NEWS SUMMARY AT THIS HOUR-SATURDAY

                                      (MORE UPDATES, EDITING THROUGH 815AM)

Russian' President Vladimir Putin says Russia has "conclusive evidence" that militants in Syria are preparing chemical weapons incidents to blame on Syrian authorities.

Putin spoke at a news conference after a summit meeting with Iranian and Turkish leaders.

He also said the false flag chemical attacks are attempts by the jihadist forces in Syria to prevent government forces from attacking them and to allow them to attack the government side.   He said:

"We consider as unacceptable the wish to move terrorists away from the blow at the pretext of protecting civilian population, as well to inflict damage to the Syrian government forces"

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed his concern about the humanitarian situation in the event of a Syrian government military offensive in the north.

After the summit Erdogan tweeted in part: …."we will neither watch from the sidelines nor participate in such a game...." if military actions are taken that cause the suffering of civilians.

But President Putin's statements point to Russian resolve to support the Syrian government's coming military offensive in the north of Syria.   

More Russian airstrikes were reported Friday in Idlib Province.

British UN Ambassador Karen Pierce said there are "more children than terrorists" in Idlib at Friday's UN Security Council session called to discuss the Syrian situation.

The Civil War in Syria began in 2011 with street demonstrations that turned violent.

In Iraq violent street demonstrations in the main southern city of Basra have led to a curfew.  At least twelve have been killed and others injured in the protests said to be against government corruption but some protesters ended up torching Iran's consulate in Basra.

In addition, the Iraqi authorities say that unknown attackers fired three missiles at the airport in Basra.

For the third Friday in a row, the United States has announced aid cuts to the Palestinians.  The latest item to be cut is 25 million dollars for hospitals in East Jerusalem.

President Trump hopes to roll out a peace settlement between Israel and the Palestinians but its a non starter with Palestinian leadership because the US moved its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.

Foreign countries like Germany and the UK have stepped in to help the UN refugee agency's Palestinian work with additional money.

As for the US taxpayers dollars, they are being "redirected" to other places including aid for Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar who are considered to be victims of persecution by that country's government.

But Myanmar officials including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung Sun Suu Kyi contend the country is battling Muslim extremism and terrorism coming from the Rohingyas.

The leader of the anti-European Union, anti-mass immigration Sweden Democrats has been threatened with beheading.  Jimmie Akesson was given the warning in a letter sent to him demanding he pull out of the election.  The letter has the flag of Islamic State on it.

Sweden's Prime Minister Stefan Lofven is warning about voting for the Sweden Democrats on the last day of campaigning before the election, calling it "dangerous" and "counterproductive".

Polls vary in their conclusions with many showing the Sweden Democrats finishing in a strong second place but some showing them winning.   Either way their strong position forces the existing parties to either form a government with the SD or form a broad coalition against them after the election.

Voting will begin in Sweden in less than 24 hours (at 2am Eastern time).

A one-time aide to President Trump who pled guilty to lying in connection with Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation was sentenced to 14 days in jail Friday.

President Trump reacted online noting the 28 million dollar cost of the investigation into George Papadopoulos means 2 million dollars for each day in jail.   He also tweeted "No collusion" with Russia.

Papadopoulos was also sentenced to 12 months of supervised release, 200 hours of community service and fined 95-hundred dollars.

President Trump said his meeting in Helsinki with Russia's President Vladimir Putin earlier in the summer was a good meeting, one of his "best meetings ever".    Trump made those comments at Thursday's campaign rally in Montana.

What about that letter from a high administration official published as an op-ed piece in the "New York Times" this week?   The letter that talked about the "quiet resistance" within the Trump Administration.   Well, President Trump has asked Attorney General Jeff Sessions to investigate who was the source of that letter.

"The economic boom continues".   That's the word from White House economic advisor Larry Kudlow appearing on CNBC.   Kudlow notes there are more jobs and higher wages in the USA.

Employment figures released in Washington Friday show 201,000 new jobs created in August with the unemployment rate steady at 3.9 percent.

Meanwhile, in Canada there are was an unexpected rise in unemployment last month from 5.8 to 6 percent.

Rapper Mac Miller is dead at the age of 26.  He died from an apparent overdose.  Miller was open about his struggle with drug addiction.   Earlier this year his relationship with singer Ariana Grande broke up.

Actor Bill Daily, known for his roles on the 1960's "I Dream of Jeannie"  TV series and the 1970's "Bob Newhart Show" on television has died at the age of 91.

Meteorologists are watching Florence, a storm that was once a hurricane but is now a tropical storm.   However, they forecast a strengthening of the storm now located over 800 miles southeast of Bermuda.

Florence currently has maximum sustained winds of 65 miles per hour but is anticipated to be a much stronger storm as it moves in the direction of southeastern coast of the United States by the middle of next week.