Abandoned by US, Kurds strike a deal with Assad

The Kurds made a deal with Assad and Putin As Turkey’s deadly military offensive continues in Syria, the Kurds have struck a deal with the Russian-backed Syrian troops for help. The leaders of the Catalan independence movement in 2017 have all been sentenced by Spain’s Supreme Court. Also, Simone Biles is the greatest. (We’re still beta-testing this newsletter. Let us know your thoughts by replying to this email.) [Alt Text]( The Kurds made a deal with Assad and Putin Russia-backed Syrian forces wasted no time in taking advantage of an abrupt US retreat from Syria on Monday, deploying deep inside Kurdish-held territory south of the Turkish frontier less than 24 hours after Washington announced a full withdrawal. Washington's former Kurdish allies [made a deal with Damascus]( to bring in Syrian troops as an "emergency measure" to help fend off an assault by Turkey. The Syrian government began deploying on Monday in a major victory for President Bashar al-Assad and his principal ally Russia, who gained a military foothold across the biggest swathe of the country that had been beyond their grasp. On Sunday, [Trump warned of "powerful" sanctions]( on Turkey over the country's offensive into Syria. Also: Why the Kurds made a deal? [The Kurds’ commander in chief explains]( Can Turkey resettle 1 million Syrians in an 18-mile wide 'safe zone'? Turkey’s goals for its offensive in northern Syria are twofold: First, to push back Kurdish-led militias that were backed by the US in the fight against ISIS and [abandoned last week](. To Turkey, the militias are the Syrian affiliate of the PKK, a Kurdish separatist group that has carried out a series of attacks in Turkey that have killed at least 4,686 people since 2015, according to an[analysis by the International Crisis Group](. Then, within an 18-mile wide “safe zone” that Turkey hopes to secure, Turkish President Erdoğan says he will settle over a million refugees. When Erdoğan’s plans were first unveiled, the idea seemed preposterous. But the Turkish military’s incursion into the border zone has intensified fears that if the operation succeeds, Erdoğan will have the physical space to [make good on his wishes](. Also: [Who are the Kurds?]( Why are Hong Kong’s mafioso are attacking protesters? [Alt Text]( Hong Kong is slipping into dysfunction so rapidly that, for its citizens, normality is being constantly redefined. Here’s the latest grim milestone. An elected official, aligned with the protest movement, says local mafia have put a price on his head. Underscoring this claim are strange attacks on[his colleagues]( — other lawmakers, also opposed to Chinese state dominance, getting beaten down by mysterious men. But that’s not the worst part. This official, Lam Cheuk-ting, insists he can no longer rely on the cops for protection. Hong Kong’s police, [he and other officials claim](, are behaving like “servants” of crime syndicates loyal to Beijing — and thus “[forcing people to defend themselves](.” Spain court sentences Catalan leaders Spain's Supreme Court on Monday [sentenced nine separatist leaders from Catalonia]( to between nine and 13 years in prison for sedition over their role in a failed independence bid, triggering protests across the region. The defendants were acquitted of the gravest charge, rebellion, but leading separatists were quick to condemn the court's decision. The former head of Catalonia's regional government, Carles Puigdemont, said the prison sentences were an "atrocity," and in Barcelona, three main streets were blocked by protesters holding signs calling for "Freedom for political prisoners." Nobel in Economics Abhijit Banerjee, Esther Duflo and Michael Kremer on Monday [were awarded the 2019 Nobel Economics Prize]( for their work in fighting global poverty. French American Duflo becomes only the second female economics winner in the prize's 50-year history, as well as the youngest at 46. She shared the award equally with Indian-born American Banerjee and Kremer, also of the US. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said the work of the three economists had shown how the problem of poverty could be tackled by breaking it down into smaller and more precise questions in areas such as education and healthcare, making problems easier to tackle. Also: [Only 20 Nobels in the sciences have gone to women. Why?]( Legal status for thousands of Liberians in US hangs on court decision [Alt Text]( Some 4,000 Liberians will lose their legal status due to the Trump administration’s termination of the Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) program that granted them temporary reprieves from deportation. [Liberians finally got their day in court last week](. Their lawyers argued that Trump’s decision to end the program was rooted in racism and is therefore unconstitutional. A lawyer for the US government countered that the DED program exists at the president’s discretion and that humanitarian circumstances in Liberia have improved to the point where DED protections are no longer necessary. The parties now await a decision. Also: it’s Columbus Day according to the US government, but for many it’s Indigenous People’s Day. [This piece from our archives]( looks at the trauma of family separations experienced by Native Americans. Morning meme: Gymnast Simone Biles has cemented her status as a total badass after [setting a record for career world titles](. If you even needed proof, here she is at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games during her floor routine for the Individual All-Around Final. [Simone Biles at the Rio Games.] Other weekend sports amazement: Eliud Kipchoge ran a marathon [in under two hours]( and Brigid Kosgei [set a new women's marathon record](. In case you missed it on The World: [Alt Text]( - [The view from the other Kashmir]( - [Hong Kong protest plays out on a Boston college campus]( - [IVF is a new front in French culture wars]( - [Russian perspective on Syria]( - [Syrian refugees in Turkey]( - [A marathon in under two hours?]( - [Liberians set to lose legal status get day in court]( - [Violence against protesters in Iraq]( - [Nobel Peace Prize]( - [Giuliani's Ukraine connections]( - [Americans who volunteered with Kurds in Syria see betrayal of US values]( - [Violence near Syrian border]( [The World on Facebook]( [The World's Twitter account]( [Edit your subscription]( | [Unsubscribe]( | [View in your browser]( Top of the World is brought to you by [PRI's The World](.