Monday July 28th 2014

Gaza: Uneasy calm after UN ceasefire call

Sporadic attacks by both Israel and Palestinian militants have punctuated a lull in fighting after the quietest night in the 21-day conflict.

There were no Israeli air strikes overnight though they resumed in the morning after a rocket hit the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon.
Earlier the UN Security Council urged a halt to hostilities to coincide with the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr.
Israel launched its offensive three weeks ago after a surge in rocket fire.
More than 1,030 Palestinians, mostly civilians, and 43 Israeli soldiers and two Israeli civilians have been killed. A Thai national in Israel has also died.
The Security Council called on Sunday night for an "immediate and unconditional humanitarian ceasefire" in Gaza over and beyond the holiday period.
Both the Palestinian and Israeli envoys to the UN criticised the statement, for different reasons.

Related:

Hamas spokesman: Israel has reached only a fraction of our tunnels

U.S.-Israeli Tensions Rise Over Gaza Conflict

Israel sees no need for another Gaza ceasefire, an Israeli official was quoted as saying on Monday, as tensions between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government and Washington flared over U.S. mediation to end the almost three-week-old war.Fighting had subsided over the weekend, with the battered Palestinian enclave's dominant Hamas Islamists endorsing a U.N. call for a 24-hour halt ahead of Monday's Eid al-Fitr festival.
Yet Israel balked, having abandoned its own offer to extend a 12-hour truce from Saturday as Palestinian rocket launches persisted. Netanyahu's security cabinet met into the early hours of Monday to debate proposals including for an escalation of the Gaza offensive in which almost 1,100 people have died.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry visited the region last week to try to stem the bloodshed, his contacts with Hamas - which Washington formally shuns - facilitated by Egypt, Turkey, Qatar and Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Israel wants Egypt, which also borders the Gaza Strip and views Hamas as a security threat, to take the lead in curbing the Palestinian Islamists. It worries about Doha and Ankara championing Hamas demands to open up the blockaded territory.
A flurry of media leaks by unnamed Israeli officials damning a draft agreement attributed to Kerry as too accommodating of Hamas was challenged by a U.S. official who, also anonymously, told reporters the top diplomat's efforts had been characterized.
Related : Israel-Palestine conflict spills over in UK streets

Iran General: We Will Hunt Down Israelis House To House

The deputy commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards vowed revenge against Israel for its ongoing military incursion into Gaza, which has already killed hundreds of Palestinians and dozens of Israelis.
“You [people of Israel] are trees without any roots which were planted in the Islamic lands by the British,” Brig. Gen. Hossein Salami said at this week’s Friday prayer sermon in Tehran, Fars News Agency reported. That statement referred to the Balfour Declaration, which led to the dismantling of the Ottoman Empire after World War I and the eventual creation of the state Israel in 1948.
“We will chase you house to house and will take revenge for every drop of blood of our martyrs in Palestine,” Salami said. “and this is the beginning point of Islamic nations awakening for your defeat.”
The deputy commander promised that Palestine will no longer remain calm and cited a statement by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic regime: “Imam [Khomeini] with the statement that Israel must be wiped from the face of the Earth gave a true message to the world. This message enlightened the Muslims and became the concept on the streets of Syria, Lebanon and Palestine.”

Iraqi officials: 14 bodies, some with hands bound, blindfolded, found in Baghdad

BAGHDAD – Iraqi officials say that 14 bullet-riddled bodies have been found in different areas of the capital, Baghdad.

The discovery is a grim reminder of the sectarian killing that engulfed Iraq in 2006 and 2007.
Two police officers and a morgue official say the bodies were dumped in the streets and discovered late Sunday and early Monday.

They said all were men aged between 25 to 40 years old and had gunshots to the head and chest. Some were blindfolded with their hands bound, while others showed marks of torture.

All officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to the media.

The deaths raise fears of more sectarian bloodletting at a time of soaring tensions following Sunni insurgent land grabs across Iraq.

Ahmadi woman and children killed after Pakistani mob torches homes

Death of sect member and her young granddaughters is latest attack on minorities and was sparked by blasphemy claims

A Pakistani mob killed a member of a religious sect and two of her granddaughters after another member was accused of posting blasphemous material on Facebook, police said on Monday, in the latest instance of growing violence against minorities.

The dead, including a seven-year-old girl and her baby sister, were Ahmadis, who consider themselves Muslim but believe in a prophet after Mohammed. A 1984 Pakistani law declared them non-Muslims and many Pakistanis consider them heretics.

Police said the violence late on Sunday in the town of Gujranwala, 140 miles south-east of Islamabad, started with an altercation between young men, one of whom was an Ahmadi accused of posting "objectionable material".

"Later, a crowd of 150 people came to the police station demanding the registration of a blasphemy case against the accused," said one police officer who declined to be identified.

"As police were negotiating with the crowd, another mob attacked and started burning the houses of Ahmadis."

The youth accused of making the Facebook post had not been injured, he said.

Libya warns of 'humanitarian disaster' over fuel fire

Libya has requested international assistance to put out a fire at a large fuel storage site in Tripoli that was hit by a rocket during militia clashes.

The huge blaze could cause a "humanitarian and environmental disaster," the government has warned.
It is the largest facility in Tripoli, containing 6.6 million litres of fuel.
At least 97 people have been killed in fighting between rival militia groups battling for control of Tripoli's main airport in the past week.
Fighting in the eastern city of Benghazi has also intensified, with at least 38 people killed in clashes between troops loyal to the Libyan government and Islamist fighters on Sunday.
Calls for evacuation A statement by the prime minister's office said it had requested international assistance "as a precaution".
"Several countries have expressed their willingness to send planes and a team of experts who specialise in putting out the flames," it continues.
Residents within 3-5km (2-3 miles) of the area have been urged to evacuate, amid fears of a massive explosion if tanks are breached.
But evacuations could be difficult, warns the BBC's Rana Jawad in Tripoli, due to the precarious security situation.

Related:

Syrian state media show Assad praying at start of Muslim holiday amid surge in army casualties

BEIRUT – Syrian state media have shown President Bashar Assad praying in Damascus at the start of a major Muslim holiday amid reports of an unprecedented high toll among his troops battling Islamic extremists.
State TV showed Assad performing prayers in Damascus' Khair mosque early Monday.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says about 1,240 soldiers and other Assad loyalists have been killed in the past 10 days, mostly in fierce battles with fighters from the al-Qaida-breakaway Islamic State group and other rebels in northern Syria.
The dead soldiers and allied militiamen are among more than 1,800 people reportedly killed in the same period — a record number of deaths since the uprising against Assad began in March 2011.
Syria's three-year civil war has so far killed more than 170,000 people.

Families Mourn Victims Of Air Algerie Crash In Mali

PARIS/BAMAKO, July 26 (Reuters) - Family members of those killed on the Air Algerie flight that crashed in Mali were taken to the wreckage to grieve on Saturday as French President Francois Hollande announced three days of mourning.

Hollande ordered that flags on government buildings across France fly at half-mast for three days from Monday after the death of 118 people including 54 French nationals in the crash.

Hollande, who met with relatives of victims for three hours on Saturday afternoon, said that all the bodies would be flown to France and that he would make sure that families can, at some point, travel to the crash site to help them cope with their grief.

"A headstone will be erected so that no one ever forgets that on this land, on this site, 118 people perished," Hollande said in a television address, his third on the air disaster in three days.

Families of victims from Burkina Faso, from where the McDonnell Douglas MD-83 aircraft took off early on Thursday morning, were flown out by helicopter to pay respects at the scrubby bushland site.

But, in a blow to the bereaved, the mayor for the northern Malian town of Gossi, said that the remains would be difficult to recover.

"No bodies cannot be recovered because they are shredded and burned. Everything has burned, even the forest in a radius of 200 meters," said Moussa Ag Almouner.

"It is heart-breaking and difficult for any person to bear. You are left with no appetite. It's better not to go and see," he added, after a visit to the site.

Ukraine clashes intensify as police team abandons second attempt to inspect MH17 crash site

SHAKHTARSK, Ukraine – An international police team abandoned its attempt to reach the crash site of a Malaysia Airlines plane for a second day running Monday as clashes raged in a town on the road to the area.
With government troops intensifying their push to claw back more territory from pro-Russian separatist rebels, the death toll is mounting steadily. The United Nations released new figures Monday showing that more than 1,100 people have died in more than four months of fighting.

The international delegation of Australian and Dutch police and forensic experts stopped Monday in Shakhtarsk, a town around 20 miles from the fields where the Boeing 777 was brought down.
Sounds of regular shelling could be heard from Shakhtarsk and residents were seen fleeing town in cars.
Associated Press reporters saw a high-rise apartment block in Shakhtarsk being hit by at least two rounds of artillery.
The mandate of the police team is to secure the currently rebel-controlled area so that comprehensive investigations can begin and any remaining bodies can be recovered.
Their visit was canceled Sunday amid safety concerns.
Related: Downing of MH17 jet in Ukraine 'may be war crime' - UN

Islamist militants accused of ambush in Philippines

Gunmen have attacked two vehicles in the southern Philippines, killing at least 18 people.

The military blamed Islamist militants of the Abu Sayyaf group for the attack.
They said as many as 50 men armed with assault rifles opened fire on two vans in an ambush before dawn in the town of Talipao on the island of Jolo.
Abu Sayyaf operates out of jungle hideouts on Jolo in its fight for an Islamic homeland.
Army spokesmen said they suspected a clan feud between rival factions, which could lead to further revenge attacks.
They said that some of those killed were members of a civilian defence group that had been working with the military in its offensives against the rebel strongholds.
Villagers had packed into the two vans and were on their way to meet relatives to celebrate the end of Ramadan when they were attacked.
Reports said that women and children were amongst those killed and wounded in the attack.
Abu Sayyaf is known for its abduction of foreigners and ransom demands, and for its use of violence against the civilian population.
It has been excluded from peace negotiations which led to the signing in March of an accord between the government and the much larger separatist group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
The government estimates that some 300 Abu Sayyaf fighters remain, operating in various factions.

Japan schoolgirl arrested for murdering, dismembering classmate

Tokyo: A 15-year-old Japanese schoolgirl has been arrested on suspicion of murdering a classmate and dismembering her body.
The suspect, whose name has not been released, admitted strangling the victim and severing her head and left hand, Kyodo news agency reported on Sunday.
She allegedly delivered blows to the head of 15-year-old Aiwa Matsuo with a metal instrument before strangling her in the city of Sasebo, in Nagasaki Prefecture, south-west Japan.
The victim's body was found on a bed in the suspect's apartment early on Sunday and investigators discovered tools nearby, reports said.
The suspect, who lived away from her parents though in the same city, told police she acted alone, the news agency reported.
Matsuo had reportedly gone out to meet friends on Saturday afternoon but her parents notified police when she failed to return at night.
The two girls graduated from the same high school.
Violent crime is still relatively rare in Japan but several high-profile cases in recent years have heightened concern.
The city of Sasebo made headlines in 2004 when a primary schoolgirl stabbed her classmate to death.
In 2008 a man went on a stabbing rampage in a crowded Tokyo shopping street, killing seven people and wounding a dozen others.
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Obama: Migrant youths without claims will be sent home

President Barack Obama has told Central American leaders that migrant children flooding into the US without legitimate legal claims will be sent home.

The presidents of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador met Mr Obama at the White House on Friday to discuss the crisis at the US southern border.
More than 50,000 children, many unaccompanied, have been detained at the border since October.
Mr Obama said they must deter more children from attempting the journey.
"All of us recognise that we have a shared responsibility to address this problem," Mr Obama told reporters at the White House on Friday, flanked by Guatemalan President Otto Perez Molina, Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez and El Salvador President Salvador Sanchez Ceren.

John Cornyn Expects House To Pass 'Skinnied-Down' Border Bill

John Cornyn of Texas, the No. 2 Republican in the U.S. Senate, said on Sunday he expected the House of Representatives to pass a "skinnied-down" emergency funding bill this week to deal with a surge of migrant children at the southwestern U.S. border.

The Republican-controlled House is debating how much to pare from President Barack Obama's $3.7 billion supplemental request, although any House compromise is likely to face opposition in the Democratic-controlled Senate before lawmakers try to begin their scheduled summer break at the end of the week.

"Fortunately it sounds like the House of Representatives is going to move a piece of legislation this week, which would actually offer a solution," Cornyn said on ABC's "This Week".

"I think the House will come with a skinnied-down bill in terms of money," Cornyn said. He also said he expected the House to incorporate a plan he has proposed with Democratic Representative Henry Cuellar of Texas to try to speed up deportation of Central American child migrants.

Many Democrats, led by Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid, have opposed that plan, which would amend a 2008 law that allows child migrants from countries other than Mexico and Canada to stay in the country as their cases work through a backed-up system.

"My view is a solution beats no solution any day," Cornyn said. "And nobody has offered an alternative, so I hope we will act."

Cuellar told ABC that Americans wanted an orderly border but that "right now ... they're seeing chaos at the border".

Senate Democrats are preparing to vote on a bill to give Obama $2.7 billion of his $3.7 billion request, which the administration says is needed to deal with tens of thousands of children from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras massing at the Texas border with Mexico seeking entry to the United States.

Lawmakers have said House Republicans are considering a much smaller amount, possibly $1 billion or less.

New GOP Leader Won't Take Impeachment Off The Table

WASHINGTON -- Incoming House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) refused on Sunday to take impeaching President Barack Obama off the table if Obama takes executive action to limit deportations.
On "Fox News Sunday," host Chris Wallace asked Scalise, who was recently elected majority whip, if the House would consider impeachment. Scalise repeatedly dodged the question.
"This might be the first White House in history that's trying to start the narrative of impeaching their own president," Scalise said. "Ultimately, what we want to do is see the president follow his own laws."
White House press secretary Josh Earnest warned in a press briefing last week that House Republicans may eventually bring up articles of impeachment against Obama, arguing that conservatives would not be satisfied with the effort from House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) to merely sue the president over his use of executive orders.
Wallace pressed Scalise on the issue Sunday. "Impeachment is off the table?" he reiterated.
"The White House wants to talk about impeachment and they're trying to fundraise off that, too," Scalise said.
"I'm asking you, sir," Wallace interjected.
"The White House will do anything they can to change the topic away from the president's failed agenda," Scalise said.
But while Scalise would not rule out impeachment, he did take another extreme Republican negotiating tactic off the table -- shutting down the government if Republicans don't get what they want in budget talks. The current round of government funding expires at the end of September, and Scalise said Republicans would not shut down the government to get their way in the talks.
"No government shutdown?" Wallace asked.
"No," Scalise said.

Lawmakers to announce tentative deal on bill to overhaul troubled VA

The leaders of the House and Senate Veterans Affairs committees are planning to unveil a tentative deal on Monday on legislation meant to improve veterans' health care and tackle the litany of scandalous problems at the VA.
The plan is expected to authorize billions in emergency spending to lease 27 new clinics, hire more doctors and nurses and make it easier for veterans who can't get prompt appointments with VA doctors to obtain outside care. At the heart of the department's problems have been long wait times and falsified records covering up the delays.

Though talks appeared to be imperiled late last week, Fox News confirms a tentative deal was struck over the weekend between Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. They plan to unveil details at a 1:30 p.m. ET press conference.
The announcement could quell concerns that Congress would start a five-week summer recess without a legislative solution amid widespread national outrage over problems within the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The pair said in a joint statement that they had "made significant progress" toward an agreement on legislation "to make VA more accountable and to help the department recruit more doctors, nurses and other health care professionals."

Report says Pentagon has lost track of thousands of firearms given to Afghan forces

The Pentagon has been unable to locate more than 40 percent of the firearms it has provided to Afghan security forces at a cost of $626 million, according to a report by a government oversight agency made public Monday.
The report by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) states that the Defense Department's two information systems that track weapons sent to Afghanistan are full of errors. That has sparked fears that at least some of the weapons may be available on the black market, with militants among the potential purchasers.

According to the report and an article in The Washington Times, the Pentagon has sent 747,000 weapons and auxiliary equipment, mostly small arms, to Afghan forces over the past decade. The paper reported that of the 474,823 serial numbers recorded in the tracking database, 203,888 -- approximately 43 percent -- had missing or duplicate information. The Times reported that auditors had discovered that 24,520 serial numbers were repeated at least once in the database, and 50, 304 serial numbers had no shipping or receiving dates recorded for them.
Jeffrey Brown, senior audit manager for SIGAR, told The Times that the agency has "no evidence" that the weapons have made their way to militant hotspots, such as neighboring Pakistan. However, he added, "That wasn’t really in the scope of our audit."
In response to the report, Michael J. Dumont, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for Afghanistan, Pakistan and Central Asia, told the paper that the department is moving to consolidate the two tracking systems in the hope that such a move will help eliminate discrepancies. The paper also reported that the Pentagon is considering making future transfers of weapons to Afghan forces contingent on inventory checks performed by Afghan soldiers.

Ontario government passes budget; legislature goes on summer break

TORONTO -- The same Liberal budget that triggered the June 12 election sailed easily through the legislature Thursday as MPPs packed up and headed home for the summer.
The budget that brings in a new Ontario pension plan and an aviation fuel tax and predicts a deficit of $12.5 billion this year passed with a vote of 56-37.
The house adjourned until Oct. 20 after the passage of the bill.
Premier Kathleen Wynne insisted MPPs will still be working hard in their ridings on the implementation of the budget.
"Make no mistake: This is not an extended vacation that MPPs are going to be going on," she told reporters.
"The momentary glee at the passage of the budget is just that," she said. "We're very pleased, we are very happy to have reached this point where the budget has been passed, and now we know that the work begins."
It's expected Wynne will lead a trade delegation to China in September.
The premier acknowledged she'll have some tough public-sector bargaining ahead. Teacher union contracts expire in August, and she says her government will hang tough on their commitment to hold the line on pay raises.
"I think we have sent some pretty clear messages to all," she told reporters. "We believe very strongly in a fair collective bargaining process. There's no new money for wages and salaries and benefits.
"The collective bargaining process will have to take place within the funding that is in place. That was clear before the budget, it's clear in the budget and we have the same clarity now," she said.

Hardline separatist leader of Bloc Québécois faces party divisions

Already down to a four-member rump in the House, the Bloc Québécois is facing new divisions since the arrival of a separatist hardliner at the helm of the party whose fortunes will help determine the winner of the next federal election.
Mario Beaulieu, best known for his constant fights to protect the French language in Quebec, became the third leader of the Bloc in three years last month. His arrival has been anything but smooth, with long-time members still reeling at his description of Bloc history as 20 years of “wait-and-see and defeatism.”
Under Lucien Bouchard and then Gilles Duceppe, the Bloc was a major force in federal politics in the 1990s and 2000s. But the party was nearly wiped out by the NDP’s “Orange Wave” in 2011, and its future will be at stake in next year’s election.
“We can’t afford to take a step back, or we will fall into the ditch,” said former Bloc MP Marc Lemay.
Mr. Beaulieu has big hopes for the Bloc, stating a “permanent campaign in favour of sovereignty” is key to a revival. In an interview, he said he feels the party can take about 20 seats in the next election, banking on a novel strategy to promote his political agenda.
“There has never been a campaign where we have gone on the ground to meet with people by going door-to-door, holding kitchen assemblies, etc., to really promote independance over a long period, and that is what we will do,” said Mr. Beaulieu, who is mulling a run in the Pointe-de-l’Île riding in east Montreal.
He added the Bloc’s main focus will “always” be sovereignty, adhering to the view of hardliners who feel the party spent too much time simply “defending Quebec’s interests” in Ottawa under Mr. Duceppe.

Ukraine Crisis: Canada Imposes More Sanctions Against Ukrainian Rebels, Russian Firms

OTTAWA - The Conservative government has announced further sanctions against Ukrainian rebels and an array of Russian arms, financial and energy companies thought to be assisting them.
Eight Ukrainians in leadership positions in the rebel-held Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine are the targets of the new sanctions, as are armed separatist groups known as the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic.
Russian arms, financial and energy companies are also facing further Canadian sanctions.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper pointed to the downing of a Malaysian Airlines passenger jet last week over rebel-held territory in eastern Ukraine as proof that Vladimir Putin's continued support of the rebels "constitutes a very real threat to international peace and security."
In a statement on Thursday, Harper accused the two separatist groups of engaging "in egregious acts against the armed forces of Ukraine, international monitors deployed to the area, and the civilian population" with direct support from Russia.
"Canada remains committed to working with our allies and partners in the international community to preserve and promote a free, democratic and peaceful world," he added.
"We are ready for further actions if the Putin regime's military aggression continues."

Chow, Ford and Tory tied for lead in Toronto mayoral race, poll says

Three weeks after Rob Ford’s return from rehab, a new poll suggests he is in a three-way statistical tie with Olivia Chow and John Tory in the Toronto mayoral race.
The Forum Research opinion survey found that Ms. Chow had the support of 29 per cent of those polled while Mr. Tory was backed by 28 per cent of respondents and Mr. Ford had the support of 27 per cent.
However, Mr. Ford had the lowest approval rating of the main candidates, at just 33 per cent. Mr. Tory was in front, with the support of 67 per cent of respondents, while Ms. Chow had a 54 per cent approval rating.
The other two main contenders trailed well behind in terms of voter intentions. Karen Stintz had the support of 6 per cent of respondents, while David Soknacki had 5 per cent. Four per cent of those polled were undecided.
The poll, which has a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points 19 times out of 20, surveyed 1,063 Toronto residents on Monday.
The Forum Research findings are markedly different from a poll done earlier this month by Nanos Research.
The Nanos poll found that Mr. Tory had taken the lead in the race, with 39.1 per cent support, and Mr. Ford trailed in third place at 21.7 per cent. Ms. Chow had 32.7 per cent support.
Mr. Ford returned to city hall in late June after a two-month absence to attend a rehab program.
The municipal election will be held on Oct. 27.
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