Tuesday April 8th 2014

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Ukraine crisis: Nato warns Russia against further intervention

Nato has warned Russia that further intervention in Ukraine would be a "historic mistake" with grave consequences.

Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Moscow must pull back troops it has massed on the Ukrainian border.
On Tuesday, Ukraine regained control of one of the government buildings occupied by pro-Russian activists in the east of the country.
Moscow has said that using force to end the protests could lead to civil war.
Kiev says the unrest in the east is being fomented by Russia following its annexation of the Crimean peninsula.
Russia took control in Crimea - where Russian-speakers are in a majority - after a disputed referendum.
In another development, the Kremlin said Russian President Vladimir Putin would meet senior officials on Wednesday to discuss economic ties with Ukraine - including energy supplies.
Ukraine owes Russia's Gazprom $2.2bn (£1.3bn) for supplies of natural gas and missed a deadline to pay its March bill by midnight on Monday. Previous disputes over the price of gas have seen Gazprom cut off supplies to Ukraine.

Pro-Russian demonstrators loot Ukraine buildings as lawmakers brawl in Parliament

KHERSON, Ukraine – Masked, pro-Russian activists in eastern Ukraine have begun looting government offices in Donetsk, the largest and most influential city of Ukraine's industrialized eastern and southern provinces, in a move that could portend further fragmenting of the beleaguered nation.
According to the few independent media outlets remaining in the city, masked men on Monday night were seen carrying computer servers from the Donetsk Province government administration building. Earlier in the day, separatist leaders declared the creation of the Donetsk People's Republic. The so-called declaration of independence, which was broadcast via Internet, said that “the people of Donetsk People's Republic have an exclusive right to its land, subsoil, air space, water and other natural resources” and that the newly created republic has a right for an independent financial, economic and other policies.
“This is effective from the moment of its approval and serves as basis for approval of the Constitution of Donetsk People's Republic,” said the declaration, which said a referendum on approving the province's new status would be held no later than May 11.

“Organized groups of several hundred people representing Russian security agencies have arrived in eastern Ukraine from neighboring Russia.”- Yulia Tymoshenko, former Ukrainian prime minister

UN warns of Syria food shortage due to looming drought

The UN has warned that a drought in Syria could lead to a record low wheat harvest and put millions of people at risk.

The World Food Programme (WFP) said rainfall since September has been less than half the long-term average.
At the same time, WFP food aid has been cut by a fifth due to a lack of funds from international donors.
Over 100,000 people have been killed since fighting broke out in Syria more than three years ago.
"WFP is concerned about the impact of a looming drought hitting the northwest of the country, mainly Aleppo, Idlib, and Hama," WFP spokeswoman Elisabeth Byrs told reporters in Geneva.
"A drought could put the lives of millions more people at risk," she said.
Up to 6.5 million Syrians could need emergency food aid as a result, up from the current figure of 4.2 million, Byrs said.
As a result of the drought, Syria could be forced to import more than than the 5.1 million tonnes of wheat it needed last year, the WFP said in a report.
Food parcels cut Syria was last hit by a drought in 2008, three years before the outbreak of the civil war.
On Monday, the WFP announced that it had to cut the size of its food parcels to Syrian families by 20 per cent.

Iran in fresh nuclear talks with world powers

Iran has begun a new round of talks with world powers in Vienna as they seek to reach a comprehensive deal on Tehran's nuclear programme.

The international community want Iran to scale back its enrichment of uranium, which they fear could be used to make a nuclear bomb.
Iran says its nuclear work is purely peaceful and hopes to agree a deal in return for a lifting of sanctions.
An interim agreement that came into effect in January ends in July.
Iran and the six powers involved - the US, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany - are keen to start drafting the terms of a new deal by May, but correspondents say they are still some way apart.

The signs so far have been positive, with EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who is leading the talks, hailing the last round in March as "substantive and useful".

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was also positive, telling Iranian media that "there are signs that an understanding is possible that respects the rights of the Iranian nation."
A senior US official involved in the talks told the AFP news agency on Friday that she was "absolutely convinced" a deal could be reached and that both sides were "looking toward beginning drafting [a deal] in May".
But "the real issue is not about whether you can write the words on paper, do the drafting. It's about the choices that Iran has to make, and some of them are very difficult."

Kerry says 'Jewish state' recognition will have to wait

NEW YORK -- US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Tuesday that the Palestinian Authority should recognize Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people. But "it's not going to happen" at this stage of the negotiations, Kerry added.
"The government of the United States and the president supports the notion of Israel being defined as a Jewish state," Kerry told his former colleagues on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. "We believe that that should happen. But when it happens, and how it happens, has to be part of the negotiations. It's not going to happen in the beginning."
Pressed by the Senate panel, Kerry said that the crisis in the talks— perhaps caused by an "inadvertent" spiral of consequential events— was in part caused by a series of decisions made by the Israeli government, during vacillation over whether to release the final tranche of prisoners as promised in the original deal.
Acknowledging the release was a "painful, difficult" and "enormously hard" decision for Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to make, he said that in the hours after the deadline for the prisoner release had passed, Israeli officials were coming close to an agreement on how to proceed with the release and salvage the talks.

Twelve killed in bomb blast on Pakistani train

QUETTA: At least 12 passengers were killed and more than 30 wounded on Tuesday when militants bombed a train in Pakistan's Baluchistan province, hospital sources and officials said.

The blast came a day after Pakistani security forces said they had killed 30 separatist militants in one of the biggest clashes in months in the gas-rich province.

There was no claim of responsibility for the blast and it was not clear if it was related to the fighting. As well as the separatists, Islamist militants operate in Baluchistan, which is on the borders of Iran and Afghanistan.

The bomb went off on the Rawalpindi-bound Jaffar Express in a carriage reserved for men, in the town of Sibi, 120 km (75 miles) southeast of the provincial capital of Quetta.

"Fire engulfed the (carriage) following the blast causing most of the deaths," said a rescue worker. Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique confirmed the death toll.

Government officials did not identify which militant group they believed was responsible.

The low-level separatist insurgency in Baluchistan is one of the chronic security problems undermining stability in nuclear-armed Pakistan.

Ebola-Linked Deaths In West Africa Over 100

CONAKRY, Guinea (AP) — Officials say more than 100 people have died in an outbreak of Ebola in West Africa, where the disease may have infected as many as 175 people.
The outbreak of Ebola, which causes internal and external bleeding and is almost always fatal, began last month.
Sakoba Keita of Guinea's Health Ministry said Tuesday that there are 151 suspected and confirmed cases of the disease in the country, and 98 people have died. The World Health Organization says Liberia has recorded 10 deaths and 21 cases.
But there are also signs officials are beginning to slow Ebola's spread. Ghana reported tests on a suspected case were negative. The WHO says Sierra Leone has ruled out Ebola in its two suspected cases, and two of Mali's six suspected cases have been cleared.

Kenya police: 3,000 arrested after terror attacks; rights groups criticize the method

NAIROBI, Kenya – A Kenyan official says at least 3,000 people have been arrested during four days of security operations following a wave of terror attacks.
Police spokesman Masoud Mwinyi said Tuesday that most of those arrested were scrutinized by security agencies and released, but that 447 are being held in custody under anti-terrorism laws that allow police to hold suspects longer than 24 hours.
Human rights activists have criticized the operation, saying only Somalis are being targeted. Rights groups are also concerned about police treatment of suspects.
Kenya has suffered a wave of recent explosive and gun attacks blamed on a Somali militant group. Al-Shabab militants have vowed to carry out terror attacks in Kenya to avenge the presence of the Kenyan military in Somalia fighting the insurgents.

Venezuela protests are sign that US wants our oil, says Nicolás Maduro

Venezuela's president has accused the US of using continuing street protests to attempt a "slow-motion" Ukraine-style coup against his government and "get their hands on Venezuelan oil".
In an exclusive interview with the Guardian, Nicolás Maduro, elected last year after the death of Hugo Chávez, said what he described as a "revolt of the rich" would fail because the country's "Bolivarian revolution" was more deeply rooted than when it had seen off an abortive US-backed coup against Chávez in 2002.
Venezuela, estimated to have the world's largest oil reserves, has faced continuous violent street protests – focused on inflation, shortages and crime – since the beginning of February, after opposition leaders launched a campaign to oust Maduro and his socialist government under the slogan of "the exit".
"They are trying to sell to the world the idea that the protests are some of sort of Arab spring," he said. "But in Venezuela, we have already had our spring: our revolution that opened the door to the 21st century".

US-Vietnam naval exercises begin

Two US Navy ships began six days of non-combat exercises with the Vietnamese military as the US seeks to bolster its presence in Asia at a time of growing tension between China and its neighbours.
The engagements, the fifth year of joint exercises between the two navies, will focus on military medicine, search and rescue and shipboard damage control, with participation by the missile destroyer USS John S. McCain.
While non-combat in nature, the exercises between two former enemies in Danang carry symbolic weight as the Obama administration pursues closer economic ties with Vietnam through efforts such as the proposed 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact and a deal to sell nuclear fuel and technology to Vietnam.
‘‘It comes at a time when tension in the region is high and all the players in south-east Asia seem to be carefully calibrating their behaviour,’’ Jonathan London, assistant professor at the City University of Hong Kong’s Department of Asian and International Studies, said by phone.
‘‘China’s efforts to impose its will over the entirety of the 'South-east Asian Sea’ has generated some urgency among various parties. Hanoi is clearly intent on continuing to strengthen its relationship with the United States,’’ he said, adding that the term is a politically neutral geographical designation for the disputed sea region.
About 400 US Navy sailors and civilian mariners are participating in exercises with counterparts from the Vietnam People’s Navy, the US Navy said in a statement.
The annual exchange with Vietnam ‘‘builds mutual trust and understanding’’, US Navy Captain Paul Schlise, commodore of Destroyer Squadron Seven, said in the statement.
Territorial disputes in South China Sea waters rich in fish, oil and gas have led to friction, in particular between China and its neighbours. Vietnam in March asked China to investigate two alleged attacks on Vietnamese fishing boats in January and March by Chinese ships near the Paracel Islands, according to Vietnam News. Vietnam in January described as ‘‘illegal’’ Chinese fishing rules requiring foreign vessels to seek permission to enter waters off its southern coast.
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Boehner: Lawmakers to weigh criminal case against Lerner for 'misleading the Congress'

House Speaker John Boehner confirmed to Fox News’ Megyn Kelly Monday that lawmakers plan to press the Justice Department to consider a criminal case against ex-IRS official Lois Lerner for “misleading the Congress.”
Boehner also said if Lerner does not cooperate soon by providing information on the IRS targeting scandal, the House would hold her in contempt of Congress.
“Somebody at the IRS violated the law,” Boehner said on “The Kelly File.”
“Whether it was Lois Lerner or not, we’ll find out.”
A meeting of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee to consider contempt is set for Thursday.
But before that, the House Ways and Means Committee will meet Wednesday to prepare a letter to the Justice Department citing possible criminal activity by Lerner.Formal notice was given Monday night by the committee to Attorney General Eric Holder about the referral for possible criminal prosecution of Lerner “based on evidence the Committee has uncovered in the course of investigation of IRS abuses.”
Fox News has learned the letter will argue Lerner violated the constitutional rights of citizens, gave misleading information to investigators and inappropriately released private taxpayer information.
The accusations generally relate to the scandal over the agency's practice of singling out conservative groups seeking non-profit status for extra scrutiny.
Boehner told Kelly that any criminal case against Lerner would be for “misleading the Congress.”

Al Sharpton Says He Wasn't A Paid Mafia Informant For The FBI

Since Al Sharpton presumably keeps track of the New York papers, he would have noticed that his picture was on the front of two of them on Tuesday morning. The circumstances were less than ideal for the MSNBC host and civil rights activist.
"REV. RAT," the New York Post's cover screamed.
"AL WAS FBI MOB SNITCH," the Daily News shouted.
The tabloids were eagerly feasting on a Monday report from the Smoking Gun. The report drew on court documents to allege that Sharpton had been a paid informant for the FBI against some of New York's most powerful and dangerous Mafia families during the 1980s:

Genovese squad investigators--representing both the FBI and NYPD--recalled how Sharpton, now 59, deftly extracted information from wiseguys. In fact, one Gambino crime family figure became so comfortable with the protest leader that he spoke openly--during ten wired face-to-face meetings--about a wide range of mob business, from shylocking and extortions to death threats and the sanity of Vincent “Chin” Gigante, the Genovese boss who long feigned mental illness in a bid to deflect law enforcement scrutiny. As the mafioso expounded on these topics, Sharpton’s briefcase--a specially customized Hartmann model--recorded his every word.

In interviews with both the Post and the Daily News, Sharpton said he was never paid and never carried a bugged briefcase. But he didn't deny that he played ball with the FBI.
“It’s crazy. If I provided all the information they claimed I provided, I should be given a ticker-tape parade," he told the Post.
“I was never told I was an informant or I had a number or none of that," he said to the Daily News. “Whether or not they used some of the other information they got during that period for other purposes, I don’t know.”
He also denied that he had been caught in a drug sting and pressured to turn informant, as the Smoking Gun claimed. Instead, he told the News he had contacted the FBI after receiving mob threats over his activism in the music business.
One thing's for sure: the tabloids are just settling in.

Survey says ObamaCare rate shocks accelerating

SURVEY SAYS OBAMACARE RATE SHOCKS ACCELERATING
Senate Democrats were starting to feel a little better about midterms. It was partly because of the White House publicity push claiming to have met enrollment standards for ObamaCare last week. But it was mostly because of a twofold strategy now on display: appeal to centrist voters by embracing some modest mitigations of the law while leaving President Obama to petrify Democratic base voters with targeted threats about what a Republican Senate might do. Let Obama, already unpopular with independents, play the heel while Senate Democrats get to adopt poses of concern and independence. Take that Nate Silver! But that happy thought bubble just got popped. Health-insurance premiums are accelerating at the fastest pace ever measured in a survey conducted by market analysts at Morgan Stanley. The forecast rise, largely attributable to ObamaCare, comes from a survey of insurance brokers around the country. As American Enterprise Institute scholar Scott Gottlieb explains for Forbes, the numbers are crushingly high (this chart highlights the spike).
[Among the states seeing the sharpest increases are several with competitive Senate races including: New Hampshire (forecast to suffer a 90-percent rate increase for individual plans), Colorado, Michigan, Georgia and Kentucky.]
Dems pay for premiums - Whatever any ads claim or however many talking points seep out of the White House, the most effective communications of the midterm cycle will be in the form of rate notices and cancellations from insurers. Just as flickering Republican hopes in 2008 were snuffed by the arrival in mailboxes of retirement account statements that revealed the magnitude of the damage caused by that year’s financial panic, health insurance rate cards will do the greatest damage to Democratic hopes of retaining the Senate. While Obama Democrats claim that success or failure of the law is reflected in how many people signed up for free or subsidized insurance, the real measure will be in how the law affects the insurance policies of the 85 percent of Americans who had coverage before the ObamaCare experiment began. If this forecast holds true and voters see insurance premium increases of the kind outlined in the survey, there’s no spin or strategy that can save a Senate majority.

Here’s the next part of Obamacare that has Democrats worried about November

Democrats with a wary eye toward November have been behind many of the last-minute, non-technology-related changes to the Affordable Care Act in the past few months. When people received letters in the mail last fall notifying them that their insurance plans had been canceled, many senators wrote to Health and Human Services asking for a reprieve. The Obama administration acquiesced. Many states decided to cancel plans anyway -- it just made sense if the aim was to keep premiums down long-term, instead of racking up a quick PR boost.

But lately, some Democrats who are vulnerable in the midterms have been campaigning against the White House's newest proposed health-care change -- the slow shifting of federal funds away from the Medicare Advantage plan.

Medicare Advantage is a privatized version of the government insurance program for adults over 65, offering perks like gym memberships and care coordination. It has long been championed by Republicans -- who have always wanted to make Medicare a more privatized operation -- and derided by Democrats -- who said it was an inefficient money suck. But amid troubling signs of Democrats potentially losing the Senate, many legislators have switched to supporting the privatized Medicare plan.

On Monday, vulnerable Democratic incumbents won their fight, as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced that instead of the proposed 2 percent cut to insurer payments, they would boost payments for Medicare Advantage for the second year in a row, by 0.4 percent. The office said the change was due to a reassessment of Medicare costs and the relative health of new sign-ups (Medicare Advantage consumers tend to be younger than other Medicare enrollees).

As Obama Spotlights Gender Gap in Wages, His Own Payroll Draws Scrutiny

WASHINGTON — President Obama on Tuesday will call attention to what he has said is an “embarrassment” in America: the fact that women make, on average, only 77 cents for every dollar that a man earns.

But critics of the administration are eager to turn the tables and note that Mr. Obama’s White House fares only slightly better. A study released in January showed that female White House staff members make on average 88 cents for every dollar a male staff member earns.

The dueling statistics reveal the political sensitivities around a set of gender-related issues that could be critical in the midterm elections this fall. Those include pay equity, family leave, preschool and child care.

Mr. Obama and his Democratic allies are trying to portray Republicans as insensitive to the concerns of women, in the hopes of capitalizing on the kind of lopsided female support that helped Mr. Obama win the White House in 2008 and 2012. On Tuesday, Mr. Obama is to sign an executive order barring federal contractors from penalizing employees who discuss their compensation.

Oath to the Queen battle to be heard in appeal court

Three permanent residents opposed to taking an oath to the Queen as a condition of Canadian citizenship took their battle to Ontario's top court Tuesday.
They argue the requirement is discriminatory and violates their constitutional rights and should be struck down.

The three oppose the oath on religious or conscientious grounds, saying it should be optional or that pledging allegiance to Canada should be enough.
A lower court judge, however, disagreed, saying any charter violation can be justified in a democratic society.
One of the three, Michael McAteer, said Canada is supposed to be an inclusive country and he feels the oath is not necessary.
"I'm a democrat," said McAteer, who is from Ireland. "I believe in democracy, equality, and I think any monarchy is the very antithesis of a democratic society."
"I want to become a citizen without taking an oath to what I consider to be a foreign queen," he said, adding people who are born Canadian don't have to take an oath.
Ottawa argues the oath has been around for ages, nothing forces permanent residents to become citizens, and nothing precludes them from opposing the monarchy.
The government has already made it clear it will take the case to the Supreme Court of Canada if it loses before the Ontario Court of Appeal.

Crushing Defeat A Stinging Rebuke For Parti Québécois, Sovereignty Movement

Pauline Marois became the fourth consecutive premier to lose his or her own riding Monday, as the Parti Québécois was handed an even more crushing defeat than many in the party had expected.
Philippe Couillard's Liberals took 70 seats and 42 per cent of the vote, returning to power after just 18 months on the opposition benches.
The PQ was reduced from 54 to just 30 seats with 25 per cent support, their lowest share of the vote since the party's first electoral outing under René Lévesque in 1970.
The performance of François Legault's Coalition Avenir Québec, particularly in the suburbs to the north and south of Montreal, sunk the PQ.
Though the CAQ did drop from 27 per cent to 23 per cent of the vote as compared to 2012, the party increased its seat total from 18 at dissolution to 22.
Seeing that he may now have an opportunity to replace the PQ as the alternative to the Liberals by the next election, Legault promised to stay on as leader of the party for the next four years.
Marois, on the other hand, announced her resignation. She had little choice. She had dissolved her own minority government in a quest for a majority and failed.

Alberta opposition cries foul over PC’s ‘unfair’ trust fund

EDMONTON — Interim Alberta premier Dave Hancock has asked the PC party to "wind down" its unique $1.6-million trust fund as Monday's question period saw opposition parties attack the fund for giving the PCs an "unfair advantage.”
Last week, financial documents revealed that while the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta has taken on $1.1 million in debt on a line of credit, the sum is fully backed by their Tapcal Trust fund.
Established in 1977, the trust is a $1.6-million investment fund that's only ever been legal for the PC party, prompting opposition parties to cry foul.
"I have consulted with the president of the PC party and the executive director and have asked that they review the Tapcal Trust fund with a view to winding it down," said Hancock on Monday, dismissing claims that the fund was a secret.
"People think that there's something there and there's not."
Hancock said that historically, party finances have been "tightly held" by the party's budget officer with few senior executives privy to the details of the Tapcal Trust, including Hancock himself.
"I think in the interests of openness and transparency, they should have a look at it and let people know exactly what it is and why it's there and, if possible, do something with it," he said.
Wildrose Leader Danielle Smith grilled Hancock on the fund in question period.
"It seems we have to continue to dig around, trying to see where things are hiding and I don't think that engenders much confidence of the public," she said.
The PCs should pay off their debt with the fund and then donate the rest to charity, said Alberta NDP Leader Brian Mason.

Clayton Kennedy, former Attawapiskat co-manager, charged with fraud

The former co-manager of Attawapiskat First Nation is facing fraud and theft charges for writing a $51,000 cheque.
Clayton Kennedy is charged with fraud and theft over $5,000.
The charges against him are listed on a charge sheet filed March 27 by Det.-Const. Trevor Martin of the Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service.
The document alleges the fraud "by writing a cheque" occurred in Attawapiskat on or about Aug. 28, 2012, and that the stolen money belonged to the Attawapiskat First Nation. The court document does not provide any other information about the cheque.
Kennedy, 62, was co-manager of the northern Ontario band’s finances from July 2010 until the end of the summer of 2012.
Kennedy is the partner of Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence.
He is now co-manager of Taykwa Tagamou Nation, in Cochrane, Ont.
Co-management is the middle level of intervention by the federal government in order to improve a First Nation’s financial situation.
The Department of Aboriginal Affairs and the band council agree on a co-manager, who is paid by the band.
Kennedy was in the spotlight during Attawapiskat’s housing crisis in 2011 when questions were raised about the band’s financial books, and again in 2012 when an external audit found a troubling lack of financial documentation.
Attempts to reach Kennedy or Attawapiskat officials Monday night were unsuccessful, and a message left with Aboriginal Affairs Minister Bernard Valcourt's office was not immediately returned.

Canada quietly orders a Russian defence attaché at the Ottawa embassy to leave the country

OTTAWA – The Canadian government has quietly ordered at least one Russian diplomat to leave the country within the next two weeks, the Ottawa Citizen has learned.

It wasn’t immediately clear Monday why Lt.-Col. Yury Bezler has been declared persona non grata, including whether the move is related to recent events in Ukraine, the recent stabbing of another Russian diplomat, or some other incident.

There was also no indication whether any other Russian diplomats have been told to leave.

The Russian Embassy did not immediately respond to questions, while Canada’s Foreign Affairs department refused to comment.

Bezler has served as assistant defence attaché at the Russian Embassy in Ottawa since arriving in Canada less than a year ago, and was one of three Russian military officers working out of the embassy.

His expulsion comes amid tensions between Russia and the West over the situation in Ukraine, where the two sides are embroiled in the region’s worst diplomatic crisis since the Cold War.

Canada expelled nine Russian military officers from Canada last month after suspending military-to-military co-operation between the two countries over Russia’s moves to annex the Crimea peninsula from Ukraine and its deployment of troops on Ukraine’s eastern border.

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