Protesters to lift Hong Kong government blockade, vow to stay in Central

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Fearing a police crackdown, Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters bowed to government pressure and said they would lift a blockade of key government buildings, but student leaders braced for a showdown in the heart of the Asian financial center.

Brazilians go to the polls in nail-biter election for president

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Brazilians vote Sunday in the most unpredictable presidential election in decades and the first since the end of an economic boom underpinning the leftist Workers' Party's 12-year rule.

Stark choices face Beijing over any PLA on Hong Kong streets

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Major General Tan Benhong, the commander of the People's Liberation Army in Hong Kong, was a picture of uniformed calm as he shared champagne toasts with Chinese officials on Wednesday at local celebrations marking China's national day.

Is Now The Time To Panic?

The Case For Panic -- Matthew Continetti, Washington Free Beacon

Column: Incompetent government + corrupt elite = disaster



Deadly, irrational, and determined, the intruder snuck across a weakened perimeter. Eluding capture, the intruder was detained only after missteps and close calls. The spin began soon after the threat was isolated. Information was selectively leaked. Half-truths and untruths were uttered. Responsibility was avoided; privileges and credentials asserted; authority reasserted. Trust us. Remain calm. Don’t panic.



This is the template of recent events. A mental case jumps the White House fence. He makes it to the East Room before he’s tackled by an off-duty Secret Service agent. Initial statements turn out to be misleading or false. We discover that lapses in security are much worse than previously understood, that in recent memory the White House was sprayed with bullets, and that an armed man with a criminal record rode in an elevator with the president. The official in charge of the Secret Service, promoted for reasons of affirmative action, resigns hours after the White House expresses its confidence in her abilities. The overriding impression is of disarray, confusion, bad management, failed communication, anomie, disillusion, corruption, and secrecy. But do not worry. Things are under control.



Read more ....



My Comment: U.S. general elections are scheduled for Tuesday, November 4, 2014 .... I will tell you on November 5 if it is the time to panic.

After A Week Of Victories Islamic State Forces Reportedly On Baghdad's Outskirts

Islamic State Reportedly On Baghdad's Outskirts After Week Of Victories -- Sydney Morning Herald

Irbil, Iraq: Islamic State militants have taken control of key cities in Iraq's western province of Anbar and have begun to besiege one of the country's largest military bases in a weeklong offensive that's brought them within artillery range of Baghdad.



IS, also known as ISIS, and its tribal allies have dominated Anbar since a surprise offensive last December, but this week's push was particularly worrisome, because for the first time this year Islamist insurgents were reported to have become a major presence in Abu Ghraib, the last Anbar town on the outskirts of the capital.



"Daash is openly operating inside Abu Ghraib," according to an Iraqi soldier, who used the common Arabic term for IS . "I was at the 10th Division base there two days ago, and the soldiers cannot leave or patrol," he said, asking that he be identified only as Hossam"Daash controls the streets."



Read more ....



Previous Post: Is Baghdad About To Fall? Fierce Fighting Reported Near Iraqi Capital. ISIS Militants Less Than 2 Miles From Baghdad

More News On Reports That The Islamic State is On The Outskirts Of Baghdad

Islamic State reportedly on outskirts of Baghdad -- News Tribune/McClatchy news

ISIS Within a Mile From Baghdad -- Arutz Sheva

Air strikes 'failing' as Isil only an hour away from Baghdad -- Independent.ie

Islamist insurgents seize western Iraqi town of Hit - security sources -- Reuters

ISIL moving in on Baghdad, airport despite U.S. air strikes -- World Tribune

Baghdad priest: Iraqis in city fear possible ISIS attack -- FOX News

Is Baghdad at risk of falling to ISIS? -- FOX News



My Comment: For the past week reports have been coming in that Islamic State forces were preparing to enter Baghdad. It now appears that they are on the verge of doing just that.

Fed-up Bulgarian voters may fail to end political deadlock

SOFIA (Reuters) - Bulgarian voters fed up with political deadlock may end up with another shaky coalition after a snap election on Sunday, leaving the European Union's poorest member struggling to resolve a banking crisis and revive growth.

The Ebola Crisis Keeps On Growing

As U.S. Ebola Fears Widen, Reports of Possible Cases Grow -- New York Times

DALLAS — In Washington, a patient who had traveled to Nigeria and who was suspected of having Ebola was placed in isolation at Howard University Hospital on Thursday. In New Haven, two Yale University graduate students plan to sequester themselves when they return this weekend from Liberia, where they have helped the government develop a system to track the Ebola epidemic.



And at Newark Liberty International Airport on Saturday, a sick man who had just arrived from Brussels was rushed to a hospital amid concerns that he was showing Ebola-like symptoms, a fear later dismissed by hospital officials.





Read more ....

More News On The Ebola Epidemic

Ebola virus spreading at ‘terrifying rate’ in Africa, group says -- Al Jazeera

Bodies in barrows and patients writhing on dirty mattresses: Liberia struggles to contain Ebola epidemic as official death toll nears 3,500 -- Daily Mail

Lack of Qualified Staff Hurts Ebola Fight in Africa -- WSJ

U.S. Aid Effort in Liberia Barely Off the Ground as Ebola Rages -- NYT

Ebola outbreak: Eid celebrations subdued in West Africa -- BBC

Ebola patient in Dallas turns critical, no new U.S. cases -- Reuters

US Ebola patient in critical condition, hospital says -- FOX News

U.S. Tracking People Exposed to Dallas Ebola Patient -- WSJ

Ebola fears sweep the nation as 100 new potential victims reported by hospitals on high alert for deadly virus - but 'critical' Liberian man in Texas still only definite case -- Daily Mail

White House to America: Calm Down About a Domestic Ebola Outbreak -- National Journal

CDC chief warns against restricting entry to the US over Ebola crisis -- FOX News

Why Sealing Off Ebola-Stricken Countries Is Not The Answer -- Business Insider

Ebola outbreak ‘running’ ahead of world’s response, UN warns as funding lags -- UN News Centre

Ebola spreading rate compared to other diseases -- Sploid

The worst Ebola outbreak on record -- Reuters

Ebola is a greater clear and present threat to America than any terror group - so why is Obama spending billions bombing ISIS but only millions blitzing the virus? -- Piers Morgan, Daily Mail

As Ebola's Spread Continues, Key Questions and Answers About Virus -- National Geographic

'No problem at all' for North Korea leader Kim's health, says official

SEOUL (Reuters) - A senior North Korean official on a rare visit to South Korea has denied reports that the country's young leader Kim Jong Un is ill, saying there is "no problem at all," a South Korean minister said on Sunday.

Spanish PM calls for dialogue as Catalonia renews independence campaign

MADRID (Reuters) - Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy called on Saturday for dialogue with Catalan separatists "within the limits of the constitution" as the government of the wealthy region resumed its campaign for a vote on independence.

Is The Russian Government Responsible For The Cyber Attack On JP Morgan?

'Russian Hackers' Behind Massive Cyberattack On JP Morgan That Hit 83Million Accounts - And NINE Other Banks Could Have Been Targeted -- Daily Mail

* Names, addresses, phone numbers and emails may have been compromised

* Breach affected 76million personal and 7million small business accounts

* Sources briefed on attacks say that hackers thought to be Russian

* Also said JP Morgan Chase was just one of ten institutions targeted



Russian hackers with links to Vladimir Putin's government were behind an enormous cyberattack on JP Morgan Chase this summer, security officials believe - and they could have targeted as many as nine other banks.



The huge security breach, which went on for months and affected 83million accounts, took place last June and let hackers see the names, addresses, phone numbers and email addresses of customers.



Accounts belonging to 76million households - and a further 7million small businesses - were hit by the breach, which insiders have now said was even bigger than first feared.



Read more ....

More News On Reports That The Russian Government Is Behind The Cyber Breach At JP Morgan And Nine Other U.S. Financial Institutions

Hackers’ Attack Cracked 10 Financial Firms in Major Assault -- New York Times

Russians behind JPMorgan cyberattack: ‘It scared the pants off many people’ -- Washington Times

JPMorgan Password Leads Hackers to 76 Million Households -- Bloomberg

Report: Russian hackers behind JPMorgan Chase attack -- USA Today

REPORT: 'Russians' Behind Huge JPMorgan Cyberattack -- Business Insider

Senator: JP Morgan data breach is threat to US national security -- The Telegraph



My Comment: I know from my own sources in Moscow that the Edward Snowden NSA leaks were a shock to the Russian government. They always knew that the NSA/CIA/other U.S. intelligence agencies were using the internet to spy and monitor the Russian government/individuals/companies/etc. .... they just never knew how deep this surveillance was until Edward Snowden. Today .... their mindset (from Putin on down) is that they are now assuming that every Russian mobile devise, communications network, and Russian web site has been compromised. They are not happy with this state of affairs .... and in most cases .... downright "pissed-off". So .... are these cyber attacks against U.S. financial institutions nothing more but blow-back and a warning from Russia that the NSA is going too far .... let me put it to you this way .... I would not be surprised.

Kurds call to arms as Islamic State closes in on Syrian town

SURUC Turkey/BEIRUT (Reuters) - The main Kurdish armed group in Syria called on its kinsmen across the region to help it stop a massacre in the Syrian town of Kobani as Islamic State militants armed with tanks edged closer on its outskirts and pummeled it with artillery fire.