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News Reports

Current Operations

• Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve Press Briefing By Col. Ryan via Teleconference from Baghdad, Iraq DoD 02 Oct 2018 -- Presenter: Colonel Sean J. Ryan, spokesman, Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve; Commander Sean Robertson, Pentagon spokesman
• Deadly Bombing Rocks Afghan Election Rally VOA 02 Oct 2018 -- A suicide bomb blast has ripped through an election-related gathering in eastern Afghanistan, killing at least 14 people and wounding 42 others.
• Taliban Gain Stronghold in District Near Kabul VOA 02 Oct 2018 -- The young man and three older men agreed to talk under the condition that neither their names, nor pictures would be used, as any identifying markers could put their lives at risk. In this area near Kabul, the Taliban have gained a stronghold.
• Afghanistan: UN 'outraged' by new elections-related suicide attack UN News 02 Oct 2018 -- Denouncing attacks and intimidation in the week since formal campaigning began for Afghanistan's parliamentary elections next month, the United Nations voiced outrage on Tuesday at the death of 14 civilians, killed by a suicide bomber at a campaign rally. A further 42 were wounded.
• At Least 13 Dead, Dozens Injured In Apparent Suicide Attack At Afghan Campaign Rally RFE/RL 02 Oct 2018 -- Officials say at least 13 people are dead and dozens more injured in a suicide attack carried out at an election-campaign rally in eastern Afghanistan.
• Blast hits election rally in Afghanistan, kills 13 Press TV 02 Oct 2018 -- A bomb attack has hit an election campaign rally in eastern Afghanistan, killing at least 13 people and wounding many more.
• 6 Afghan soldiers killed in US-led air raid IRNA 02 Oct 2018 -- Six Afghan soldiers were killed in a foreign troops air strike led by a US commander in Nad Ali District of Helmand Province, and several others were wounded, Afghan news websites announced on Tuesday.
• Guardsmen rescue citizens from rising flood waters Army News 02 Oct 2018 -- Late on the evening of Sept. 20, Guardsmen working at the Army Aviation Support Facility 1 (AASF1) in Morrisville, North Carolina got the call that citizens in Kelly, N.C. would need to be evacuated.

Defense Policy / Programs

• 599th Trans. Bde. partnership uploads USNS Bob Hope Army News 02 Oct 2018 -- When the 599th Transportation Brigade and its partners uploaded 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division cargo bound for the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, Louisiana, onto the USNS Bob Hope from Sept. 18-22, here, it was the culmination of a weeks-long process.
• Army testing more effective ghillie suits Army News 02 Oct 2018 -- The Army is looking for an improved ghillie suit to replace the flame-resistant, camouflage suit now worn by snipers to keep them from being seen by the enemy.
• Joint Press Conference with Secretary Mattis and Minister Parly in Paris, France DoD 02 Oct 2018 -- Presenter: Secretary Of Defense James N. Mattis; French Minister of the Armed Forces Florence Parly
• Readout of Secretary of Defense James N. Mattis' Meetings with French Officials DoD 02 Oct 2018
• Seven nations, joint partners address great power competition at summit AFNS 02 Oct 2018 -- Headquarters Pacific Air Forces and Headquarters Air Force co-hosted more than 140 participants from seven countries, three services, nine major commands, three centers and Total Force representation for an Adaptive basing and Agile Combat Employment Summit at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam Sept. 10 through 13.
• Dunford: Russia, China Pose Similar Challenges to U.S., Rules-Based Order AFPS 02 Oct 2018 -- The challenges the United States sees from Russia and China are similar because both have studied the America way of war, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said yesterday.
• Navy Undersecretary Modly Shores Up Alliances in Oceana AFPS 02 Oct 2018 -- Freedom of navigation and issues of sovereignty were front and center as Navy Undersecretary Thomas B. Modly journeyed through Oceana.
• Adm. Foggo Highlights Challenges and Efforts in Europe and Africa NNS 02 Oct 2018 -- In the second edition of the podcast "On the Horizon: Navigating the European and African Theaters," Adm. James G. Foggo III, commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa (CNE-CNA) and commander, Allied Joint Force Command Naples, Italy, discusses Dynamic Force Employment, NATO's largest exercise, and recent efforts to enhance security and stability throughout Europe and Africa.
• SSC Atlantic Framework Gives Marines a Tactical Edge NNS 02 Oct 2018 -- Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center (SSC) Atlantic is enabling Marines' success in combat by providing a continuous stream of reliable, command and control (C2) information through the Tactical Service Oriented Architecture (TSOA).
• NSWC Philadelphia MACHALT Program Marks 35 Years of Efficient Upgrades to Ships NNS 02 Oct 2018 -- In 2018, Naval Surface Warfare Center Philadelphia Division (NSWCPD) Machinery Alterations (MACHALT) program marks 35 years of efficient ship upgrade installations.
• NAVFAC Announces Organizational Realignment to Increase Efficiencies NNS 02 Oct 2018 -- The Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) announced today the realignment of NAVFAC Northwest, headquartered in Silverdale, Washington, and NAVFAC Southwest, headquartered in San Diego, California, under the Echelon III command of NAVFAC Pacific, headquartered in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
• 'Watershed' Moment as Norway Allows Doubling of US Military Presence Sputnik 02 Oct 2018 -- Starting from Monday, 700 hundred US soldiers will be stationed in northern Norway for five years to come. While inevitably increasing tensions between Oslo and Moscow, this step also violates Norway's basic policy, several parties argue.
• 3rd Battalion, 8th Marines deploys to Norway as Marine Rotational Force Europe USMC News 02 Oct 2018 -- This is the first deployment of the expanded Marine Corps rotational presence of approximately 700 Marines in Norway, which was announced by the Government of Norway in August. The expanded rotational presence was marked by a transfer-of-authority ceremony today in Setermoen, Norway, presided over by Maj. Gen. Russell A.C. Sanborn, commanding general of U.S. Marine Corps Forces Europe and Africa.
• Secretary General previews defence ministerial NATO 02 Oct 2018 -- Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg previewed this week's meeting of NATO Defence Ministers at a press conference on Tuesday (2 October 2018). Ministers will take forward the important decisions leaders made at the NATO Summit in July to adapt and strengthen the Alliance. They are expected to discuss progress in boosting NATO's deterrence and defence and review progress in defence spending and burden-sharing, and in adapting the NATO Command Structure. Ministers will also discuss NATO-EU cooperation, and hold a meeting of the NATO-Georgia Commission.
• NATO to conduct biggest military exercises since Cold War in Norway Press TV 02 Oct 2018 -- NATO has planned to conduct its biggest military exercise since the Cold War, drawing as much as 45,000 troops in Norway, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg says.
• US Threatens to Destroy Russian Warheads if Necessary - Envoy to NATO Sputnik 02 Oct 2018 -- According to US Permanent Representative to NATO Kay Bailey Hutchison, Russia has to halt its development of new 9M729 nuclear-capable missiles.
• US could launch preemptive military strike against Russia: NATO envoy Press TV 02 Oct 2018 -- The United States has threatened to launch a preemptive military strike against Russia if it does not halt developing a banned cruise missile system.
• U.S. Could 'Take Out' Controversial Russian Weapon If Necessary, Envoy Says RFE/RL 02 Oct 2018 -- The U.S. ambassador to NATO has said that if necessary, the United States would consider destroying a Russian missile system that Washington contends Moscow is developing in violation of a nuclear arms treaty.
• F-35B Jets Join Forces with British Aircraft Carrier to Make History NNS 02 Oct 2018 -- This week the first F-35 Lightning fighter jets landed on the deck of the United Kingdom's new aircraft carrier making history and marking the beginning of more than half-a-century of 'Carrier Strike' operations.
• Russia Objects To British Plans To Boost Military Presence In Arctic RFE/RL 02 Oct 2018 -- The Russian Embassy in London is objecting to Britain's reported plans to boost its military presence in the Arctic next year to counter what London has called increasing Russian aggression.
• China Working on Laser Satellite to Spot Submarines 500 Meters Deep Sputnik 02 Oct 2018 -- China is stepping up its underwater surveillance, working now to develop a powerful laser satellite that could one day be capable of targeting submarines transiting the ocean 500 meters below the surface, a feat that hasn't been accomplished before.
• Okinawa Residents Seek $10 Million in Damages Over US Aircraft Noise Pollution Sputnik 02 Oct 2018 -- A group of nearly 3,000 Japanese residents has sued the Japanese government over excessive noise from US aircraft flying over Okinawa, where the US maintains several military bases.
• North Korea has up to 60 nuclear bombs: Seoul Press TV 02 Oct 2018 -- A South Korean minister says that North Korea is estimated to have up to 60 nuclear weapons, in Seoul's first public comment about the size of the North's arsenal.
• 700,000 Basijis gathering in Ashura exercise IRNA 02 Oct 2018 -- Chairman of the Basij Organization of Iran said that the 'National Ashura Authority Exercise' with the 700,000 organized Basij forces from the Jihadist groups and Beitul Moqaddas battalions across the country are gathering in mid-October.
• Iran's upgrades capacity for tank spare parts manufacturing: Cdr IRNA 02 Oct 2018 -- Iranian Army now enjoys an ever growing potential in spare parts as is testified by considerable growth in manufacturing spare parts for tanks, a senior commander said on Tuesday.
• 56 Iranian navy fleets dispatched to far seas since 2007 IRNA 02 Oct 2018 -- Iran navy has dispatched 56 fleets to far seas since 2007 to protect the country's national interests against piracy, said the commander of the Navy of the Islamic Republic of Iran's First Emamat Zone in Bandar Abbas in the Persian Gulf on Tuesday.
• Iranian Ballistic Missile Program is Threat - French Defense Minister Sputnik 02 Oct 2018 -- Paris previously offered to add the Iranian missile program to the 2015 nuclear deal, while Tehran refused to discuss the issue, stressing that its ballistic program is purely defensive in nature.
• Russia's delivery of S-300 air defense system completed: Defense minister Press TV 02 Oct 2018 -- Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu says his country has completed the delivery of an S-300 surface-to-air missile system to Syria, irrespective of Israeli authorities' strong opposition that it will pose a serious "challenge" to the Tel Aviv regime.
• Russia Completes Deliveries of S-300 Air Defense Systems to Syria - Shoigu Sputnik 02 Oct 2018 -- Work on installing a unified air defense control system in Syria will be finalized by October 20, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said at President Vladimir Putin's meeting with members of Russia's Security Council on Tuesday.
• Department Press Briefing - October 2, 2018 US Dept. of State 02 Oct 2018

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for October 02, 2018

Other Conflicts

• 2 October 2018 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 02 Oct 2018
• China condemns US 'freedom of navigation' patrols Press TV 02 Oct 2018 -- China has condemned the recent sailing of a US warship near territory that it claims in the South China Sea, insisting that it is "resolutely opposed" to what Washington calls "freedom of navigation" patrols.
• Yemen: as cholera surges again, UN and partners double down on vaccination efforts UN News 02 Oct 2018 -- Following an "important increase" in the number of suspected cholera cases recently in Yemen, a new vaccination campaign is underway in coordination with the government to prevent a third major outbreak, said the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday.
• Yemeni forces target Saudi positions in Najran with missiles IRNA 02 Oct 2018 -- Yemeni Army's missile and artillery unit targeted the Saudi mercenaries' positions in Najran Province with missiles and several mortars.
• Yemen: As cholera surges again, UN doubles down on vaccination efforts IRNA 02 Oct 2018 -- About 540,000 women, children and men who received a first dose of the vaccine in August, in Hudaydah and Ibb governorates, are targeted in this new four-day campaign. More than 3,000 health workers have been trained and mobilized for this effort.
• Yemeni forces shoot down Saudi reconnaissance drone in Najran Press TV 02 Oct 2018 -- Yemeni army forces, supported by allied fighters from Popular Committees, have intercepted and targeted a Saudi unmanned aerial vehicle as it was flying in the skies over the kingdom's southwestern border region of Najran.
• Saudi Arabia admits 'certain mistakes' in strikes on Yemen Press TV 02 Oct 2018 -- Under increasing pressure from international bodies and rights groups, Saudi Arabia has admitted committing "certain mistakes" in conducting military strikes on Yemen, where the Saudi-led coalition strikes have killed and maimed civilians, including many children.
• US, Turkish forces begin training for joint patrols in Syria's Manbij: Mattis Press TV 02 Oct 2018 -- US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis says units from the Turkish and US militaries have started training for joint patrols near Syria's northern town of Manbij, which has been a source of tension between the two NATO allies for months.
• Syria Shot Down Over Third of Missiles Launched by Israel on Sept. 17 - Reports Sputnik 02 Oct 2018 -- The Russian Defense Ministry has stated that four Israeli F-16 aircraft deliberately used a Russian Il-20 military aircraft as a shield against Syrian air defense systems during a missile attack on Syrian targets in the province of Latakia creating a dangerous situation that led to the downing of the Russian plane.
• Reports: Al-Nusra Agrees to Leave Idlib Under Pressure From Turkish Intelligence Sputnik 02 Oct 2018 -- Terrorist organizations Jabhat al-Nusra* and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham have agreed, under pressure from Turkish intelligence, to disband and withdraw their forces from the demilitarized zone in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib, Al Watan newspaper reported, citing sources with knowledge of the situation.
• Erdogan: Turkey Taking Steps With Russia Against Radical Groups in Syria Sputnik 02 Oct 2018 -- Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has stated that he will continue to seek a solution with the Syrian people, not the Syrian Government, stressing that he has never taken incorrect measures in the country.
• Russian Military Death Toll In Syria Reaches 112, Lawmaker Says RFE/RL 02 Oct 2018 -- The Russian military has lost 112 personnel in the Syrian civil war over the past three years, according to a senior lawmaker who heads a defense committee in Russia's parliament.
• Commander: 40 Daesh terrorists killed in missile attack IRNA 02 Oct 2018 -- Commander of the IRGC's Aerospace Force Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh said on Tuesday afternoon that around 40 terrorists were killed in missile attacks, but their bodies are still under debris and complementary information will be published in future.
• Syrian FM: Iran's rockets on Bukamal aimed to fight terrorism IRNA 02 Oct 2018 -- Deputy Prime Minister and Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Al-Mualem praised Iran's missile attack on al-Bukmal and declared that the missiles were fired against terrorism, saying cooperation with the Islamic Republic of Iran was legal and within the framework of Syria's national sovereignty.
• Tehran coordinated its ballistic missile strikes with Damascus: Syrian FM Press TV 02 Oct 2018 -- Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem says Iran's missile strikes against militant positions in the country's eastern province of Dayr al-Zawr in retaliation for the recent terror attack in the southwestern Iranian city of Ahvaz was part of "legitimate" cooperation between Damascus and Tehran in the fight against terrorism.
• Iranian Maj. General Warns of Further Military Operations Against 'Terrorists' Sputnik 02 Oct 2018 -- Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) fired several ballistic missiles at Daesh* targets in eastern Syria on Monday in retaliation to last month's terror attack on a military parade in the city of Ahvaz.
• Terrorists killed, injured 254 Iraqis in Sept IRNA 02 Oct 2018 -- A total of 75 Iraqi civilians were killed and another 179 injured in acts of terrorism, violence and armed conflict in Iraq in September 2018, according to casualty figures recorded by the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI).
• ASEAN urges accountability for Myanmar atrocities Press TV 02 Oct 2018 -- The foreign ministers of Southeast Asian nations have called on Myanmar to probe state-sponsored atrocities against Rohingya Muslims.
• Lebanon Denies Israeli Claim It Hosts Iran-Backed Hizballah Missile Sites RFE/RL 02 Oct 2018 -- Lebanon's foreign minister has escorted dozens of ambassadors on a tour of facilities near the Beirut international airport in a bid to disprove Israeli allegations that the Iran-backed Hizballah movement is secretly assembling missiles there.

News Reports

• Pentagon Detects Substance in 2 Pieces of Mail, Suspects It is Poison Ricin Sputnik 02 Oct 2018 -- The US Department of Defense said on Tuesday that it has detected a suspicious substance in two mail packages and it suspects the substance is ricin, a poison found in castor beans.
• Ricin Suspected in Letters Sent to Trump, Pentagon VOA 02 Oct 2018 -- An envelope addressed to President Donald Trump containing a substance thought to be the toxin ricin appears to be connect to two letters intercepted at the Pentagon.
• DHS Secretary: US Election Infrastructure Safe for Now VOA 02 Oct 2018 -- When U.S. voters go to the polls Nov. 6 to cast their ballots in the midterm elections, they can be confident everything will work as it should, at least for now, the secretary of homeland security said Tuesday.
• US Authorities: Nothing to Fear from Test of National Emergency System VOA 02 Oct 2018 -- The U.S. government says Americans should not panic when their cellphones simultaneously sound an alarm on Wednesday as the federal government tests, for the first time, its presidential wireless emergency alert system.
• US jails Chinese woman for smuggling military secrets Press TV 02 Oct 2018 -- A Chinese woman has been jailed in the United States after pleading guilty to smuggling sensitive space and military communications technology back to China, the US Justice Department says.
• Who Was Who? The Key Players In Russia's Dramatic October 1993 Showdown RFE/RL 02 Oct 2018 -- It brought Russia to the brink of civil war and resulted in the worst street violence in Moscow since the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution.
• Photo At Russian Military Academy Adds To Evidence About Skripal Poisoning Suspect RFE/RL 02 Oct 2018 -- A photograph on display at a Russian military academy is adding to the growing evidence identifying a Russian military intelligence officer who was allegedly involved in the poisoning of a former double agent in England.
• Russia summons South Korean envoy over impounded vessel Press TV 02 Oct 2018 -- Russia has summoned South Korea's ambassador to Moscow, demanding that Seoul immediately release a Russian shipping vessel that it has been "illegally" holding in the port of Busan.
• Pompeo to Meet With North Korea's Kim in Pyongyang in October – State Dept Sputnik 02 Oct 2018 -- US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will have a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang on Sunday as part of his trip to Asia, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert told reports on Tuesday.
• War End Is Not Just Gift: KCNA Commentary KCNA 02 Oct 2018 -- Some Korean issue experts of America are recently spouting such rubbish that the U.S. should force the DPRK to not only notify its nuclear program and have it verified but also dismantle its Nyongbyon nuclear facility and missile facility in return for the U.S. response to its call for a war-end declaration.
• Iran says able to defeat US' conspiracies IRNA 02 Oct 2018 -- Top Iranian security official on Tuesday said the country is able to thwart the US' conspiracies.
• Iraqi FM declares support for Iran against sanctions IRNA 02 Oct 2018 -- Iraqi minister for foreign affairs on Tuesday said that his country will not support the anti-Iranian sanctions.
• Iran not to sit for talks with unreliable, unrealistic US, FM Zarif says Press TV 02 Oct 2018 -- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says Iran will not sit for talks with the US as long as it sees no reliability and realism on the other side.
• IAEA rejects Israeli PM anti-Iran request IRNA 02 Oct 2018 -- The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in a statement rejected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's request for inspecting Iran nuclear program again.
• Independence of agency 'paramount', stresses UN nuclear chief in apparent response to Israel's claim of secret Iran site UN News 02 Oct 2018 -- After a direct challenge from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to personally and immediately visit what he called a secret atomic warehouse in Iran, the United Nations nuclear energy chief on Tuesday reaffirmed that his agency has conducted all necessary additional visits.
• IAEA dismisses Israel's call to inspect Iran facility Press TV 02 Oct 2018 -- The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has declined to "take at face value" a recent Israel's claim that Iran has a secret atomic warehouse.
• IAEA Says Inspected All Locations in Iran Required by Additional Protocol Sputnik 02 Oct 2018 -- The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Tuesday it inspected all sites and locations in Iran it needed to visit under the Additional Protocol.
• Iran rejects France claims about foiled bomb plot against MKO Press TV 02 Oct 2018 -- Iran has dismissed France's allegations about the involvement of an Iranian diplomat in an alleged bomb attack on a meeting of the notorious anti-Iran terrorist group, the Mujahedin Khalq Organization (MKO), near Paris, calling on French officials to pursue a realistic approach to Tehran.
• France Freezes Iranian Intelligence Assets In Sign Of Worsening Relations RFE/RL 02 Oct 2018 -- France says it has frozen the assets of Iran's Ministry of Security and Intelligence, as well as of two Iranian men thought to be members of the country's intelligence service, in a sign of deteriorating relations between the two countries.
• French Gov't Says Freezing of Iran's Assets Linked to Foiled Attack Sputnik 02 Oct 2018 -- The news comes a day after a German court ruled to extradite Iranian diplomat Assadollah Assadi, who is suspected to be an intelligence agent, to Belgium, as he had allegedly attempted to stage a terrorist attack.
• SpaceX Uses Dumping to Drive Russia Out of Space Launch Market - Roscosmos Sputnik 02 Oct 2018 -- Elon Musk, the co-owner and CEO of the US aerospace manufacturer SpaceX, has been using dumping on the space launch market in order to crowd out Russia, head of Russia's State Space Corporation Roscosmos Dmitry Rogozin said Monday.
• Barham Salih elected new president of Iraq Press TV 02 Oct 2018 -- Iraqi lawmakers have elected veteran Kurdish politician Barham Saleh president of the country.
• Report: African Countries Struggle to Contain Terror Groups VOA 02 Oct 2018 -- Amid a decline in terror incidents worldwide in 2017, African countries struggled to prevent the expansion of terror groups in parts of the continent, according to a U.S. State Department report on terrorism.
• Treasury Sanctions Individuals and Companies Associated with Japan's Major Organized Crime Syndicate, the Yakuza US Treasury 02 Oct 2018 -- Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) took action against two companies and four individuals in Japan associated with the Yamaguchi-gumi, the largest and most prominent Japanese Yakuza syndicate.
• Iran ready to launch 3 satellites ISNA 02 Oct 2018 -- The head of Iranian Space Agency (ISA) Morteza Berari announced that three domestically-made satellites have been completely built and are ready to be launched.
• Roskosmos Chief Says Space Station Hole Was 'Deliberate' RFE/RL 02 Oct 2018 -- The head of Russia's space agency has suggested that the tiny hole discovered in the International Space Station (ISS) was made deliberately, citing an expert commission investigating the issue.
• Iranian companies reconstructing 800 mw of Syrian power plants IRNA 02 Oct 2018 -- Iran's Energy Minister announced that more than 800 megawatts of various power plants in Syria have been introduced for reconstruction and repair, and Iranian companies are ready to finalize and sign contracts in the area.
• Iran to build power plant in Syria IRNA 02 Oct 2018 -- A memorandum of understanding for constructing a power plant in the Syrian city of Latakia was signed by Iran and Syria on Tuesday.
• 12 allies speak up for Taiwan at U.N. debate: MOFA CNA 02 Oct 2018 -- A total of 12 of Taiwan's diplomatic allies spoke out for the country in the general debate of the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly that concluded Monday, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) official said Tuesday.
• Armenia's Pashinian Says Will Resign In Push To Force New Elections RFE/RL 02 Oct 2018 -- Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian vowed late on October 2 to tender his resignation in an effort to force early parliamentary elections before the end of the year.
• Tens Of Thousands Protest Outside Armenian Parliament Against 'Counterrevolutionary' Bill RFE/RL 02 Oct 2018 -- Tens of thousands of people have gathered outside Armenia's parliament building in Yerevan to protest against a bill that would make it more difficult for Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian to disband the legislature and call new elections.
• Vucic Expresses 'Deep Gratitude' To Putin As Serbian, Russian Leaders Meet At Kremlin RFE/RL 02 Oct 2018 -- Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has thanked his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, for protecting Serbia's national interests, as the two leaders met for the second time in Moscow this year.