SPIII Weekend 080413

Sunday August 4th 2013

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 The following news links are supplied by our readers and a team of news hounds on 3 continents.If you wish to contribute to the mix please Email your links to VOCR2012@Gmail.com

Rouhani urges end to Iran sanctions   

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has urged the West to drop sanctions and treat Tehran with respect, during his inauguration speech to parliament.

MPs cheered as he said: "If you want an adequate response, you shouldn't speak the language of sanctions, you should speak the language of respect."
Mr Rouhani, 64, nominated a cabinet that included as foreign minister ex-UN envoy Mohammad Javad Zarif, a moderate.
The US said it would be a "willing partner" if Iran "engages seriously".
The White House said Iran should meet its international obligations and deal with international concern over its nuclear programme.
Mr Rouhani, a former nuclear negotiator who has worked as a diplomat for three decades, won a surprise victory in June's election.

See related story : 
Israel, US have vastly different takes on Iran's Rouhani inauguration

Egypt says time is running out to peacefully end pro-Morsi protests

Egypt's highest security body warned Sunday that the clock is ticking in the search for a peaceful end to the standoff over sit-ins by ousted President Mohammed Morsi's supporters, suggesting that authorities will break up the vigils unless ongoing mediation efforts produce results soon.
More than a month after the military shunted Morsi aside, tens of thousands of the deposed Islamist leader's supporters remain camped out in two main crossroads in Cairo demanding his reinstatement. Egypt's military-backed interim leadership has issued a string of warnings to the protesters to disperse or the security forces will move in, setting the stage for a potential bloody showdown.
The U.S. and EU are trying to mediate a peaceful resolution to the standoff to avoid a repeat of deadly street violence that has killed more than 250 people — at least 130 of which were pro-Morsi protesters shot dead by security forces in two bloody clashes — since the July 3 military coup.
See related story: 
After Mursi, political Islam losing ground in Egypt

Bomb, Mortar Attacks Kill 8 In Iraq

BAGHDAD -- Iraqi authorities say bomb and mortar attacks across the country have killed eight people, including a judge.
Police officials say a roadside bomb struck an army patrol near the northern city of Mosul early Sunday, killing three soldiers.
In Tikrit, in central Iraq, a car bomb killed judge Sajid Abdul-Amir as he was driving to his work, police said.
In eastern Baghdad, two people were killed in a blast in a commercial street, police said. Meanwhile, mortar rounds landed on houses in the capital's western suburbs, killing two people.
Medical officials confirmed the death toll for all attacks. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to talk to the media.
Violence has increased recently in Iraq alongside escalating political and sectarian tensions.

Interpol issues jailbreak alert

Interpol has issued a global security alert linked to suspected al-Qaeda involvement in recent prison breakouts.

Interpol cited prison escapes in Iraq, Libya and Pakistan, and asked its members to examine if they were connected.
The police agency is also asking member countries to "swiftly process any information linked to these events".
In the most recent escape, 248 prisoners were sprung from a jail in north-west Pakistan.
Taliban militants used automatic weapons and bombs to break down the walls of the jail in Dera Ismail Khan on 30 July. At least 13 people were killed, including six police.
The authorities said 30 of those who fled were "hardened militants" jailed for involvement in suicide bombings and other serious attacks.
Hundreds of inmates escaped from two jails in Iraq - Abu Ghraib to the west of Baghdad and Taji to the north - on 22 July.
Bombs and mortar fire were used to break into the prisons. Al-Qaeda members were among those housed in the facilities.
Related story: 
Terrorist threat followed 'pre-9/11 levels' of 'chatter', say NSA defenders

Israel to release first group of Palestinian prisoners next week

Israel will free next week the first of four groups of long-held Palestinian prisoners slated for release as part of a deal to restart peace talks, the chief Palestinian negotiator said Sunday.

Israel agreed in principle to release 104 veteran prisoners in a U.S.-brokered agreement that cleared the way toward resuming peace talks with the Palestinians after a five-year freeze.
Negotiations began in Washington last week, and are to continue in Jerusalem next week.
Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said in a statement that 26 prisoners will be freed Aug. 13.
Israel's chief negotiator, Tzipi Livni, told Israeli television Saturday that the first group of Palestinian prisoners will be released sometime before negotiations resume next week. Livni did not specify the number of prisoners Israel would release.

At Least 9 Dead After Syrian Warplanes Strike Near Lebanese Border

BEIRUT -- Syrian warplanes struck targets near the border with Lebanon on Saturday, killing at least nine people in the latest attack along the volatile border, the Lebanese state-run news agency and security officials said.
The warplanes targeted the rebel-held town of Yabroud inside Syria, just across from Lebanese villages housing Syrians who fled a government offensive in June, a Lebanese security official from the eastern Bekaa region said. Both sides in the Syrian civil war have allies and supply lines in Lebanon.
The official said the victims included six members of the same family, while 16 people were wounded. He spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.
Also on Saturday, rebels captured an arms depot near Damascus, seizing weapons and ammunition from the regime, activists said.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that militants from the al-Qaida-affiliated Jabhat al-Nusra group led the assault on the depot in Qalamun district north of the capital. Militants seized caches of ammunition, rockets and anti-tank missiles, the Observatory said.
It was a rare battlefield success by the rebels in recent months. The government has been on the offensive in the country's heartland and has retaken territory, although rebels are sometimes reported to overrun military facilities and villages.

Germany ends spy pact with US and UK

Germany has cancelled a Cold War-era pact with the US and Britain in response to revelations about electronic surveillance operations.

Details of snooping programmes involving the transatlantic allies have been leaked to the media by former US intelligence analyst Edward Snowden.
The revelations have sparked widespread outrage in Germany, where elections are due next month.
The agreement dates from 1968-9, and its cancellation is largely symbolic.
German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said in a statement: "The cancellation of the administrative agreements, which we have pushed for in recent weeks, is a necessary and proper consequence of the recent debate about protecting personal privacy."

Bombshell Report On Benghazi Attack Alleges CIA Cover-Up

Are the CIA trying to silence its Benghazi operatives?

That's the question brought forth by CNN in a bombshell report alleging that the spy agency has been subjecting its employees to unusually frequent polygraph tests in an attempt to keep its operations in Libya a secret. According to the news outlet's unnamed sources, the purpose of the almost monthly examinations is to reveal possible leaks to Congress or the media.
CNN reports that as many as 35 Americans were on the ground in Benghazi at the time of the attack, 21 of whom were working in a building known as "the annex" that is believed to be run by the CIA. Exactly what they were doing there remains a mystery, and it appears that the agency is going to great lengths to keep it that way.
"You have no idea the amount of pressure being brought to bear on anyone with knowledge of this operation," a source told CNN.
Concerns of a possible cover-up have been continuously raised since the attack on the U.S. embassy in Libya that killed four Americans, including Ambassador Christopher Stevens, last September.
In May, government emails revealed the previously unknown extended role of former CIA director David Petraeus in shaping the White House's post-attack talking points, which congressional Republicans point to as evidence of a cover-up by the administration. Both the White House and the CIA have frequently denied such claims.


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Blast near Indian consulate in Afghanistan kills 12

JALALABAD(AFGHANISTAN)/NEW DELHI: At least 12 people were killed in a deadly suicide bomb attack targeting the Indian consulate in Jalalabad city, bordering Pakistan, in the backdrop of reports that the ISI-backedHaqqani network was again plotting to attack Indian interests in Afghanistan.

Three bombers drove in a car towards the consulate and detonated explosives, killing 12, including eight children, and injuring 24 others. The dead included the bombers.

The explosion, which created a large crater, occurred at a security checkpost just ahead of the consulate and all Indian personnel were safe. There was no major damage to the consulate, official sources said in New Delhi.

The Taliban denied any hand in the attack, in which the ISI-backed Haqqani network is a suspect. The Indian Embassy in Kabul has been attacked by the network twice - in 2008 and 2009 - killing scores of people.

Today's attack took place in the backdrop of threats of possible terror attacks on Indian diplomats and other assets in Afghanistan. A security team was dispatched from Delhi to Kabul last week to assess the threats.
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US issues worldwide travel alert

The US state department has issued a global travel alert because of fears of an unspecified al-Qaeda attack.

The department said the potential for an attack was particularly strong in the Middle East and North Africa.
The US intercepted electronic communications between senior al-Qaeda figures, according to officials quoted by the New York Times.
The alert comes shortly after the US announced nearly two dozen embassies and consulates would be shut on Sunday.
The US state department said the alert expires on 31 August 2013 and it recommended US citizens traveling abroad be vigilant.
"Current information suggests that al-Qaeda and affiliated organizations continue to plan terrorist attacks both in the region and beyond, and that they may focus efforts to conduct attacks in the period between now and the end of August," the statement said.
The alert warned of "the potential for terrorists to attack public transportation systems and other tourist infrastructure".
In its report, the New York Times says high-level intercepts were collected and analysed this week and that the CIA, state department and White House immediately recognised their significance.

Five years later, an evolving Tea Party movement wades into the 2014 elections

This wasn't the revolution the Tea Party had in mind.
Four years ago, the movement and its potent mix of anger and populism persuaded thousands of costumed and sign-waving conservatives to protest the ballooning deficit and President Obama's health care law. It swept a crop of no-compromise lawmakers into Congress and governor's offices and transformed political up-and-comers, including Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, into household names.
But as many Tea Party stars seek re-election next year and Rubio considers a 2016 presidential run, conservative activists are finding themselves at a crossroads. Many of their standard-bearers have embraced more moderate positions on bedrock issues such as immigration and health care, broadening their appeal in swing states but dampening grass-roots passion.
"They keep sticking their finger in the eyes of the guys who got them elected," said Ralph King, a co-founder of the Cleveland Tea Party Patriots. "A lot of people are feeling betrayed."


Happy Birthday Barry!

WASHINGTON — Instead of "Hail to the Chief," President Barack Obama is most likely hearing strains of "Happy Birthday" this weekend.
Obama turns 52 on Sunday and is spending part of the day at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland.
The White House said little about how he's celebrating. He played golf Saturday with friends from his days in Hawaii and Chicago. Some were expected to join him at Camp David.
Obama is scheduled to return to the White House on Sunday afternoon. His week ahead includes travel to the West Coast to discuss plans to help homeowners, appear on "The Tonight Show" with Jay Leno and visit with troops at Camp Pendleton.
He also has a White House meeting Thursday with the prime minister of Greece.
Related Story:
Obama begins birthday weekend with round of golf 

1992 Hillary Clinton Speech Saw Major Problem That Still Resonates

Over two decades ago, Hillary Clinton lay out the "rules" for women struggling to balance family and work, many of which still resonate today.
In the midst of her husband's presidential campaign in 1992, Clinton delivered the commencement address to Wellesley College's graduating class.
The New York Times reported at the time that some students were upset by the choice to have a candidate's wife speak. According to one student, Clinton was reportedly chosen last minute after dozens of other speakers were difficult to schedule.
Clinton addressed topics ranging from the Cold War to losing her clothes swimming, and then addressed the challenges of advocating for policies that "nurture our nation's children" amid the many responsibilities facing women at the time.

Hollywood bets on Clinton payoff

Hillary Clinton, get ready for your close-up. The former secretary of state and potential 2016 presidential candidate is the subject of a series of Hollywood projects set for release in the near future.
On the line-up: An NBC miniseries called “Hillary,” a CNN documentary based on Clinton’s life and a movie, dubbed “Rodham,” dramatizing her early years as a Washington lawyer. Plus, there’s an HBO documentary about former President Bill Clinton in the works. Martin Scorsese (of “Taxi Driver” fame) is directing that film, which will focus on his presidency and post-White House life.
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