Link: https://www.rt.com/usa/403810-trump-first-speech-unga/

In his first address to United Nations, US President Donald Trump has threatened North Korea with total destruction if it attacks the US or its allies. He also blasted Iran, Venezuela, Cuba and Syria.

If forced to defend itself and its allies, the US “will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea,” Trump said in his remarks at the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly on Tuesday. He also called North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un a “Rocket Man” on a suicide mission. North Korea warned Monday that the more sanctions imposed on it, the more quickly it will complete its nuclear force, official state news agency KCNA reports

Link: http://tass.com/economy/965166

Russia’s e-commerce market amounted to 498 bln rubles ($8.6 bln) in the first half of this year, a 22% increase; Russian Post and the Association of Internet Trade Companies (AITC) said in a joint statement on Tuesday. The segment of cross-border trade increased 34% in the first half of 2017 year-on-year to 178 bln rubles ($3 bln. biggest share of foreign goods ordered by Russian customers arrive from China - 90%, followed by the European Union (4%), the United States (2%).

Link: https://sputniknews.com/russia/201709181057488362-russia-oil-production-statistcs/

Russia became the world’s top crude oil producer in July for the seventh consecutive month, producing an average of 10,322 million barrels per day, the data of the Joint Oil Data Initiative (JODI) showed on Monday.

According to JODI, Russia’s oil production slightly increased, with data for June showing 10,274 million barrels a day. Saudi Arabia came in second with 10,010 million barrels per day,

Link: https://www.rt.com/business/403804-russian-sea-ports-ruble-settlements/

Russian President Vladimir Putin has instructed the government to approve legislation making the ruble the main currency of exchange at all Russian seaports by next year, according to the Kremlin website. To protect the interests of stevedoring companies with foreign currency obligations, the government was instructed to set a transition period before switching to ruble settlements.

Link: https://www.rt.com/business/403813-russia-wheat-new-exports/

Russia's food and safety watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor:“New markets are opening, like Laos and Colombia, which have never before purchased grain from us. Mexico also began buying; we have already supplied 300,000 tons of grain.” Russia recently boosted wheat export contracts on expectations of a record grain harvest. Last year, the country became the world’s leading exporter of grain, shipping 34 million tons out of its 119 million ton harvest. Russia has resumed exports to Egypt, one of its biggest customers. China's largest food processor COFCO has purchased 4,000 tons of Russian spring wheat and said is ready to import up to two million tons.

Link: http://abcnews.go.com/International/powerful-71-magnitude-earthquake-strikes-central-mexico/story?id=49958650

226 people are dead after a 7.1 magnitude earthquake rocked central Mexico Tuesday afternoon, hitting on the 32nd anniversary of the biggest earthquake to ever strike the country's capital. More than half of the fatalities are in Mexico City, the country's civil defense agency said.

Link: http://www.blacklistednews.com/US_Sanctions_Backfire%3A_China_Opens_%2410_Billion_Credit_Line_For_Iran/60870/0/38/38/Y/M.html

China has opened a $10 billion line of credit intended to finance energy, transportation, water and other key Iranian infrastructure projects. The significant credit line will primarily use euros and yuan to bypass the US sanctions.

Link: http://govtslaves.info/mattis-3000-u-s-troops-being-sent-to-afghanistan/

U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis announced Monday that more than 3,000 U.S. troops are being sent to Afghanistan. The troop increase will put the total number of U.S. forces in the country to more than 14,000. Military experts remain divided on whether the nearly 16-year-old conflict can be won or what a victory would entail.

Link: https://www.rt.com/usa/403747-us-israel-military-base-permanent/

US has routinely deployed forces to Israel, now opening an official permanent military base in the country.

It will be a “base within a base,” located inside the Israeli Air Force’s Mashabim Air Base in the middle of the Negev desert, close to a US military radar installation east of Dimona that tracks ballistic missiles.

American forces will be helping operate Israel’s multi-tiered missile defense system. Israeli officials believe the establishment of the base will send a message to their enemies.

Link: https://www.rt.com/news/403738-hungary-border-fence-migrants/

Hungary has claimed that its fences on the borders with Croatia and Serbia have helped to cut the inflow of migrants by 99.7 percent since 2015. The small inland nation now has one quarter of the length of its borders protected by a fence.

“The number of successful attempts to illegally cross the border fell from 391,000 in 2015 to 18,236 in 2016 and only 1,184 in 2017,” the Hungarian prime minister’s chief security advisor, Gyorgy Bakondi

Link: https://sputniknews.com/business/201709171057470386-solar-power-rise-affecting-economies/

The use of solar power doubled globally in 2016 and is on track to double again over the next two years. As nations and economies signal their intention to move away from the widespread and indiscriminate use of fossil fuel, the solar power industry is , growing exponentially while an old-guard oil industry studies how to jump on the bandwagon without impacting the bottom line of shareholders and investors

Link: https://sputniknews.com/latam/201709181057473786-shootout-mexico-gang-guerrero/

Eight gunmen dressed up as servicemen and a soldier were killed as a result of a shootout in the western Mexican state of Guerrero, local authorities said. According to Roberto Alvarez Heredia, a spokesman of the coordination group of the Guerrero state, the gunmen attacked the servicemen patrolling the area in the municipality of Teloloapan late Saturday “Two cars colored as military ones, weapons and military uniform were confiscated at the site. Number of murders committed in Mexico in May was bigger than in any other month in last 20 years. 2,186 people were killed in Mexico in May.

Link: https://www.rt.com/usa/403642-protests-stlouis-shooting-acquittal/

Riot police in St. Louis have made more than 80 arrests after a third consecutive day of protests that started peacefully but erupted into riots, clashes, and vandalism, significant property damage; breaking multiple windows” in downtown St. Louis It comes after an ex-cop was acquitted in the fatal shooting of a black man.

Link: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/09/17/4-american-tourists-attacked-with-acid-in-marseilles-train-station-idd-as-boston-college-students.html

Four American tourists were hospitalized after a woman attacked them with acid in Marseille’s main train station in France on Sunday Two of the women had the corrosive liquid sprayed in their face, leaving one with a possible eye injury. A 41-year-old woman, who reportedly had a history of mental health problems, was arrested in the incident.

Link: https://www.activistpost.com/2017/09/new-documents-show-pentagon-is-shipping-billions-worth-of-weapons-to-terrorists-in-syria-trying-to-cover-its-tracks.html

A new report released by two international weapons monitoring groups, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) and Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN), confirmed on Tuesday that the Pentagon is continuing to ship massive amounts of weapons to Syria. In addition, the Department of Defense is attempting to destroy its own paper trail. Both the OCCRP and the BIRN provided conclusive evidence that the Pentagon is shipping in up to $2.2 billion worth of weapons from private weapons dealers to terrorists in Syria. They also provided evidence that the DOD is altering paperwork such as end-user certificates in order to hide its involvement.

Link: https://www.rt.com/usa/403583-blm-protest-st-louis-mall/

Protests have gone on for a second day in St Louis after a white, former police officer was acquitted of the fatal shooting of a black suspect in 2011. Despite the tension between demonstrators and police, and damaged property no major clashes were reported. Dozens of windows across the city were smashed and trash cans overturned, forcing police in riot gear to move in and declare the gathering an unlawful assembly.

Link: https://sputniknews.com/europe/201709151057430454-gmos-european-union-ban/

The European Court of Justice ruled September 13 that Member States cannot adopt emergency measures banning genetically modified organisms (GMOs) without evidence of a "serious risk to health or the environment" — although the ruling contradicts European Union legislation.

Link: https://www.rt.com/usa/403560-irma-hurricane-pets-abandoned/

Pet owners who abandoned their animals during Hurricane Irma may face criminal charges in Florida. Palm Beach prosecutors said they intend to hold offenders accountable.

More than 50 animals were found abandoned, many tied to fences and trees in Palm Beach county when Irma made landfall last week. Some dogs were found inside homes, while others were enclosed in outdoor pens.

In Palm Beach County it is illegal to tether a dog if there is no one present. It is also a felony offence to keep a dog outside during extreme weather.

Offenders could face felony animal cruelty charges, those who abandoned their animals will not be not able to get them back.

State prosecutors and Animal Care and Control are working together to track the owners by various means, including interviewing neighbors and checking pet microchips.

Link: http://www.blacklistednews.com/The_House_Tells_Sessions%E2%80%99_Justice_Department_It_Will_Not_Stand_for_Civil_Asset_Forfeiture/60828/0/38/38/Y/M.html

The U.S. House sent a strong message of rebuke to Attorney General Jeff Sessions on civil asset forfeiture last night. The House adopted three amendments offered to an appropriations bill that prohibit the Department of Justice from using funds to increase certain federal and local forfeiture practices.

Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.) summed up the problem with civil asset forfeiture in one sentence. “It is an unconstitutional practice that is used to violate the due process rights of innocent people.

Link: http://www.blacklistednews.com/Hawaii_says_it%E2%80%99s_1st_state_to_go_cashless_for_pot_sales/60826/0/38/38/Y/M.html

Hawaii said Tuesday that it aims to be the first state to have marijuana sales handled without cash, saying it wanted to avoid robberies and other crimes targeting dispensaries.

All of Hawaii’s eight licensed dispensaries have agreed to go cashless by Oct. 1, the governor’s office said. The dispensaries will ask patients to use a debit payment app to buy their pot instead of cash. The app is already an option for marijuana transactions in six states, including California and Colorado.