Russia Removes General in Charge of Syrian Operations: Military Bloggers

 Russian war bloggers reported on Sunday that Moscow has dismissed Sergei Kisel, the general in charge of its forces in Syria, after insurgents swept into the city of Aleppo in the biggest challenge to President Bashar al-Assad in years.

Russia is a key Assad ally. The removal of Kisel, 53, was reported by the Rybar Telegram channel, which is close to the Russian defence ministry, and by the Voenny Osvedomitel (Military Informant) blog.

Reuters has requested comment from the Russian defence ministry. Since the start of the Ukraine war, Russia has made a number of military reshuffles that were not publicly announced.

Unconfirmed reports said Kisel was being replaced by Colonel General Alexander Chaiko.

The military blogs were scathing about the performance of Kisel, who previously commanded Russia's 1st Guards Tank Army in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine, where Moscow's forces were driven back in a lightning counter-attack by Ukrainian troops in late 2022.

"Apparently he was supposed to reveal his hidden talents in Syria, but something got in the way again," Voenny Osvedomitel wrote.

Rybar commented: "The approach needs to change. The Syrian sandbox has long been a place for laundering the reputations of unsuccessful generals who turned out to be incompetent in the zone of the special military operation" - Russia's term for the war in Ukraine.

Rybar speculated that Russia might even turn to Sergei Surovikin, a general who earned the nickname "General Armageddon" for his ruthlessness in Syria and was briefly in charge of the Ukrainian war effort. Surovikin was demoted last year, when unconfirmed reports said he had been investigated for possible complicity in a mutiny by Russia's Wagner mercenary group.

The insurgent advance in Syria was the first since March 2020 when Russia and Turkey, which supports the rebels, agreed to a ceasefire that led to the halting of military action in northwest Syria.

On Sunday, the Syrian army said it had recaptured several towns that had been overrun by rebels in recent days. The insurgents are a coalition of Turkish-backed mainstream secular armed groups, along with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, an Islamist group that is the opposition's most formidable military force.

Aleppo had been held by the government since a 2016 victory there, one of the war's major turning points, when Russian-backed Syrian forces besieged and laid waste to rebel-held eastern areas of what had been the country's largest city.

https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2024-12-01/russia-removes-general-in-charge-of-syrian-operations-military-bloggers-say

Trudeau promised Trump tougher border controls, says top Canada official

 Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised President-elect Donald Trump that Canada would toughen controls over the long undefended joint border, a senior Canadian official said on Sunday.

Trudeau flew to Florida on Friday to have dinner with Trump, who has promised to slap tariffs on Canadian imports unless Ottawa prevents migrants and drugs from crossing the frontier.

Canada sends 75% of all goods and services exports to the United States and tariffs would badly hurt the economy.

Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc, who sat at the head table with Trudeau and Trump, said the two men discussed additional security measures Canada would be introducing.

"We're going to look to procure, for example, additional drones, additional police helicopters, we're going to redeploy personnel ... we believe that the border is secure," he told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.

"It's important, I think, to show Canadians and the Americans that we're stepping up in a visible and muscular way, and that's exactly what we're going to do," he added, promising more details in the days and weeks to come.

Canada, he said, would continue to make the case that tariffs would damage both nations, given how interconnected the two economies are.

"I'm confident that the Americans will understand that it's not in their interest ... to proceed in this way," he said, describing the dinner meeting as very warm and cordial.

Trump said on Saturday he discussed the border, trade and energy in a "very productive" meeting with Trudeau.

The friendly nature of the dinner contrasts with previous exchanges between the two men.

Trump called Trudeau "a far left lunatic" in 2022 for requiring truck drivers crossing the border to be vaccinated against COVID. In June 2018, Trump walked out of a G7 summit in Quebec and blasted Trudeau for being "very dishonest and weak."

At the end of the dinner, LeBlanc said, Trump walked Trudeau to his car and said, "Keep in touch. Call me anytime. Talk soon."

https://www.ksl.com/article/51201744/trudeau-promised-trump-tougher-border-controls-says-top-canada-official

Turkish Intelligence Directing Extremist Offensive In Northwest Syria: AFP

 Via The Cradle

Militants from the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) currently invading Aleppo, Syria's second-largest city, are taking orders from Turkish intelligence, French news agency AFP has reported.

HTS, formerly known as the Nusra Front, launched a lightning offensive from the group's stronghold in Idlib Governorate on Wednesday. Its fighters took over numerous villages in the Aleppo countryside before taking control of large parts of Aleppo City on Saturday, including the ancient citadel. AFP writes that "Opposition sources in touch with Turkish intelligence said Turkey had given a green light to the offensive."

An AFP correspondent in HTS-held Idlib further reported that "The jihadists and their Turkey-backed allies took orders from a joint operations command." During the US-backed covert war on Syria that began in 2011, the CIA and allied intelligence agencies established joint operations rooms in southern Turkey and Amman, Jordan, to direct the activities of their extremist proxies fighting the Syrian government.

Image source: AFP

Izvestia reported that the current HTS attack on Aleppo was coordinated between Turkish, Ukrainian, and French intelligence, with Israeli support and US approval.

The Russian newspaper said the assault was originally planned for March but was launched early in response to events in Lebanon. On Wednesday, a ceasefire took effect to halt 66 days of brutal fighting between Hezbollah and the Israeli army in Lebanon.

Just as the ceasefire began, Israel turned its sights on Syria by bombing Lebanese-Syrian border crossings in an effort to prevent weapons transfers from Syria to Hezbollah.

Syrian army sources said on Saturday that Israel was also backing the extremists attacking Aleppo and areas on the Idlib front. In the past, Israel has kept its support for Al-Qaeda groups in Syria covert so as not to damage their credibility in the eyes of Arabs and Sunni Muslims.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a special security discussion Friday evening with the heads of the defense establishment to discuss the current fighting in Syria.

According to Yedioth Ahronoth, Israeli officials view the Turkish-backed extremist advance on Aleppo as an opportunity to weaken Syria, which is a key ally of Hezbollah and Iran in the Axis of Resistance.

An unnamed Israeli official told the Hebrew newspaper that the fighting "is something we need to closely monitor and see how it develops.'"

"It doesn't necessarily affect us, especially not in the short term, but any erosion of stability in a neighboring country could also impact us. It seems here that there are also opportunities for change," the official said.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/turkish-intelligence-directing-extremist-offensive-northwest-syria-afp

Biden Pardons Hunter For "Unfair Prosecution" By His Own DoJ

 President Joe Biden is pardoning his son Hunter, despite Biden and the White House repeatedly denying he would do so.

The pardon comes ahead of Hunter's Dec. 12 sentencing for his conviction on federal gun charges, as well as an upcoming Dec. 16 sentencing in a separate criminal case in which he pleaded guilty on federal tax evasion charges.

The pardon is expected to cover both the gun conviction and the guilty plea.

In a statement, Biden said Hunter was "treated differently" by his own Justice Department, adding that the charges only came about "after several of my political opponents in Congress instigated them to attack me and oppose my election."

FLASHBACK: Karine Jean-Pierre on Biden: “Will he pardon his son? No”pic.twitter.com/kDHfNbKf0F

— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) December 2, 2024

No seriously tho, impeach him.

— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) December 2, 2024

Developing...

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/enough-enough-biden-pardons-hunter-unfair-prosecution-his-own-doj

America's First 24-Hour Stock Exchange Gets Operational Approval

 by Naveen Athrappully via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

U.S. regulators have approved a nonstop stock exchange to begin operations in the country, which is expected to boost overnight liquidity available to traders.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in Washington on Sept. 18, 2008. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

“24 Exchange announced today that it has received approval from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to operate 24X National Exchange as the first national securities exchange in the U.S. that allows trading of U.S. securities 23 hours each workday,” the company said in a Nov. 27 statement.

The exchange will be launched in two steps. In the first stage, it will operate between 4 a.m. ET and 7 p.m. ET on weekdays beginning in the second half of next year.

In the second stage, trading will be offered between 8 p.m. ET on Sunday through 7 p.m. ET on Friday. Every trading day will have a one-hour operational pause aimed at allowing the company to conduct tests and upgrades.

Dmitri Galinov, the founder and CEO of 24 Exchange, called the SEC approval a “thrilling development.”

“With this historic SEC approval in place, we will build and operate a customer-driven Exchange that can rapidly align with market demands and adapt quickly to client feedback,” he said.

Galinov pointed out that traders are often at risk when markets remain closed at their geographical location. Traders are not able to quit positions when major and sudden events unfold.

The 24X National Exchange seeks to solve this issue by offering around-the-clock trading, he noted. Initially, the exchange will seek to boost overnight liquidity for American equities by tapping into trading volumes from the Asia Pacific region.

Some procedures are pending, including making additional filings with the SEC, before the 24-hour trading is activated, the company said.

Benjamin Schiffrin, the director of securities policy at market advocacy group Better Markets, criticized the SEC approval of 24X National Exchange, warning that this harms investors and damages markets.

Allowing overnight trading subjects retail investors to new risks, he said. “Retail investors trading during an overnight session will be trading in a market where there are few buyers and sellers, and where prices will be more volatile and less favorable than during normal hours.”

“This means that, during overnight sessions, retail investors will only get the best prices in a bad market, thereby losing money if they had traded during normal business hours,” he said.

Risky Behaviors

Schiffrin noted that people tend to engage in “riskier behaviors” during nighttime.

Trading platforms may send notifications and prompts at night when traders are “particularly susceptible” to inducements and allow people to easily trade with just a simple push of a button.

He provided an example of legalized sports betting that entices people to bet with ease, thus leading to a “gambling addiction crisis.” The financial industry could use similar tactics to hook investors into trading that can have “potentially serious consequences,” Schiffrin said.

In comments submitted to the SEC, two researchers from the University of Washington and Stanford University suggested that increasing trading hours could reduce net gains made by retail investors.

They said that during pre-market and post-market sessions, liquidity tends to be low, volatility high, and prices “arguably less informationally efficient.”

“Our research indicates that retail investors systematically underperform during these types of conditions,” they said.

“While attracting more volume to these sessions is presumably the intention of 24X Exchange, the majority of trading activity will likely remain in the daily market session, meaning these issues will remain salient for out-of-hours retail traders.”

24X National Exchange’s approval comes as the NYSE revealed in October that it plans on extending weekday trading time at its Arca equities exchange to 22 hours per day.

With this update, trading during weekdays will operate between 1:30 a.m. and 11:30 p.m. ET. The fully electronic exchange will offer all stocks, ETFs, and closed-end funds listed in the United States for trading.

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/americas-first-24-hour-stock-exchange-gets-operational-approval

Key Dates In Lead Up To Trump's Inauguration

 by Stacy Robinson via The Epoch Times,

After a rocky election season marked by two assassination attempts, President Joe Biden leaving the race just ahead of their convention, and a decisive victory by the Republican candidate, the swearing-in date for the new president is on the horizon.

Here are a few key dates before the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump.

Dec. 11: States Certify Election Results

Six days before the state electors officially cast their votes reflecting the election results from Nov. 5, according to federal law, “the executive of each State shall issue a certificate of ascertainment of appointment of electors.”

In this case, the “executive” is the state governor, and the certificate names the residents appointed as the electors for each state. Although the process changes from state to state, electors are usually nominated and chosen by each political party at their convention.

Dec. 17: Electoral Colleges Vote

On Dec. 17, the electors will meet at a designated location, usually the state capitol, to cast their votes for the president. Normally, their votes reflect the decision of that state’s residents, but occasionally, the electors go rogue and pick a different candidate.

This happened in 2016 when three electors from Washington voted, in protest, for Gen. Colin Powell instead of for Hillary Clinton.

Dec. 20: Government Funding Expires

The funding of the government tends to be a sticky process as both sides of the aisle seek cash for their issue areas in 2025. The process often results in numerous “band-aid” spending bills, with Congress passing a final omnibus bill at the last minute.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) wants to avoid this by passing one more temporary funding package—known as a continuing resolution—that will carry on into 2025 and give the new Congress and Trump a free hand to shape the government.

The Farm Bill, which funds the SNAP food stamp program, will be at the top of the list—this year’s bill is expected to be around $1.5 trillion.

Biden has also asked Congress to provide another $100 million in disaster relief funding, with $40 million slated to go to FEMA to shore up relief efforts after hurricanes Helene and Milton.

Jan. 3: New Session of  Congress Begins

The 119th session of Congress kicks off on Jan. 3, and Republicans have maintained control of the House of Representatives.

This year’s election also saw the GOP retake control of the Senate, which means that the chamber of Congress will have a new majority leader. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) will step down as the leader of Senate Republicans, and Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) will take his place.

Although Thune and Trump have been at odds in the past, they expressed a willingness to cooperate following the South Dakota senator’s elevation to majority leader on Nov. 13.

“We are ready to get to work with unified Republican leadership to implement President Trump’s agenda,” Thune said on X on Nov. 14.

Jan. 6: Congress Certifies the Election

In a joint session of Congress on Jan. 6, members of the House and Senate will certify their state’s electoral votes. The final certification will come from the president of the Senate—Vice President Kamala Harris, who lost to Trump on Nov. 5.

Jan. 20: President, Vice President Inaugurated

On Jan. 20 the inauguration will occur with Vice-President-elect J.D. Vance being sworn in first at noon.

Trump will then take the oath of office to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

A military procession and a parade down Pennsylvania Ave will follow the inauguration.

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/key-dates-lead-trumps-inauguration

'US Will Not Return Nuclear Weapons to Ukraine'

 The United States is not considering returning to Ukraine the nuclear weapons it gave up after the Soviet Union collapsed, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Sunday.

Sullivan made his remarks when questioned about a New York Times article last month that said some unidentified Western officials had suggested U.S. President Joe Biden could give Ukraine the arms before he leaves office.

"That is not under consideration, no. What we are doing is surging various conventional capacities to Ukraine so that they can effectively defend themselves and take the fight to the Russians, not (giving them) nuclear capability," he told ABC.

Last week, Russia said the idea was "absolute insanity" and that preventing such a scenario was one of the reasons why Moscow sent troops into Ukraine.

Kyiv inherited nuclear weapons from the Soviet Union after its 1991 collapse but gave them up under a 1994 agreement, the Budapest Memorandum, in return for security assurances from Russia, the United States and Britain.

https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2024-12-01/us-will-not-return-nuclear-weapons-to-ukraine