Gazette 061614

Monday June 16th 2014

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

Iraq Conflict: Sunni Militants Capture Northern Iraqi Town

BAGHDAD (AP) — Sunni militants captured a strategic city along the highway to Syria on Monday, moving closer to their goal of linking areas under their control on both sides of the border.

The gains come as Iranian-backed Shiite militias and thousands of volunteers joined security forces to prepare for what the prime minister has vowed to be a fight to liberate every inch of Iraqi territory.

Tal Afar is dominated by ethnic Turkomen, who are both Sunni and Shiite, and is a key prize for the insurgents as it sits 150 kilometers (less than 100 miles) from the Syrian border. The al-Qaida breakaway group leading the push in Iraq also is fighting in the civil war next door in Syria where it controls territory abutting the Iraqi border.

With the Sunni militants' advance showing no signs of slowing, Secretary of State John Kerry said Monday that the Obama administration is willing to talk with Iran over deteriorating security conditions in Iraq and is not ruling out potential U.S.-Iranian military cooperation in stemming the advance of Sunni extremists.
Related : Iraq forces suffer new setback as US reportedly prepares to open Iran dialogue : UN Chief: Reports Of Massacre In Iraq Are 'Deeply Disturbing'

Suspected ISIS Supporters Arrested In Spain, Germany

MADRID (AP) — Eight people have been arrested in Spain and a further three in Germany for suspected links with jihadi groups, especially in Iraq and Syria, authorities said Monday.
A Spanish Interior Ministry statement said police detained the eight in Madrid early Monday on suspicion of recruiting jihadi militants for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or ISIL.
It said the cell was led by a person who lives in Spain but had previously been jailed in Guantanamo Bay after being arrested in Afghanistan in 2001.
Spain gave no immediate details on the nationalities of the arrested.
In Berlin, prosecutors' spokesman Martin Steltner said police on Saturday arrested a 30-year-old Frenchman suspected of "supporting a terrorist organization" by fighting in Syria for the group.
Steltner said the suspect, who wasn't named because of German privacy laws, was wounded in fighting. He has also allegedly appeared in ISIL propaganda videos.
A court will decide on his extradition to France in the coming weeks.

Pakistan's Fighter Jets Strike Insurgents In Full-Scale Offensive

MIRANSHAH, Pakistan, June 16 (Reuters) - Pakistani fighter jets pounded North Waziristan on Monday, a day after the army announced the start of a full-scale military operation to flush Islamist insurgents out of the volatile region bordering Afghanistan.

In a long-awaited military operation precipitated by a deadly insurgent attack on Pakistan's biggest airport a week ago, Pakistan has deployed troops, artillery and helicopter gunships to fight insurgents in North Waziristan.

The Taliban and their ethnic Uzbek allies holed up in North Waziristan have both claimed responsibility for the June 8 commando-style attack on Karachi airport, which was seen as a strategic turning point in how Pakistan tackles the insurgency.

The army said combat aircraft destroyed six hideouts in the Shawal sector of North Waziristan, home to some of Pakistan's most feared militants and al Qaeda commanders, early on Monday.

"In these precise strikes, 27 terrorists were killed. There is no (civilian) population in the area," it said in a statement.

"(The) operation in North Waziristan Agency is progressing as per plan... North Waziristan Agency has been isolated by deploying troops along its border with neighboring agencies and FATA (Federally Administrative Tribal Areas) regions to block any move of terrorists in and out of the Agency."

It said troops had cordoned off all militant bases, including the town of Mirali where many ethnic Uzbek and other foreign fighters are based, and the regional capital of Miranshah.

The Taliban appear determined to fight back. In the first attack since the start of the operation, at least six Pakistani soldiers were killed on Monday when a roadside bomb hit an army convoy just north of Miranshah, the army said.

In a warning issued in response to the offensive, the Taliban said it was foreign firms operating in Pakistan that would bear the brunt of their revenge.

Sri Lanka Muslims killed in Aluthgama clashes with Buddhists

At least three Muslims have been killed in overnight clashes with hardline Buddhists in southern Sri Lanka.

The men died of gunshot wounds near a mosque in the town of Aluthgama in what is seen as Sri Lanka's worst outbreak of sectarian violence in years.
More than 78 others have been seriously injured in the violence, justice minister Rauf Hakeem said.
A curfew is in place in Aluthgama and nearby Beruwala. Muslims make up 10% of Sri Lanka's mainly Buddhist population.
The men who were killed were shot after midnight following several hours of clashes between two factions in which stones and bottles were lobbed, reports the BBC's Charles Haviland in Aluthgama.
Mr Hakeem, a Muslim, said he was "outraged" at the police failure to keep law and order and that the authorities had allowed Buddhists to demonstrate three days after a smaller sectarian clash in the area, involving Muslim youths and a Buddhist monk's driver.
He said he was "ashamed" to be part of the government. He made his remarks as he visited areas which have been caught up in the violence.
The authorities imposed a curfew after clashes began following a rally by the BBS, the Bodu Bala Sena, or Buddhist Brigade in Aluthgama on Sunday.
Eyewitness accounts tell of Muslims being pulled off local buses and beaten. There are also reports of looting as well as shops being burned.

Ukraine crisis: Russia halts gas supplies to Kiev

Ukraine says Russia has cut off all gas supplies to Kiev, in a major escalation of a dispute between the two nations.

"Gas supplies to Ukraine have been reduced to zero," Ukrainian Energy Minister Yuri Prodan said.
Russia's state-owned gas giant Gazprom said Ukraine had to pay upfront for its gas supplies, after Kiev failed to settle its huge debt.
Gazprom had sought from Kiev $1.95bn (£1.15bn) - out of $4.5bn it says it is owed - by 06:00 GMT.
The company said it would continue to supply gas to Europe, although Gazprom chief Alexei Miller warned there now were "significant" risks for gas transit to the EU via Ukraine.
Russia-Ukraine ties remain tense since Moscow annexed Crimea in February.
Kiev says Moscow backs separatists in the east of the country. Russia denies the charge.
Related :Russia Cuts Gas Supply To Ukraine

Kenya police say at least 48 killed in militant attack on town near coastal resort

Kenyan officials said that at least 48 people were killed by Islamist militants Sunday in a town not far from a coastal resort popular with Western tourists.
David Kimaiyo said Monday the gunmen targeted two hotels, a bank and a police station in the town of Mpeketoni. Kenyan officials said at least two of the hotels were set on fire. It was not immediately clear how many attackers were involved, but a police spokeswoman said it was believed that "several dozen" took part.  
Sky News reported that the gunmen's assault began at approximately 8 p.m. local time (1 p.m. Eastern Time) and gunshots were heard four hours later. Cafes and bars in the town were reportedly packed with people watching the World Cup soccer match between Switzerland and Ecuador. Kenya's National Disaster Operations Center said military surveillance planes were launched shortly afterward.
One police commander said that as residents were watching the World Cup at the Breeze View Hotel, the gunmen pulled the men aside and ordered the women to watch as they killed them. The attackers told the women that that's what Kenyan troops are doing to Somalia men inside Somalia. The police commander insisted on anonymity because he was not authorized to share that detail of the attack.
Kenya's Interior Ministry said the gunmen arrived in two hijacked minivans. An army spokesman told Sky News that the Al Qaeda-linked, Somalia-based terror group al-Shabaab is likely behind the attack, though no group has claimed responsibility.

Greenpeace Loses Millions, Blames Rogue Employee, Currency Hedge Gone Wrong 

AMSTERDAM - Greenpeace has suffered a 3.8 million-euro ($5.2 million) loss on an ill-timed bet in the currency market by a well-intentioned — if reckless — employee in its financial unit.
The environmental group, which is based in Amsterdam, said Monday the employee — who had bet the euro would not strengthen against other currencies in 2013, when it did — had acted beyond the limits of his authority.
Greenpeace International fired the employee, whom it did not identify, but said there was no evidence of fraud.
"Every indication is, this was done with the best of intentions but not the best of judgment," said spokesman Mike Townsley in a telephone interview from Mexico.
He said the organization was deeply concerned that the incident would offend its supporters, and apologized. Greenpeace does not accept contributions from companies or governments and is funded entirely by individuals.
Responsibility lies partly with the employee and partly with the organization, Townsley said.
The employee was a financial expert whose job included currency trades to protect the organization from fluctuations in the market. He was not qualified, however, to undertake trades on the scale he did. In addition, he ignored company rules, under which he should have checked with supervisors and probably hired an external expert for advice on how to manage risks.

SNP publishes first draft of Scottish constitution

Deputy first minister Nicola Sturgeon releases online document enshrining terms of sovereignty of Scottish people, with Queen as head of state
• Read the draft Scottish constitution

A draft of the first constitution for an independent Scotland, legally enshrining the sovereignty of the Scottish people but with the Queen as head of state, has been published by Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland's deputy first minister.
The constitution commits the country to enshrine the European convention on human rights in law, tackle climate change and ensure the safe, "expeditious" removal of Trident nuclear weapons.
It would be the first written constitution for any part of the UK. Its opening line is: "In Scotland, the people are sovereign."
The constitution, released on Monday for consultation in a draft independence bill, is designed to be a temporary "skeleton" version that would come into force if Scotland becomes independent in March 2016.
It confirms that the saltire will continue to serve as the national flag of Scotland and that the choice of national anthem will be made by the Scottish parliament.
The consultation will close a month after the independence referendum on 18 September, only being brought forward to the Scottish parliament if there is a yes vote.
Sturgeon said the document was an essential part of the Scottish government's blueprint for independence and would be the first written constitution for any part of the UK. Britain, unlike other comparable countries, has no codified political system.
"We in the Scottish government are clear that the constitution – with a capital 'C' as it were – is fundamental to, and not different from, the range of issues with which governments deal day in and day out," she said in a speech at Edinburgh University.
The Scottish government's white paper on independence, published in November, had said: "The constitution of a country defines who makes decisions on behalf of its people and how the people choose those decision-makers and influence their decisions. A constitution is the basis of everyday life, not separate from it."
She said the outline constitution would be a short-term measure, and would be replaced by a full, permanent constitution written by an independent constitutional convention in the years following the first elections in 2016 of the independent Scottish parliament.

Netanyahu to Abbas: I expect you to help bring back the kidnapped teens

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in a rare telephone conversation Monday that he expected his assistance in securing the return of the three kidnapped teenagers, and that the Hamas-Fatah pact is bad for Israel, bad for the Palestinians and bad for the region.

The conversation came as Abbas issued his first condemnation of the kidnapping of Naphtali Fraenkel, Gil-Ad Shaer and Eyal Yifrach. He also condemned Israeli military action over the past three days. In addition, he praised the Palestinians security apparatus for their work in maintaining the quiet and stability over the past few days, and called for all not to turn to violence.

Netanyahu, according to a statement put out by his office, said that the Hamas kidnappers came from areas under the PA’s control, and returned to those same areas.

“This incident reveals the nature of the terrorism we are fighting,” Netanyahu said. “Terrorists kidnap innocent Israeli children, while we treat in our hospitals sick Palestinian children. That is the difference between our humanitarian policies and the murderous terrorism that attacks us.”

Three sentenced to death in Tiananmen Gate attack

BEIJING: A court in western China sentenced three people to death on Monday for planning a deadly car ramming at Beijing's iconic Tiananmen Gate that was blamed on Muslim separatists, state media reported.

The three were accused of helping prepare for the October 28 attack, in which a car plowed through tourists and ended up in a fiery crash in the heart of Beijing, killing two bystanders and the three attackers.

A court in the Xinjiang regional capital of Urumqi sentenced the three to death, the official Xinhua News Agency said. Five other people were given prison sentences, with four receiving terms of five to 20 years and one getting a life sentence. It was not clear what role those five had played in the attack.

The eight were arrested within days of the incident. A Chinese visitor and a tourist from the Philippines were killed in the attack, along with the vehicle's driver, his wife and mother-in-law, according to Chinese authorities.

The attack was the first to strike Beijing in recent years. It pointed to a new level of violence and lethal intent in the long-simmering insurgency against Chinese rule in the far northwestern region of Xinjiang waged by radicals among the native Turkic Uighur Muslim population.

The Tiananmen Gate attack was followed by similar incidents in Xinjiang, including one on May 22 in which men driving off-road vehicles and throwing explosives plowed through a crowded market in Urumqi, killing 39 people. Police said four suspects were killed at the scene and a fifth was caught that evening in an area about 250 kilometers (150 miles) south of Urumqi.

Beijing says unrest among Uighurs is caused by extremist groups with ties to Islamic terror groups abroad, but has shown little direct evidence.
-

 Iraq conflict: US considers talks with Iran

Washington is considering direct talks with Iran on the security situation in Iraq, a US official has told the BBC.

The move comes as US President Barack Obama weighs up options on action to take in Iraq.
Meanwhile, the US condemned as "horrifying" photos posted online by Sunni militants that appear to show fighters massacring Iraqi soldiers.
In the scenes, the soldiers are shown being led away and lying in trenches before and after their "execution".
The Iraqi military said the pictures were real, but their authenticity has not been independently confirmed.
The BBC's Jim Muir, in northern Iraq, says if the photographs are genuine, it would be by far the biggest single atrocity since the time of the American-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Their emergence came as the Iraqi government claimed to have "regained the initiative" against an offensive by Sunni rebels led by ISIS - the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant.
Extremists captured key cities, including Mosul and Tikrit, last week, but several towns have now been retaken from the rebels.
However the insurgents captured the northern city of Tal Afar, west of Mosul, overnight after a heavy mortar bombardment.

Hillary Clinton tells of defense of child rapist in newly unearthed recordings

Newly discovered audio recordings of Hillary Clinton from the early 1980s include the former first lady’s frank and detailed assessment of the most significant criminal case of her legal career: defending a man accused of raping a 12-year-old girl.
In 1975, the same year she married Bill, Hillary Clinton agreed to serve as the court-appointed attorney for Thomas Alfred Taylor, a 41-year-old accused of raping the child after luring her into a car.
The recordings, which date from 1983-1987 and have never before been reported, include Clinton’s suggestion that she knew Taylor was guilty at the time. She says she used a legal technicality to plead her client, who faced 30 years to life in prison, down to a lesser charge. The recording and transcript, along with court documents pertaining to the case, are embedded below.
The full story of the Taylor defense calls into question Clinton’s narrative of her early years as a devoted women and children’s advocate in Arkansas—a narrative the 2016 presidential frontrunner continues to promote on her current book tour.
Her comments on the rape trial are part of more than five hours of unpublished interviews conducted by Arkansas reporter Roy Reed with then-Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton and his wife in the mid-1980s.
Click for more from The Washington Free Beacon

Mitt Romney: Hillary Clinton's Record Is A 'Monumental Bust'

Former GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney said Sunday that Republicans can win the White House in 2016 by focusing on likely Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton's time as secretary of state.
"The playbook, I believe, is to look at her record," Romney, a former governor of Massachusetts who was defeated by President Barack Obama in 2012, said on NBC's "Meet the Press." "I think you have to consider what's happened around the world during the years that she was secretary of state, and you have to say it's been a monumental bust."
Earlier during the discussion on the show, Romney brought up Clinton unprompted when talking about the current crisis in Iraq. He said that the majority of the blame for the insurgency fell to the Iraqi leadership, but that the Obama administration had also failed to do what was needed to maintain stability.
"The United States of America has long had the capacity to shape events and to influence events, but what you’ve seen from this administration, whether from Hillary Clinton, with the reset button to Russia -- which, by the way, I think should have been called the repeat button -- I mean, this administration from Secretary Clinton to President Obama has repeatedly underestimated the threats that are faced by America and has repeatedly underestimated our adversaries," he said. "Whether that’s Russia, or Assad, or ISIS, or al Qaeda itself, it has not taken the action necessary to prevent bad things from happening. It has not used our influence to do what's necessary to protect our interests."
Romney also criticized Clinton's response to the release of U.S. soldier Bowe Bergdahl.
"I think her clueless comments about the Bergdahl exchange as well as her record as the secretary of state are really going to be the foundation of how a Republican candidate is able to take back the White House," he said.
Romney said he will not make another bid for the presidency in 2016.
"I want to find the best candidate for us to take our message to the American people that we can bring better jobs, higher incomes, and more security globally," Romney said. "We can do that, and I'm convinced that the field of Republican candidates that I'm seeing is a lot better positioned to do that than I am, so I'm not running."

Starbucks to pay college fees for US staff

US coffee chain firm Starbucks will pay college fees for US workers to complete a bachelor's degree online in a tie-up with Arizona State University.

US employees of the firm who work at least 20 hours a week are eligible for the Starbucks College Achievement Plan.
Starbucks staff who are successfully enrolled will receive partial tuition for the first two years, and full tuition for their final two years.
The annual fee for online courses at the university can exceed $10,000.
After they've completed their bachelor's degree, the employees are not obligated to return to employment with Starbucks. 
Starbucks staff looking to attend college online at Arizona State University (ASU) can choose from about 40 programmes including business, engineering, education and retail management. 

President Obama on vacation in California

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. –  It's perhaps appropriate that President Barack Obama is vacationing this weekend in California, where the state flag features a roaming grizzly.
The restless president, who has compared himself to a caged animal on recent wanderings by declaring the "bear is loose," took a long Father's Day weekend away with his wife and older daughter.
The visit to the desert resort area of Palm Springs is one of the ways Obama has been trying to escape during his sixth year cloistered in the White House.
"I think frankly we've all been through a cold and bitter winter and the bear has cabin fever," said Obama friend and senior adviser Valerie Jarrett. "His cabin is a little bit bigger and harder to escape than most."
Obama has fantasized about being "on a beach somewhere drinking out of a coconut" or simply being able to walk out of the White House gate and stroll around unrecognized.
In California, Obama has worked out mornings at a gym near the Rancho Mirage home where the first family is staying with White House decorator Michael Smith and his partner, James Costos, the American ambassador to Spain.
The hilltop home has sweeping views, a private tennis court and trapezoid swimming pool. Despite temperatures above 100 degrees, Obama was able to golf at two nearby courses -- Saturday at the Sunnylands estate and Sunday at the Porcupine Creek Estate owned by software billionaire Larry Ellison.
Obama interspersed his four-day weekend with official duties, including Democratic Party fundraising, a speech on climate change and calls to his national security adviser discussing military options to stop a violent insurgency in Iraq.
-