Gazette 100413

 

Friday October 4th 2013

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Netanyahu warns of 'immortal Iran'

Israel's prime minister says Iranians "deserve better" than their current government and that their lives could get worse if it gains nuclear weapons.

In an interview with BBC Persian, Benjamin Netanyahu warned: "If they get nuclear weapons this brutal regime will be immortal, like North Korea."
He also said the new President, Hassan Rouhani, could not "change the real decisions" made by the Supreme Leader.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Mr Rouhani have said they reject nuclear weapons.
They insist Iran's nuclear programme is solely for peaceful purposes, but world powers suspect they are not being truthful.
There has nevertheless been a recent thaw in relations between Iran and the United States, with Mr Rouhani and President Barack Obama recently discussing the issue - the first top-level conversation between the two countries for more than 30 years.
On Tuesday, Iranian diplomats at the United Nations reacted angrily after Mr Netanyahu described their president as a "wolf in sheep's clothing" in a speech to the General Assembly.

Violent clashes between supporters of ousted Egyptian President Morsi, military

Egyptian military vehicles fired live rounds at supporters of ousted Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi near Cairo’s Tahrir Square Friday, as hundreds of angry protestors marched in cities across the country.
Reuters is reporting that one Muslim Brotherhood supporter was shot dead in the clashes between government forces and pro-Morsi demonstrators. Police and military authorities fired tear gas and blocked off entrances to Tahrir Square and other main streets with tanks and barbed wire, diverting traffic from the central plaza.
Bystanders threw rocks at the protesters, and many demonstrators hurled them back as tempers flared in the streets.
Islamist supporters planned the march, in defiance of a security crackdown on demonstrations. Egyptian authorities warned the Brotherhood that new demonstration camps would not be tolerated.

What The Rest Of The World Thinks About The U.S. Shutdown

From Chinese bloggers to European central bankers, the world is watching the U.S. government shutdown with a mixture of bewilderment and growing nervousness that any debt default could hit struggling economies.
The effects of the dramatic spending freeze have rippled around the globe, paralysing a leading earthquake alert system, forcing American scientists to pull out of international conferences and leading an embarrassed President Barack Obama to postpone visits to two Asian countries.
In emerging superpower China, a one-party state where legislative deadlock holds little fear for the Communist rulers, the official Xinhua news agency said the situation had once again brought to the fore "the ugly side of partisan politics in Washington".
"Though its immediate impact looks limited, the damage will multiply if the drama drags on for days or even weeks, arousing concerns over its spillover effect," it said in a commentary, referring to the US economy.
Chinese social media users took a largely mocking tone in response to the first US government shutdown in 17 years.

US to fly long-range drones from Japan

The United States military will deploy long-range Global Hawk surveillance drones from Japan next year, US and Japanese officials announced on Thursday, marking the first time the Pentagon has been able to secure basing rights for the advanced unmanned aircraft in North-East Asia.
The Air Force will begin flying ‘‘two or three’’ Global Hawks from an undetermined base in Japan next spring, a senior US administration official told reporters during a visit here by Secretary of State John Kerry and Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel.
The drones’ primary mission will be to fly near North Korea, an area where US officials hope they will greatly enhance current spying capabilities. The Air Force already has Global Hawks stationed at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam, the US territory in the Pacific, but North Korea is at the edge of their range and their flights often are curtailed because of bad weather.
The Air Force also has Global Hawks stationed in the Persian Gulf.

The unarmed drones carry multiple spy sensors and are the most advanced surveillance aircraft in the Air Force’s fleet. They fly at altitudes above 60,000 feet, placing them out of range of most air defences. Without pilots in the cockpit, they can fly for more than 28 hours at a time, giving them an unmatched range of nearly 9000 nautical miles.
The presence of Global Hawks in East Asia is sure to irritate China, which has increasingly pushed back against the US military presence in the region. Officials in Beijing had criticised Tokyo in recent days over reports that the Japanese military was considering acquiring its own Global Hawks, saying the move could escalate tensions.

Middle East Report Translated, Declares that "Barack Hussein Obama IS A Muslim Terrorist!" 

Assad warns Turkey of 'heavy price' for backing Syrian rebels

- Syrian President Bashar Assad has told Turkey it will pay a heavy price for backing rebels fighting to oust him, accusing it of harboring "terrorists" along its border who would soon turn against their hosts.
In an interview with Turkey's Halk TV due to be broadcast later on Friday, Assad called Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan "bigoted" and said Turkey was allowing terrorists to cross into Syria to attack the army and Syrian civilians.
"It is not possible to put terrorism in your pocket and use it as a card because it is like a scorpion which won't hesitate to sting you at the first opportunity," Assad said, according to a transcript published on Halk TV's website.
"In the near future, these terrorists will have an impact on Turkey and Turkey will pay a heavy price for it."
Turkey, which shares a 900-km (560-mile) border with Syria and has NATO's second largest deployable military force, is one of Assad's fiercest critics and a staunch supporter of the opposition, although it denies arming the rebels.
It shelters a quarter of the 2 million people who have fled Syria and has often seen the conflict spill across its frontier, responding in kind when mortars and shells fired from Syria have hit its soil.
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China hospital defends using virgins for tumour research

BEIJING: A hospital affiliated to the Peking University has defended its policy of restricting the use of volunteers in some medical research to virgins after a controversy was sparked off by an advertisement by the university seeking virgin volunteers for research.

The Tumour Hospital in Peking University, the country's premier educational institution said using virgins for a particular kind of tumor related research was an accepted international practice . The hospital had put in an online advertisement seeking to recruit 100 virgin students aged between 18 and 24 for medical research. Each of the students will provide 3 to 5 millilitres of blood as part of a programme to study the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). Each donor will receive 150 yuan ($24), it said.

A researcher said virgins were needed because of the low incidence rate among them for HPV, according to the local daily Beijing News.

Muslim youths rampage in Mombasa in wake of cleric`s murder

Young Muslims set fire to a church, burned tires and clashed with police in Kenya’s main port city of Mombasa on Friday, after the killing of an Islamic cleric his followers blamed on security forces.
Sheikh Ibrahim Omar’s death ignited religious tensions in the commercial and tourism hub in east Africa’s largest economy, two weeks after Islamist militants killed at least 67 people in a raid on Nairobi’s Westgate shopping mall.
The imam was shot dead in Mombasa on Thursday night, police said. He preached at a mosque that has in the past been linked to the Somali al-Shabab Islamists who claimed responsibility for the shopping centre attack.
Omar was found dead in a car hit by more than a dozen bullets, television images showed.
Youths torched a Salvation Army church and temporarily blocked the main road into the city, a Reuters witness said.
Kenyan police in riot gear fired gunshots and teargas to break up the crowd.
The worst of the running battles with police took place in Mombasa’s downtrodden Saba Saba neighbourhood, where traders shuttered their shops and residents fled for safety.
“We are trying to deal with some youths who have started bringing trouble within town,” Robert Kitur, Mombasa county police chief, told Reuters. “They are few. We will contain them.”

Syrians Seeking Asylum Are in Standoff With French Police

PARIS — A migrant association in northern France said Friday that several dozen Syrians were in a standoff with security forces in the French port of Calais, with two threatening to jump off a ferry terminal roof, in a protest aimed at their efforts to seek asylum in Britain.

Maël Galisson, the coordinator of Migrant Services Platform, a migrant outreach group, said that about 60 Syrians who fled the conflict in Syria had been occupying a gangway at the Calais ferry terminal since Wednesday. When the police intervened Friday and sought to evacuate them, two climbed on the roof of the terminal building and threatened to jump unless their demands to reach Britain were met.

He said the police had retreated and were negotiating with the group, while British border officials were on their way to help find a resolution.

“These are Syrians who have come from cities in Syria like Damascus and Dara’a to escape from the Syrian conflict,” Mr. Galisson said by telephone from Calais, where he was observing the protests. “They have not had a warm welcome in France and so would prefer to go to Britain.” 

Pakistan militants attack pro-government group; at least 13 dead

PESHAWAR, Pakistan — At least 13 people were killed and 10 wounded early Thursday when a suicide bomber drove an explosives-laden vehicle into the compound of a pro-government militant group in a remote area of northwestern Pakistan, a local official said.
The attack took place in Hangu district in tribal areas adjacent to the North Waziristan Agency shortly after dawn, according to the official, who asked not to be identified citing security concerns. The blast reportedly destroyed part of a compound belonging to Nabi Hanafi, an influential anti-Taliban commander in the restive tribal area.
The Pakistani Taliban took responsibility for the attack. “Nabi is our enemy and more attacks will continue in the future,” said spokesman Shahidullah Shahid by telephone.
Residents placed the death toll as high as 17, with 22 wounded, although it’s not unusual for casualty figures to vary after an attack given confusion, poor communication and ineffective government agencies. The attacker opened fire on security guards around the compound before detonating his vehicle, the official said. Reports differed on whether Hanafi was injured in the attack.
Analysts said the bombing underscored the difficulty the government faces trying to arrange talks with the Taliban, sometimes mistakenly seen as a monolithic organization, given its large number of players, shifting loyalties and rivalries with pro-government militants.
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 Media blackout: One of Obama's DREAMERS charged with raping a young girl

In July, the Montana State University police arrested Clemente Garcia Arciga, 33, after he reportedly raped a teenage girl multiple times over a three month period.
In September 2012, the Bozeman Daily Chronicle ran a glowing story on Arciga for a four-day series of articles, entitled "The Immigrants Among Us," which basically praised those who have entered the country illegally, detailing their "struggles" along the way.
His father was killed in a gunfight, and he crossed the border with his mother when he was 11, initially settling in the San Francisco Bay area, according to Arciga.
Mediatrackers reported:

...staff writer Gail Schontzler wrote a piece on Arciga detailing his illegal crossing from Mexico as a child into California. Arciga goes on to detail his troubled youth and involvement in gang activity and fighting. He later moved to Montana with family after the birth of his first daughter. After working in construction, Arciga got his GED with the help of adult literacy programs and enrolled as a student at MSU in January of 2012 to study psychology. Arciga told the reporter he wanted to study psychology to become a counselor and help other troubled youths.

When questioned as to whether the accusations were true, Arciga replied, "to a certain extent," according to investigators.
Arciga has been charged with sexual intercourse without consent and incest. He is currently being held at the Gallatin County Detention center on $50,000 bond.

US shutdown: Obama cancels Asia trip

US President Barack Obama has cancelled his trip to Asia because of the US government shutdown.

Mr Obama will miss two summits, including the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (Apec) meeting in Indonesia.
The decision was made due to the "difficulty in moving forward with foreign travel in the face of a shutdown", the White House said.
The US government closed non-essential operations on Tuesday after Congress failed to agree a new budget.
Mr Obama called Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Friday morning and expressed his regret for the cancellation, Indonesian Presidential Spokesman for Foreign Affairs Teuku Faizasyah told the BBC.
The visit has not been rescheduled, the spokesman added.
Secretary of State John Kerry will attend the Apec gathering and the East Asia summit in Brunei in Mr Obama's place, the White House said.

Throw the bums out? Budget deadlock portends 2014 backlash

While the House and Senate point fingers at each other over the budget impasse, new polling suggests the only thing they might accomplish is getting thrown out of office. 
Despite a robust campaign by Democrats to pin the blame exclusively on their GOP colleagues, the American public appears fed up with just about every elected member from 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. to the Capitol dome. 
The public sentiment should bring a sense of foreboding for any lawmaker seeking re-election in 2014, with evidence mounting of an anti-incumbent backlash in the making. 
Newly released Fox News polls show Congress' approval rating is 13 percent. President Obama's is better, but still not great for a recently re-elected president, at 45 percent. And more people disapprove than approve of either party, though the numbers for Republicans are worse. 
As for the budget stalemate, while lawmakers appear to be hunkering down for a long fight, voters are worried it will have a serious impact on them. Fifty-eight percent said they see the partial shutdown as "very" serious. 
And neither party is escaping blame. 
A quarter of voters blame "Republican leaders such as John Boehner," while another 17 percent blame "Tea Party Republicans such as Ted Cruz." But 24 percent point the finger at Obama. Eight percent blame "Democratic leaders such as Harry Reid." And another 20 percent blame everybody in Washington.

U.S. drops its fight over Guantanamo inmate’s release

The U.S. government has dropped its opposition to releasing a Guantanamo Bay prisoner with severe mental and physical illnesses, apparently conceding the argument that he is far too sick to keep locked up at the U.S. base in Cuba.
In court papers filed late Wednesday, lawyers for the Justice Department said the government would not object to a judge issuing a release order for Ibrahim Idris. The native of Sudan has been held for more than 11 years as an enemy combatant despite being diagnosed as mentally ill soon after his arrival at Guantanamo.
The court filing was couched in careful language that avoided saying why the government would no longer resist legal efforts to release Idris. A federal judge must still issue the order before Idris can be released after a 30-day notification period for Congress.

With Obama Stuck in Washington, China Leader Has Clear Path at Asia Conferences

BEIJING — As President Obama made apologetic calls to Asia to cancel his planned trip, China’s leader, Xi Jinping was taking a star turn in some of the same countries Mr. Obama would have visited. 

This week, Mr. Xi became the first foreigner to address the Indonesian Parliament, offering billions of dollars in trade to the country that was Mr. Obama’s childhood home. Mr. Xi then moved on to Malaysia, before preparing to attend two Asian summits that Mr. Obama had to abandon because of the government shutdown.

With the cancellation of the visits, the much-promoted but already anemic American “pivot” to Asia was further undercut, leaving allies in the region increasingly doubtful the United States will be a viable counterbalance to a rising China.

The news comes after Mr. Obama’s U-turn on intervention in Syria amid signs of a new American insularity, and as the revolt in the House of Representatives left Asians puzzling over America’s messy democracy and wondering if the United States would be able — or willing — to stand up to China in a confrontation.

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