Weekend 05-24-14

Saturday May 24th 2014

---------------------------

Somalia parliament attacked by al-Shabab in Mogadishu

Islamist militants from the al-Shabab movement have attacked the Somali parliament in Mogadishu, leaving at least 10 people dead.

Explosions and gunfire were heard and witnesses reported seeing bodies.
Somali police were joined by African Union troops as they engaged the attackers.
Al-Shabab, which is linked to al-Qaeda, once controlled large areas of Somalia but was pushed out of major cities in 2011 and 2012.
However, it is still able to mount complex attacks. It has frequently targeted the UN-backed parliament.
A car bomb exploded outside the gates of parliament shortly before midday local time (09:00 GMT), followed by more blasts and bursts of gunfire.
The attackers then stormed the front of the parliament building as security forces fired back.
"Fighting is going on inside the parliament building and we are fighting rebels inside the building but we evacuated members of parliament," Col Mahamed Dahir said.
At least four police officers and several militants were reported killed. Eyewitnesses saw a number of bodies in military fatigues but could not confirm whether they were members of the security forces.
Two MPs were reportedly wounded in the attack as they were taken out of the back of the building.

French forces exchange gunfire with Muslim rebels in Central African Republic

BAMBARI, Central African Republic –  French forces in Central African Republic have fired mortars and exchanged sustained gunfire on Saturday with Muslim rebels who once controlled the country.
The substantial engagement by the French, including a Gazelle helicopter that fired a rocket, occurred in the central town of Bambari. Ex-Seleka forces crossed the bridge on the Bangui road and engaged French forces 300 meters from a bridge, said a French military officer on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the press.

The group known as Seleka was forced from power in January nearly a year after its fighters overthrew the president. Christian militias have sprung up, saying they are seeking revenge for atrocities committed during Seleka's rule and plunging the country into sectarian violence that has left thousands dead.

Separatists In East Ukraine Block Election Preparations

KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Pro-Russian insurgents have prevented at least half of the election districts in the embattled east of the country to prepare for Sunday's presidential election, a Ukrainian official says.
Volodymyr Hrinyak, chief of the public security department at the Ukrainian Interior Ministry, said Saturday that 17 out of 34 district election commissions in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions are not operating because their offices have either been seized or blocked by armed men. Hrinyak's update was reported by the Interfax news agency.
The insurgents have controlled parts of Ukraine for weeks. Following their declaration of independence earlier this month, they pledged to derail the vote which they regard as an election in "a neighboring country."
They remain defiant although Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that he is prepared to work with the election winner.
Twenty-one candidates are competing to become Ukraine's next leader. Polls show billionaire candy-maker Petro Poroshenko with a commanding lead, but short of the absolute majority needed to win in the first round. His nearest challenger is Yulia Tymoshenko, the divisive former prime minister who is far behind.
Most polls suggest Poroshenko would win a runoff ballot, which would be held on June 15.
Fighting was reported Friday between pro-Russia separatists and government forces in eastern Ukraine as Kiev continued an offensive to try to halt the uprising.
Associated Press reporters saw two dead Ukrainian soldiers near the village of Karlivka, and another body near a rebel checkpoint, both in the Donetsk region. A rebel leader said 16 more people died Friday in fighting there — 10 soldiers, four rebels and two civilians — but there was no immediate way to verify his statement.

Vladimir Putin condemns Prince Charles's 'Nazi' remarks

Vladimir Putin has condemned remarks by Prince Charles reportedly comparing his actions to those of the Nazis, saying his words were "not what monarchs do".

The prince's reported comments were "unacceptable" and "wrong", the Russian president said.
The alleged comments were made during a conversation with a former Polish war refugee during a
Prince Charles is said to have compared Russia's actions in Ukraine with the Nazi occupation of Europe.
Asked about the comments during an interview with international news agencies, Mr Putin said: "It reminds me of a good proverb: 'You are angry. That means you are wrong."'
He told journalists: "Give my words to Prince Charles. He has been to our country more than once, if he made such a comparison, it is unacceptable and I am sure he understands that as a man of manners."
Mr Putin added: "I met him personally, as well as other members of the Royal Family. This is not what monarchs do.
"But over the past few years we have seen so much, nothing surprises me any longer."

Thai coup leaders dissolve Senate, stripping away the country's last democratic institution

BANGKOK –  Thailand's coup leaders say they are dissolving the country's Senate and will assume all lawmaking power.
Saturday's announcement, which was read out on television, strips away the last democratic institution in the country two days after the military seized power.

The junta suspended the constitution and dissolved the lower house of Parliament on Thursday. It had left the Senate in place, presumably in hopes the upper house might later approve some of its measures and provide a vestige of democracy. The reason for Saturday's about-face was not known.
The military says it took power to prevent more turmoil in Thailand's protracted political deadlock, which pits supporters of the elected populist government against establishment-backed protesters who accuse the deposed government of corruption. It's the country's 12th coup in eight decades.

Pope Francis Thanks Jordan For Welcoming Syrian Refugees

AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — Pope Francis called on Saturday for an "urgent" end to the Syrian civil war and lamented the refugee crisis it has spawned as he opened a three-day trip to the Middle East.
During his first stop in Jordan, Francis also urged greater religious rights for minority Christians across the region, thanking King Abdullah II for encouraging a "climate of serene coexistence" between Christians and Muslims.
"Religious freedom is in fact a fundamental human right and I cannot fail to express my hope that it will be upheld throughout the Middle East and the entire world," he said in an opening speech to Abdullah and Jordan's religious and political leaders.
Francis' plane touched down at Amman's Queen Alia International Airport, where he was met by an honor guard, Catholic leaders and Prince Ghazi bin Mohammed, the king's chief adviser for religious and cultural affairs. He immediately headed to the king's palace in a simple, four-door sedan, a group of motorcycles riding alongside him. Small groups of people waving Jordanian and Vatican flags cheered him as he passed.
At the palace, Francis met with Abdullah, Queen Rania and their children. In his palace speech, Francis said Jordan's "generous welcome" to Syrian refugees warranted international appreciation and support.
Jordan last month opened a third refugee camp for Syrians who fled the civil war at home, evidence of the strains the conflict is creating for the country. Jordan is currently hosting 600,000 registered Syrian refugees, or 10 percent of its population, but Jordanian officials estimate the real number is closer to 1.3 million.

Malawi president scraps election, orders new vote

BLANTYRE, Malawi –  Malawi's president says she is nullifying an election because of alleged irregularities and has ordered that a new vote should be held within 90 days in the southern African nation.
President Joyce Banda also said Saturday she would not take part in the new elections.

Maxon Mbendera, head of Malawi's election commission, said he was consulting the attorney general about the president's order. The election results have not been officially announced.
Banda faced a field of 12 candidates in Tuesday's election, which was troubled by scattered unrest. Banda was vice president and came to power in 2012 following the death of President Bingu wa Mutharika. Mutharika's brother, Peter, was a prominent challenger to Banda.
Malawi is heavily dependent on foreign aid and its government has been marred by corruption scandals.

EU citizens stopped from voting in UK after confusion over registration forms

EU citizens living in Britain have been stopped from voting after confusion over a series of registration forms. Prospective voters arrived at polling booths around the country on Thursday only to find that while they were able to vote in local elections, officials would not give them ballot papers for the continent-wide elections.
Although they are not permitted to vote in general elections, people born within the European Union can cast their vote in local and EU elections where they live.
Dozens of people have taken to social media to complain after being refused ballot papers by election officers. One Portuguese councillor said the system was "broken".
Writing on Twitter, @poleinbelfast wrote: "Me and friend have been told to vote in Poland in EU elections, even though I had votes in the last 3 elections in the UK."
Dominic Zapaman, tweeting under the handle @zapaman, said: "My wife is German was denied vote in EU election here in NW! Why? Has lived here 20yrs! Where is her vote?"
Susanne Kendler, head of the voter registration organisation LetmevoteUK, described the process as "confusing" as registering for EU elections required a second set of forms to complete the process.
Kendler said they had received numerous questions from people who could not find the forms they needed to register. "It may seem simple to some, but wasn't so for all. Many people will have just gone to register through their councils as they did before.
"Our understanding is that some confusion may have come from the fact that while people can register all members of a household on one form, the confirmation for EU citizens to vote in the EU elections here have to be individual. That may have caught people out, as they thought they already registered."

Iraqi Kurdistan makes first oil sale amid exports row

The government in the Iraqi autonomous region of Kurdistan says it has made its first sale of crude oil despite strong opposition from Baghdad.

The oil was piped to the Turkish port of Ceyhan, the Kurdish authorities said in a statement.
Iraq's central government says it has filed legal action against Turkey and the pipeline operator.
It is locked in a bitter dispute with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) over who can sell the country's oil.
Analysts say the latest development could further strain relations between Baghdad and the KRG, as well as ties between Iraq and Turkey.
'First of many' The Kurdish government says it hoped to reach an understanding with Baghdad but would continue to export oil independently until then.
In a statement, it said more than a million barrels of oil were loaded in Ceyhan on Thursday night and shipped to Europe.
"This is the first of many such sales of oil exported through the newly constructed pipeline in the Kurdistan region," it said, adding that the revenue would be treated as part of the region's share of the national budget.
Iraq's oil ministry filed a request on Friday for arbitration with the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris against the Turkish government and its state-run BOTAS company, according to a government statement.
It said that by "transporting and storing crude oil from Kurdistan... without the authorisation of the Iraqi ministry of oil" Turkey had violated the terms of an agreement between the two countries.

At least seven people killed in California shooting: Reports

SANTA BARABARA: At least seven people were killed in a drive-by shooting near a college campus in the Californian city of Santa Barbara, including the suspected gunman, local media reported on Saturday.

California's KEYT-TV reported that a further seven people were wounded in the shooting late on Friday in the town of Isla Vista near the campus of the University of California at Santa Barbara.

John Kerry will testify at House committee's Benghazi hearing

Republican efforts to maintain pressure on Hillary Clinton over her response to the killing of the US ambassador and three other Americans in Benghazi received another boost on Friday as John Kerry, Clinton's successor at the State Department, agreed to testify at a new hearing.
Kerry's decision to appear before the House oversight committee follows the reluctant appointment by minority leader Nancy Pelosi of five senior Democrats to sit on a separate select committee recently formed to conduct its own investigation into the September 2012 attack on a diplomatic compound in Libya.

Kerry, who was chair of the Senate foreign relations committee at the time of the incident and not directly involved, insisted in a letter to the Republican congressman Darrell Issa, who heads the oversight committee, that his agreement to give evidence should exempt him from also taking part in the select committee.

“We believe the secretary's appearance before the [House oversight and government reform committee] will eliminate the need for the secretary to appear a second time before the select committee,” State department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters on Friday.

That position may have been an attempt to divide House Republicans, who were already split over the decision to form the select committee. Issa has been leading his own investigation for some time, and is reportedly reluctant to cede control – or the spotlight – to the select committee and its head, Trey Gowdy. On Friday afternoon, Issa accepted Kerry’s offer and scheduled his testimony for 12 June.

Republicans believe the issue has been given fresh momentum by recent State Department disclosures of email traffic with the White House around the time of the terrorist attack.

Tennessee enacts law allowing use of electric chair

Tennessee's governor has signed a bill allowing the state to use the electric chair in executions if lethal injection drugs are unavailable.

The bill was overwhelmingly passed by state legislators last month.
They were concerned by the increasing unavailability of the drugs amid a ban on their use in executions by European pharmaceutical firms.
Eight other US states give inmates a choice of death by the electric chair or lethal injection.
Richard Dieter of the Death Penalty Information Center said Tennessee was the first state to enact a law allowing the electric chair to be imposed on an inmate.
But he said he would expect legal challenges to arise if such a punishment went ahead as it could contravene constitutional protections against cruel and unusual punishment.
"The electric chair is clearly a brutal alternative," he said.
Death penalty review A spokesman to Governor Bill Haslam confirmed to US media that he had signed the bill, but there has been no official word from his office.
The legislation was passed by the state Senate with a 23-3 vote and the House with 68-13 votes in April.

US to rev up hacking fight against China

The U.S. plans to "keep up the pressure" on China as it gauges that nation's response to this week's indictment of five Chinese military officials for allegedly hacking into American corporate computers, a senior administration official said Friday.
If China doesn't begin to acknowledge and curb its corporate cyberespionage, the U.S. plans to start selecting from a range of retaliatory options, other officials said.

They include releasing additional evidence about how the hackers allegedly conducted their operations, and imposing visa, business and financial restrictions on those indicted or people or organizations associated with them.
Beyond that, some officials are advocating more stealthy moves. These could include the government working with a U.S. company that has been breached to feed hackers bad data, said one person familiar with the discussions.
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced the charges Monday, alleging the five men hacked into five U.S. companies, including Alcoa Inc. and U.S. Steel Corp. X, as well as the United Steelworkers union, to take sensitive information. U.S. officials said they expected the Chinese would strike back.
But so far, China's response has been fairly restrained: denying the accusations, canceling the nation's participation in cybersecurity talks and signaling that U.S. technology companies may face greater scrutiny in trying to do business in China.
A senior administration official said the Chinese response is as expected, and the U.S. will tie any retaliation to Beijing's longer-term reaction.

U.S. Judge allows Michigan Rep. Conyers to appear on ballot

(Reuters) - A federal judge ruled on Friday that longtime Detroit-area Democratic U.S. Representative John Conyers should appear on an August primary ballot, saying Michigan registration rules that had disqualified him may violate his constitutional rights.
Conyers' bid for re-election had suffered a blow on Friday when state officials said errors in his nominating petitions left the 85-year-old politician without enough valid signatures to appear on the primary ballot.
He had been required to submit at least 1,000 valid signatures. But he fell short after hundreds of signatures were thrown out because they were gathered by people who were not registered voters in the state.

US sheds 21 excess military facilities in Europe

The Defense Department is giving 21 small, excess military facilities back to six European nations and will save about $60 million a year.
The sites include housing, a golf course, a hotel and a skeet shooting range.

The moves do not involve a reduction in U.S. forces in Europe. They mostly affect unneeded property in Germany and Italy, along with a handful of sites in the U.K., Belgium, Greece and Denmark.
The golf course, skeet range, General Abrams Hotel and a number of other facilities are at three U.S. installations in Germany.
The Pentagon has been cutting the number U.S. troops in Europe. Currently there are 67,000 U.S. troops across Europe, including about 30,000 each for the Army and Air Force and about 7,000 Navy and Marine Corps forces.
-