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| Saturday September 20th 2014 |
Syria crisis: 45,000 'flee Islamic State' into Turkey
Some 45,000 mainly Syrian
Kurds have crossed into Turkey in the past 24 hours, officials say, as
Islamic State militants advance in northern Syria.
Turkey opened its border on Friday to Syrians who had fled the Kurdish town of Kobane in fear of an IS attack.Activists say some 300 Kurdish fighters have crossed into Syria from Turkey to help defend the strategic town.
IS controls large areas of Syria and Iraq and has seized dozens of villages around Kobane, also called Ayn al-Arab.
Turkey - which shares a border with Iraq and Syria - has taken in more than 847,000 refugees since the uprising against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad began three years ago.
Villages seized Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus confirmed on Saturday that 45,000 refugees had crossed the border within a 24-hour period.
"No country in the world can take in 45,000 refugees in one night, bring them here unharmed and find them a shelter without a problem," he said.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 300 Kurdish fighters had joined Syrian Kurdish fighters in the Kobane area to fend off the IS advance. The activist group did not specify which Kurdish group the fighters belonged to.
Turkish Hostages Of ISIS Freed
ANKARA, Sept 20 (Reuters) - Turkish intelligence agents brought 46 hostages seized by Islamic State militants in northern Iraq back to Turkey on Saturday after more than three months in captivity, in what President Tayyip Erdogan described as a covert rescue operation.
Security sources told Reuters the hostages had been released overnight in the town of Tel Abyad on the Syrian side of the border with Turkey after being transferred from the eastern Syrian city of Raqqa, Islamic State's stronghold.
Officials declined to give details of the rescue operation.
The hostages, who included Turkey's consul-general, diplomats' children and special forces soldiers, were seized from the Turkish consulate in Mosul on June 11 during a lightning advance by the Sunni insurgents.
Family members rushed to the steps of the plane which brought the freed captives to the Turkish capital Ankara from the southern city of Sanliurfa, where they had earlier been welcomed by Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.
Groups of supporters waved Turkish flags as Davutoglu hugged the consul-general and members of the diplomats' families before addressing the crowd from the roof of a bus, saying the authorities had worked tirelessly for the hostages' release.
"I thank the prime minister and his colleagues for the pre-planned, carefully calculated and secretly-conducted operation throughout the night," Erdogan said in a statement.
"MIT (the Turkish intelligence agency) has followed the situation very sensitively and patiently since the beginning and, as a result, conducted a successful rescue operation."
Egyptian man pleads guilty to 1998 US embassy bombings charges
District judge in New York does not immediately accept guilty plea of man accused of serving as conduit for al-Qaida figures
An Egyptian man pleaded guilty in New York on Friday to charges stemming from the deadly 1998 bombings of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania that killed 224 people.
Wiping tears from his eyes and frequently shaking his head, Adel Abdul Bary, 54, pleaded guilty to three counts, including threatening to kill, injure or destroy property by means of an explosive and conspiring to murder US citizens abroad.
However, US district judge Lewis Kaplan did not immediately accept the plea agreement, saying he had concerns that Bary had previously faced hundreds of charges, some of which carried a mandatory life sentence.
Under the plea deal, Bary faces a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison. If he is given credit for more than a decade he spent in custody in the United Kingdom while fighting extradition, his sentence would be significantly shorter, Kaplan said.
“You can well appreciate why I have questions in my mind,” Kaplan said.
The judge gave the government and Bary’s lawyers one week to submit letters explaining why he should accept the deal. If he were to reject it, Bary would be permitted to withdraw his guilty plea and would proceed to trial.
Assistant US attorney Sean Buckley told Kaplan that Bary was not alleged to have engaged in any overt acts leading to the murders themselves. Instead, Bary was largely accused of disseminating claims of responsibility while serving as a conduit between media outlets and senior al-Qaida figures, including the group’s deceased leader Osama bin Laden and his successor, Ayman al-Zawahiri.
Buckley said prosecutors from the office of Manhattan US attorney Preet Bharara felt the charges “were appropriate with regard to this defendant and the role he played in a much larger conspiracy”.
Qatar,
a satirical Middle Eastern website reported the other day, expressed
"deep interest" in buying Scotland in the event of a "yes" vote in the
independence referendum. The spoof story was a harmless dig at a small
and wealthy country that owns a dazzling array of assets, has had a
remarkable impact on the region and the world — and arouses very strong
feelings, not least in its own backyard.
The Qataris have clearly noticed. Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad, the emir, is using a new and gentler tone on the issues that have generated almost non-stop controversy in recent months: on a visit to Berlin this week he admitted that there had been "errors and problems" over conditions for foreign workers since Qatar was awarded the 2022 World Cup. And he also flatly denied supporting the terrorists of the Islamic State (Isis) in Syria and Iraq - as critics have repeatedly charged.
Fear of Isis, amid US efforts to build a coalition to fight the jihadis, has brought changes of policy too. Anxious to end a long Gulf spat, Qatar bowed to pressure from Saudi Arabia and the UAE and agreed to expel senior leaders of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood and to rein in Al-Jazeera TV — tireless cheerleader of the uprisings of the Arab spring. In private the Qataris now say that they will not support the Brotherhood, but nor will they oppose it. It remains to be seen how - or whether - Al Jazeera's coverage will actually change.
Doha's long-standing backing for the MB has put it in the front line of an ugly regional cold war in which Abu Dhabi and Riyadh are the staunchest supporters of the Egyptian military — which ousted the Brotherhood's democratically-elected but deeply unpopular Mohamed Morsi last year. The confrontation plumbed new depths when UAE planes based in Egypt hit a Qatari-backed Libyan Islamist militia during fighting for Tripoli in August.
Noor Mohammad Noor said Saturday that the election commission has finished its work and will announce results on Sunday.
The
announcement would bring the country's more than five-month-long
election process to a close. Ballots were cast in a first round in April
and again in June in a two-man run-off.
The two candidates, Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai, have been negotiating a power-sharing agreement that would divide responsibilities between the president and the newly created office of chief executive. Those talks have been dragging on for weeks despite consistent mediation by phone from U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.
I will take back entire Kashmir from India: Bilawal Bhutto Zardar
ISLAMABAD: Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the 'Gen Next' politician of Pakistan, has said that his Pakistan People's Party (PPP) would get back entire Kashmir from India.
Bilawal, in his 20s, was addressing the party workers in Multan region in Punjab on Friday.
"I will take back Kashmir, all of it, and I will not leave behind a single inch of it because, like the other provinces, it belongs to Pakistan," said the scion of highly influential Bhutto family.
When Bilawal made these remarks, he was flanked by former prime ministers Yousaf Raza Gilani and Raja Pervaiz Asharaf.
Bilawal, who has announced plans to contest next general elections in 2018, heads the secular Pakistan People's Party which officially wants good ties with India.
His mother, former slain premier Benazir Bhutto, was twice elected as prime minister while his maternal grandfather Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, who founded the PPP in 1967, also served as prime minister in 1970s.
Officials said the battle Saturday pitted the Shiite rebels, known as the Hawthis, against militias and army units allied with the Muslim Brotherhood's Islah party. Security and health officials said mortar shells hit civilian homes and a hospital.
The
fighting took place on the road to the international airport and near a
major military base, the state television building and on two
university campuses, north and west of the capital.
Three Hawthis were killed and two soldiers were wounded in clashes further south.
All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief reporters.
The agreement was announced at talks in the Belarusian capital Minsk, where a ceasefire was agreed on 5 September.
More than 3,000 have died in fighting in two eastern regions since April.
The original ceasefire has been frequently violated but is still holding.
Ukraine accuses Russia of arming separatists and sending Russian troops to the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The Kremlin denies it has any role there.
In a separate development on Saturday, three powerful blasts rocked the main rebel-held city of Donetsk, with eyewitnesses saying that a chemical plant may have been hit.
Meanwhile, a humanitarian convoy of about 200 lorries from Russia arrived in the city.
Russia says the convoy - Russia's third in recent weeks - delivered food, water and generators, but this was done without Ukraine's authorisation.
'Mercenaries' The deal was reached after late-night talks between representatives of Ukraine, Russia, eastern separatists and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
"I am a candidate to be president of my political family," Mr Sarkozy wrote.
The statement ends months of speculation about the intentions of the 59-year-old conservative, who vowed to give up politics after he failed to be re-elected as president in 2012.
The UMP party elections are due to be held in November.
'A new political choice' "After a lengthy period of reflection, I have decided to offer the French people a new political choice," he wrote.
He said he could not "remain a spectator given the situation in which France finds itself, given the destruction of political debate and the persistence of the derisory splits within the opposition".
The BBC's Hugh Schofield in Paris says that although Mr Sarkozy's announcement had been expected, it comes as a major event.
Mr Sarkozy has many supporters who believe his energy are essential to pull France out of its current difficulties, our correspondent adds.
An Egyptian man pleaded guilty in New York on Friday to charges stemming from the deadly 1998 bombings of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania that killed 224 people.
Wiping tears from his eyes and frequently shaking his head, Adel Abdul Bary, 54, pleaded guilty to three counts, including threatening to kill, injure or destroy property by means of an explosive and conspiring to murder US citizens abroad.
However, US district judge Lewis Kaplan did not immediately accept the plea agreement, saying he had concerns that Bary had previously faced hundreds of charges, some of which carried a mandatory life sentence.
Under the plea deal, Bary faces a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison. If he is given credit for more than a decade he spent in custody in the United Kingdom while fighting extradition, his sentence would be significantly shorter, Kaplan said.
“You can well appreciate why I have questions in my mind,” Kaplan said.
The judge gave the government and Bary’s lawyers one week to submit letters explaining why he should accept the deal. If he were to reject it, Bary would be permitted to withdraw his guilty plea and would proceed to trial.
Assistant US attorney Sean Buckley told Kaplan that Bary was not alleged to have engaged in any overt acts leading to the murders themselves. Instead, Bary was largely accused of disseminating claims of responsibility while serving as a conduit between media outlets and senior al-Qaida figures, including the group’s deceased leader Osama bin Laden and his successor, Ayman al-Zawahiri.
Buckley said prosecutors from the office of Manhattan US attorney Preet Bharara felt the charges “were appropriate with regard to this defendant and the role he played in a much larger conspiracy”.
Qataris give ground in Gulf spat
Pro-Islamist Doha is quietly mending fences with Saudi Arabia and the UAE as Isis threat looms. It is not clear how deep the rapprochement will go.
Qatar's Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. Photograph: Mohammed Al-Shaikh/AFP/Getty Images
The Qataris have clearly noticed. Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad, the emir, is using a new and gentler tone on the issues that have generated almost non-stop controversy in recent months: on a visit to Berlin this week he admitted that there had been "errors and problems" over conditions for foreign workers since Qatar was awarded the 2022 World Cup. And he also flatly denied supporting the terrorists of the Islamic State (Isis) in Syria and Iraq - as critics have repeatedly charged.
Fear of Isis, amid US efforts to build a coalition to fight the jihadis, has brought changes of policy too. Anxious to end a long Gulf spat, Qatar bowed to pressure from Saudi Arabia and the UAE and agreed to expel senior leaders of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood and to rein in Al-Jazeera TV — tireless cheerleader of the uprisings of the Arab spring. In private the Qataris now say that they will not support the Brotherhood, but nor will they oppose it. It remains to be seen how - or whether - Al Jazeera's coverage will actually change.
Doha's long-standing backing for the MB has put it in the front line of an ugly regional cold war in which Abu Dhabi and Riyadh are the staunchest supporters of the Egyptian military — which ousted the Brotherhood's democratically-elected but deeply unpopular Mohamed Morsi last year. The confrontation plumbed new depths when UAE planes based in Egypt hit a Qatari-backed Libyan Islamist militia during fighting for Tripoli in August.
Afghan presidential election result to be released on Sunday, capping 5-month-voting process
KABUL, Afghanistan – A spokesman for Afghanistan's election commission says the final results of the country's presidential election will be released on Sunday following a weeks-long audit for fraudulent ballots.Noor Mohammad Noor said Saturday that the election commission has finished its work and will announce results on Sunday.
The two candidates, Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai, have been negotiating a power-sharing agreement that would divide responsibilities between the president and the newly created office of chief executive. Those talks have been dragging on for weeks despite consistent mediation by phone from U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.
I will take back entire Kashmir from India: Bilawal Bhutto Zardar
ISLAMABAD: Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the 'Gen Next' politician of Pakistan, has said that his Pakistan People's Party (PPP) would get back entire Kashmir from India.
Bilawal, in his 20s, was addressing the party workers in Multan region in Punjab on Friday.
"I will take back Kashmir, all of it, and I will not leave behind a single inch of it because, like the other provinces, it belongs to Pakistan," said the scion of highly influential Bhutto family.
When Bilawal made these remarks, he was flanked by former prime ministers Yousaf Raza Gilani and Raja Pervaiz Asharaf.
Bilawal, who has announced plans to contest next general elections in 2018, heads the secular Pakistan People's Party which officially wants good ties with India.
His mother, former slain premier Benazir Bhutto, was twice elected as prime minister while his maternal grandfather Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, who founded the PPP in 1967, also served as prime minister in 1970s.
Fresh fighting between Yemen's Shiite rebels and Sunni militias in capital kills 4 civilians
SANAA, Yemen – Yemeni security officials and witnesses say four civilians have been killed in a third day of fighting between Shiite rebels and Sunni militiamen in the capital Sanaa.Officials said the battle Saturday pitted the Shiite rebels, known as the Hawthis, against militias and army units allied with the Muslim Brotherhood's Islah party. Security and health officials said mortar shells hit civilian homes and a hospital.
Three Hawthis were killed and two soldiers were wounded in clashes further south.
All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief reporters.
Ukraine deal with pro-Russian rebels at Minsk talks
Ukraine's government and pro-Russia rebels have agreed a memorandum on a peace plan for the eastern conflict.
The nine-point deal includes setting up a 30km (19-mile)
buffer zone, a ban on overflights of part of eastern Ukraine by military
aircraft and the withdrawal of "foreign mercenaries" on both sides.The agreement was announced at talks in the Belarusian capital Minsk, where a ceasefire was agreed on 5 September.
More than 3,000 have died in fighting in two eastern regions since April.
The original ceasefire has been frequently violated but is still holding.
Ukraine accuses Russia of arming separatists and sending Russian troops to the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The Kremlin denies it has any role there.
In a separate development on Saturday, three powerful blasts rocked the main rebel-held city of Donetsk, with eyewitnesses saying that a chemical plant may have been hit.
Meanwhile, a humanitarian convoy of about 200 lorries from Russia arrived in the city.
Russia says the convoy - Russia's third in recent weeks - delivered food, water and generators, but this was done without Ukraine's authorisation.
'Mercenaries' The deal was reached after late-night talks between representatives of Ukraine, Russia, eastern separatists and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
Report: Ukraine, pro-Russia rebels agree to new ceasefire deal
Ukrainian authorities and pro-Russia rebels in eastern Ukraine agreed on a complete ceasefire and buffer zone early Saturday in talks in Belarus, Russia's state-run RIA-Novosti news agency reported.
Both sides also agreed to
move heavy weaponry back from the front lines of the conflict, which
had been raging from April until a preliminary truce was reached two
weeks ago.
That ceasefire has been shaky and interspersed with fighting that is at times heavy.
The new deal -- hammered
out at talks in Minsk by representatives of Russia, the Ukrainian
government, rebel leaders and the Organization for Security and
Co-operation in Europe -- sets out nine provisions for a more lasting
ceasefire, RIA Novosti said.
The "Minsk memorandum,"
read out by former Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma, includes: a
bilateral ceasefire; no movement of military forces beyond the front
line as of September 19; no use of weapons or offensive action; heavy
weaponry to be moved back at least 15 kilometers (nine miles) from the
front line, to create a 30-kilometer buffer zone.
The provisions also
include a ban on the use of heavy weaponry in residential areas; a ban
on flights over the buffer zone except by the OSCE, which has been
monitoring implementation of the ceasefire; and the withdrawal of all
foreign fighters and military equipment from Ukrainian territory -- to
be monitored by the OSCE.
Nicolas Sarkozy announces return to French politics
Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has announced his return to politics.
On his Facebook page, he said he would seek the leadership of
the opposition UMP party, widely seen as a first step towards a
presidential bid in 2017."I am a candidate to be president of my political family," Mr Sarkozy wrote.
The statement ends months of speculation about the intentions of the 59-year-old conservative, who vowed to give up politics after he failed to be re-elected as president in 2012.
The UMP party elections are due to be held in November.
'A new political choice' "After a lengthy period of reflection, I have decided to offer the French people a new political choice," he wrote.
He said he could not "remain a spectator given the situation in which France finds itself, given the destruction of political debate and the persistence of the derisory splits within the opposition".
The BBC's Hugh Schofield in Paris says that although Mr Sarkozy's announcement had been expected, it comes as a major event.
Mr Sarkozy has many supporters who believe his energy are essential to pull France out of its current difficulties, our correspondent adds.
Gordon Brown calls on Scotland's yes and no camps to unite
Former prime minister also praises first minister Alex Salmond and pledges that promises of more devolution will be kept
Gordon Brown has called on Scotland to unite behind a common future for the country after voters' rejection of independence in Thursday's referendum.
In a passionate speech in Dunfermline, Fife, on Saturday, the former prime minister - whose late intervention in the referendum campaign has been credited with helping to secure the no vote - said: "Let us think of ourselves not as yes and no Scots but simply as Scots and let us be a nation, united again.
"I am sure we can find ways to unify against the odds … let us seek to find high ground in trying to find a way forward for the future."
The promises on further devolution made by David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg ahead of Thursday's vote would be honoured, Brown told the audience at Dalgety Bay primary school.
"The eyes of the world have been upon us and now I think the eyes of the world are on the leaders of the major parties of the United Kingdom. These are men who have been promise makers and they will not be promise breakers.
"I will ensure that as a promise keeper these promises that have been made will be upheld."
The former Labour leader, who remains an MP, said that a resolution for a new Scotland Act signed by the three party leaders and himself after Thursday's vote would be placed in the House of Commons on Monday.
"We have set down a timetable that is absolutely clear. That a command paper will be published by the end of October, that the heads of agreement between the parties and further devolution will come in November and that the draft legislation, the laws that will form the Scotland Bill and eventually the Scotland Act, will be ready by the end of January," he said.
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The planes, two of which were MiG 31 jets, left the area without incident.
Officials said this type of incident was not uncommon, and happens up to 10 times a year.
The ADIZ is a zone of airspace which extends out approximately 200 miles from the coastline and is mainly within international airspace.
US sovereign air space extends 12 nautical miles from land.
Two Alaskan-based F-22 fighter jets and two Canadian CF-18 fighter jets were scrambled to intercept the Russian planes in two separate incidents on Wednesday evening and Thursday morning.
Also on Wednesday, the Swedish Foreign Ministry said two Russian military aircraft had crossed into Swedish air space south of the Baltic Sea island of Oland.
The ministry called it a "serious violation".
Sweden has said it has summoned the Russian ambassador over the incident.
Law enforcement officials conducted a shoulder-to-shoulder sweep of the White House’s north lawn as well as the plaza in front of the iconic building and adjacent Lafayette Park, following the Friday night incident.
The Secret Service confirmed with Fox News that the sweep was in connection with the incident.
The Secret Service early Saturday identified the suspect as Omar J Gonzalez, 42, of Copperas Cove, Texas, and said he was unarmed when apprehended.
Gonzalez was arrested and taken to George Washington Hospital for medical evaluation, said agency spokesman Brian Leary. He also said the Secret Service is reviewing agents’ response to the incident to ensure proper protocol was followed.
President Obama and his daughters departed the White House four minutes before the intruder scaled the north fence, darted across the lawn and into the presidential residence, where agents nabbed him. The security breach triggered a rare evacuation of much of the White House, with Secret Service officers drawing their guns as they rushed staffers and journalists out a side door.
The CIA's inspector general has confirmed that in the course of a long-running Senate investigation into the CIA's George W. Bush-era torture program, agency employees "improperly accessed" congressional computers. Brennan apologized to members of the Senate Intelligence Committee for that in July.
But at an intelligence conference Thursday, Brennan appeared to backtrack on that apology. He rejected media "narratives" that the CIA had hacked Senate computers.
"I’m not going to take, you know, the allegations about hacking and monitoring and spying and whatever else, no," said Brennan. His resistance seems to rest on a distinction between "hacking" and "improper access."
“We talk about a glass ceiling – these women don’t even have a secure floor under them,” she said.
The former secretary of state, who is considering a second bid for the White House in 2016, said opposition on Capitol Hill to Democratic legislation to close the gender gap was detached from the lives of women across the country. Democrats have recently introduced legislation to encourage equal pay and increase the minimum wage, both of which have been blocked by Republicans.
“The Congress, increasingly, despite the best efforts of my friends and others, is living in an evidence-free zone,” Clinton said.
Women fill two-thirds of minimum wage jobs, Clinton said, and hold three-quarters of jobs which are reliant upon tips, often leaving them “at the mercy of employers”. She argued that lax employment regulation combined with lack of support for working families was putting women on low incomes at risk.
“Without equal pay, without flexibility or predictability at work, without access to quality, affordable childcare, without [the] ability to take a day off if your child or ageing parent is sick, without paid family or medical leave, this woman is really on the brink.”
The research quoted by Clinton was released by the Census Bureau earlier this week. Clinton also cited a Bloomberg report into the research which said that 5.1 million more women were in poverty than men. In 2003, the difference was 4.3 million.
In a press conference, Fed chairwoman Janet Yellen disappointed some when she said there was no "calendar date" for a rate rise.
US markets, however, were reassured, rising in the wake of her comments.
The Dow Jones closed at a record high.
Now, investors are focused on when the Fed will raise its short-term interest rate, which has been at zero since late 2008.
-
In a passionate speech in Dunfermline, Fife, on Saturday, the former prime minister - whose late intervention in the referendum campaign has been credited with helping to secure the no vote - said: "Let us think of ourselves not as yes and no Scots but simply as Scots and let us be a nation, united again.
"I am sure we can find ways to unify against the odds … let us seek to find high ground in trying to find a way forward for the future."
The promises on further devolution made by David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg ahead of Thursday's vote would be honoured, Brown told the audience at Dalgety Bay primary school.
"The eyes of the world have been upon us and now I think the eyes of the world are on the leaders of the major parties of the United Kingdom. These are men who have been promise makers and they will not be promise breakers.
"I will ensure that as a promise keeper these promises that have been made will be upheld."
The former Labour leader, who remains an MP, said that a resolution for a new Scotland Act signed by the three party leaders and himself after Thursday's vote would be placed in the House of Commons on Monday.
"We have set down a timetable that is absolutely clear. That a command paper will be published by the end of October, that the heads of agreement between the parties and further devolution will come in November and that the draft legislation, the laws that will form the Scotland Bill and eventually the Scotland Act, will be ready by the end of January," he said.
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Six Russian fighter jets intercepted off Alaska
Six Russian fighter jets were intercepted by
American and Canadian planes off the coast of Alaska on Wednesday, US
defence officials have confirmed.
They entered what is known as the Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ), but did not enter US air space.The planes, two of which were MiG 31 jets, left the area without incident.
Officials said this type of incident was not uncommon, and happens up to 10 times a year.
The ADIZ is a zone of airspace which extends out approximately 200 miles from the coastline and is mainly within international airspace.
US sovereign air space extends 12 nautical miles from land.
Two Alaskan-based F-22 fighter jets and two Canadian CF-18 fighter jets were scrambled to intercept the Russian planes in two separate incidents on Wednesday evening and Thursday morning.
Also on Wednesday, the Swedish Foreign Ministry said two Russian military aircraft had crossed into Swedish air space south of the Baltic Sea island of Oland.
The ministry called it a "serious violation".
Sweden has said it has summoned the Russian ambassador over the incident.
White House security breach prompts search due to fears intruder left something on lawn
The Secret Service, under intense scrutiny after a man jumped the White House fence and got through the front doors, on Saturday morning conducted a full sweep of the crime scene, in a search for evidence.Law enforcement officials conducted a shoulder-to-shoulder sweep of the White House’s north lawn as well as the plaza in front of the iconic building and adjacent Lafayette Park, following the Friday night incident.
The Secret Service early Saturday identified the suspect as Omar J Gonzalez, 42, of Copperas Cove, Texas, and said he was unarmed when apprehended.
Gonzalez was arrested and taken to George Washington Hospital for medical evaluation, said agency spokesman Brian Leary. He also said the Secret Service is reviewing agents’ response to the incident to ensure proper protocol was followed.
President Obama and his daughters departed the White House four minutes before the intruder scaled the north fence, darted across the lawn and into the presidential residence, where agents nabbed him. The security breach triggered a rare evacuation of much of the White House, with Secret Service officers drawing their guns as they rushed staffers and journalists out a side door.
Ron Wyden Hits CIA Director John Brennan Over 'Culture Of Misinformation'
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) criticized CIA Director John Brennan for the agency's "culture of misinformation" on Friday, after Brennan appeared to backtrack on an apology for snooping on Senate investigators.The CIA's inspector general has confirmed that in the course of a long-running Senate investigation into the CIA's George W. Bush-era torture program, agency employees "improperly accessed" congressional computers. Brennan apologized to members of the Senate Intelligence Committee for that in July.
But at an intelligence conference Thursday, Brennan appeared to backtrack on that apology. He rejected media "narratives" that the CIA had hacked Senate computers.
"I’m not going to take, you know, the allegations about hacking and monitoring and spying and whatever else, no," said Brennan. His resistance seems to rest on a distinction between "hacking" and "improper access."
Hillary Clinton says women in minimum wage jobs are 'at the mercy of employers'
- Likely 2016 candidate speaks on women’s economic security
- Senator Gillibrand: workplace policies ‘stuck in Mad Men era’
“We talk about a glass ceiling – these women don’t even have a secure floor under them,” she said.
The former secretary of state, who is considering a second bid for the White House in 2016, said opposition on Capitol Hill to Democratic legislation to close the gender gap was detached from the lives of women across the country. Democrats have recently introduced legislation to encourage equal pay and increase the minimum wage, both of which have been blocked by Republicans.
“The Congress, increasingly, despite the best efforts of my friends and others, is living in an evidence-free zone,” Clinton said.
Women fill two-thirds of minimum wage jobs, Clinton said, and hold three-quarters of jobs which are reliant upon tips, often leaving them “at the mercy of employers”. She argued that lax employment regulation combined with lack of support for working families was putting women on low incomes at risk.
“Without equal pay, without flexibility or predictability at work, without access to quality, affordable childcare, without [the] ability to take a day off if your child or ageing parent is sick, without paid family or medical leave, this woman is really on the brink.”
The research quoted by Clinton was released by the Census Bureau earlier this week. Clinton also cited a Bloomberg report into the research which said that 5.1 million more women were in poverty than men. In 2003, the difference was 4.3 million.
US Fed offers no hint on rate rise as stimulus ends
The US Federal Reserve
has reiterated that it will raise interest rates once a "considerable
time" has passed after its stimulus programme ends in October.
The announcement came at the end of a two-day meeting of the central bank's policy committee in Washington DC.In a press conference, Fed chairwoman Janet Yellen disappointed some when she said there was no "calendar date" for a rate rise.
US markets, however, were reassured, rising in the wake of her comments.
The Dow Jones closed at a record high.
Wednesday's announcement of the end of the stimulus programme, known as quantitative easing, was widely expected.
The Fed has been buying billions of dollars of bonds in an
effort to keep long-term interest rates low and thus boost spending.
However, as the US economy has picked up steam, the central bank has
said that extra support is no longer necessary.Now, investors are focused on when the Fed will raise its short-term interest rate, which has been at zero since late 2008.
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