Gazette 04-07-14

Monday April 7th 2014

 Tens Of Thousands Of Russian Troops Near Ukraine Border, U.S. Envoy Says

VIENNA, April 7 (Reuters) - The U.S. ambassador to the OSCE said Russia had amassed tens of thousands of troops near the border with Ukraine and called on Moscow to take steps to de-escalate the situation.

"We have strong evidence that there are tens of thousands of forces on the border and again not in their normal peacetime positions or garrisons," Daniel Baer told reporters after an emergency meeting of the 57-member Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe on Monday to discuss the issue.

The Russian delegation did not address the meeting, Baer and other diplomats said.

"What the Russian Federation should be doing is taking steps to de-escalate the crisis. They have played a principal role in the crisis and there are clear practical steps they can take to de-escalate," including engaging with the international community and allowing inspections of troop movements, he said.

Protests in eastern Ukraine in which pro-Russian activists seized public buildings in three cities are part of a plan to destabilise Ukraine and bring in Russian troops who were in a zone less than 30 km (19 mile) zone from the border, Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk said in Kiev.

Iraqi officials: Suicide car bomb kills 5 people north of Baghdad

BAGHDAD –  Iraqi officials say a suicide car bomb attack on a police checkpoint north of Baghdad has killed five people, including three policemen.
Police officials say the bomber rammed his explosive-laden car on Monday against the checkpoint near the city of Samarra, about 95 kilometers (60 miles) from Baghdad.
Police say that the attack also wounded 11 people.
A medical official confirmed the casualty figures. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.
Violence has been escalating in Iraq and last year, the country saw its highest death toll since the worst of the sectarian bloodletting began to subside in 2007.
On April 30, Iraq is to hold its first parliamentary elections since the withdrawal of U.S. troops in late 2011.

Ukraine: pro-Russia activists proclaim independent republic in Donetsk

Pro-Russian activists occupying a government building in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk have proclaimed the creation of a sovereign "people's republic" independent of the capital, Kiev.
The announcement, which was posted on YouTube, was delivered by a protest spokesperson outside a building currently occupied by several thousand Russia supporters, some of them armed.
"Seeking to create a popular, legitimate, sovereign state, I proclaim the creation for the sovereign state of the People's Republic of Donetsk," the spokesperson said to cheers from the gathered crowd.
The Interfax news agency reported that the self-proclaimed leaders of Donetsk had vowed to hold a referendum on regional sovereignty no later than 11 May. Ukrainian presidential elections have been set for 25 May.
The regional news website Ostrov said the activists wanted to join the Russian Federation in a similar way to the Crimean peninsula.

Libyan rebels agree to reopen two oil terminals after deal

Two Libyan oil terminals have reopened, after rebels agreed partially to lift their oil blockade in a deal reached with the government.

The terminals of Zueitina and Hariga in the east are now in government hands, the justice minister has said.
Two other ports are due to reopen in the coming weeks.
Oil exports have plummeted 80% in the past eight months after the closures of oil ports led by militiamen seeking greater regional autonomy.
Traders have been watching the negotiations closely, keen to know when Libyan oil is going to re-enter the market after major disruption.
A failed attempt to sell oil illegally last month triggered the latest round of talks to lift the blockade.
'Goodwill gesture' Libya's Minister of Justice, Salah al-Marghani, confirmed the partial lifting of the oil blockades, at a news briefing in the eastern city of Benghazi.
Zueitina is located to the south of Benghazi and Hariga to the east.
Potentially the two ports could increase Libya's crude oil exports by about 200,000 barrels per day.
That would be a big boost to the nation's output, which is currently running at around 150,000 barrels per day.

Israeli security source confirms Assad regime recently used chemical weapon

The Assad regime used a non-lethal chemical weapon on March 27 on the outskirts of Damascus, an Israeli security source said Monday.

The source said he could confirm claims made by Syrian rebels and doctors last month, that a substance was used on rebel fighters in Harasta, an outlying region of the Syrian capital, adding that the chemical "neutralizes but does not kill." A second alleged use of chemical weapons by the Assad regime occurred in the same area within days of the first attack, according to Syrian opposition sources, though the security source said he could not confirm that additional report.

According to the New York-based website Syria Deeply, which interviewed doctors on the ground in Syria, in one instance, 25 fighters were injured. Despite the assertion by the security source that the chemical is non lethal, some reports suggested that four people were killed in the March 27 attack.

The Syria Deeply website cited the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS), a group of Syrian-American doctors and surgeons traveling in and out of Syria, as condemning what it described as a "poisonous gas attack" in Harasta.

"Symptoms suffered by patients included hallucination, accelerated pulse, trouble breathing and, in some cases, suffocation," according to SAMS.

According to Israeli security assessments, Syria has destroyed the majority of its chemical weapons production centers, and is in the midst of transporting chemical weapons from storage sites to ships in Latakia which remove the substances and destroy them. The disarmament efforts, which have been stepped up in recent weeks, are being managed by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

Israel is expected to closely monitor the situation to try and see whether Assad attempts to secretly keep some chemical weapons .

Ukraine's PM calls Russian gas price rises 'aggression'

Moscow: Ukraine Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said Russia's plan to raise the natural gas price by 80 per cent was "aggression against Ukraine".
Russia is raising the price of gas to $US485 ($522) per 1000 cubic meters from $US268.50, and has threatened to cut off supplies if Ukraine doesn't pay its $US2.2 billion debt.
Ukraine relies on Russia's Gazprom for half its gas, while carrying about 15 per cent of European supplies through its pipelines from Russia, making it a linchpin in the continent's energy security.
"Apart from the Russian army and guns, they decided to use one of the most efficient tools, which are political and economic pressure," Mr Yatsenyuk said, calling the new price the highest in Europe.
Ukraine will appeal to an arbitration court in Stockholm if it fails to reach an agreement with Russia on the gas price, Energy Minister Yuri Prodan said on Saturday.  
Meanwhile, Ukraine's state security service said it had detained 15 people suspected of planning to overthrow the authorities in a mostly Russian-speaking eastern region and had confiscated hundreds of rifles, grenades and petrol bombs.
"The group of attackers planned to carry out an armed seizure of power on April 10 in the Luhansk region through the intimidation of the peaceful population and the use of weapons and explosives," the service, which has intelligence and policing functions, said in a statement.
Pro-Russian demonstrators have held rallies in eastern Ukrainian cities in recent weeks, not far from the border with Russia where Moscow has gathered troops and boosted their numbers to tens of thousands. Kiev has accused Russia of sending Russian citizens to Ukraine to foment unrest in eastern and southern regions and has instituted stricter controls on its border with Russia.

Gunman kills Dutch priest in Syrian city of Homs

DAMASCUS: A Syrian priest and an activist group say a masked gunman has opened fire on a well-known, elderly priest in the central Syrian city of Homs, killing him instantly.

Homs-based priest Assad Nayyef and the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights say the assailant shot to death 72-year-old Father Francis Van Der Lugt inside a monastery in the city's Bustan al-Diwan neighborhood.

Motives for the attack were not immediately known.

During the three-year civil war, Van Der Lught repeatedly refused to leave Bustan al-Diwan, a rebel stronghold that has been blockaded by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad for the past year.

Van Der Lught had been living in Syria since 1964. He wouldn't leave Homs while there were still Christians in blockaded areas.

Hungary election: PM Viktor Orban declares victory

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has declared victory in Sunday's parliamentary election, winning a second consecutive term.

His centre-right Fidesz has polled 45%, with most of the votes counted.
A centre-left opposition alliance is trailing with 25%, while the far-right Jobbik party is credited with 21%.
The Hungarian left has never fully recovered from its heavy defeat in the 2010 ballot, in which Mr Orban swept to power with a two-thirds majority.
Sunday's election has been mainly fought over the state of the economy, correspondents say.
'We won' "No doubt we have won," Mr Orban told supporters gathered in the capital, Budapest, late on Sunday evening.
"This was not just any odd victory. We have scored such a comprehensive victory, the significance of which we cannot yet fully grasp tonight."
He said the election results showed that Hungarians wanted to stay in the European Union, but with a strong national government.
"I'm going to work every day so that Hungary will be a wonderful place," he declared.
Fidesz is predicted to win around 135 of the 199 seats in parliament.

Spanish police arrest gang that allegedly planned to send missile-making machinery to Iran

MADRID –  Spanish police say they have arrested four people who allegedly planned to send to Iran industrial machinery that could be used to make missiles.
A Civil Guard statement Monday said officers seized two Leifeld metalworking machines that had been imported illegally from Britain last year.
The statement said the machines are classified as "dual use" — meaning they can be used in both civilian and military industry — and their shipping to Iran would violate U.N. sanctions.
It said three Spaniards and one Iranian were arrested in the cities of Barcelona, Tarragona and Palma de Mallorca.
They were charged with membership of a criminal gang, trafficking dual-use goods and money laundering.
The statement said police also confiscated 10,000 euros ($13,700) and documents on exporting dual-use technology.

Chuck Hagel to be first foreigner to visit Chinese aircraft carrier

(CNN) -- U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel will visit the Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning at the Yuchi Naval Base at Qingdao on Monday, a defense official said.

Hagel will be the first foreigner allowed on board, the official said, adding that the trip is happening because of a U.S. request.

"This is significant. One, because he will be the first foreign visitor they have allowed aboard. We requested this, and they agreed. And two, because this capital ship symbolizes for the (People's Liberation Army) their ambition to project naval power," said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Hagel's visit suggests that U.S. efforts to encourage greater military-to-military ties with China are bearing some fruit. It also comes as China has deployed a huge force to aid in the hunt for the missing Malaysia Airlines plane far from its territorial waters.

In late 2012, China announced that it had landed a fighter jet on the deck of the aircraft carrier for the first time.

The Liaoning will be able to carry 30 J-15 fighter planes and will have a crew of 2,000, according to a People's Daily Online report published when it completed its first sea trials in August 2011.

China bought the shell of the carrier, then called the Varyag, from Ukraine in 1998. Its construction began under the Soviet military before the breakup of the Soviet Union.

-

 Vote to Hold Lois Lerner in Contempt of Congress Scheduled

(Washington Times) – House Republicans have scheduled a vote next week to hold Lois G. Lerner in contempt of Congress for refusing to testify about her role in the Internal Revenue Service’s tea party targeting scandal, setting up a major battle over constitutional rights versus Congress’ ability to oversee the government.

Rep. Darrell E. Issa, the House’s top investigator, said Thursday that as a senior official at the center of the IRS targeting, Ms. Lerner will either talk or face penalties for refusing to help the committee get to the bottom of who orchestrated the targeting and what the motives were.

“Ms. Lerner’s involvement in wrongdoing and refusal to meet her legal obligations has left the committee with no alternative but to consider a contempt finding,” he said.
Mr. Issa has scheduled an April 10 vote of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. If the contempt resolution passes, it will go to the House floor for final approval and would not require approval of the Democrat-led Senate.

America Is On The Brink Of Its First Constitutional Convention

Michigan lawmakers may have touched off America’s first Article V Constitutional Convention last week, when state lawmakers approved a resolution calling for a such a convention.
Article V has this to say on the subject of constitutional conventions:

“The Congress, whenever two thirds of both Houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose Amendments to this Constitution, or, on the Application of the Legislatures of two thirds of the several States, shall call a Convention for proposing Amendments, which, in either Case, shall be valid to all Intents and Purposes, as Part of this Constitution, when ratified by the Legislatures of three fourths of the several States, or by Conventions in three fourths thereof.”

Essentially, the approval of two-thirds of state legislatures (today, 34 states) should nudge Congress into calling a convention, whereby delegates from the various states could introduce, debate, and approve amendments. Many lawmakers plan to make the primary goal of a convention the passage of a balanced budget amendment to force the federal government to become fiscally responsible.
Because of the vague nature of Article V, however, no one is quite sure if the correct number of states have applied. Several of the states counted in the thirty-four actually rescinded their resolutions, which were originally passed years ago. Some have reissued them, but some have not. As one constituional expert told the Washington Times:

“There is disagreement among scholars as to whether a state that has approved an application may later rescind that application. If it is ultimately adjudicated that a state may not rescind a prior application, then Ohio’s 2013 application for a Balanced Budget Amendment convention would be the 33rd and Michigan’s 2014 application would be the 34th [out of the necessary 34] on that topic.”

Unintended consequences remain a huge concern for the convention movement, which gained major steam after the publication of Mark Levin’s most recent book, The Liberty Amendments: Restoring the American Republic in August 2013.

Eric Holder defends using Justice Department airplane for 27 personal trips'

Attorney General Eric Holder disputed a Government Accountability Office report on his use of Justice Department airplanes for personal trips, saying it overstated the number of trips he took and failed to recognize that some trips were job-related.

“My staff keeps telling me to take it easy, you know, well, this is one that gets me,” Holder told Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va., during a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing. “There was this notion that we’ve taken — I think it was described as hundreds of personal trips. That was wrong. GAO counted flights, not round trips. And we looked at it and figured out from the time period that they were looking, we took not hundreds, but 27 personal, four combined — official and nonpersonal trips — and none of the trips that I took or that the [FBI] director took ever had an impact on the mission capability of those airplanes.”

Report: Ted Kennedy Jr. to run for Connecticut state Senate

Another member of the Kennedy family will be on the ballot.
According to a local report, Ted Kennedy Jr., the 52-year-old son of the former senator of the same name and nephew of assassinated president John F. Kennedy, will run for an open seat in the Connecticut state Senate.
Kennedy is expected to make the announcement official on Tuesday.
Kennedy's candidacy follows that of his nephew, Joe Kennedy III, who ran for and won a congressional seat in 2012. Prior to that win, no Kennedys had been in major Washington office for the first time in more than 60 decades.
Ted Kennedy Jr. was rumored as a possible candidate for his father's U.S. Senate seat after his death in 2009 and has also been considered a potential candidate for Senate in Connecticut, his home state.
Ultimately, he has apparently chosen a rather low-profile entree into elective politics -- at least, by his family's standards.

White House Insider: Barack Has Lost ‘All Control’ Over Mooching Michelle

According to sources close to the White House, President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama are getting closer to divorce.

Sources explained that sentiment in the White House heated up after Michelle refused to cancel hear lavish taxpayer-funded trip to China last week. Barack had urged her to cancel it upon advise from aides, as the presidential couple received harsh criticism for their many extravagant vacations over the past five years.

“This was a blowout of epic proportions – probably the nastiest White House fight they’ve ever had,” the insider told reporters. “They were both screaming at one another.”

Michelle’s China trip put the Obamas over the $150 million mark for vacation expenses.

“But he’s defenseless to stop Michelle because their marriage has collapsed. She’s doing what she wants – and that’s seeing the world on the American taxpayers’ dime,” the source said.

SEE ALSO: Michelle Obama Acts Foolishly on Stage at White House

White House personnel said she’s “tacked up a map of the world and put pins on all the places she wants to visit” and that the American people are paying for her “bucket list.”

Will the Obamas get divorced while Barack is still president? Share your thoughts

Tijuana cop to face U.S. federal court after heroin, meth arrest

(CNN) -- A Tijuana, Mexico, police officer will appear in a U.S. federal court next week after being arrested on a charge of possession with intent to distribute almost 20 pounds of heroin and methamphetamine.

Noe Raygoza-Garcia, 33, was indicted Thursday and was scheduled to appear in court Wednesday, but because of "documentary snafu" was never transported from a prison in San Bernandino, California, said Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Carlo DiCesare. Raygoza-Garcia's arraignment was rescheduled to April 9.

According to an affidavit from U.S. Border Patrol agent Kevin Legg, authorities were conducting anti-smuggling operations on March 17 in Fallbrook, California. They were monitoring Interstate 15, a popular smuggling route, about 70 miles north of the Mexican border when Raygoza-Garcia passed in a red Dodge Neon.

"As the vehicle approached, the agents immediately noticed that the vehicle reduced its speed drastically," forcing cars behind it to go around, the affidavit said.

The Border Patrol agents pulled alongside the car and noticed a single key in the ignition, which can be a sign that a car contains contraband, the affidavit said.

-

 Quebec holds provincial elections

The main separatist party in the Canadian province of Quebec is facing voters in an election it called in a bid to win a legislative majority.

Parti Quebecois (PQ) led a minority government in the provincial assembly after the 2012 vote.
But its coalition partners had blocked its controversial Charter of Values which would ban public employees from wearing religious articles.
The election has also revived debate over Quebec's independence from Canada.
Church and state "I want to obtain the confidence of Quebecers," Quebec Premier Pauline Marois of the PQ said on Sunday.
During the bitter 30-day campaign, Ms Marois sought to tamp down on discussion of Quebec independence after party candidate Pierre Karl Peladeau campaigned to "make Quebec a country".
That sidelined talk of the Charter of Values, with which the party had hoped to rally French-speaking voters in swing regions.
Ms Marois dissolved the provincial legislature and called an election in March, asking voters to deliver a majority that would enable the PQ to carry out its agenda, including passing the Charter of Values.
The charter would ban public employees wearing religious articles such as Muslim headscarves, Jewish skullcaps and large crosses.
Protesters including Jews, Sikhs and Muslims have rallied against the charter, while supporters have argued it protects the separation of church and state.
The Liberal Party led by Philippe Couillard also seeks a majority. Running candidates, too, is the Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ), the third-largest party in the just-dissolved 40th Quebec Legislature.
About six million people are eligible to cast ballots in polls on Monday.

Trudeau doesn't understand middle class, Mulcair says

If there was any question over whether the next election campaign is already underway, New Democrat Leader Tom Mulcair put those doubts to rest this weekend.
"Our campaign is already starting," he said in French during a stump-style speech on Sunday to party faithful.
To underscore that point, the NDP announced it has put in place the team that is going to lead it into the next federal election.
MPs Jean Crowder and Alexandre Boulerice are to be the architects of the NDP's 2015 election strategy, while veteran strategist Anne McGrath is the party's new national director.
But it was Mulcair's address to the NDP's federal council — and notably his broadside against Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau — that really drove home the point that the campaign is in full swing.
In the speech, he reiterated party pledges on post-secondary education and the eligibility age for old age security.
He also took shots at both Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Trudeau.
Trudeau, in particular, bore the brunt of Mulcair's attack.
The Liberals under Trudeau have been trying to court middle-class voters in the run-up to the next election, scheduled for Oct 19, 2015.

Trudeau 'will never know what middle class means': Mulcair

But the NDP leader said Trudeau's upper-class upbringing puts him out of touch with middle-class Canadians.
"The problem is, Justin Trudeau will never know what middle-class means," Mulcair said. "He just doesn't understand the real challenges that families are facing. Never has. Never will."
There was a time when Mulcair outright refused to utter Trudeau's name.
That he is now putting so much emphasis on the Liberal leader may signal that Mulcair sees Trudeau as a bona fide threat to the NDP going into the next election.
Much of the NDP's success in 2015 will rest on how it fares in Quebec, and if it can build on a 2011 performance that saw it win 58 seats of the province's 75 seats, propelling it to official Opposition status for the first time in its history.
On Quebec, too, Mulcair sought to draw a line between himself and Trudeau.
The NDP leader pointed out that he, unlike Trudeau, is the only federal leader eligible to cast a ballot in Monday's Quebec election.

Tories prepare new prostitution bill for this spring

OTTAWA - A major new bill reforming Canada's prostitution laws will be before MPs "very soon," says Justice Minister Peter MacKay.
"Time is marching on and so we intend to bring forward that legislation this spring," MacKay said Monday.
The Supreme Court ruled in December that bans on brothels, communicating for the purposes of prostitution and living off its avails are unconstitutional.
It gave Parliament a year to rewrite the laws before the current provisions are wiped off the books.
That means MacKay's reforms will have pass the Commons and Senate, and get the governor general's signature before Christmas.
MacKay says the bill's focus will be on protecting vulnerable people.
"We know that there is tremendous violence and vulnerability associated with prostitution," he said.
"Prostitutes are predominantly victims. They have very much, in some cases, run out of options before entering this particular pursuit."
The minister wouldn't say if that means the bill will bring the so-called Nordic model to Canada, which would criminalize johns in hopes of reducing the demand for hookers.
"We've looked at a lot of different options and a lot of different models," MacKay said. "The Nordic model is one. I can assure you of this: it will be a Canadian solution."
Whatever is contained in the bill, MacKay says there will also need to be "support mechanisms" to help free victims of sex trafficking.
-