Gazette 04-23-14

Wednesday April 23rd 2014

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Ukraine crisis: Russia 'to respond if its interests' attacked

Russia will respond if its interests in Ukraine are attacked, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said, drawing a parallel with the 2008 Georgian war.

Speaking to Russian state TV channel RT, Mr Lavrov also accused the US of "running the show" in Ukraine.
And in a statement, Russia's foreign ministry repeated its call for Ukraine to withdraw military units from the country's east.
Ukraine's government faces an armed revolt there by pro-Russia separatists.
Kiev and the West say Moscow commands gunmen in eastern Ukraine - something Russia denies.
In recent weeks, pro-Russian militants have seized administrative buildings in at least a dozen towns in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
They have installed their own officials, in similar tactics to those used to take over the Ukrainian region of Crimea earlier this year.

Officials say Taliban kill 5 Afghan police officers in attack on checkpoint in volatile south

KABUL, Afghanistan –  Officials in Afghanistan say five police officers have been killed in a Taliban attack on a checkpoint in the country's volatile south.
A spokesman for the Kandahar provincial police, Zia Durani, said Wednesday that Taliban insurgents raided the police post late the previous evening in Ghorak district. He did not elaborate.

The Taliban did not immediately claim responsibility for the attack. Their Kandahar spokesman could not be immediately reached.
Afghan security forces are frequently targeted by the insurgents, who last week killed at least four other police officers from Kandahar who were traveling in Wardak province on their way to Kabul, the capital.
Violence has intensified in Afghanistan in the months before the April 5 presidential election as most international troops prepare to withdraw at the end of the year.

Maher Abdul-Hafiz Hajjar Registers As First Presidential Candidate For Syria Election

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — A Syrian lawmaker announced his candidacy for the June 3 presidential election — the first to field his bid for the top post in a vote called despite the country's relentless civil war, state-run television reported Wednesday.
President Bashar Assad has suggested he would seek another term in office but has not announced his candidacy yet. According to a new election law, the balloting must be contested by more than one candidate. Analysts said they expected at least one candidate to run against Assad to give the election a veneer of legitimacy.
Lawmaker Maher Abdul-Hafiz Hajjar registered his candidacy on Wednesday, said parliament speaker Jihad Laham.
Syrian state television said the 43-year-old was from the northern city of Aleppo, and that his ancestors were well-learned in Islamic law, suggesting the candidate is part of Syria's Sunni Muslim majority.
The armed rebels fighting to overthrow Assad are mostly Sunni Muslims. Syria's patchwork of minorities tend to support Assad, or remain neutral, fearing for their fate should hard-line Muslims come to power.
Hajjar's identity as a secular Sunni Muslim from Aleppo underscores how the country's Sunni community is not universally anti-Assad.

Palestinian Hamas-Fatah unity deal announced

Rival Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas have announced a reconciliation deal after a meeting in the Gaza Strip.

They have agreed to begin negotiations to form a unity government within the coming weeks.
It comes as peace talks between the Fatah party of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israel face collapse.
This is not the first time Fatah and Hamas have tried to reconcile since their violent split in 2007, but such agreement were never implemented.
The latest deal was announced at a news conference between Fatah and Hamas, an Islamist group banned as a terrorist organisation by Israel, the US and the EU.
They said they planned to form an interim unity government within five weeks and hold general elections within six months of a vote of confidence by the Palestinian parliament.
Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said President Abbas and had chosen to seek peace with Hamas rather than Israel.

Suspected mass grave believed to contain at least 250 bodies excavated in Serbia

RUDNICA, Serbia –  Experts have started excavation on a mass grave in Serbia believed to contain at least 250 bodies of ethnic Albanians who were killed during the 1998-99 Kosovo war.
The Serbian government official dealing with the wartime missing, Veljko Odalovic, said Wednesday that the excavation in the village of Rudnica, near Serbia's border with Kosovo, will take about 60 days.

A house had to be torn down before the work could begin. A nearby site was excavated earlier, but no bodies were found. International peacekeepers believe Serbs hid the real location.
Some 10,000 people were killed during the conflict between Serbian security troops and Kosovo separatists, and hundreds of bodies were transferred to central Serbia to hide evidence of atrocities.
Kosovo declared independence in 2008.

US warns Russia over Ukraine as Moscow announces military exercises

US secretary of state John Kerry expresses deep concern over 'lack of positive Russian steps to de-escalate' crisis -

The crisis in Ukraine deepened further overnight following the departure of the US vice-president, Joe Biden, from Kiev after a two-day visit.
In a late-night phone call, the US secretary of state, John Kerry, told the Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, of his "deep concern over the lack of positive Russian steps to de-escalate" the crisis in eastern Ukraine, a state department official said.
Kerry also called on Russia to "tone down escalatory rhetoric".
But Russia says Kiev's new leaders – whom it regards as illegitimate – are to blame for the collapse of the peace accord brokered in Geneva, which many hoped would avert Ukraine's slide into civil war.
Moscow maintains the accord was ruptured by ultranationalists – who were involved in months of protests that led to the ousting in February of Ukraine's pro-Kremlin president, Viktor Yanukovych – who killed rebels in an attack on Sunday near the eastern town of Slavyansk.
On Wednesday morning, Russia's defence ministry announced on state news wire Interfax that the navy had launched snap military exercises involving its fleet in the Caspian Sea.
The drill will last seven days and involve around 10 naval vessels and 400 sailors. The Caspian Sea is bordered by Iran, Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan – a region that is crisscrossed by oil and natural gas pipelines.
Ukraine relaunched military operations against pro-Kremlin separatists late on Tuesday, hours after Biden ended his visit to Kiev in which he warned Russia over its actions in the former Soviet republic.
Ukraine's acting president, Oleksandr Turchynov, said he was ordering the military to restart operations against the rebels after the discovery of two "brutally tortured" bodies in Slavyansk.

Cairo bombing 'kills senior Egyptian policeman'

A senior Egyptian police officer has been killed by a bomb blast in the capital, Cairo, security officials say.

Brig-Gen Ahmed Zaki died when a device placed under his vehicle blew up in the western suburb of 6 October City.
In Alexandria, a second officer was shot dead during a raid on what officials said was a militant hideout.
Jihadist militants have stepped up attacks on security personnel and killed hundreds since the army ousted President Mohammed Morsi last July.
On Saturday, gunmen killed an intelligence officer and a policeman while patrolling a desert road linking Cairo to the canal city of Suez.
That attack came a day after a policeman died in another bombing in the capital claimed by a group named Ajnad Misr (Egypt's Soldiers).
It says it is waging a campaign against police because of the state's crackdown on Mr Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood, in which more than 1,300 people have been killed and 16,000 others detained.
The insurgency threatens security ahead of May's presidential election, which former military chief Abdul Fattah al-Sisi is expected to win.
The retired field marshal has vowed to crush the militants.
In a separate development, the US will deliver to Egypt 10 Apache helicopters were held up after President Morsi was overthrown.
Secretary of State John Kerry said some of Egypt's annual $1.3bn (£770m) military aid package would also be released, after certifying to Congress that it was "sustaining the strategic relationship" with the US and "upholding its obligations" under the Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty.

Tokyo airport security loses top-secret memo before Obama visit

Security codes for Tokyo's main airport had to be changed just days before President Obama arrived, after an employee dropped a memo containing the top-secret details.
The Skymark Airlines employee mislaid the list of every security code on the departure lobby floor of Haneda Airport, an official revealed.

While the details were only missing for 30 minutes, it was deemed a big enough security threat that electronic security codes were changed.
The incident took place on Sunday evening, and was revealed by Japan's transport ministry.
Security in the capital was ramped up ahead of Mr Obama's visit, with 16,000 police officers deployed.
Japanese media said additional security cameras had been installed, and bins and public lockers swept for explosives then sealed.

US to deliver 10 Apache helicopters to Egypt

WASHINGTON - The United States said on Tuesday it will deliver 10 Apache attack helicopters to Egypt, relaxing a partial suspension of aid imposed after Egypt's military ousted President Mohamed Mursi last year and cracked down violently on protesters.
US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel informed his Egyptian counterpart of the decision, which will help Egypt's counter-terrorism operations in the Sinai Peninsula, the Pentagon said.
"We believe these new helicopters will help the Egyptian government counter extremists who threaten US, Egyptian, and Israeli security," Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby said in a statement, recounting Hagel's conversation with Egyptian Defence Minister Colonel Sedki Sobhi.
Secretary of State John Kerry had paved the way by certifying to Congress that Egypt met key criteria for Washington to resume some aid.
Those criteria included Egypt "upholding its obligations under the Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty," the State Department said.
But Kerry noted in a call with his counterpart that he was not yet able to certify that Egypt was taking steps to support a democratic transition.
One US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said no other military aid beyond the Apaches, built by Boeing Co. , was being freed up at the moment. That meant that delivery of other hardware, like F-16 fighter jets produced by Lockheed Martin Corp, remained on hold.
In a call with Egypt's foreign minister, Kerry "urged Egypt to follow through on its commitment to transition to democracy - including by conducting free, fair, and transparent elections," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.

Tony Blair: West should make peace with Putin and wage war on Islamic extremism

LONDON: The West should set aside its differences with Russia and China to focus on the growing threat from radical Islam, Tony Blair said on Wednesday, in a speech that included a call to support Egypt's military government against its Muslim Brotherhood opponents.

The former British prime minister said that tackling "a radicalized and politicized view of Islam" should be at the top of the global political agenda.

He said many in the West seemed "curiously resistant" to face up to a force that "is undermining the possibility of peaceful co-existence in an era of globalization."

Blair, Britain's prime minister between 1997 and 2007, is now Middle East envoy for the Quartet of the United Nations, the European Union, the US and Russia.
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Obama pledges Japan islands support as Asian tour begins

US President Barack Obama has assured Japan that islands at the centre of its territorial dispute with China are covered by a bilateral defence treaty.

In an interview ahead of his Asian tour, Mr Obama said the US would oppose any attempt to undermine Japan's control over the islands.
US officials have made such comments in the past, but this is the first time Mr Obama has given such explicit support.
He arrived in Japan on Wednesday ahead of stops in three other Asian nations.
China's foreign ministry has said it opposes the islands being covered by the defence treaty.
"The so-called US-Japan alliance is a bilateral arrangement from the Cold War and ought not to harm China's territorial sovereignty and reasonable rights," spokesman Qin Gang said in Beijing during a regular press briefing.

DOJ announces clemency overhaul, allows release for some after 10 years

The Justice Department moved Wednesday to significantly expand the number of people eligible for clemency, issuing new guidelines allowing certain prisoners who already have served at least 10 years behind bars to apply for release. 
The initiative is part of a broader Obama administration effort to ease sentences for nonviolent drug offenders. 

Deputy Attorney General James Cole outlined the changes, which include six separate criteria inmates must meet to be eligible, on Wednesday morning. Among the requirements is that inmates must have served at least 10 years of their federal sentence and not have a "significant criminal history." They must be "non-violent, low-level offenders" with no significant ties to major gangs, have a record of good conduct in prison, and have no history of violence. 
Finally, the process will be open to those who likely would have gotten a lesser sentence if convicted of the same offense today. 
"Older, stringent punishments that are out of line with sentences imposed under today's laws erode people's confidence in our criminal justice system. I am confident that this initiative will go far to promote the most fundamental of American ideals -- equal justice under the law," Cole said. 
He said the department plans to launch the initiative "quickly and effectively." 
The announcement is aimed primarily at drug prisoners, especially those sentenced under old guidelines that resulted in significantly harsher penalties for people caught with crack cocaine than for those who possessed the powder form of the drug. But it also applies to federal inmates imprisoned for other crimes, provided they meet the same criteria for clemency. 
Cole outlined a detailed process that apparently will kick into gear starting next week. He said the Bureau of Prisons will circulate the new criteria to inmates across the country, and allow those who think they meet the standards to fill out an electronic form. 
DOJ lawyers will screen those forms and forward select cases to pro bono attorneys to help in preparing clemency applications. Cole said lawyers from the Justice Department and elsewhere are being assigned to the pardon office to help in reviewing the "numerous petitions" expected to be submitted. 
He said applications will undergo "rigorous scrutiny." 
Cole also announced that current Pardon Attorney Ron Rodgers will be resigning; he will be replaced by Deborah Leff, acting senior counselor for access to justice.

IRS paid bonuses to tax-delinquent employees, report says

The Internal Revenue Service provided millions of dollars in bonuses to agency employees with “substantiated” conduct issues including nonpayment of taxes, according to a watchdog report released Tuesday.

The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration said the IRS between October 2010 and December 2012 doled out more than $2.8 million to about 2,800 workers with recent conduct issues. That included more than $1 million in cash awards for roughly 1,100 employees with federal tax-compliance problems, the report said.
Inspector General Russell George noted that the government does not prohibit bonuses for workers who fail to pay taxes, but he said the practice creates a “conflict with the IRS’s charge of ensuring the integrity of the system of tax administration.”

U.S. official responsible for reforming Medicare is leaving post

(Reuters) - The Obama administration on Tuesday announced the departure of the top health official responsible for reforming Medicare under President Barack Obama's healthcare reform law.
Jonathan Blum, Medicare director and principal deputy administrator of the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), has presided over a range of reform initiatives during a five-year tenure including efforts to move the $635 billion healthcare program for the elderly and disabled away from costly fee-for-service medicine.
His work involved two proposals that drew bipartisan opposition in Congress this year.
During Blum's tenure, Medicare has seen annual per capital cost growth slow to historic lows, though analysts are divided over how much credit can be attributed to reforms ushered in by the law known as Obamacare.
His resignation, announced in an internal memo from CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner, follows months of controversy over two separate proposals to scale back Medicare Advantage payments to private health insurers for 2015 and to reform the program's popular Part D prescription drug benefits.
The proposals drew opposition from Democrats and Republicans in Congress and from the private sector. Republicans accused the Democratic administration of cutting Medicare to pay for Obamacare and risking harm to senior citizens, a crucial voting bloc in November's midterm congressional elections.

Hillary Clinton's record at State under fire, again

(CNN) – The back-and-forth between Republicans and defenders of Hillary Clinton’s record as America’s top diplomat is flaring anew.

On Tuesday, a reporter asked agency spokeswoman Jen Psaki to "identify one tangible achievement" from a key project executed under Clinton's leadership - the first audit of the State Department. 
That review was aimed at identifying how the agency could become more efficient, accountable and effective at carrying out diplomacy and delivering aid worldwide.
"I am certain that those who were here at the time, who worked hard on that effort, could point out one," Psaki responded.
That answer drew a sharp response from the Republican National Committee, which said it was another illustration of what the GOP regards as Clinton’s lackluster record from her tenure as secretary of state from 2009 to early 2013.
“It speaks volumes that the State Department is having trouble naming the accomplishments from Secretary Clinton’s tenure," RNC spokesman Jahan Wilcox said in a statement.
"Americans are quite familiar with Hillary Clinton’s role regarding Benghazi and the failed Russia Reset initiative, but they’re still scratching their heads on what exactly she accomplished as the secretary of state,” Wilcox said.
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