing-in ceremony for the new governor of the northern state of Aragua, Rodolfo
Marco Torres, Maduro said there was a "global campaign...against Venezuela," accompanied by a
"political, psychological, media war" inside the country.

After stating that "in Venezuela, we defend ourselves, we tell our truths," he said that foreign powers
"lied and attack us."

The president referred to Sunday's regional elections, where the ruling United Socialist Party of
Venezuela (PSUV) won 18 governorships, as opposed to five for the opposition Democratic Unity
Roundtable (MUD).

"Not everything that is said around the world about Venezuela can be believed. On the contrary,
most of what is said everyday around the world are campaigns to influence, try and isolate and
destroy the revolution," said Maduro.

He criticised the Lima Group, made up of 12 Latin American nations, who called for an "exhaustive
and independent" investigation into the regional elections, held on Oct 15.

According to Maduro, MUD leaders Julio Borges, the president of the National Assembly, and
Henry Ramos Allup, a deputy, accepted the election results but the Lima Group was lying about it.

"This so-called Lima Group have become nauseous, they do not know what to do (about the
government's victory)," he said.

Reacting to the news that the five MUD governors had refused to swear an oath to the National
Constituent Assembly (ANC), a new legislative body close to the government, Maduro said they
would not be allowed to fulfill their roles.
"Whoever does not swear an oath and is subordinate to the ANC, will not take their post...they must
respect it, this is simple," he added.

On Wednesday, the MUD said its governors would swear an oath only "before God and the
respective legislative councils." The opposition sees the ANC as an unconstitutional legal body,
created specifically by the government to replace the parliament, which is controlled by the MUD.

-- BERNAMA
Washington and Wall Street supporting global terrorists:
Analyst
Fri Oct 20, 2017 01:40AM presstv

Washington and Wall Street are supporting global terrorists, not the countries which are
targeted in US President Donald Trumps travel ban, an American journalist and political
analyst says.

Abayomi Azikiwe, editor of the Pan-African News Wire, made the remarks in an interview with
Press TV on Thursday, after a federal judge in the US state of Hawaii blocked Trumps latest version
of travel ban, saying it plainly discriminates based on nationality.

Derrick K. Watson, the judge of US Federal District Court in Honolulu, issued a nationwide order on
Tuesday and blocked the third version of Trumps controversial travel ban, calling it discriminatory
and in contravention to immigration law.

The new regulations, set last month, indefinitely banned entry to the US by most nationals of Syria,
Libya, Iran, Yemen, Somalia, Chad and North Korea. The restriction also targeted certain
Venezuelan government officials and their families.

I think this is a good decision by the judge in the state of Hawaii. This travel ban is outrageous. Its
targeting countries in Africa and the Middle East, Azikiwe said.

These countries are not sources of terrorism. The terrorists are being supported by Washington and
Wall Street. They were the ones who had harbored al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. They were the ones
who unleashed al-Qaeda and ISIS in Libya, in Syria, in Iraq, and now in Yemen, he stated.

So what needs to take place is an honest discussion on the origins of world-wide terrorism and the
role of the United States, Britain and France in promoting these problems, the journalist noted.

So I think this decision is a good start. Hopefully, they will not try to initiate another travel ban,
which will cause more confusion, he concluded.

The Hawaii judge had previously blocked Trumps second travel ban from going into effect in
March and the first executive order that limited travel from seven Muslim-majority countries was
blocked by a federal judge in Seattle.

Trump has issued three travel bans since coming to office in January. His third ban was announced
September 24 and takes effect October 18.

During the 2016 presidential race, Trump campaigned for "a total and complete shutdown" of
Muslims entering the United States on the pretext of preventing terrorist attacks.
NATO opens espionage hub in Poland to counter Russia
Fri Oct 20, 2017 01:21AM presstv

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has opened an espionage hub in Poland, in a
bid to strengthen the 29-member military alliances ability to gather intelligence amid tensions
with Russia.

Located in the southern city of Krakow, the new facility is focused on "developing the basic norms,
principles and activities" for NATO allies spy agencies, Polish Defense Minister Antoni
Macierewicz said during the opening ceremony on Thursday.

Noting that espionage "covers all areas of life" today, the official said the military and critical
civilian infrastructure were more than ever vulnerable to cyber-tools and conventional spying.

The Counter Intelligence Centre of Excellence (CI COE) is NATOs 24th formally endorsed COE,
which according to the alliances website, aims to expand the capabilities of the alliance and its
member nations to enhance NATO counter-intelligence and improve interoperability.

The COEs are coordinated by the Allied Command Transformation (ACT) in Norfolk, the US state
of Virginia, and carry out a range of activities from cyber defense and military medicine to counter-
terrorism.

Speaking at the presence of his Hungarian, Romanian and Slovak counterparts, Macierewicz said the
new center was fundamentally important, especially in the face of threats from Russia.

NATO's relations with Moscow have hit their lowest point since the Cold War over the conflict in
Ukraine, leading to a spike in espionage claims on both sides.

Earlier this month, NATO claimed that Russia was targeting allied soldiers smartphones seeking
information on operations and troop strength.

In August, Lithuanias Defense Ministry announced that NATO air police jets had intercepted
Russian spy planes above the Baltic Sea on three occasions in just two days.

Moscow, on the other hand, has been critical of Washington for establishing a missile network in
Europe and on the Korean Peninsula that the Kremlin says can gather information on Russia using
their advanced radars.

NATO has been deploying weapons and equipment to its eastern frontier with Russia, backed by
four international battalions that the US-led alliances officials say act as tripwires against possible
Russian aggression.

In May, the US Army set up a new European headquarters in Poland to command some 6,000 of its
troops deployed across the alliance's eastern flank since the beginning of this year.
Syrian forces recover Israeli, NATO-made arms from Daesh
hideouts
Thu Oct 19, 2017 10:18PM presstv

Syrian military forces have discovered a large cache of Israeli-made weapons in the strategic
city of Mayadin in Dayr al-Zawr province, days after retaking the eastern city from
Daesh terrorists.

The weapons included several types of heavy, medium and light firearms that beside Israel, came
from some European countries as well as members of the NATO military alliance, Syria's state news
agency SANA reported Thursday, citing a field commander.

The commander said they had also found mortars, artillery equipment, large quantities of anti-armor
munitions and a NATO- made 155mm cannon with a range of up to 40km (about 25 miles).

This was not the first time that the Syrian government forces made such discoveries from terrorist
hideouts across the country.

ccording to SANA, only a few days back they captured an Israeli cannon along with large amounts
of weapons, ammunition and communication equipment from Takfiri terrorists in the area of Jib al-
Jarrah in the eastern Homs countryside.

Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. The Syrian government says
the Israeli regime and its Western and regional allies are aiding Takfiri terrorist groups wreaking
havoc in the country.

Although Israel has sought to avoid direct involvement in the six-year conflict, it has acknowledged
conducting frequent attacks against military targets in Syria, in what is considered by experts as an
attempt to prop up terrorist groups among their many losses.

The latest of such attacks occurred on Thursday, when Israeli tanks fired shells into Syrian territories
from the occupied Golan Heights.

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed the attack, calling it a response
to a projectile that was allegedly fired from Syria earlier in the day and landed on open ground
without causing any casualties.

The attack followed an Israeli aerial violation of Syrias airspace near the Lebanese border on
Monday.Syrian military forces responded to the intrusion by opening fire on the aircraft, hitting one
and forcing them all to flee.

According to a statement by the Syrian army, the Israeli jets then fired multiple missiles from inside
the occupied Palestinian territories, causing material damage to a Syrian army position in the
countryside of the capital Damascus.
Putin: We will finally beat terrorists in Syria soon
Fri Oct 20, 2017 06:48AM presstv

Russian President Vladimir Putin says terrorists will be defeated in Syria soon, stressing that
the intra-Syrian peace process was developing in a positive way despite problems.

"There are all grounds to believe, I would say, cautiously, that we will finally beat the terrorists there
[in Syria] in the near future," Putin told the annual Valdai Discussion Club meeting of foreign policy
experts in the Black Sea resort of Sochi on Thursday.

He, however, warned that the elimination of terrorists would not mean that the threat posed by them
was over "for Syria, as well as for the region and for the world in general, underlining the need "to
be on alert.

The Russian president further warned that terrorism has deep roots, ranging from unfairness of the
modern world to the lack of systematic education.

Putin said there is a proposal to create a congress of Syrian people, bringing together representatives
of all ethnic groups in the Arab country.

Syria has been grappling with foreign-backed militancy since 2011. Russia has been conducting air
raids against Daesh and other terrorist groups inside Syria at the Damascus governments request
since September 2015.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Putin accused Washington of not fulfilling its obligations under nuclear
and chemical weapons treaties, saying the US was demonstrating a "selfishness" in that regard.

"As is known, in 2002, the United States withdrew from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and as
the initiator of the Convention on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons... it initiated the agreement
but does not fulfill its obligations," he said.

"The country remains the sole and most powerful possessor of that type [of weapons] of mass
destruction. Moreover, the US moved the deadline for the destruction of its chemical weapons from
2007 to 2023. For a state proclaiming itself to be a champion in non-proliferation and arms control,
it is inappropriate," he noted.

Additionally, the Russian president highlighted the necessity of resolving the North Korea crisis
through dialog, stressing that the Asian country is a sovereign state.""But it is absolutely necessary
to resolve this problem through dialog and not drive North Korea into a corner, threatening it with
the use of force, and not to fall into outright insolence, he said.

Putin further said the situation surrounding North Korea was "dangerous" and doubted that a
possible so-called US preventative strike on the Asian state would be successful.

Tensions have been simmering in recent months between Washington and Pyongyang.
New Buyan-Class Corvette to Join Russian
Navy by End of Year
Photo: RDM
Russia
04:45 20.10.2017Get short URL
0 16310

Russian Navy reported that the new corvette is about to finish state sea trials and is
going to be commissioned to the Navy by the end of the year.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) A new Buyan-class corvette will join the Russian Navy
by the end of this year, Navy spokesman Capt. 1st Rank Igor Dygalo said Thursday.

"The newest corvette, the Project 21631 Vyshny Volochek, built at the Zeleny Dol
shipyard, will be commissioned to the Navy by the end of 2017 after completing all
trials," he said.

Russian Navy Rear Adm. Victor Bursuk has said the warship is about to finish state
sea trials. A Russian maritime fag will then be raised atop its mast.

Multipurpose Buyan-class corvettes have been produced in Russia for the past seven
years. They are typically outfitted with state-of-the-art artillery, rocket and missile
systems, and are used to protect the countrys economic zone.

Earlier, the Navy reported that it expects two Buyan-M class missile corvettes armed
with Kalibr cruise missiles to join the forces by the end of 2019.
Iraq warns oil companies against Kurdistan deals
Fri Oct 20, 2017 06:29AM Presstv

Iraq's oil ministry has cautioned oil companies against signing contracts with authorities in the
semi-autonomous Kurdish region without its approval.

"This department and the Iraqi federal government are the only two bodies with whom agreements
should be reached for the development and investments in the energy sector," the ministry said in a
statement.

Iraqi Oil Minister Jabbar al-Luaybi also denounced the "irresponsible announcements coming from
certain officials in Iraq or abroad, or from foreign companies about their intention to conclude deals
with parties in Iraq without the federal government being aware."

"The federal government and the oil ministry are the only bodies responsible for developing oil and
gas strategy and authorized to sign agreements with foreign countries and companies," the minister
stressed.

This comes a day after Russian energy giant Rosneft signed a deal to put production sharing
agreements into force with respect to five production blocks in the Iraqi Kurdistan.

On Wednesday, the Russian state-controlled giant said it would pay up to $400 million for 80
percent in the venture as part of the deal with the Kurdistan authorities.

A joint exploration program and pilot production is to start next year. If successful, Rosneft said it
would start full-field development of the blocks in 2021.

Recoverable oil reserves at the five blocks are around 670 million barrels, the Russian company said,
calling the estimate "conservative."

Rosneft and the Iraqi Kurdistan are already cooperating on crude purchases and sales, but the new
deal "will allow us to talk about full-fledged entry of the company in one of the most promising
regions" of the developing global energy market, Rosneft said.

On Thursday, Rosneft boss Igor Sechin told Russian news agencies that the company strictly
followed the law and said that "if there are problems between the government of Iraq and Kurdistan
then they need to solve the problems themselves.""I am not a politician, my job is to produce oil,"
Sechin added.The agreement came as the Iraqi forces took control of the oil-rich city of Kirkuk on
Monday, removed Kurdish flags from government buildings and replaced them with the Iraqi flag.

Kurdish leaders have coveted Kirkuk for long and described it as part of their territory even
as roughly two-thirds of the city's population is non-Kurd. Kirkuk is not one of the three provinces
that have made up the semi-autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan Region since 2003. However, Kurdish
militants used a vacuum created when government troops were fighting against Daesh terrorists to
overtake the city.
Air Force set to create new ISR unit with
Global Hawk
2017/10/20 10:34

Article View Option

SNS Share

SEOUL, Oct. 20 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's Air Force announced Friday that it will
found a key airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) unit in
December in line with its plan to acquire Global Hawk drones.

Two RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) will be delivered to the
Air Force next year under a 2014 contract with the United States, with two more to
arrive in 2019.

The assets are expected to improve South Korea's capability to monitor North Korea's
nuclear and missile activities, adding to its Peace Eye airborne early warning &
control (AEW&C) system aircraft.

The new airborne ISR unit will be launched Dec. 1 this year, the Air Force told
lawmakers during an annual audit session held at the Gyeryongdae military compound
in South Chungcheong Province. The base is home to the headquarters of the Air
Force, the Army and the Navy.

The Air Force already has an ISR battalion, but it has decided to create a higher-level
one to operate Global Hawk drones and analyze the data collected by them.

The Global Hawk, which features high-altitude and long-endurance flight, is known
for persistent near-real-time coverage using imagery intelligence (IMINT), signals
intelligence (SIGINT) and moving target indicator (MTI) sensors.
U.S. puts top priority on coordination with S.
Korea over N.K. nukes: envoy
2017/10/20 10:03

Article View Option

SNS Share

SEOUL, Oct. 20 (Yonhap) -- The top U.S. nuclear envoy said Friday that Washington
places top priority on keeping coordination with South Korea over how to respond to
North Korea's nuclear issue.

Joseph Yun made the remark at the start of the meeting with Lee Do-hoon, South
Korea's top nuclear negotiator, amid heightened tensions over the North's evolving
nuclear and missile threats.

"For Washington, being together and being well coordinated with Seoul is No. 1
priority," said Yun, U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Policy.

Yun is in Seoul for a series of meetings on North Korea's nuclear issue including a
trilateral meeting among the top nuclear envoys of Seoul, Washington and Japan.

The meeting came weeks ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump's visit to South
Korea and Japan. As part of his trip to Asia, Trump plans to visit Seoul on Nov. 7-8
following a three-day visit to Tokyo.

"There are many occasions for our leaders to engage each other to coordinate our
positions to have a very solid and joint approach as we go forward," Yun said.

Tensions have heightened amid North Korea's nuclear and missile tests and exchanges
of inflammatory rhetoric between Trump and the North Korean leadership.
Australia defends Cambodia military ties as
soldiers prepare to crush demonstrators
brisbanetimes.com.au

Bangkok: The Turnbull government has defended Australia's support for the
Cambodian military, even as its soldiers train to use force against civilians amid a
ruthless crackdown on democracy and political freedoms.

A Department of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman told Fairfax Media that defence

engagement with Cambodia "remains a constructive way to deepen and maintain
bilateral ties over the long term," despite mounting evidence the country is fast sliding
into a dictatorship.

A video surfaced on Facebook this week showing armed soldiers in Prime Minister
Hun Sen's 6000-strong personal bodyguard unit training to disperse civilian
demonstrators with armed personnel carriers and tanks.

Pointing AK-47 assault rifles, chanting soldiers are seen charging on mobs of mock
demonstrators to break them up, according to the Phnom Penh Post.

On Wednesday, Australia upgraded diplomatic ties with Cambodia in a champagne-

clinking ceremony, sparking criticism that Canberra is moving closer to Mr Hun Sen
at a time human rights groups are calling for donor countries to pressure his regime by
imposing punitive sanctions.

Mr Hun Sen, a former commander of the murderous Khmer Rouge who defected to
Vietnam, commands the bodyguard unit near his fortress-like resident outside of
Phnom Penh. It bristles with sophisticated military hardware, including rocket
launchers and 100 tanks.

Cambodian Defence Minister Tea Banh has repeatedly warned that soldiers would
"smash the teeth" of protesters and side with the ruling People's Party in any conflict.

Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said the military has a
long record of intimidating political foes of the government and shooting down
protesters on the streets.
Army Chief installs AMC Colonel Commandant
October 20, 2017 thenews.com.pk

RAWALPINDI: Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa
on Thursday visited the Army Medical Center, Abbottabad in connection with
Installation Ceremony of Colonel Commandant of Army Medical Corps and
Commanding Officers' Conference.

Lieutenant General Zahid Hamid, Surgeon General of Pakistan Army, was installed as
Colonel Commandant of the Army Medical Corps (AMC).

The outgoing Colonel Commandant, Lieutenant General Asif Mumtaz Sukhera,

serving/retired officers and soldiers of the Army Medical Corps were present on the
occasion, says an ISPR press release.

Interacting with the commanding officers and soldiers of the Army Medical Corps,
Gen Bajwa commended role of Army Medical Corps (AMC) in saving lives in the
war against terrorism. The COAS appreciated contributions and service of doctors and
paramedic staff in providing quality healthcare to the Pakistan Army as well as
common citizens.

Earlier on arrival, the COAS laid a floral wreath at Yadgar-e-Shuhada and offered
Fateha.