Weekend Gazette 072714

Sunday July 27th 2014

Hamas announces new 24-hour Gaza ceasefire with Israel

52 minutes ago

Palestinian militant group Hamas has announced a 24-hour ceasefire after Israel ended an earlier truce amid continuing rocket fire from Gaza.
Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, said the ceasefire would start from 14:00 local time (11:00 GMT).
A spokesman for the Israel military said the announcement was "an opportunity perhaps".
About 1,060 Palestinians, mainly civilians, have been killed, while 43 soldiers and three civilians have died on the Israeli side.
Related:

•  A pause in the bombing by Israeli forces – and the ruins of Gaza are laid bare

•  Netanyahu: Future funds to rebuild Gaza must be linked to its demilitarization

Hezbollah leader and French military members on crashed Algerian flight 

An Air Algerie flight that crashed in Mali on Thursday reportedly had a Hezbollah leader on board, 33 French military personnel, and three senior intelligence officers on board, according to a report in an Algerian newspaper.

Initial evidence taken from the remote crash site indicates that the aircraft broke apart when it smashed to the ground early on Thursday morning, making an attack appear unlikely.

The Algerian newspaper Echrouk reported on Saturday that the senior Hezbollah official was disguised as a businessman and traveled from and to Senegal and Burkina Faso. The Lebanese embassy in Algiers inquired about its nationals that were on the flight and it was discovered that the Hezbollah official was killed.

The French military personnel were stationed in Mali and elsewhere in Africa, said the report.

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 confirmed that early signs pointed to poor weather as the most likely cause of the crash, but added he did not rule out any other explanation at this stage. Two separate investigations are ongoing, he said.

Gaza Health Ministry: Palestinian Death Toll Tops 1,000

GAZA/JERUSALEM, July 26 (Reuters) - Israel will extend a humanitarian truce in the Gaza Strip by a further four hours, a government source said on Saturday, as the number of Palestinian deaths in the 19-day war topped 1,000.
It was not immediately clear if Hamas Islamists, who control the coastal enclave, were also willing to prolong the ceasefire, which was originally due to last just 12 hours.
Gazans took advantage of the lull in fighting to recover their dead and stock up on food supplies, flooding into the streets after the ceasefire took hold at 8.00 a.m. (0500 GMT) and discovering scenes of massive destruction in some areas.
"It's all gone, our whole lives were in that house, home to 18 people!" screamed Zaneen, a small woman in a black robe and purple head scarf, as she wondered through the debris in the town of Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip.
"My God, we want peace, peace and for all this to stop!"
Israel's security cabinet was due to convene later on Saturday to discuss international efforts, being led by U.S, Secretary of State John Kerry in Paris, to secure a longer lasting truce.
But while Israel was ready to extend the ceasefire, one security cabinet minister, Gilad Erdan, said a definitive deal looked remote, with no representatives from Israel, Egypt or the Palestinian Authority attending the Paris talks.

Sympathies divided, Israel's Arab minority is caught in the middle of Gaza war

TIRA, Israel –  Facing the threat of rocket fire along with the rest of Israel, residents in this central Israeli Arab town have found themselves caught in the middle between Jewish neighbors and their fellow Palestinians who are dying in growing numbers in the Gaza Strip.
The people of Tira, a town of some 25,000 people known for their warm relations with nearby Jewish communities, have Jewish friends, speak Hebrew fluently and are largely integrated into Israeli society. But with relatives in Gaza and the West Bank, they also empathize with the Palestinians.

That internal strain becomes especially hard during times of violence, and tensions have risen since the latest round of fighting between Israel and Hamas militants began on July 8.
"The Jews look at us like Arabs and the Arabs look at us like Jews," said Ahmad Nasser, 21. "We are in the middle."
The markets in Tira are usually packed on the weekend with Israeli shoppers. But business has slowed down to a trickle in the weeks since the conflict began, perhaps because Israeli-Arab relations have soured or simply because no one feels like going out in such times, said Mohammed Abdulchai, 52. He said the war has been bad for business, with the fear of rockets shared by everyone.

UN 'may include' Isis on Syrian war crimes list

Fighters from the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isis) may be added to a list of war crimes suspects in Syria, the chief UN investigator says.

"They are good candidates for the list," Paulo Pinheiro said, referring to public executions and crucifixions carried out by the militant group.
The identities of war crimes suspects on the list drawn up by a UN commission remain confidential.
People from both sides of the three-year Syria conflict are to be included.
Isis militants, who control vast swathes of territory in northern Syria and neighbouring Iraq, have been engaged in fierce fighting with Syrian government forces in Raqqa province in recent days.
'No accountability' "I can assure you that we are collecting information on perpetrators from all sides including non-state armed groups and Isis," Mr Pinheiro, the head of the independent UN commission on Syrian war crimes, told reporters.
"I am not in a position to say who is winning the World Cup of human rights violations. Both sides are doing horrific things and they will continue if there is no accountability," he added.
As well as Isis, Mr Pinheiro specified the heads of Syrian intelligence branches and detention facilities, military commanders who target civilians, airports where bombing attacks are launched and armed groups and individuals involved in "attacking and forcibly displacing civilians".

 Taliban Making Military Gains in Afghanistan

MAHMUD RAQI, Afghanistan — Taliban fighters are scoring early gains in several strategic areas near the capital this summer, inflicting heavy casualties and casting new doubt on the ability of Afghan forces to contain the insurgency as the United States moves to complete its withdrawal of combat troops, according to Afghan officials and local elders.

The Taliban have found success beyond their traditional strongholds in the rural south and are now dominating territory near crucial highways and cities that surround Kabul, the capital, in strategic provinces like Kapisa and Nangarhar.

Their advance has gone unreported because most American forces have left the field and officials in Kabul have largely refused to talk about it. The Afghan ministries have not released casualty statistics since an alarming rise in army and police deaths last year.

At a time when an election crisis is threatening the stability of the government, the Taliban’s increasingly aggressive campaign is threatening another crucial facet of the American withdrawal plan, full security by Afghan forces this year.

38 killed as Libyan army forces loyal to renegade general battle Islamist militias in the east

CAIRO –  Health officials in Libya say heavy clashes between army troops loyal to a renegade general and Islamist-led militias have killed 38 people — including civilians — in the country's restive east.'
A security official said Sunday that the fighting involved forces loyal to Gen. Khalifa Hifter and militias in the eastern city of Benghazi. The clashes started Saturday and continued through early Sunday morning.

The official said commando forces regained control of four military camps captured by Islamist militias in the past few days. Health officials say rockets fired during the fighting hit civilian homes, causing casualties and wounding dozens of people.
All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief reporters.

US evacuates Tripoli embassy as rival militias push Libya towards war

Memories revived of Benghazi assault in which American ambassador died as last-minute ceasefire talks collapse

The US embassy in Tripoli staged a dramatic evacuation in the early hours of Saturday, with other embassies debating whether to follow suit as Libya hovers on the brink of full-scale war. Efforts by diplomats and prime minister Abdullah al-Thinni to engineer a last-minute ceasefire between warring militias have collapsed and the capital echoes to the sound of artillery and rockets.
Fighting is also continuing in the eastern city of Benghazi, part of a nation-wide struggle between an Islamist-led alliance and fragmented opposition.
In Tripoli, thousands are fleeing their homes under a rain of rocket, tank and mortar fire. "They phoned us to tell us to get out," said Huda, a resident in the south-western Tripoli district of Seraj. "They told us: you have seen how the airport looks, this will be your district too."
There are no accurate casualty figures because different militias take their wounded to their own hospitals, but estimates claim that more than 100 have died in two weeks of fighting. The health ministry said it had lost contact with its hospitals.
Tripoli's airport is a smashed ruin after two weeks of attacks on it by a militia from Misrata against another from Zintan, which has held it since the 2011 Arab spring uprising that toppled Muammar Gaddafi. In that uprising, Misrata, 120 miles west of Tripoli and Zintan, 90 miles south, were allies, forming the two most powerful militias which liberated the capital, backed by Nato bombing. Now they are at war.

Report: Boko Haram Militants Seize Cameroon Vice PM's Wife

YAOUNDE, July 27 (Reuters) - Boko Haram militants attacked Kolofata, a town in Cameroon's Far North Region near Nigeria, on Sunday and seized several people including the wife of Cameroon's Vice Prime Minister Amadou Ali, a military commander in the region said.

"The situation is very critical here now, and as I am talking to you the Boko Haram elements are still in Kolofata town in a clash with our soldiers," said Colonel Felix Nji Formekong, the second commander of Cameroon's third inter-army military region (RMIA3) based in the regional headquarters Maroua.

"Some of them have already taken away the wife of Vice Prime Minister Ahmadou Ali and her house help while the bodyguards of the Vice Prime Minister have succeeded in taking him out of the town to Mora," Formekong said, adding that there could be more casualties. 

Change the venue of 2018 Fifa football world cup from Russia: Britain’s deputy PM 

LONDON: Britain's deputy prime minister has called on Fifa to change the venue of the 2018 football world cup from Russia following the shooting down of the Malaysian airlines flight MH17.

Nick Clegg has said it was "unthinkable" that the tournament could go ahead in the country which the West holds accountable for the deaths of 298 passengers on board.

The call comes after German politicians also wanted Russia to be boycotted.

According to Clegg, besides economic sanctions and subjecting Russian officials and billionaires to asset freezes, a ban on sporting events taking place in Russia should be part of the package of measures - including the cancellation of Russia's first F1 Grand Prix, which is due to take place in Sochi in October.

Clegg is strongly of the opinion that the threat of withdrawing the World Cup would be "a very potent political and symbolic sanction".

Fifa however has ruled out changing the venue and imposing a boycott of Russia.

Football's governing body said "we support any peaceful and democratic debate. Fifa deplores any form of violence and will continue to use its tournaments to promote dialogue, understanding and peace among people. History has shown so far that boycotting sport events or a policy of isolation or confrontation are not the most effective ways to solve problems. The hosting of the Fifa World Cup with the global attention it attracts can be a powerful catalyst for constructive dialogue between people and governments, helping to bring positive social developments".

It added "The Fifa World Cup unites teams and nations from all over the world, from the qualifiers to the final competition in a spirit of fair play and respect. Fifa is convinced that, through football, particularly the Fifa World Cup and its international spotlight, we can achieve positive change in the world, but football cannot be seen as a solution for all issues, particularly those related to world politics. We have seen that the Fifa World Cup can be a force for good and Fifa believes this will be the case for the 2018 Fifa World Cup in Russia".

Clegg however said that allowing the world cup to go ahead in Russia would make the world look "so weak and so insincere". 

 

Detroit Shuts Off Water to Residents but Not to Businesses Who Owe Millions

More than 15,000 households have had their taps turned off for being past due. Yet the bankrupt city hasn’t touched 40 businesses who owe $9.5 million in total.

DETROIT — In Detroit, even the most basic necessity cannot be taken for granted.
Some 15,000 residential customers have lost water service, and tens of thousands more are in danger of losing it, thanks to past due bills. But businesses owing hundreds of thousands of dollars have not been disconnected, Detroit Water and Sewerage Department records show.
According to a department list, the top 40 commercial and industrial accounts have past-due accounts totaling $9.5 million. That list includes apartment complexes, the Chrysler Group, real estate agencies, a laundromat and even a cemetery.
Meanwhile, stories of residential shutoffs abound. Tangela Harris been doing her best to keep up, but when she was no longer able to work she had trouble stretching her monthly $780 in disability benefits to pay the water bill. So her water service was disconnected. Harris has since come up with $1,100 to have services restored but is having trouble keeping her $180 monthly payment to the water department. On top of that, her home has entered foreclosure because Detroit water bills are rolled into property taxes.

Obama Banned From Visiting Chechnya

MOSCOW (AP) — Although Russia has not responded to U.S. sanctions by putting a travel ban on President Barack Obama, there's one part of the country he's blocked from: Chechnya.
The president of the small Russian republic that was the scene of two devastating separatist wars in the past 20 years on Saturday said he was placing Obama on a list of people banned from visiting.
Also on the list are European Union figures Jose Manuel Barroso, Herbert Van Rompuy and Catherine Ashton.
Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov wrote on his Instagram account Saturday that the ban is in response to U.S. and EU actions in Ukraine, Libya, Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, which he called "state terrorism."
Kadyrov was a separatist rebel in the first Chechen war, but switched sides in the second.

Banks accused of rigging silver price

Deutsche Bank, HSBC and Bank of Nova Scotia have been accused of attempting to rig the price of silver, in a lawsuit filed in the US.

The plaintiff alleges the banks, which set the price of silver each day, abused their position in the market.
Deutsche Bank and HSBC have not commented on the filing, while Bank of Nova Scotia told Bloomberg news agency it would "vigorously defend" itself.
The lawsuit follows similar filings in the gold price-fixing market.
Earlier this year, Barclays Bank was fined £26m ($44m) by UK regulators after one of its traders was discovered attempting to fix the price of gold.
No evidence Investor Scott Nicholson from Washington said in the filing against the three banks for price-fixing: "The extreme level of secrecy creates an environment that is ripe for manipulation.
"Defendants have a strong financial incentive to establish positions in both physical silver and silver derivatives prior to the public release of silver fixing results, allowing them to reap large, illegitimate profits."
He is hoping other investors will come forward to launch a class-action lawsuit.

Border agents say violent MS-13 recruiting at Arizona facility for new Central American arrivals

MS-13 members are infiltrating a federal facility for Central American youths illegally entering the United States -- trying to cross the border with criminal pasts and recruiting others to join the notoriously violent, California-based gang, sources tell Fox News.
Shawn Moran, of the National Border Patrol Council, said the gang leaders are recruiting pre-teens, as they typically do, and following the lead of drug cartels also trying to fill their ranks from among the estimated 57,000 unaccompanied youths and others who have come to the U.S. from Central America in roughly the past nine months. 

He said agents have witnessed the recruiting at the Border Patrol’s facility in Nogales, Ariz., and that gang members are using a Red Cross phone bank there to “recruit, enlist and pressure” others illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.
“It makes sense that MS-13 would do the same,” said Moran, vice president for the union, which represents border patrol agents.
He and local union officials also say agents are saying they cannot isolate admitted criminals and gang members, suspected gang members and those engaging in criminal behavior because they are minors.

In U.S. custody, migrant kids are flown thousands of miles at taxpayer expense

PHOENIX — Before they sloshed and skidded across the Rio Grande, Greysi and Claudia Paula had never been on a plane.
Now the teenage Honduran sisters are frequent fliers, crisscrossing America on government chartered jets and settling into commercial airliner seats at taxpayer expense. In the harried and jumbled scramble to house a wave of unaccompanied minors illegally entering the United States, U.S. officials have ordered the girls flown from Texas to Arizona, from Arizona to Oklahoma and from Oklahoma back to Arizona — all in a matter of weeks.
Their jagged 3,000-plus mile trek is one of hundreds outlined in confidential Department of Homeland Security e-mails and extensively detailed Honduran diplomatic journals reviewed by The Washington Post. The documents show that Central American children, almost all of whom will be released to relatives while they await court hearings, are being sent on meandering, circular and often illogical odysseys. Frequently, children are being apprehended in the border states where their families live and flown thousands of miles to shelters and detention facilities, only to be flown back to the border states where their U.S. journeys started.
-