Gazette 091114

Thursday September 11th 2014 091114

Russia warns US against strikes on Islamic State in Syria

Russia has warned that US air strikes against militants in Syria would be a "gross violation" of international law.

The foreign ministry said any such action, without the backing of the UN, would be "an act of aggression", Interfax news agency reported.
It comes as US Secretary of State John Kerry meets Arab leaders in Saudi Arabia to try to build a coalition against Islamic State (IS) militants.
President Obama has threatened action against IS in Syria as well as Iraq.
IS controls large parts of Syria and Iraq after a rapid military advance.
In a speech outlining his strategy, Mr Obama said any group that threatened America would "find no safe haven".
He also announced that 475 US military personnel would be sent to Iraq but said they would not have a combat role.

Syria And Iran Slam U.S. Strategy In Fighting The Islamic State

Syrian and Iranian officials criticized the Obama administration on Thursday for excluding them from an international coalition coming together in the battle against the Islamic State group, while a state-run Syrian daily warned that unauthorized U.S. airstrikes on Syria may trigger the "first sparks of fire" in the region.

Syria's main Western-backed opposition group, meanwhile, welcomed President Barack Obama's authorization of U.S. airstrikes targeting — for the first time — the extremists inside Syria, saying it stands "ready and willing" to partner with the international community to defeat the militants.
But the Syrian National Coalition said that airstrikes need to be coupled with a strategy for ultimately toppling President Bashar Assad.

Kurdish politicians in Iraq similarly praised Obama's announcement of wider airstrikes and assistance to Iraqi forces.
"We welcome this new strategy," said Hoshyar Zebari, a Kurdish politician and one of Iraq's newly-appointed deputy prime ministers. "We think it will work with the cooperation of the indigenous local forces like Iraqi Security Forces, the Kurdish peshmerga and other forces."

45 hostages freed by Islamist militant group in Syria

Islamist militant group Jabhat al-Nusra releases 45 Fijian UN peacekeepers after holding them hostage for two weeks

All 45 peace keepers held hostage by a militant Islamic group in Syria have been freed, the UN has announced.
In a statement released on Twitter, the UN said the Fijian hostages were handed over unharmed on Thursday afternoon after being held for two weeks by the radical Islamist group Jabhat al-Nusra.
The UN's humanitarian chief, Valerie Amos, expressed her relief.
The group, part of the UN's Disengagement Observer Force in the Golan Heights, were being held by Jabhat al-Nusra, an al-Qaida linked group that is a rival to Islamic State (Isis) militants who now control large parts of Syria and Iraq.
The group's release came after they appeared in a video and were told they would be freed soon.
Standing in front of the hostages, a spokesman for the militants said they had consulted religious leaders and had been advised "we should release these prisoners".
At the end of the clip, a Fijian peacekeeper, who did not identify himself, confirmed in English that they had been told they were about to be freed.
"It is Tuesday, the ninth of September, I would like to mention to you that it is a very happy day. We have been informed that we will be released soon and we are all very happy to be going home," he said.
The peacekeeper added that the troops were all well and thanked al-Nusra "for keeping us safe and keeping us alive".
"I would like to assure you that we have not been harmed in any way," he said.

Senior Hamas leader says group is willing to talk to Israel directly

GAZA, Palestinian Territories - A senior Hamas leader says the group is willing to talk directly to Israel, reversing a previous ban.

In an interview with Al Quds TV to be broadcast later Thursday, Hamas No. 2 Musa Abu Marzouk says "Hamas is willing to talk directly to the Israelis" over issues including Gaza border crossings and prisoner releases.
"Just as you negotiate with weapons you can also negotiate by talk," he said in a tape of the interview obtained by The Associated Press. "Up till now our policy was no negotiation with (Israel), but others should be aware that this issue is not taboo."
His comments come two weeks after the end of a bloody war in the Gaza Strip, which Hamas has run since 2007. Over the weekend the group came in for criticism from Western-backed Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, putting further pressure on it after the heavy losses it sustained during the fighting.
Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said he would not comment until Abu Marzouk's remarks are broadcast.
Israel has consistently said it will not talk directly to Hamas until the Islamic militant group recognizes its right to exist and renounces violence.
During the interview Abu Marzouk gave no indication that Hamas was considering taking such steps. Rather, he insisted the reason for the change in policy reflected growing tensions with Abbas, whom Hamas believes is trying to reclaim control of Gaza.

Pakistan Airstrikes Hit Taliban Hideouts, Killing At Least 65

Pakistani warplanes struck five militant hideouts in a Taliban stronghold near the Afghan border on Wednesday, killing 65 insurgents, the military said.

The strikes, carried out in two phases hours apart, targeted areas in the North Waziristan tribal region, where the military has been conducting a major offensive since mid-June, the army said in a statement.
The strikes came a day after the Pakistani Taliban took credit for a weekend attack on a navy dockyard on the other side of the country, in the port city of Karachi.

Also Wednesday, Pakistan's defense minister said authorities investigating a weekend attack on a navy dockyard in the port city of Karachi cannot rule out possible involvement of some navy personnel in the assault.
North Waziristan has long been home to a mix of local and al-Qaida-linked foreign militants, including armed groups which carry out cross-border attacks on U.S. and other NATO troops in Afghanistan.
The army launched the much-awaited operation there on June 15, following a deadly militant attack on country's one of the busiest airports in Karachi.

Ukraine president claims most Russian forces have left country

Ukraine's president has claimed that most Russian forces have left his country in the latest conciliatory move aimed at stoking a peace campaign that began last week, while the European Union slapped new economic sanctions on Russia.
Reuters reported that Petro Poroshenko told a televised Cabinet meeting that "70 percent of Russian troops have been moved back across the border ... This further strengthens our hope that the peace initiatives have good prospects."

He also said 700 Ukrainian prisoners had been freed from rebel captivity and expressed hope that another 500 would be freed by the end of the week.
Estimates of the number of Russian troops that have taken part in the five-month old Ukrainian conflict have varied, with NATO estimating that at least 1,000 regular forces have been involved. For its part, Moscow has repeatedly denied training or equipping separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine.
Poroshenko added the cease-fire was being tested by "terrorists" who attempted to provoke Ukrainian government forces. Ukraine claims that five servicemen have been killed during the cease-fire, while a civilian also died as a result of shelling in the port city of Mariupol.
On Thursday, two volleys of Grad rocket fire rang out in Ukraine's eastern, rebel-held city of Donetsk. The city council of Donetsk confirmed in a statement there had been multiple explosions during the morning, but reported no casualties.
Poroshenko said government forces are "regrouping" in an effort to defend Ukrainian territory from further attacks by separatists, who succeeded in breaking Kiev's encirclement of Donetsk and Luhansk with a fresh Russian-backed offensive just prior to last week's cease-fire.

European Union Agrees To Introduce New Sanctions On Russia

The European Union has decided to slap new economic sanctions on Russia over its actions in Ukraine, diplomats said Thursday.

The sanctions will further curb access to European capital markets for Russian firms and banks, limit exports of certain high-technology goods and target several officials with travel bans and asset freezes, diplomats told The Associated Press in Brussels.
The sanctions will take effect Friday following their publication in the EU's official journal but will be reversible if the situation in eastern Ukraine improves, four diplomats said independently. They spoke on condition of anonymity pending the official announcement.

A summit of EU leaders almost two weeks ago called for the new sanctions to be finalized, but they were then twice postponed to assess the impact of a cease-fire in eastern Ukraine. The United States previously said it was also considering new sanctions once the EU moves forward, and could now take that step as early as Thursday.
The new sanctions are expected to deepen earlier penalties targeting Russia's oil and arms sectors, including a further tightening of access to international capital markets. The current ban on credits and loans to Russian entities with a maturity of more than 90 days will be reduced to 30 days, two diplomats said. Curbing access to western capital markets could weigh down Russia's already-flagging economic growth.

Russia reduces gas exports to Poland

Russia's gas supplies to Poland have dropped by 45%, Poland's state gas firm PGNiG says, amid tensions over Ukraine.

The news came just hours after Poland stopped providing gas to Ukraine through "reverse-flow" pipelines.
The Russian gas volumes were 24% lower on Tuesday and 20% lower on Monday, according to PGNiG. That shortfall prompted Poland to halt reverse-flow.
Poland and Ukraine rely heavily on Russian natural gas. Russia is in a pricing dispute over gas with Ukraine.
Some analysts believe Russia, which stopped gas supplies to Ukraine in June over the pricing dispute, is punishing Poland for sending gas to Ukraine.
Ukrainian forces have been fighting pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine since April, after the separatists declared independence in two regions.
Russia has denied arming the rebels and sending soldiers across the border.
On Wednesday Russia's state gas monopoly Gazprom denied Poland's allegation that it had reduced gas supplies.
"Currently exactly the same volume of gas is being delivered to Poland as on previous days - 23m cubic metres daily," Gazprom said in a statement (in Russian) quoted by Russia's Ria Novosti news agency.
Hungary and Slovakia pump much more gas to Ukraine than Poland via reverse-flow, but they have not yet reported a significant drop in their supply from Russia.

France to miss EU budget deficit target

Finance minister says country will not achieve 3% goal by 2017, and slashes growth outlook for this year and next

France has admitted it will overshoot the EU's 3% budget deficit target this year, putting the eurozone's second-biggest economy on a collision course with Brussels.
French finance minister Michel Sapin said Paris would fail to cut its budget deficit to the EU limit before 2017, with a deficit for this year of 4.4% of GDP, falling only slightly in 2015 to 4.3% – well above the maximum permitted, though smaller than the UK's 5.6%.
He added that growth this year would be a sluggish 0.4%, down from an initial estimate of 1%.
France is gambling that EU officials will be forced to recognise that low growth and poor tax receipts in recent years have hampered efforts to bring down the budget deficit.
President François Hollande, who is battling to restore his reputation following wounding allegations by his former lover Valérie Trierweiler, expects to suffer budget deficits in excess of 3% for two more years and is lobbying for greater flexibility from Brussels.
The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, has stepped into the debate, making it clear that respect for the EU's 3% deficit target was needed to promote growth within the 28-member currency zone.
"We should take very seriously that the [European] commission has now rightly indicated that straying from the reform course is the biggest risk for further recovery," she told German MPs.
The beleaguered finance minister, who has presided over two quarters during which the economy has stagnated, also suffered bad news from the manufacturing sector, which contracted 0.3% in July. Broader figures showed industrial production grew by 0.2%, boosted by energy production.

Chile: violent clashes break out on 41st anniversary of Pinochet's military coup

SANTIAGO, Chile –  Violent clashes are breaking out as Chileans mark the 41st anniversary of their own 9-11.
The 1973 military coup toppled Socialist President Salvador Allende and began the 17-year dictatorship of Gen. Augusto Pinochet.

Officials reported Thursday that vandals clashed with police overnight, throwing rocks and gasoline bombs and setting up flaming barricades.
At least one public bus was also torched. Police arrested seven people and said at least one officer was injured.
The anniversary of the coup is often marked by violence.
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Obama approves US airstrikes in Syria, vows to target ISIS ‘wherever they exist’

President Obama on Wednesday ordered a sharp escalation of the U.S. military campaign against the Islamic State, authorizing U.S. airstrikes in Syria along with expanded airstrikes in Iraq as he vowed to wipe out the group’s terrorists “wherever they exist.”
“Our objective is clear: we will degrade, and ultimately destroy, ISIL through a comprehensive and sustained counter-terrorism strategy,” Obama said during a prime-time address to the nation.

The president’s address, just 15 minutes long, effectively completed a dramatic turnaround from the administration’s approach to the Islamic State just a few months ago, when the president downplayed the group’s advances through northern Iraq. Now, he is outlining a “comprehensive” strategy for targeting the organization in Iraq and Syria, including by potentially aiding moderate factions of the Syrian opposition.
Republicans who have urged a tougher approach voiced some relief that Obama appeared to be backing off “earlier dismissals” of the group’s fighting prowess. “He has finally begun to make the case the nation has needed him to make for quite some time: that destroying this terrorist threat requires decisive action and must be the highest priority for the United States and other nations of the free world,” House Speaker John Boehner said in a statement.
Boehner, though, cautioned that a “speech” is not a “strategy” and raised concerns that Obama is still treating this as an “isolated counterterrorism campaign.”

Obama's ISIS, Al Qaeda Comparison 'Wildly Off-Base,' Richard Engel Says

President Barack Obama outlined his strategy to take down the Islamic State in an address to the nation on Wednesday, comparing his plan to employ airstrikes to take down terrorists while supporting partners on the ground to past efforts to take out terrorists in Yemen and Somalia.
But NBC News' chief foreign correspondent Richard Engel accused the president of taking liberties with his analogy.
"I think it is wildly off-base, I think it's an oversimplification of the problem," Engel said, reporting from Erbil, Iraq.

Engel explained that the partnered government in Yemen relies on the United States when members of al Qaeda are hiding in parts of the desert that its forces can't reach, while terrorist groups in Somalia are "generally ignored" unless U.S. special operations forces see an opportunity to strike.
"That's not at all the situation that we are seeing in Iraq and Syria," Engel said, noting that the Islamic State consists of tens of thousands of individuals operating in an area the size of Maryland, where 8 million people live. 

Kerry says US, coalition of nations to stand with Iraq against rampant Islamic State militancy

BAGHDAD - The United States pledged Wednesday to stand by Iraq as its new leaders pleaded for help in facing down a rampant, deadly insurgency. The assurances by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry during a daylong visit to Baghdad came as President Barack Obama prepared to outline his strategy for defeating the Islamic State militant group that has overrun wide swaths of northern Iraq and Syria.

The increased devotion to Iraq and its spiraling security problems means Obama likely will spend the remaining two years of his presidency focused on a nation he campaigned to largely leave in the rear-view mirror after withdrawing American troops in 2011.
"This is a fight that the Iraqi people must win, but it's also a fight that the rest of the world needs to win with them," Kerry told reporters at the close of a daylong visit to Baghdad, the first high-level meeting between the U.S. and new Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi. "And it's a fight the United States and the rest of the world need to support every single step of the way."
A coalition of nearly 40 nations already has committed to contribute to what Kerry predicted will be a worldwide fight to defeat the Islamic State, which has surpassed even al-Qaida in its ruthlessness to impose extremist laws in a caliphate it wants to carve out of the Mideast. But much of the world — and most notably Iraq — was watching to see what Obama would offer in a speech Wednesday night.
Al-Abadi, who was sworn into office just days ago, told Kerry that the U.S. and other foreign allies must help Iraq stem the threat that is pouring in the country from Syria, where the Islamic State has established a safe haven.

Detroit bankruptcy trial suspended until next week amid settlement talks

Judge’s postponment to give lawyers time to work out details of settlement to satisfy major creditor opposed to city’s plan
A judge on Wednesday suspended Detroit’s bankruptcy trial until next week to give lawyers time to work out the details of a settlement that would satisfy a major creditor that opposed the city’s plan to get on its feet again.
The city reached a deal Tuesday with Syncora, a bond insurer that stood to lose about $400m under Detroit’s plan to get out of bankruptcy. Detroit would extend Syncora’s lease on a tunnel between the US and Canada and grant it a long-term lease on a downtown parking garage, among other concessions.
Syncora would recover roughly 26% of its claim, spokesman Steven Schlein told The Associated Press.
The deal shows how fortunes can quickly change in bankruptcy, even in the middle of trial. Judge Steven Rhodes must decide whether Detroit’s plan is fair to creditors and feasible for the long run.
“It’s always better to be loving rather than fighting,” Syncora attorney Stephen Hackney said outside court.
Syncora is one of many creditors in the case, but it has been one of the loudest. Virtually everyone is backing Detroit’s exit from Chapter 9, even thousands of retirees whose pensions would be cut by 4.5%.
On the seventh day of the trial, the judge granted a request to suspend it until Monday, partly to see if Detroit can also reach a deal with another bond insurer with a $1bn claim, Financial Guaranty Insurance. Rhodes met privately with lawyers from the city and Financial Guaranty immediately after the brief hearing.
“Anything’s possible,” Thomas Cullen, an attorney for Detroit, said after leaving the courthouse.

Rob Ford's tumour diagnosis and the future of Toronto's race for mayor

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford was admitted to hospital Wednesday after doctors found what they believe to be a tumour in his abdomen, raising the possibility that he will be forced to withdraw his name from the Oct. 27 mayoralty ballot to focus on his health.

Should Ford opt to leave the election race, what is to become of his campaign and the immensely influential voter bloc that is Ford Nation?

Under most circumstances, the answer would be straightforward: Ford withdraws, and the two other remaining contenders, John Tory and Olivia Chow, go head-to-head.

But Ford Nation still has a potential hope in the mayor's older brother, Coun. Doug Ford, who has until Friday at 2 p.m. ET to register as a candidate. While the latter could not formally replace the former as part of the same campaign, a Doug Ford candidacy would likely be the de facto alternative for loyal Ford voters. 
The mayor's campaign has seen a resurgence in recent polls, overtaking Chow as the second-place contender going into the last six weeks of the campaign, and his brother could take the flag and continue Ford Nation's charge.
"I could certainly see it happening," said John Mascarin, an attorney specializing in municipal law and an adjunct professor at York University's Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto.
"I would have said that it would take a pretty extraordinary event for Doug to jump into the campaign, and this is a potentially extraordinary event. He has the Ford name, and it wouldn't be surprising if he thought, 'I have to keep the Ford name in this race.'"
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