Gazette 090514

Friday September 5th 2014

Iraq air strikes 'kill senior Islamic State members

A senior Islamic State military commander in Iraq has been killed in an air strike on the northern city of Mosul, Iraqi state media report.

Iraq's defence ministry also said a top aide to IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi had been killed in a strike on Mosul, but neither death has been confirmed.
Separately, IS fighters were reported to have kidnapped 40 men from a town in northern Iraq on Thursday.
The group has taken over swathes of Iraq and Syria in recent months.
Iraqiya TV quoted defence officials as saying Abu Alaa al-Iraqi, head of the IS military council in the city of Tal Afar, had died in an air strike.
Earlier reports on social media had suggested that al-Baghdadi himself had been killed in a separate strike on Mosul.
But the defence ministry said intelligence suggested the strike had killed one of the leader's senior aides instead.
US forces began carrying out air strikes on IS positions in August after they took over several cities in northern Iraq. It is unclear whether the latest strikes were by US or Iraqi forces.
Mass kidnapping Residents in the northern province of Kirkuk said IS fighters had kidnapped dozens of men on Thursday, dragging them into cars in the town of Hawija before driving off.
Locals said it was unclear why the men had been taken, saying IS had taken over the Sunni town without encountering any resistance last month.
IS militants were said to have retreated from the village on Wednesday and residents were reported to have set fire to a flag left behind by the group.

Christians arm as Middle East perils mount

QAA, Lebanon –  Every day around sunset, dozens of residents of this small Lebanese Christian village on the border carry their automatic rifles and deploy on surrounding hills, taking up positions and laying ambushes in case Muslim extremists from neighboring Syria attack.
"We all know that if they come, they will slit our throats for no reason," said one villager as he drove through the streets of Qaa, an assault rifle resting next to him.

For months, Lebanese Christians have watched with dread as other Christians flee Islamic extremists in Syria and Iraq, fearing their turn will come next. Fears multiplied after militants from Syria overran a border town last month, clashing with security forces for days and killing and kidnapping Lebanese soldiers and policemen.
Now, for the first time since the Lebanese civil war ended in 1990, Lebanese Christians are rearming and setting up self-defense units to protect themselves, an indication of the growing anxiety over the expanding reach of radical Islamic groups.
Across the Middle East, Christian communities as old as the religion itself feel their very survival is now at stake, threatened by militants of the Islamic State group rampaging across Iraq and Syria.
In Iraq, thousands of Christians have fled their homes after they were made to choose between leaving, converting to Islam or facing death. For the first time in centuries, Iraq's Ninevah region and the provincial capital of Mosul have been emptied of Christians. After they left, the militants spray-painted their houses with the letter "N" for "Nasrani" -- an archaic term used to refer to Christians -- marking the homes as Islamic State property.

Iran 'backs US military contacts' to fight Islamic State

Iran's Supreme Leader has approved co-operation with the US as part of the fight against Islamic State in northern Iraq, sources have told BBC Persian.

Ayatollah Khamenei has authorised his top commander to co-ordinate military operations with the US, Iraqi and Kurdish forces, sources in Tehran say.
Shia Iran regards the extremist Sunni Islamic State (IS) group, which views Shias as heretics, as a serious threat.
Iran has traditionally opposed US involvement in Iraq, an Iranian ally.
However last month US air strikes helped Iranian-backed Shia militia and Kurdish forces break a two-month siege by Islamic State (IS) of the Shia town of Amerli.
IS has taken over swathes of northern and western Iraq and eastern Syria in recent months.
Ayatollah Khamenei has previously objected to outside "interference" - including by the US - in Iraq.
Now, Iran seems to have taken steps to work closer with the United States, says BBC Persian's Kasra Naji.
Sources say Ayatollah Khamenei has sanctioned Ghassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds force - the extraterritorial arm of the Revolutionary Guards - to work with forces fighting IS, including the US.
Gen Soleimani has been active in the past few months in strengthening the defences of Baghdad with the help of Iraqi Shia militias.
His picture has appeared on the internet showing him in northern Iraq around the time of the breaking of the siege of Amerli - an indication that this co-operation may have already started.

US Warns Terrorist Could Get Hold Of Syria's Chemical Weapons

United Nations Ambassador Samantha Power says the United States is concerned that the most dangerous terrorist groups could get a hold of chemical weapons if Syria is hiding any stockpiles.

Power spoke to reporters after the Security Council received a briefing from Sigrid Kaag, who heads the international effort to rid Syria of its chemical weapons.
The joint mission of the United Nations and the Organization for the prohibition of Chemical Weapons will end at the end of the month after destroying nearly all of Syria's declared stockpile. But Kaag said the OPCW is still working with Syria to resolve discrepancies in its declaration.
If President Bashar Assad is hiding any stockpiles, Power said they could fall into the hands of "extremist groups who have committed some of the most vile acts in the last few days."

US to form 'core coalition' to fight Isis militants in Iraq

US secretary of state John Kerry rules out committing 'boots on the ground' at meeting of 10 nations on sidelines of Nato summit.

The US has announced it is forming a "core coalition" to battle Islamic State in Iraq, and has given the new bloc two weeks to finalise plans to help the Baghdad authorities and the Kurds in the north intensify the fight against the militants.
Speaking at the Nato summit in Wales, the US secretary of state, John Kerry, said on Friday that the 10-nation coalition would concentrate on shoring up those in Iraq who were fighting against Isis, but said intervention would not extend to western powers sending in troops.
"We need to attack them in ways that prevent them from taking over territory, to bolster the Iraqi security forces and others in the region who are prepared to take them on, without committing troops of our own," Kerry told a meeting of the 10 nations that will form the coalition. "Obviously I think that's a red line for everybody here: no boots on the ground."
He said the grouping should come up with firm plans by the time the UN general assembly meets for its annual session later this month.
The 10 nations are the US, Britain, France, Germany, Canada, Australia, Turkey, Italy, Poland and Denmark. Significantly, the group does not include any Arab nation and only one of Iraq's six neighbours.
The US has launched more than 100 air strikes on Isis positions in northern Iraq in the past month to try to check the progress of the militants, who have seized a vast swath of Syria and Iraq this summer.
But Pentagon officials have said that this military engagement will only contain the Isis advance, not defeat them, and that a broader strategy and alliance is needed.
The decision was made at a joint meeting of defence and foreign office ministers chaired by Kerry and his British counterpart, Philip Hammond.

Afghan Candidates Promise NATO They Will Resolve Political Deadlock

Afghanistan's rival presidential candidates pledged to NATO leaders on Thursday that they would form a government of national unity and sign legal agreements allowing foreign troops to stay on next year.

The message to a NATO summit from Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah was meant to reassure allies concerned that a lengthy deadlock over the disputed presidential election could force NATO to pull all its troops out of Afghanistan this year.

The rival politicians said they were fully committed to signing two agreements on the status of foreign forces that would NATO to stay on and train and advise the Afghan army after its combat operations end in December.

"We believe in an inclusive political vision. We will form a government of national unity and will honor the participation of our people in the election process," the candidates said in a message read out in Kabul by Abdullah aide Mahmoud Saiqal.

Talks on a power-sharing deal between Ghani, winner of the election according to an initial count, and Abdullah collapsed this week, rekindling fears of ethnic unrest over an election marred by allegations of fraud.

Days earlier, Abdullah's team walked out of a U.N. audit of votes from a June 14 run-off ballot, saying it was dissatisfied with the way fraudulent votes were being handled.

The political turmoil created the worst possible backdrop for a summit that heralded the end of more than a decade of inconclusive NATO combat operations against Taliban militants.

Ukraine peace talks due as shelling continues

Talks on a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine are set to begin, but more clashes are being reported on the edge of the key city of Mariupol.

Ukraine, Russia and pro-Russia rebels are due to start afternoon talks in Belarus.
Meanwhile, Western countries are preparing to announce a tightening of sanctions on Russia.
They are attending the second day of a Nato summit in Newport, Wales.
The West accuses Russia of sending arms and troops to back the rebels in eastern Ukraine. Moscow denies this.
More than 2,600 people have died during the five-month conflict.
The enhanced sanctions are expected to target Russian banking, energy and defence, as well as what British sources call "Putin cronies".
But the UK says the sanctions will probably go ahead whether or not a ceasefire is agreed at the talks in the Belarus capital, Minsk. 
Related: Ukraine, rebels say they are prepared to make a cease-fire deal

NATO to outline force aimed at deterring Russia

NEWPORT, Wales –  NATO leaders will back plans Friday for positioning more troops and military equipment in Eastern Europe, establishing a rapid response force aimed at easing anxiety among member states near Russia's border and deterring the Kremlin against replicating its provocations in Ukraine elsewhere in the region.
The announcement will come against the backdrop of peace talks involving Russia and Ukraine in Minsk, Belarus. The talks are aimed at achieving a cease-fire to bring an end to the months of fighting between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists.

While Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko voiced "careful optimism" about the talks, Western leaders remain skeptical. The U.S. and Europe have warned that they stand ready to levy more economic sanctions on Russia, a step a top White House official said could occur within days.
The creation of the rapid response force is the centerpiece of the two-day NATO gathering at a golf resort in southern Wales. NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the agreement "will ensure we have the right forces and equipment in the right places."

Beijing's elections curb proves hurdle for Hong Kong pro-democracy group

Occupy Central's Benny Tai says protest unlikely to alter 'political reality' of China though group reiterates long-term reform goal

Support for a civil disobedience campaign demanding democratic reforms in Hong Kong has weakened because of Beijing's tough stance against open elections, a leader of the Occupy Central with Love and Peace movement has said.
Benny Tai's remarks came as it emerged that China had demanded British MPs halt an inquiry examining how the bilateral agreement on reforms in the former British colony has been implemented.
Qin Gang, spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry, said: "Hong Kong has returned to the motherland … Matters relating to Hong Kong's political reform are [our] internal affairs. We do not allow any outside forces to interfere."
He told a regular news briefing that the letter from the foreign affairs committee of China's National People's Congress was "totally justifiable and perfectly reasonable".
Sir Richard Ottaway, chairman of the foreign affairs select committee, told Reuters: "My job is to see if Britain is living up to its side of the undertakings and, secondly, if China isn't living up to their undertakings, then what is the British government doing about it … This is not interfering in the internal affairs of China."
Earlier, he told the BBC that "there seems to be a prima facie case that the undertakings given have been breached".
Beijing's framework for long-promised universal suffrage for the election of a chief executive in 2017 is highly restrictive. Analysts say it rules out the prospect of a pan-democrat candidate standing, because only two or three people can be nominated and they must have the support of at least half of a committee packed with Beijing loyalists.

34 coal miners trapped deep underground in Bosnia

ZENICA, Bosnia-Herzegovina: Thirty-four miners were trapped on Friday deep inside a coal mine that collapsed in central Bosnia, officials said. They confirmed the miners were alive and had air for now.

The union leader at the Zenica coal mine, Mehmed Oruc, said two tunnels in the mine collapsed on Thursday evening following a gas explosion triggered by a minor earthquake that had hit the area near the town of Zenica.

Oruc said the miners are more than 500 metres (1,600 feet) underground, but are alive and have enough air. He added that rescuers are hopeful the miners will be brought out soon.

He said 22 other miners managed to leave the pit after the tunnels collapsed, although two were injured.

Oruc said rescuers are working around the clock to reach the trapped miners and have another 20 meters (65 feet) to dig through.

This is the third incident in the same mine since the start of the year. A total of 16 miners were hurt in two previous gas explosions, the most recent less than four weeks ago.

Anxious family members gathered at the entrance to the mine awaiting news. They accused the management of poor response, particularly in initially claiming that only eight people were trapped inside the pit.

"This is shocking, it is traumatic," said Rasid Fetic whose two nephews, both in their mid-20s, are trapped inside the mine.
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Virginia ex-Governor McDonnell and wife guilty of corruption

A court in Virginia has found the former state governor, Bob McDonnell, and his wife guilty of corruption.

Mr McDonnell, who left office in January, was once a rising star of the Republican Party.
A federal jury concluded that he and his wife - who say they are now estranged - used his office to endorse the dietary supplements of a businessman in return for lavish gifts and loans.
They will be sentenced on 6 January.
Mr McDonnell, 60, was convicted on 11 charges, including wire fraud and receiving property based on his official duties.
His wife, former first lady Maureen McDonnell, 60, was found guilty on nine of the charges.

Top CIA officer in Benghazi delayed response to terrorist attack, US security team members claim

A U.S. security team in Benghazi was held back from immediately responding to the attack on the American diplomatic mission on orders of the top CIA officer there, three of those involved told Fox News’ Bret Baier.
Their account gives a dramatic new turn to what the Obama administration and its allies would like to dismiss as an “old story” – the September 11, 2012 Benghazi attacks that killed U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans.

Speaking out publicly for the first time, the three were security operators at the secret CIA annex in Benghazi – in effect, the first-responders to any attack on the diplomatic compound. Their first-hand account will be told in a Fox News special, airing Friday night at 10 p.m. (EDT).
Based on the new book "13 Hours: The Inside Account of What Really Happened in Benghazi" by Mitchell Zuckoff with the Annex Security Team, the special sets aside the political spin that has freighted the Benghazi issue for the last two years, presenting a vivid, compelling narrative of events from the perspective of the men who wore the “boots on the ground.” 
The security contractors -- Kris (“Tanto”) Paronto,  Mark (“Oz”) Geist, and John (“Tig”) Tiegen -- spoke exclusively, and at length, to Fox News about what they saw and did that night. Baier, Fox News’ Chief Political Anchor, asked them about one of the most controversial questions arising from the events in Benghazi: Was help delayed?
Word of the attack on the diplomatic compound reached the CIA annex just after 9:30 p.m. Within five minutes, the security team at the annex was geared up for battle, and ready to move to the compound, a mile away.

'$15 Could Change Everything': Hundreds Arrested As Fast-Food Workers Strike Nationwide

CHARLESTON, S.C. -- About two dozen of this city's fast-food workers marched Thursday afternoon to a street corner that's home to a McDonald's, a Wendy's and a KFC. Calling for a living wage of $15, they seated themselves in the middle of a freeway entrance, backing up traffic as far as the eye could see.
Charleston police were eventually forced to pull them out of the street one by one, citing them for disorderly conduct in what were deemed "non-custodial" arrests. All told, 18 people -- most of them earning right around minimum wage -- were arrested next to the McDonald's parking lot.
"I'm just tired of seeing my family struggle," Robert Brown, a 20-year-old with short dreadlocks sprouting from his McDonald's visor, said right after a cop handed him a citation ordering him to appear in court. "I can't help them at all with what I make."

The Charleston arrests were part of Thursday's nationwide protest coordinated by Fight for $15, a union-backed campaign in which workers are demanding a $15 wage and union recognition. With the support of local labor and community groups, workers have been taking part in a series of intermittent one-day strikes in various cities over the past two years, shaming big fast-food companies like McDonald's over low pay and irregular hours.

Atlantic City casino closings lead to mass unemployment filing

Thousands of laid-off dealers, cocktail servers and other workers expected to turn out in New Jersey for mass filing
Thousands of newly laid-off casino workers are expected to turn out at the Atlantic City convention center for a mass unemployment filing.
The session Wednesday morning comes after a brutal weekend that saw more than 5,000 employees at the Showboat and Revel lose their jobs.
More than 100 work stations will be set up to accommodate the newly jobless dealers, cocktail servers and other workers.
Officials from the state department of labor and the main casino workers’ union, Local 54 of Unite-Here, will help displaced workers file for unemployment, and give them information on signing up for health insurance and other benefits.
By mid-September, four of the 12 casinos with which Atlantic City started the year will have closed, putting almost 8,000 people out of work.
Trump Plaza is closing 16 September, and the Atlantic Club shut down in January.
The unemployment session will be the most visible manifestation of the nearly eight-year downturn plaguing Atlantic City’s casino industry. Beset by ever-increasing competition In neighboring states, New Jersey’s casino revenues have fallen from a high of $5.2bn in 2006 to $2.86bn last year.
The immediate cause of the decline was the advent of casinos in neighboring Pennsylvania, which has since surpassed Atlantic City as the nation’s second-largest casino market after Nevada.
Analysts and many casino executives say the contraction in Atlantic City, while painful to workers and government finances, is a necessary response to pressures facing the market, and have predicted the remaining eight casinos will fare better with less competition.

Ontario energy supply sufficient unless there is extreme weather: IESO

TORONTO - Ontario has more than enough electricity supply to get through planned outages in its nuclear plants next year unless there is extreme weather, an analysis by the Indpendent Electricity System Operator (IESO) says.
The IESO 18-month outlook released Thursday identified a five- to nine-week gap where the reserve supply is less than needed if extreme weather drives up customer demand.
"Reserve requirements are expected to be met for the entire duration of this outlook during normal weather," the report says.
Maintenance-related vacuum building outages are planned for the Darlington and Bruce nuclear plants in 2015.
The IESO, which manages the supply of electricity in the province, has a number of tools at its disposal to control supply and demand, including asking large industrial customers to cut back power use during periods of stress on the system.
In general, electricity demand in Ontario is expected to decline over the forecast period, which covers the next 18 months up to February 2016.
Ontario's cool summer saw a sharp drop in power use over the previous year, the report says.
The IESO says there will be an additional 2,400 megawatts of new generation capacity added in the next 18 months, including wind, solar, hydro and biomass.
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