U.S. Sanctions on Iran Leave Pension Funds on Brink of Collapse

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Crippling sanctions imposed by the United States on Iran since President Trump’s withdrawal from the nuclear deal last year have left pension funds throughout the country on the brink of collapse, according to documents reviewed by National Security Council officials and obtained by Fox News. . .

“They have fewer resources. We can see it with the Shia militias in Iraq. They’re scrambling for resources. We think the Iranian government will shrink, that their GDP will shrink by as much as 12 or 14 percent this year,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on “Fox News Sunday,” speaking to the economic impact. “This will reduce their capacity to purchase the things they need, the equipment they need, the materials they need, to inflict terror around the world.”

The impact has been so severe that of the 18 existing retirement funds in Iran, 17 are in the red, according to these documents. That includes the pension funds for all of Iran’s armed forces.

As much as 80 percent of Iran’s retirement funds rely on government subsidies, which the documents refer to as unsustainable for not just pensions but for food products, drugs and fuel. . .

The details from the pressure campaign come amid reports that Trump is now considering throwing support behind a plan crafted by French President Emmanuel Macron that would extend a $15 billion line of credit to the regime in Tehran if leaders agree to come back into compliance with terms of the 2015 nuclear agreement. (Read more from “U.S. Sanctions on Iran Leave Pension Funds on Brink of Collapse” HERE)

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Watch It: Video Shows U.S. Bombing ISIS-‘Infested’ Island; Military Leaders Warn of ISIS Insurgency in Iraq

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By Fox News. U.S. jets bombed an ISIS-“infested island” in northern Iraq Tuesday, according to new video and a statement from the U.S.-led coalition battling the terrorist group.

More than 80,000 pounds of laser-guided bombs were dropped on the island located on the Tigris River south of Mosul, according to U.S. Army Col. Myles B. Caggins III, a spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve, based in Baghdad.

U.S. officials called the island a “major transit hub” for ISIS fighters going in and out of Syria.

“We’re denying [ISIS] the ability to hide on Qanus Island,” said Maj. Gen. Eric T. Hill, the commander of the Special Operations Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve. “We’re setting the conditions for our partner forces to continue bringing stability to the region.”

A tweet from OIR Spokesman Col. Myles B. Caggins, which aired the video, said: “Here’s what it looks like when @USAFCENT F15 and F35 jets drop 36,000kg of bombs on a Daesh [ISIS] infested island.”

(Read more from “Watch It: Video Shows U.S. Bombing ISIS-‘Infested’ Island” HERE)

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Military Leaders Tell David Muir There Is an ‘Isis Insurgency’ in Iraq, Warn of Breeding Ground Across Syria Border

By ABC News. . .Nearly 16 years since the United States went into Iraq to eliminate Saddam Hussein’s alleged weapons of mass destruction, “World News Tonight” anchor David Muir got exclusive access with American troops now fighting an enemy intent on resurging: ISIS.

Mere months after losing their territorial hold across Syria and Iraq — and after President Donald Trump declared ISIS had been “defeated” — the reality on the ground paints a still grim picture of recalcitrant ISIS fighters forming an enduring insurgency.

“We have seen, since the collapse of the caliphate, that ISIS has repositioned a lot of its capabilities,” U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Alex Grynkewich told Muir.

“They’re trying to garner resources, extort the population, do low level attacks. There’s certainly an insurgency going on, on the ground right now,” said Grynkewich, the deputy commander of Operation Inherent Resolve, the joint coalition fighting ISIS on the ground. . .

For months, there have been warnings of a resurgence — at least two Pentagon reports this year, including one from August, cautioned ISIS was far from eradicated. A report from the lead inspector general for Operation Inherent Resolve, which fights ISIS, warned that from April to June, ISIS “solidified insurgent capabilities in Iraq” and established “resurgent cells” in Syria to “expand its command and control nodes in Iraq.” (Read more from “Military Leaders Tell David Muir There Is an ‘Isis Insurgency’ in Iraq, Warn of Breeding Ground Across Syria Border” HERE)

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Watch: Hong Kong Police Teargas Peaceful Shoppers Without Warning

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By PJ Media. Former Hong Kong Parliamentarian Ray Chan reports on what looks like a nearly random teargas attack by local police, on people who weren’t even protesting. Chan tweeted on Sunday that the attack took place “in the heart of #HongKong’s shopping, district, Causeway Bay, there were no protesters, just reporters, shoppers & bystanders.” Erin Hale, a freelance journalist and Hong Kong correspondent for the German Press Agency confirmed to Chan that “no warnings had been given” by police before firing.

. . .

But it’s this last item that really must give Beijing the night sweats.

(Read more from “Watch: Hong Kong Police Teargas Peaceful Shoppers Without Warning” HERE)

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Avoid Irresponsible Remarks on Hong Kong, China Warns UK MPs

By The Guardian. China’s ambassador to the UK has accused British politicians of exhibiting a “colonial mindset” when they express support for demonstrators in Hong Kong or raise concerns about Huawei or freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.

Liu Xiaoming said British MPs were free to express their opinion about the Hong Kong crisis but needed to recognise there were limits. Critical comments were not a problem “as long as you do not interfere in Hong Kong’s affairs,” he said.

At the same briefing, China’s military attache in the UK, Maj Gen Su Guanghui, said the Royal Navy’s Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier or any other British warship could face an armed response if it sailed through disputed waters in the South China Sea.

Liu said some UK politicians “still have a colonial mindset” and argued it was a problem if they made “irresponsible remarks to show support” for what he described as “demonstrators and rioters” in Hong Kong. (Read more from “Avoid Irresponsible Remarks on Hong Kong, China Warns UK MPs” HERE)

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Biblical Town Linked to Jesus’ Resurrection May Have Been Found

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Archaeologists in Israel may have discovered the Biblical town of Emmaus, which is linked to Jesus’ resurrection and the Ark of the Covenant.

Haaretz reports that archaeologists have uncovered the remains of a 2,200-year-old fortification at Kiriath-Jearim, a hill on the outskirts of Abu Ghosh, a village near Jerusalem.

The fortification dates back to the Hellenistic period when ancient Greek influence in the region was strong. Tel Aviv University Professor Israel Finkelstein told Haaretz that the walls were repaired during the later period of Roman rule in the first century A.D.

Finkelstein and his fellow researchers suggest that the site could be the famous Biblical town, or village, of Emmaus. According to Christian tradition, Jesus appeared to two of his apostles on the road to Emmaus after his crucifixion and resurrection.

In Luke 24:13-35 Emmaus is described as being about 7 miles from Jerusalem. This corresponds with the distance between Kiriath-Jearim, Abu Ghosh and Jerusalem. (Read more from “Biblical Town Linked to Jesus’ Resurrection May Have Been Found” HERE)

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Donald Trump Escalates War with Taliban, Peace Talks Are ‘Dead’

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By Breitbart. President Donald Trump said Monday that talks with the Taliban about peace with Afghanistan were over, citing the terrorist attack last week in Kabul.

“They’re dead as far as I’m concerned,” Trump said when asked about the proposed talks with Taliban leaders.

Trump spoke to reporters as he left the White House, after he canceled a meeting scheduled with the Taliban at Camp David for Sunday.

The president called the Taliban attacks “a big mistake.”

He said that the United States had escalated attacks against the Taliban in response to the terrorist attack that killed 12 people as well as one U.S. soldier and one Romanian solder in Kabul. (Read more from “Donald Trump Escalates War with Taliban, Peace Talks Are ‘Dead’” HERE)

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After Trump Calls off Talks, Afghanistan Braces for Violence

By The New York Times. President Trump’s decision to break off peace talks with the Taliban, at least for now, left Afghanistan bracing for a bloody prelude to national elections this month, while the administration declined on Sunday to rule out a withdrawal of American troops without a peace accord.

In a round of television interviews, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blamed an attack by the Taliban for the cancellation of talks at Camp David this weekend that the administration had expected would lead to the signing of a peace agreement.

Mr. Pompeo said that the Taliban had “tried to gain negotiating advantage by conducting terror attacks inside the country,’’ resulting in the death of an American soldier in Kabul. “We’re going to walk away from a deal if others try to use violence to achieve better ends in a negotiation,’’ he said. (Read more from “After Trump Calls off Talks, Afghanistan Braces for Violence” HERE)

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Surprise: India and Russia Challenging China in South China Sea

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India is challenging Chinese influence in the South China Sea with its outreach to regional powers, including Russia, with which it has agreed to launch a maritime route that would partly go through the hotly contested waters, analysts said.

Under the memorandum of understanding signed by India and Russia – two traditional security allies – during a regional economic forum this week, a new Indo-Pacific sea route will extend from the port city of Vladivostok, in Russia’s Far East, to Chennai, on the Bay of Bengal in eastern India.

The shipping route will partly traverse the South China Sea, the scene of numerous territorial disputes involving China and neighbouring countries over the years.

In addition to cooperating on the planned maritime route, India and Russia could ramp up their alliance in the military and technological spheres, according to a joint statement released at the economic forum in Vladivostok. . .

“This could signal that India’s cooperation with Russia is now coming to a substantial phase,” Hu Zhiyong, a research fellow at the Institute of International Relations of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, said in an interview. (Read more from “Surprise: India and Russia Challenging China in South China Sea” HERE)

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Bahamas Hurricane Damage ‘Like Nuclear Bomb’

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Head of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) has compared the damage from Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas to that of a nuclear bomb.

Mark Green said he had taken a flight to observe the damage caused by the storm on Grand Bahama and the Abacos islands.

Dorian ripped through the Bahamas last Sunday with category five winds with some gusts reaching 300km/h (200mph).

So far 43 people are confirmed dead however the number is expected to rise.

Prime Minister Hubert Minnis called the loss of life “catastrophic and devastating”. (Read more from “Bahamas Hurricane Damage ‘like Nuclear Bomb'” HERE)

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Trump Had Secret Meeting Planned with Taliban

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President Donald Trump revealed on Saturday that he had a secret meeting planned with leaders of the Taliban to try to bring peace to the country, and that he canceled at the last minute when he learned that they were responsible for an attack that killed an American soldier.

“Unbeknownst to almost everyone, the major Taliban leaders and, separately, the President of Afghanistan, were going to secretly meet with me at Camp David on Sunday,” Trump tweeted. “They were coming to the United States tonight. Unfortunately, in order to build false leverage, they admitted to an attack in Kabul that killed one of our great great soldiers, and 11 other people. I immediately cancelled the meeting and called off peace negotiations. What kind of people would kill so many in order to seemingly strengthen their bargaining position?”

“The Pentagon announced Friday that Sgt. 1st Class Elis Angel Barreto Ortiz was killed in Afghanistan,” CNN reported. “Barreto, a 34-year-old paratrooper from Morovis, Puerto Rico, died when a car bomb exploded at a checkpoint near NATO headquarters and the US embassy in Kabul. Barreto is the 16th US service member to be killed in Afghanistan in 2019, and three other American service members have been killed in recent weeks.”

(Read more from “Trump Had Secret Meeting Planned with Taliban” HERE)

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2,000 Human Bones Discovered at Luxury Apartment Dumping Ground in Mexico

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Members of the State Brigade for the Search of Disappeared Persons were searching the landfill near a private residential complex in Culiacán, Sinaloa, on August 24 when they came across bags of bones and body fragments on the ground, some from hands and some from feet.

The foot and hand fragments belonged to more than 150 people – according to forensic experts, coming from both adults and children. . .

El Universal reported that several damaged bags – due to sun, water and animals ripping and rummaging through them – were placed in an area not accessible by car.

Over the last two decades, 57,861 people have disappeared in Mexico – family members of the missing formed the brigade in 2016 to be more organised in their search. . .

According to El Universal, bodies have been found outside the complex for years. On the path that leads to the dumpsite, you can see several crosses in memory of the found corpses. (Read more from “2,000 Human Bones Discovered at Luxury Apartment Dumping Ground in Mexico” HERE)

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After Months of Protests, Hong Kong’s Leader Finally Scraps Undemocratic Bill That Would Have Extradited Residents to Mainland China

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Following months of protests, the leader of Hong Kong has agreed to scrap a bill that would have allowed residents of the former British territory to be extradited to mainland China to stand trial.

Here’s what we know

Carrie Lam, the leader of Hong Kong appointed by the Chinese government, announced the decision on Wednesday.

“We must find ways to address the discontent in society and look for solutions,” Lam said on Wednesday, according to CNN. “After more than two months of social unrest, it is obvious to many that this discontentment extends far beyond the bill.”

Before this, the government of Hong Kong had shelved the bill, but had refused to get rid of it entirely. More than one million of the city’s roughly 7.2 million inhabitants had participated in protests over this issue.

Since Hong Kong was returned to China by the United Kingdom in 1997, it has seen some of its freedoms slowly chipped away. China had promised to utilize a “one country, two systems” model of governance for Hong Kong for at least the first fifty years, in order to ease the transition, but has periodically put laws in place to bring Hong Kong more into line with Chinese rule.

This extradition bill was just the latest example of this type of anti-democratic change. The people of Hong Kong feared that the Chinese government would use it to make opposition leaders disappear.

It is not unreasonable for the people of Hong Kong to fear this outcome. Over the past few years, China has rounded up more than one million of its own people who belonged to the mostly Muslim Uighur minority and placed them in re-education camps.

Olivia Enos, the senior policy analyst for the Heritage Foundation’s Asian Studies Center, called Lam’s decision to withdraw the bill “an unmitigated win for protesters.”

“Unlike her previous declaration that the bill was dead, but it still technically remained in play, there is not threat of the bill resurfacing,” Enos told Blaze Media. She said that the bill had “posed an existential threat to freedom in Hong Kong.”

The government refused to budge on any other demands

In addition to getting rid of the extradition bill permanently, the protesters had also demanded reforms in Hong Kong including free elections and a halt to the prosecution of the more than 1,000 protesters who had been arrested (a demand Lam called “contrary to the rule of law”), as well as the creation of an independent commission that would investigate the city’s police department.

The protesters had also demanded that the government stop referring to them as “rioters,” but Lam dismissed this idea, saying that there was “no legal effect on how such incidents are described or categorized.”

Lam specified in her address on Wednesday that the government would not budge on any of these four additional issues. She urged the protesters to disband now that the extradition bill was gone, saying, “Let’s replace conflicts with conversations, and let’s look for solutions.”

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