Gazette 05-08-14

Thursday May 8th 2014

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East Ukraine rebel vote to go ahead

Pro-Russian activists in eastern Ukraine have decided to go ahead with an independence referendum on Sunday, despite a call from Russian President Vladimir Putin to postpone it.

The move was announced by separatist leaders after consulting supporters.
On Wednesday, Mr Putin called for a postponement to create the conditions necessary for dialogue.
Ukrainian authorities say they will disregard the results and that "anti-terror" operations will continue.
Millions of ballot papers have been prepared for the referendum. The question put to voters is: "Do you support the act of proclamation of independent sovereignty for the Donetsk People's Republic?'' 

The decision to press with the vote ahead was announced by separatist leaders in the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.

The leader in Donetsk, Denis Pushilin, said it had been unanimous. "We just voice what the people want and demonstrate through their actions," he said.
A spokesman for the Kremlin said there was "little information" and that it needed to further analyse the situation.
The BBC's Richard Galpin in Donetsk says tensions are running high amid fears that a vote will exacerbate tensions and possibly plunge the country into a full-blown civil war.

Ukrainian Jews form defense force to combat anti-Semitic attacks 

Ukrainian Jews with combat skills formed a rapid intervention force to stop anti-Semitic attacks.
The force, which was set up in recent weeks, currently is made up of eight men who served in the Ukrainian or Israeli armies or have martial arts skills, the team’s founder, Tzvi Arieli, told JTA Thursday.
The defenders are armed with baseball bats that an American donor whose family hails from Kiev sent the team, he added. “We are trying to raise funds for bullet-proof vests which would greatly increase safety if the situation escalates,” said Arieli, a Latvia-born former soldier of a special forces unit in the Israel Defense Forces who lives in Ukraine.
Arieli said he set up the task force — which now has its own Facebook page – at the request of Rabbi Yaakov Dov Bleich, a chief rabbi of Ukraine, following a series of anti-Semitic attacks that occurred in Kiev and beyond in the wake of a bloody revolution that erupted in November over former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych’s alleged corruption and perceived allegiance to Russia.
Yanukovych was ousted from power in February. The following month, Russian-backed troops seized control of the Crimean Peninsula – an area which used to belong to Ukraine and which Russia promptly annexed, claiming residents had sought Russian protection for fear of Ukrainian nationalism in the post-revolution period. Hundreds have died in clashes between different interest groups and militias.
“In talks with officials, it became clear the authorities could offer limited protection to the Jewish community so we needed to take security into our own hands,” said Arieli, who in March helped organize the medical evacuation of Ukrainians who had been wounded in fighting to Israel. He said the self-defense team was acting with Ukrainian authorities’ knowledge and consent.

Putin Oversees Russian Nuclear Forces Exercise

MOSCOW (AP) — President Vladimir Putin on Thursday oversaw a military exercise involving Russia's nuclear forces amid escalating tensions over Ukraine.

While Putin said the exercise had been planned back in November, it comes as relations between Russia and the West have plunged to their lowest point since the Cold War over Ukraine.

Putin, speaking from the Defense Ministry's headquarters where he oversaw the exercise along with leaders of several ex-Soviet nations which are members of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, said that the maneuvers involved the military across the entire Russian territory, including the nation's nuclear forces.

Russian news wires said that the exercises simulated dealing a massive retaliatory nuclear strike in response to an enemy attack. The description of the exercise is unusually blunt, reflecting tensions with the West running high over Ukraine.

As part of the maneuvers, a Topol intercontinental ballistic missile launched from the Plesetsk launch pad in northwestern Russia successfully hit a designated target on the Kura testing range on the far eastern Kamchatka peninsula, the military said.

Two nuclear submarines of the Northern and Pacific Fleets, the Tula and the Podolsk, also fired intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Bomb kills 9 troops in Pakistan near Afghan border 

PESHAWAR, Pakistan –  A roadside bombing in northwestern Pakistan near the Afghan border killed nine paramilitary soldiers on Thursday, the army said. The attack came as the Pakistani military test-fired a ballistic missile it said could carry a nuclear warhead, an exercise meant to showcase the nuclear-armed nation's capabilities.
Pakistan is under mounting pressure to fight militants in the volatile North Waziristan region along the boundary with Afghanistan ahead of the withdrawal of U.S.-led international troops from the neighboring country by the end of the year.

But the government has balked from launching such an operation, fearing a backlash as it battles militants elsewhere in Pakistan.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who has made negotiations with the Taliban a centerpiece of his government in an effort to end violence that has killed thousands, issued a statement condemning Thursday's bombing.
The bomb "planted by terrorists" near the town of Miran Shah in North Waziristan struck a military convoy, killing nine and wounding several troops, according to an army statement.
The army responded by sending helicopters, which bombed suspected militant hideouts in the region, though it was unclear if there were any casualties in the strikes, two intelligence officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to media.
In the capital, Islamabad, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said the slain soldiers were escorting trucks carrying water supplies. He refused to speculate on who was behind the bombing and said authorities were still investigating.

North Korea Preparing For Nuclear Test: Seoul Defense Minister

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea is making final preparations to conduct its fourth nuclear test, South Korea's defense minister said Thursday, but he added that it could be a bluff.
Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin told South Korean journalists that North Korea is able to detonate a nuclear device at any moment, though he didn't elaborate on what the final step of its preparations would be, according to ministry officials.
Kim also said that although North Korea is ready to conduct a nuclear test, it may not intend to set off the device soon, and instead is trying to trick outside observers into believing a test is imminent, the officials said, requesting anonymity under department rules.
North Korea has threatened in recent weeks to conduct a nuclear test to protest what it calls U.S. and South Korean hostility and international condemnation over its rocket and missile tests earlier this year. South Korea has warned North Korea would face serious consequences if the test is made.
Pyongyang has called for the resumption of long-dormant international aid-for-disarmament talks, but Washington and Seoul say the North must first move toward disarmament. North Korea says it needs nuclear weapons as a deterrent against U.S. military threats.

Syria conflict: Huge blast 'destroys Aleppo hotel'

A large explosion in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo has destroyed a hotel and several other buildings, state media and activists report.

Rebel fighters are believed to have detonated a bomb placed in a tunnel beneath the Carlton Citadel Hotel, near the city's medieval citadel and souk.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said government troops had been based there and at least 14 died.
Both sides have been trying to end a long-standing stalemate in the city.
In recent weeks, rebels have been trying to advance on areas where government forces are entrenched, while rebel-held areas of Aleppo have come under fierce aerial bombardment since mid-December.
'Archaeological sites' The state news agency, Sana, reported that "terrorists" had blown up tunnels they had dug underneath archaeological sites in the Old City.

Qaddafi money search leads to British real estate firm

More than two years after the death of Libyan strongman Muammar Qaddafi, current government officials are trying to reclaim the assets of the former dictator and his inner circle.
According to The Wall Street Journal, former Qaddafi aide Ali Dabaiba and his family have a stake in the high-end British real estate agency Chesterton Humberts, which was purchased in early 2011 during the Arab Spring.

Now, the paper reports, the Libyan government is investigating Dabaiba on suspicion of embezzlement and abuse of office.
Dabaiba, 68, ran a powerful Libyan government agency and was part of an inner circle called "Companions of the Leader," the Journal reported. 
Libyan investigators have been pursuing holdings of people linked to the Qaddafi regime, and the Dabaiba ties to Chesterton Humberts is a rare example of a mainstream firm connected to assets of a post-dictatorship regime.
"The State of Libya believes that the estate agency Chesterton Humberts is part-owned by Ali Ibrahim Dabaiba or his brother or sons," said a document sent to a U.K. law-enforcement agency by investigators working for the Libyan government, the Journal reported. 
Click for more from The Wall Street Journal. 

Hundreds killed in Boko Haram raid on unguarded Nigerian town

Soldiers based in Gamboru Ngala had been redeployed as part of effort to rescue schoolgirls kidnapped by Islamist group

Boko Haram has been further condemned after details emerged of a massacre of as many as 300 people close to Nigeria's border with Cameroon, while the Islamist group continued to hold more than 200 kidnapped schoolgirls.

The US president, Barack Obama, said the kidnappings and murders in Nigeria, as well as the war in Syria and other conflicts, showed humanity's "darkest impulses".

The latest insurgent attack in Nigeria targeted the town of Gamboru Ngala. Gunmen burned buildings and fired on civilians as they tried to flee. The Nigerian senator Ahmed Zanna put the death toll at 300, citing information provided by locals.

Zanna said the town had been left unguarded because soldiers based there had been redeployed north towards Lake Chad in an effort to rescue the kidnapped girls. Witnesses said Boko Haram fighters riding in armoured trucks and on motorcycles had stormed Gamboru Ngala after midday on Monday and overrun the town.

A medical officer in the Cameroon army, which has reinforced security at the border, said it believed more than 200 people had been killed in the town. "Some of the bodies were charred. It was horrific. People had their throats slit, others were shot," he said.

On Wednesday the British government announced it would send a small group of experts to Nigeria to assist with the hunt for the missing schoolgirls. The team will work alongside US military and law enforcement officers tasked by Obama with providing technical assistance to the Nigerian authorities.

Pakistan test-fires nuclear-capable short-range missile 'Hatf III'
 
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday successfully test-fired a short-range surface-to-surface ballistic missile Hatf III, capable of carrying nuclear and conventional warheads up to a range of 290 kilometres, that could cover parts of India.

The "successful training launch" concluded the Field Training Exercise of Strategic Missile Group of Army Strategic Forces Command, the military said in a statement here, 16 days after it conducted the previous test launch of Hatf III, also called the Ghaznavi.

"The successful launch was the culminating point of the Field Training Exercise of Army Strategic Forces Command which was aimed at testing the operational readiness of a Strategic Missile Group besides upgradation of various capabilities of weapon systems," the statement said.

The launch was witnessed by the Chief of Army Staff, General Raheel Sharif, Director General Strategic Plans Division, Lieutenant General Zubair Mahmood Hayat and other senior military officials and scientists.

Addressing the participating troops in the exercise area, the Gen Sharif appreciated the troops on displaying a very high standard of proficiency in handling and operating these strategic weapon systems.

He said that Pakistan has configured one of the best command and control systems and Armed Forces of Pakistan are fully capable of safeguarding Pakistan's security against any aggression.

U.S. urges calm amid Vietnam and China’s ‘shadow boxing’ in disputed sea

Chinese and Vietnamese ships were locked in a tense standoff Thursday in disputed waters where Beijing is trying to set up an oil rig, a Vietnamese commander said, as the United States urged both sides to de-escalate tensions in the most serious incident in the South China Sea in years.
Vietnam’s main stock market index recorded its biggest one-day drop since 2001 on fears of a protracted stalemate or possible conflict between the neighbouring nations, which have fought two naval skirmishes in the waters since 1974 and have history of conflict going back 1,000 years.
The standoff started May 1 when China moved a deep sea oil rig into waters close to the Paracel Islands in what most analysts believe was an especially assertive move to help cement its claims of sovereignty over the area. Vietnam, which says the islands belong to it, immediately dispatched ships.
On Wednesday, Vietnam said Chinese vessels had repeatedly rammed and fired water cannons at its ships, damaging several of them, and showed video footage of the incidents. China insists it is doing nothing wrong, and has said it will continue with its drilling activities in the area.
Ngo Ngoc Thu, deputy commander of Vietnam Coast Guard, said the situation remained tense Thursday, but there had been no contact.
“The two sides are still shadow boxing with each other,” he told The Associated Press.
China has been increasingly pressing its claims in the South China Sea, which it claims almost in its entirety. This is bringing it into conflict with Vietnam and the Philippines, which also claim parts of the water, as do Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.
The United States position is that it doesn’t take sides in the dispute, but it too shares regional concerns about China’s growing clout. It has criticized Beijing’s latest move as “provocative.”

Obama Removing Special Trade Benefits For Russia

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is removing special trade benefits for Russia because the country is too economically advanced to need them and Moscow's involvement in Ukraine made it an appropriate time to take the step, the White House announced Tuesday.
Obama notified Congress that he plans to remove Russia from the Generalized System of Preferences program, which gave Moscow a $544 million break on import taxes in 2012 on products ranging from metals and minerals to tires and ceramic wares.
The program, which allowed $19.9 billion in imports to enter the U.S. duty-free in 2012, is designed to help developing countries boost their economy through trade. The program expired in July 2013, but the Obama administration supports legislation under consideration in Congress to extend it.
The White House says Russia's removal will mean its goods will be subject to normal tariff rates once Obama issues a proclamation, which can be no sooner than 60 days from congressional notification.
National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said Russia was set to be eliminated from the program on Jan. 1, 2016, after being upgraded to high-income status by the World Bank last year, but Obama decided to move forward ahead of schedule. "Russia's actions regarding Ukraine, while not directly related to the president's decision regarding Russia's eligibility for GSP benefits, make it particularly appropriate to take this step now," she said.
The announcement comes on the day that Russian President Vladimir Putin said his country has pulled troops back from the border it shares with Ukraine. But the White House was skeptical of the claim.

Hillary fought to keep Boko Haram off terror list

Hillary fought to keep Boko Haram off terror list
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• Help wanted for light maiming

HILLARY FOUGHT TO KEEP BOKO HARAM OFF TERROR LIST
Hillary Clinton’s public outrage at the abduction of hundreds of schoolgirls by a Islamist Nigerian rebel group ignores the role the 2016 Democratic frontrunner had in preventing the group from being designated as a terrorist organization. From The Daily Beast: “The State Department under Hillary Clinton fought hard against placing the al Qaeda-linked militant group Boko Haram on its official list of foreign terrorist organizations for two years. And now, lawmakers and former U.S. officials are saying that the decision may have hurt the American government’s ability to confront the Nigerian group that shocked the world by abducting hundreds of innocent girls….On Wednesday, Clinton said that the abduction of the girls by Boko Haram was ‘abominable, it’s criminal, it’s an act of terrorism and it really merits the fullest response possible, first and foremost from the government of Nigeria.’ Clinton said that as Secretary of State she had numerous meetings with Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan and had urged the Nigerian government to do more on counterterrorism. What Clinton didn’t mention was that her own State Department refused to place Boko Haram on the list of foreign terrorist organizations in 2011, after the group bombed the UN headquarters in Abuja. The refusal came despite the urging of the Justice Department, the FBI, the CIA, and over a dozen Senators and Congressmen.”
He did it - Clinton’s successor, Secretary of State John Kerry designated Boko Haram as a terrorist organization in November, 2013.
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Conan O'Brien ribs President Obama over L.A. traffic: 'Skype works' 

President Obama was in Century City on Wednesday night to accept a serious award from the USC Shoah Foundation — but his warmup act, comedian Conan O’Brien, still wasn’t over what Angelenos were calling Wednesday’s #Obamajam on major routes around town.“As a resident of Los Angeles, I'm furious about what you do to traffic when you visit this city,” O’Brien said to laughter at the foundation's 20th anniversary gala. “What the hell? I know you left Washington six hours ago, but I left Burbank seven hours ago.”
“There are two things that make traffic shut down in this town — a visit from the president and a light drizzle,” O’Brien continued. “Now, I mean this with the greatest respect, Sir, but do you have to physically come here? We love you. This town loves you. You’ve got our vote. You’re good.
“Audience, what do you say to — next time we give President Obama a Los Angeles award, we mail it to him? And then we fly down the 405,” the comedian said.

Bill to overhaul NSA data collection clears hurdle in U.S. Congress

(Reuters) - A U.S. House of Representatives committee voted unanimously on Wednesday to advance a bill that would end the National Security Agency's bulk collection of Americans' telephone records, one of the most controversial spy programs revealed a year ago by former contractor Edward Snowden.
The House Judiciary committee voted 32-0 to back the measure, which would end the NSA's gathering information about telephone calls and storing them for at least five years. It would instead leave the records with telephone companies.
The bill would allow the NSA to collect a person's phone records, and those of two contacts, if investigators can convince a judge they have a reasonable suspicion the person was involved in terrorism.
The legislation still faces several hurdles before becoming law, including winning the approval of a majority in the full House, as well as backing in the U.S. Senate. It is similar to NSA reforms proposed by President Barack Obama.
"We applaud the House Judiciary Committee for approaching this issue on a bipartisan basis," White House National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said in a statement.

Monica Lewinsky: Feminists failed me

Monica’s Lewinsky’s essay in the new issue of Vanity Fair raises all sorts of questions. Why is she writing this now?  What does she want? What’s her next move? And of course, what do her words mean for Hillary Clinton? Our colleague Ruth Marcus argues that Lewinsky has done the former secretary of state a solid by plainly stating that the affair was consensual, thus blunting Sen. Rand Paul’s (R-Ky.) argument that Bill Clinton was a sexual predator.
And polls do in fact suggest that Lewinsky is a kind of unintended Hillary Clinton wing woman — the former first lady’s favorable ratings got a significant boost from the focus on her husband’s dalliance with Lewinsky at the time.
But the question that Lewinsky says still troubles her even now, 16 years after the affair came to light, centers on the role of feminism and the movement’s leaders back in 1998 when the former White House intern found herself on the other end of “global humiliation,” and was endlessly branded as a thong-wearing stalker and in recently revealed private conversations, a “narcissistic loony toon,” in the words of Hillary Clinton.
The cigar, the stained blue dress and the salacious Ken Starr report, created a hard-to-shake image of Lewinsky as “a little bit nutty and a little bit slutty” to borrow from another 1990s sex scandal.
Lewinsky’s question is this: “So where, you might be wondering, were the feminists back then?”
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