Gazette 092013

Friday September 20th 2013

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Syria 'submits chemical arms data'

Syria has begun sending details of its chemical weapons as part of a US-Russia brokered deal to make them safe, the chemical arms watchdog has said.

The Hague-based OPCW added that it expected more details from Syria in the coming days and had postponed a meeting planned for Sunday.
Syria was given a Saturday deadline to give a full list of its chemical arms.
The US had threatened military action over a chemical attack in Damascus last month, which the UN called a war crime.
The US, UK and France have accused Syrian government forces of carrying out the attack, but President Bashar al-Assad has blamed rebel groups.
Meeting postponed A spokesman for the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which is responsible for policing the treaty outlawing chemical arms, told Reuters news agency on Friday: "We have received part of the verification and we expect more."
A UN diplomat confirmed to the news agency that details had been submitted, adding: "It's quite long... and being translated."

Rebels agree truce in Syrian town

The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (Isis), linked to al-Qaeda, seized the northern town on Wednesday from the larger Western-backed Free Syrian Army.
Fighting between rebel groups has raised fears of a war within a war.
The clashes come ahead of a deadline, on Saturday, for Syria to provide a list of its chemical weapons facilities as part of a US-Russian deal for the country to destroy its deadly arsenal. 

Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister, Sergei Ryabkov, is currently holding talks in Damascus about the deal.

But the agreement still faces many hurdles - including the differing opinions of the US and Russia.
US Secretary of State John Kerry said a "definitive" UN report had proved that the Syrian government was behind a deadly chemical weapons attack in the Damascus suburbs of Ghouta on 21 August.
But Damascus - backed by Moscow - insists that rebel forces carried out the attack.
The West also wants any UN resolution on Syria's chemical weapons to include the threat of military force in the result of non-compliance - but Russia objects to any mention of this.
Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, in an interview with Fox News, said it could take about a year to destroy Syria's chemical stockpiles and could cost about $1bn (£623m).

Insurgents kill 13 policemen, wound 18 others in Afghanistan ambush 

Insurgents killed 13 Afghan policemen and wounded 18 in an ambush this week in a remote northern part of the country, the Interior Ministry said Friday.

The ambush took place on Wednesday in the Wurduj district of Badakshan province. The aliban claimed responsibility after the attack.
The ministry statement also said 47 insurgents were killed in the same area during a police operation earlier in the week.
Although attacks with high casualty figures are increasingly common as insurgents escalate their campaign against government forces across Afghanistan, they are rare in Badakshan.
The region, nestled in the Hindu Kush and Pamir mountain ranges and bordering China, is one of the most remote in the country.
Casualties among Afghan security forces have been increasing after they took over the lead for security around the country from foreign troops earlier this summer.

Suspected Al Qaeda Militants Kill 30 In Yemen

ADEN, Sept 20 (Reuters) - Suspected al Qaeda militants killed about 30 people in attacks on two military targets in south Yemen on Friday, security officials said.

Around 20 died when two car bombs exploded at a military camp in al-Nashama and about 10 were killed by gunmen in the town of Mayfaa.

Officials believe members of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) were behind both attacks, the security sources said. AQAP is seen by Western countries as one of the most dangerous branches of al Qaeda because it has attempted to carry out bombings on international airlines.

A concealed bomb in one car exploded among a group of soldiers at the gate of the al-Nashama camp as the driver sought to enter. The other was already inside the camp when it exploded, one of the security sources said.

In Mayfaa, gunmen opened fire on a military headquarters, killing around 10 people, before escaping in stolen army vehicles, local residents said.

Maintaining stability in impoverished Yemen is a priority for Washington and Gulf states because of its location next to major oil shipping routes and Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter.

Both attacks took place in Yemen's southern Shabwa Province, a lawless, rugged area that has been the scene of much fighting in recent years between Islamist militants and the security forces.

Grenade attack on mosque kills 3 in Pakistan

Pakistani police say assailants hurled hand grenades into a Sufi mosque in the country's northwest in a late night attack that left three people dead.

Police official Misri Khan says the attack late Thursday in Achini Bala village near the Khyber tribal region also wounded 20 people.
Khan said on Friday that three of the wounded were in critical condition. Dozens of worshippers were participating in a religious gathering when the attack took place.
No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, but suspicion will likely fall on the Pakistani Taliban and their allies. Hard-line Sunni extremists consider Sufis to be heretics.

Germany Sold Syria Chemicals, Government Admits 

BERLIN, Sept 18 (Reuters) - Germany exported 111 tonnes of chemicals to Syria between 2002 and 2006 that could be used in the production of sarin gas, according to a government document published on Wednesday.

But the government rejected a suggestion from an opposition lawmaker that Germany might thereby have inadvertently contributed to the Aug. 21 sarin attack in Syria, which the West blames on President Bashar al-Assad.

The chemicals - sodium fluoride, hydrofluoric acid and ammonium hydrogen fluoride - are classified as "dual use" under European Union law, meaning they can be used for either civil or military purposes. They require special export permits.

In a written response to a parliamentary question from Germany's Left Party, the economy ministry said the chemicals sold between 2002 and 2003, in 2005 and 2006 had a total value of 174,000 euros ($232,300) and were sold for civilian use.

"Permits were granted after careful consideration of all possible risks, including of the goods' misuse or transfer into chemical weapons use. In all cases their planned civil use was considered to be plausible," the ministry stated.

"The German government has no information to suggest that the delivered goods were later used for purposes other than the originally declared civilian purpose," it added.

Chancellor Angela Merkel told ARD television: "We are of course looking into all allegations on this but from what we can see so far the export licence was for civil use."

Nigerian village attack by extremists in army fatigues leaves 140 dead

At least 140 bodies have been recovered after an attack by suspected Islamist militants in north-east Nigeria, according to officials.
Two soldiers and three police officers also died, according to a soldier who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity, during a visit on Thursday to the village of Benisheik by Borno state's governor, Kashim Shettima.
Extremists, believed to be Boko Haram fighters, in military fatigues attacked in about 20 pickup trucks and two light tanks firing anti-aircraft guns that overwhelmed soldiers armed only with automatic rifles and rocket-propelled grenades, the soldier said. He claimed the soldiers led the attackers to the village.
"We had to retreat to our base to reinforce after running out of ammunition. We had to run for our lives," said the private, who said he hid in a millet plantation. "But they followed us down and surrounded our base and began to shell our building. We couldn't stand the heat of their superior firepower. We had to retreat into the village after they killed two of our soldiers and three policemen."
He said the attackers finally retreated, taking with them an additional four military patrol trucks and two light armoured tanks.
Such accounts challenge the Nigerian military's insistence that it is winning the war since a state of emergency was declared on 14 May, to put down the insurrection by extremists who want to enforce strict Shariah law throughout Nigeria. Africa's most populous nation of more than 160 million people is almost equally divided between Muslims and Christians.

Syrian rebels upset with US after chemical weapons deal

AMMAN: The Syrian opposition feels badly let down by Washington's decision to do a deal with Moscow to eliminate Bashar al-Assad's chemical weapons but diplomats are warning the Syrian National Coalition that it risks losing Western support if it cannot adapt to new realities.

The rift that has alienated the Syrian opposition from the United States threatens to derail international efforts to end the two and a half year civil war, diplomatic and opposition sources said.

It comes as the war has turned into a something of a stalemate on the battlefield and the rebels had been looking to the United States to tilt the balance in their favour by intervening militarily to punish Assad for using chemical weapons.

The behind the scenes dispute, in which Saudi Arabia and Turkey appear to be siding with the opposition, developed last week as the United States and Russia made their deal to destroy Assad's chemical arsenal following a nerve gas attack on rebel areas of Damascus that killed hundreds, the sources said.

The agreement, from which the United States hopes a wider political settlement can emerge, has reduced the likelihood of a US strike on Assad's forces that the opposition had hoped would weaken him militarily and force him to attend a planned new peace conference.

The opposition is therefore furious that Washington suddenly and without its knowledge changed course a week after informing leaders of the main Syrian National Coalition that a strike was imminent, according to coalition members.

India hunt for 'escaped militant'

Police in Mumbai have launched a manhunt after a suspected member of militant group Indian Mujahideen escaped from court.

Afzal Usmani is accused of involvement in bomb attacks in Ahmedabad and Surat.
Police said he disappeared after being taken to the court for a hearing with other suspects in the case.
Nearly 50 people died in 17 blasts in Ahmedabad on 26 July 2008. The next day 22 bombs were found in Surat, but they were all defused.
Mr Usmani had been brought to the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court along with others from Taloja Central Jail and gave police the slip on the pretext of going to the toilet, PTI news agency reported, quoting sources.
Special Judge AL Pansare said the escape was "a serious offence".
"It is negligence on the part of the escort team which brought the accused to court," the judge said.
"This will have [an] impact on other cases also. It is a very unfortunate incident."
Mr Usmani was arrested in September 2008 with four other alleged members of Indian Mujahideen. 
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Tunisian minister: Young girls return pregnant after 'sexual Jihad' excursion to Syria 

Girls "fooled" into traveling to Syria to offer intercourse, to create an army strong enough to overthrow President Bashar Assad.

A group of Tunisian girls traveled to Syria to participate in “sexual jihad” there have returned to Tunisia pregnant, Tunisian Interior Minister Lotfi Bin Jeddo reportedly said on Thursday.

The women “are (sexually) swapped between 20, 30, and 100 rebels and they come back bearing the fruit of sexual contacts in the name of sexual jihad and we are silent doing nothing and standing idle,” Arab news network Al Arabiya reported the minister as saying during an address to the National Constituent Assembly.
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US votes to cut food stamp benefits

US lawmakers have narrowly voted to cut food stamp benefits from next year despite a veto threat from the White House and opposition by lobby groups.

The Republican-led House of Representatives passed the bill by 217-200. But it has little chance in the Democratic-held Senate.
The bill would save $39bn (£24bn) over a decade, but affect four million people on the programme.
It comes a day after census data showed 15% of Americans live in poverty.
An estimated one in seven Americans - most of them children, elderly or disabled - receive food stamps.
'Let them starve' bill The bill aims to cut $4bn a year, representing about 5% of the current programme.
The budget savings would be achieved by allowing states to use work requirements for recipients and test applicants for drugs. It would also end waivers to allow able-bodied adults without dependents to receive food stamps indefinitely.
According to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Snap), the food programme bill has tripled since 2004 and cost about $78bn last year.

House to vote on plan to defund ObamaCare as shutdown looms

The House on Friday will vote to replace ObamaCare with a plan that expands tax breaks for Americans who buy their own insurance, setting the stage for a showdown with Senate Democrats that could push the government toward a partial shutdown at the end of the month.
More than 140 congressional Republicans signed on to the bill to keep the government running at existing funding levels and delay the health care law. Democrats have vowed to oppose that bill, warning the strategy risks a government shutdown, with funding set to expire by Oct. 1.
Under the proposal, Americans who purchase coverage through state-run exchanges can claim a $7,500 deduction against their income and payroll taxes, regardless of the cost of the insurance. Families could deduct $20,000. The plan also increases government funding for high-risk pools.
One day after conceding that the Democratic-controlled Senate probably would prevail in stripping the health law provision, Sen. Ted Cruz still vowed to do "everything and anything possible to defund ObamaCare." That includes a possible filibuster of legislation to prevent a partial government shutdown, the Texas Republican said.
Cruz, one of the most vocal supporters of the “de-fund ObamaCare” push, startled his House colleagues when he released a written statement Wednesday afternoon that appeared to acknowledge the bill will probably fail in the Senate.

What did Geithner know about IRS targeting?

“Right there, we think also the Treasury Secretary himself was in the meeting. We think this idea that you didn’t know until May of this year–you knew in June of 2012. And so don’t give us this phony scandal stuff. Don’t give us this idea, oh, shazam, we didn’t find out until Lois Lerner gave her speech and the inspector general released his audit.”
– Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), on Fox News’ “On the Record,” Sept. 18, 2013
This is an interesting issue for a fact check. A lawmaker goes on national television and citing new documents, strongly suggests that, just months before the presidential election, then-Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner knew about the IRS’s apparent targeting of Tea Party and other conservative organizations.
“So we know the top people at the IRS were given a heads up when the inspector general was just starting to audit May of 2012,” five months before the election, Jordan told Fox. He also said that he would support a subpoena of Geithner: “Get him in front of the committee and ask him under oath, did you know about this in June. If you did, why didn’t you say something?”

IRS corruption update -- three key revelations from Lois Lerner’s emails

It may be the most incriminating evidence yet.
Last week, while the world’s eyes were fixed upon the Obama administration’s fumbled response to the Syria crisis, new documents emerged in the allegedly “phony” IRS scandal.
These documents – emails from Lois Lerner, then Director of Exempt Organizations at the IRS – were short, but highly damaging to the IRS’s persistent (and pernicious) spin.
The first email, a February 1, 2011, message to – among others – Obama donor and fellow IRS executive Holly Paz, proclaims: “Tea Party matter very dangerous. This could be the vehicle to go to court on the issue over whether Citizen’s United overturning the ban on corporate spending applies to tax exempt rules . . . Cincy should probably NOT have these cases – Holly please see what they have please [sic].”

In a week of disasters, House committee told emergency preparedness still lacking

WASHINGTON — Although the U.S. has made significant strides in emergency response since 9/11, experts told a congressional panel Thursday that the country is still lacking appropriate ways to mitigate disasters.
The hearing of a House Homeland Security subcommittee came on the heels of two emergency situations this week: heavy flooding in Colorado and a mass shooting at the Navy Yard in Washington. Witnesses mentioned both events as they stressed the critical need to help communities prepare for emergencies.
“If ever there was a year where we could see the variety of emergencies that can occur, it’s this one,” said Kathy Spangler, vice president of Save the Children, an advocacy group.
The experts all spoke about the importance of strengthening connections between local, regional and federal preparation and response systems.
Mark Ghilarducci, the director of the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services who testified on behalf of the National Governors Association, said money was only part of the equation.
“It will cost the taxpayers more and more by just throwing responses towards disasters . . . when we could actually reduce the amount that it may cost by . . . making our communities more resilient,” he said.
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