Gazette 03-27-14

Thursday March 27th 2014

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Yulia Tymoshenko to run for Ukraine leader

Former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has said she plans to run for president of Ukraine in May elections.

Ms Tymoshenko was released from prison in February following the ousting of President Viktor Yanukovych, after three years in jail.
She has already served twice as prime minister and ran for president in 2010.
She was a major figure in the 2004 "Orange Revolution" that toppled Mr Yanukovych's first administration.

Ms Tymoshenko said she would stand as "a candidate for Ukrainian unity".

She told reporters that she had earned the right to be considered a candidate who was against corruption.
She was imprisoned in 2011 for corruption linked to a gas deal she brokered with Russia in 2009.
On Monday she denied the authenticity of a taped conversation in which she allegedly called for Russia to be turned into "scorched earth" and for ethnic Russians in Ukraine to be killed.
Ms Tymoshenko said the recording, which featured prominently on Russian news reports, was produced by Russia's security services.
Former boxer Vitaliy Klitschko and chocolate tycoon Petro Poroshenko are also expected to take part in the presidential election.

IMF close to agreeing aid package for Ukraine

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is close to agreement with Ukraine on financial assistance worth $14-18bn (£8.5-£11bn) over the next two years.

An agreement still needs approval by the full board of the IMF.
The stand-by arrangement comes at the end of a three-week visit by IMF officials to the country.
The deal is expected to unlock a further $27bn in loans for Ukraine from the European Union and the US.
"Following the intense economic and political turbulence of recent months, Ukraine has achieved some stability but faces difficult challenges", the IMF's Mission Chief for Ukraine said in a statement.
'Edge of bankruptcy' The deal goes hand in hand with a reform programme for Ukraine's ailing economy.
A cut in energy subsidies to consumers has been one of the conditions of an international rescue deal and on Wednesday Ukraine's interim government agreed to raise domestic gas prices by 50% in its effort to secure the IMF aid package.
Ukraine's ousted President Viktor Yanukovich had refused to take this unpopular step.
But the country's new Prime Minister Arseny Yatsenyuk told parliament that Ukraine was "on the edge of economic and financial bankruptcy".
He said that without the austerity measures proposed by the IMF, the economy could contract by as much as 10% this year.

Russian Buildup On Ukraine Border Seen By Western Governments

WASHINGTON, March 26 (Reuters) - U.S. and European security agencies estimate Russia has deployed military and militia units totaling more than 30,000 people along its border with eastern Ukraine, according to U.S. and European sources familiar with official reporting.
The current estimates represent what officials on both sides of the Atlantic describe as a continuing influx of Russian forces along the Ukraine frontier, the sources said.
The 30,000 figure represents a significant increase from a figure of 20,000 Russian troops along the border that was widely reported in U.S. and European media last week.
But U.S. and European security sources noted that these estimates are imprecise. Some estimates put current troop levels as high as 35,000 while others still suggest a level of 25,000, the sources said.
However, the sources said that U.S. and European government experts believe that there has been, and continues to be, a steady and noticeable buildup in the total number of Russian forces along the Ukrainian border, though some military units have rotated in or out of the area.
U.S. and European security sources said that the Russian force deployed along the Ukraine border includes regular military including infantry and armored units and some air support.
Also deployed are militia or special forces units comprised of Russian fighters, wearing uniforms lacking insignia or other identifying markings, similar to the first Russian forces to move into Crimea during Russia's recent military takeover there.

Denmark offers to send 6 F-16 fighter jets to NATO's expanded air mission over Baltics

Denmark is offering up to send up to six F-16 fighter jets to the Baltic countries, joining fellow NATO members that have pledged to boost the alliance's air patrols over Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in response to Russia's incursion in Ukraine.

Foreign Minister Martin Lidegaard said Thursday that it will be up to NATO to decide how many planes are needed to patrol the skies of the three countries, which don't have their own air forces.
NATO's air policing mission normally consists of four planes. The United States has already sent six extra F-15 fighters, and Britain and France have also pledged to send jets.
The Danish government's proposal needs to be approved by parliament, a formality since all but one party back it.

Iran and Iraq account for global rise in capital punishment

At least 778 executions were carried out in 2013, 538 of them in Iran and Iraq, according to Amnesty International report

Iran and Iraq are responsible for a sharp rise in capital punishment, accounting for more than two-thirds of the world's executions last year.
Although significantly fewer countries use the death penalty today than two decades ago, "killing sprees" in Iran and Iraq helped cause a 15% increase in the number of executions globally, according to Amnesty International's annual survey on death sentences and capital punishment.
At least 778 executions were known to have been carried out globally in 2013, 538 of them in Iran and Iraq alone, showed the 62-page report published on Thursday. It was up from 682 executions in 2012.
"The killing sprees we saw in countries like Iran and Iraq were shameful," said Salil Shetty, Amnesty International's secretary general.
"Only a small number of countries carried out the vast majority of these senseless state-sponsored killings.
"The long-term trend is clear – the death penalty is becoming a thing of the past. We urge all governments who still kill in the name of justice to impose a moratorium on the death penalty immediately, with a view to abolishing it."
China is believed to have executed several thousand people – more than the rest of the world together – but exact figures are unavailable as Beijing authorities classify execution statistics as a state secret.
Iran officially acknowledged the execution of at least 369 people (55 more than in 2012) but activists say many hundreds more were put to death in secret, taking the actual number of executions in the Islamic republic close to 700.

IDF on alert for terrorism as 75,000 plan to visit Cave of the Patriarchs 

The IDF has completed preparations to host an expected 75,000 Israeli visitors at the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron during Passover.

The army's assessment is that the planned holiday event can proceed and that security threats are under control. Nevertheless, a terror cell that shot dead an IDF soldier in the area last year remains at large, and preparations made in recent weeks included an exercises led by the IDF Medical Corps to practice responses to mass casualty terrorism attacks on the holy site.

Captain Hisham Abu Salah, the chief Medical Officer for the Judea Brigade, told The Jerusalem Post last week that responses to mass casualty incidents can be activated at a moment's notice.

"We held a training exercises to deal with all of the threats that we might face in Hebron's Cave of the Patriarchs area… and mobilized forces across the sector, including Border Police and civilian police," Abu Salah said. 

The whole of the army's medical response system was involved, as well as Magen David Adom paramedics, he added.

"The idea is to create a well-oiled machine and put it on standby," he explained.

The attack simulated a suicide bomber dressed up as a religious Jew blowing himself up in the cave, and an explosive device going off in the area at the same time.

"In any attack, our goal is to flood the area with as many forces as possible – military and civilian – and have them cooperate," Abu Salah said.

"Then, we must create order out of a mess. We have to sort the injured according to the severity of their wounds. After that, the evacuation phase occurs. We have to look at what to do if the main road is blocked, and devise alternative evacuation routes, in accordance with the latest security evaluations," he added. 

Activists: Syrian warplanes strike key coastal province where rebels have made inroads

Activists say Syrian planes have bombed rebel positions in the coastal province of Latakia, where opposition fighters have been making gains while battling government troops for six straight days.

The area is the heartland of President Bashar Assad's Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shiite Islam.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says government aircraft Thursday dropped several barrel bombs on a hilltop area known as Observatory 45.
The Local Coordination Committees, a Syria-based opposition group that also documents the conflict, reported two government airstrikes on the strategic post.
Following the start of their push in Latakia on Friday, rebels from several Islamic groups, including an al-Qaida-affiliate, seized a border crossing with Turkey. This week they also gained a tiny outlet to the sea, the first time in the conflict.

Syrian opposition fails to win country's Arab League seat 

BEIRUT -- Syria’s main opposition political group was rebuffed Wednesday by the Arab League, which denied the group's request to occupy Syria’s seat in the 22-member body.
The organization recognized the Syrian National Coalition as the legal representative of the Syrian people and will allow it to participate in meetings "on an exceptional basis,” Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Elaraby said on the second day of a two-day summit in Kuwait.
But the opposition coalition, which has formed a transitional government, had hoped for more.
“Let me say quite frankly that keeping Syria’s seat empty in your midst sends a clear message to [Syrian President Bashar] Assad that he can kill and that the seat will wait for him to resolve his war,” said coalition President Ahmad Jarba, addressing the summit on Tuesday.
Syria’s embassies in Arab capitals should also be turned over to the coalition, he said, as there is no one else to cater to the interests of Syrians.
This month, the U.S. ordered the Syrian Embassy in Washington and two honorary consulates to suspend operations “in consideration of the atrocities the Assad regime has committed against the Syrian people.” There has been no word on whether the coalition would assume responsibility for the embassy.

Philippines Signs Historic Peace Deal With Muslim Rebel Group

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The Philippine government signed a peace accord with the country's largest Muslim rebel group on Thursday, the culmination of years of negotiations and a significant political achievement for President Benigno Aquino III.
The deal grants largely Muslim areas of the southern Mindanao region greater political autonomy in exchange for an end to armed rebellion, but it will not end all violence in a part of the country long-plagued by lawlessness, poverty and Islamist insurgency.
Other insurgent groups have vowed to keep fighting for full independence. The region is also home to the Abu Sayyaf, a Muslim extremist network with international links that the Philippine army is battling with American support.
Aquino and leaders of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front witnessed the signing of the agreement in the presidential palace in Manila. Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, whose country brokered the peace talks, attended the ceremony.
"In signing this agreement, the two sides have looked not to the problems of the past, but to the promise of the future," Najib said. "After so many years of conflict, and so many lives lost, it is a momentous act of courage."
The peace accord concludes formal negotiations that began in 2001. A cease-fire agreement had been in place since 1997 and has been largely observed by both sides.
More than 120,000 people have died in separatist violence since the 1970s in Mindanao, the main southern Philippine island. It is home to most of the country's 5 million Muslims, but Christians remain the overall majority.
Previous presidents, including Corazon Aquino, Aquino's mother, tried but failed to resolve the conflict, which has stunted growth in the region and helped foster Islamic extremism in the country and elsewhere in Southeast Asia.
Much work remains to ensure that the terms of the deal and the political framework it envisages are implemented fully during the remainder of Aquino's term, which ends in 2016.

US to commit more forces to Nato efforts

BRUSSELS: The United States plans to join with other Nato nations in increasing ground and naval forces in Eastern Europe as part of the military alliance's response to Russia's incursion in Ukraine, the White House said on Wednesday.

The specifics of the Nato plan were still being finalized, including the size of the force increase. Rather than significantly boosting U.S. military presence in the region, the move seemed aimed instead at showing symbolic support for Nato members near Russia's borders.

President Barack Obama's deputy national security adviser, Ben Rhodes, said Nato was aiming to provide ''a continuous presence to reassure our allies.'' While he would not detail specific countries where the additional resources would be sent, he noted that the U.S. was particularly focused on efforts to bolster Poland, Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia.

Rhodes briefed reporters as Obama traveled to Rome from Brussels, where he met with Nato secretary general Anders Fogh Rasmussen, as well as European Union leaders. In a speech from the heart of Europe, Obama declared the crisis in Ukraine a global ''moment of testing.''

Obama appealed to Europeans to retrench behind the war-won ideals of freedom and human dignity, declaring that people voicing those values will ultimately triumph in Ukraine. Painting a historical arc across the major global clashes of the last century and beyond, he said young people born today come into a world more devoid of conflict and replete with freedom than at any time in history, even if that providence isn't fully appreciated.-  

Obama Defends Iraq Invasion: At Least America 'Sought' To Get UN Backing

President Barack Obama defended the American invasion of Iraq Wednesday in a high-profile speech to address the Russian takeover of Crimea. Russian officials, Obama noted, have pointed to the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq as an example of "Western hypocrisy."
Obama struggled, however, in his attempt to defend the legality of the invasion. The war was unsanctioned by the United Nations, and many experts assert it violated any standard reading of international law. But, argued Obama, at least the U.S. tried to make it legal. "America sought to work within the international system," Obama said, referencing an attempt to gain U.N. approval for the invasion -- an effort that later proved to be founded on flawed, misleading and cherry-picked intelligence. The man who delivered the presentation to the U.N., then-Secretary of State Colin Powell, has repeatedly called it a "blot" on his record.
Obama, in his speech, noted his own opposition to the war, but went on to defend its mission.
"We did not claim or annex Iraq's territory. We did not grab its resources for our own gain," Obama argued. In fact, the U.S. forced Iraq to privatize its oil industry, which had previously been under the control of the state, and further required that it accept foreign ownership of the industry. The effort to transfer the resources to the control of multinational, largely U.S.-based oil companies has been hampered in part by the decade of violence unleashed by the invasion.
Obama's assertion also hinges on how broadly one construes the word "our." Taxpayers on the one hand are worse off, as the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have added $2 trillion to the national debt, according to one study. But contractors reaped tremendous gains, and Halliburton -- a company often associated with the invasion, of which former Vice President Dick Cheney served as CEO -- saw its stock price surge from under $10 a share to over $50, before falling along with the rest of the market in 2008. (It has since recovered.)

Obama meets Pope Francis during Rome visit

US President Barack Obama says it was a "great honour" to meet Pope Francis for the first time during a European tour dominated by the crisis in Ukraine.

He flew into Rome after three days of talks with world leaders in the Netherlands and Brussels.
Tensions are high following Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.
On Wednesday Mr Obama said the US and the EU were considering deeper sanctions against Moscow if there were any further incursions.
Pro-Russian forces seized Crimea - which has a Russian-speaking majority - this month.

Moscow annexed the peninsula after it declared independence following a referendum that Ukraine and its Western allies consider illegal.

In other Ukraine developments:

• Six Ukrainian military officers detained by Russian troops in Crimea have been released, but five remain in custody. Those released include Col Yuli Mamchur, the commander of Belbek base, which fell on Saturday
• The International Monetary Fund (IMF) says it has agreed a loan deal with Ukraine worth $14bn to $18bn
• Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk says the price Ukraine pays for Russian gas will increase by 79% from 1 April

Democrats push for new changes to ObamaCare amid midterm fears

Several Democratic senators moved Thursday to "improve" parts of ObamaCare, proposing numerous changes to the law amid concerns that it could cost Democrats House seats and possibly the Senate in November. 
The proposals came from a half-dozen senators, some of whom are facing reelection in the fall and most of whom represent moderate-to-conservative states. Since Democrats currently control the Senate, the proposals will put Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., in an uncomfortable position -- forcing him to decide whether to put the bills to a vote or sideline them, despite the political risks for his party's incumbents. 
"There is more to be done," the senators wrote in an op-ed in Politico, outlining the proposed changes. 
Sens. Mark Warner, D-Va.; Mark Begich, D-Alaska; Mary Landrieu, D-La.; Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D.; Joe Manchin, D-W.Va.; and Sen. Angus King, I., Maine, are behind the proposals. 
Among other ideas, they called for allowing "copper" plans on the government-run health exchanges. The new insurance plans would offer lower premiums and higher out-of-pocket costs than the "bronze," "silver" and "gold" options currently offered.
"I've always been a believer that the law was not perfect, but you should continue to work to improve it," Begich told The Wall Street Journal, which first reported on the proposals. "People are seeing that as it's implemented, there are tweaks you need to do and there's just nothing wrong with that." 
The senators, while defending the law itself, proposed numerous other fixes, including restoring startup funds for "consumer-driven health insurance cooperatives" and directing state regulators to look at allowing insurance to be sold across state lines. Plus, they called for sparing employers with fewer than 100 workers from being required to offer health insurance to their staff.

How A Government Computer Glitch Forced Thousands Of Families To Go Hungry

WAKE FOREST, N.C. -- Janette Simon has four chicken legs and five kids to feed.
Her freezer is bare. And her latest trip to the food pantry yielded little else for dinner this night: a bag of day-old croissants, a box of Corn Flakes, and some canned goods.
She slathers barbecue sauce on the chicken, slides the pan in the oven, and begins her nightly ritual of distracting her five children from hunger.
The 44-year-old single mother often skips dinner herself. She hides Ramen noodle packets in her closet to ration food. She tells her two youngest kids to play outside “so they ain’t thinking about eating.”
“That’s what I have to worry about,” she says. “I gotta look at these kids with their sad faces and no food.”
On the 13th of every month, she has counted on seeing a $600 payment on her food-stamp debit card. But now, that payment is a month late.
Simon and thousands like her in North Carolina had enough to worry about before a computer glitch began to fray this basic part of the social safety net.
Last July, government computers across the state repeatedly crashed, preventing caseworkers from processing food stamp applications and recertifications for weeks. Eight months later, North Carolina officials are still scrambling to clear the resulting backlog.
The food stamp delays can be traced to troubles with a computer system designed by Accenture, one of the world’s largest consulting firms. The company is among a small group of politically connected technology contractors that receive government business across the country despite previous criticism of their work.
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Rob Ford's Crack Scandal Goes Unaddressed During First TV Debate 

TORONTO - Rob Ford came frequently under attack Thursday during the first televised mayoral debate, but none of the main candidates vying for his job mentioned the so-called "crack" video or other scandals that have put him and Toronto on the international map.
Instead, they mostly opted to attack him on local issues, including his plans for a subway, unemployment and the frequent disarray he has caused at city hall.
Ford, who at times rolled his eyes, stared at the ceiling and flashed grins at the audience, defended his fiscal record as he shot back at the other four candidates.
"Four years ago, I was elected to stop the gravy train," Ford said, thumping a familiar drum.
"I have stopped the gravy train."
Former NDP member of Parliament, Olivia Chow, was quick to shoot him down.
"It's time for you to go because your gravy train has turned into a train wreck," Chow said.

BMO slashes 5-year mortgage rate to 2.99%

The Bank of Montreal is slashing its five-year fixed-rate mortgage to levels that caused former finance minister Jim Flaherty to express concerns last year. The bank says it will offer a five-year rate of 2.99 per cent, down from 3.49 per cent.
BMO is the first big bank to lower its key five-year rate below the three per cent threshold. In March 2013, BMO dropped its mortgage rate below that level, causing Flaherty to publicly address the bank, saying that he disapproved of the rate and discouraged other big banks from following its lead.
At the time, he said he believed in "responsible lending," and that he was concerned such low rates would work against his attempts to slow the momentum in the housing market.

Stephen Harper, Angela Merkel condemn Vladimir Putin's Ukraine actions

Prime Minister Stephen Harper says that despite international efforts to make him a partner, Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to be a rival to the West.
Harper joined German Chancellor Angela Merkel to condemn Russia’s actions in Ukraine during a news conference on Thursday morning.
Putin “does not desire to be a partner — he desires to be a rival,” Harper said during his address.
Both Harper and Merkel dismissed the idea of military intervention in the Ukraine, though Harper said the issue “does have NATO’s attention.”
Merkel said if Russia doesn’t meet demands to de-escalate the situation, it will face further sanctions from the international community. The German leader said she hopes Putin makes the “right decisions” to avoid further sanctions, as they will harm the Europe’s economy as well as Russia’s.

Clark, Vancouver truckers reach labour agreement

After a day of tense negotiations under threat of a back-to-work order, Premier Christy Clark signed a settlement with union and non-union truckers to end the strike that has snarled shipping at the Port Metro Vancouver for almost a month.
Flanked by a dozen representatives for the truckers, Ms. Clark told a news conference, “This agreement means the port is open again for business. We had to sit down and look at each other in the eyes and realize we weren’t that far apart.”
Jerry Dias, president of Unifor, said he had intended to defy the government’s back-to-work law that was to be passed by Thursday. Instead, the final sticking points on waiting times and money issues were settled. “We have come a long way in six or seven hours.” Mr. Dias thanked the Premier for breaking the impasse. “If we were waiting for the feds to find a solution, the port would still be closed tomorrow.”
The truckers now have a tentative deal and will be back on the job on Thursday.
Mediator Vince Ready will now sit down to finalize the details. Mr. Ready will have 90 days to work out the details, but the “action plan” signed on Wednesday evening in a legislature meeting room includes:
Port Metro Vancouver will rescind licence suspensions, provided no criminal charges have been laid, as soon as the truckers return to work.
The federal government will “take appropriate measures” to increase trip rates by 12 per cent over the current rates, which were established by Mr. Ready during mediation in 2006. As well, the fuel surcharge is increased to 14 per cent.
There will be a minimum rate for all hourly drivers.
Ms. Clark, who was greeted with applause from the truckers when she arrived to sign the pact, said she was pleased to stand down on her government’s back-to-work legislation. “You shouldn’t have to fight if you can get a deal,” she said.
Issues in the dispute include pay, rates, unpaid time spent in the port waiting for cargo and allegations of undercutting within the industry.

Maritimes storm: travel limited, thousands without power

School cancellations, travel delays and power outages continued across the Maritimes for a second day following a blizzard that dumped more than 10 centimetres of snow per hour at its peak.

The storm crippled most of the Maritimes after as much as 50 centimetres of snow fell on Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Winds gusting up to 165 km/h were recorded in Grand Etang, Cape Breton.
Blowing snow forced authorities to shut down the main highway between Truro, N.S., and Moncton, N.B.  A 170-kilometre stretch of the Trans-Canada was closed Wednesday until early Thursday morning. 
Thousands of people across the Maritimes continue to be in the dark Thursday, with more than 16,000 Nova Scotia Power customers without power. Some may be without power until 6:45 p.m. AT.
Many flights were either cancelled or delayed in the region Thursday morning. Traffic was so high on the website for Halifax Stanfield International Airport that only the arrivals and departures information was available. 
Passengers arriving on a flight from Cuba said it took three attempts and a two-hour layover in Montreal to get them safely on the ground in Halifax. One passenger said when the plane finally landed, it was so rough that she thought the tires had exploded.
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