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| Friday October 17th 2014 - AFTERNOON EDITION |
Ex-Iraqi pilots training ISIS fighters to fly captured planes in Syria, rights group says
BEIRUT – Former Iraqi air force pilots are training extremists from the Islamic State group to fly three warplanes captured earlier from air bases belonging to the Syrian army, a Syrian activist group said Friday.The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the planes, seen flying over the Jarrah air base in the eastern countryside of Aleppo province this week, are believed to be of the MiG-21 and MiG-23 variety.
The report, which could not be independently verified, comes as the U.S. and its allies are bombing Islamic State group bases in Syria and Iraq, where the extremists have seized large swaths of territory.
The group is known to have seized fighter jets from at least one air base it captured from the Syrian army in the eastern Raqqa province earlier this year. Militant websites had posted pictures of fighters with the aircraft, but it was unclear if they were operational.
Abdurrahman said Islamic State members were being trained by Iraqi officers who had joined the group and who were once pilots under former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.
The Jarrah air base was seized by Islamic groups including al Qaeda's Syrian branch, the Nusra Front, in early 2013. It was captured by Islamic State militants in January this year.
ISIS Militants Target Baghdad Amid Wave Of Attacks In Iraq
BAGHDAD (AP) — Militants unleashed a wave of attacks in Iraq on Thursday, mainly targeting Shiite areas in and around the capital of Baghdad, killing at least 50 people and wounding dozens, authorities said.The Islamic State group has overrun vast areas in western and northern Iraq as well as parts of neighboring Syria, and has vowed to destabilize and eventually take over Baghdad.
It claimed responsibility for the day's deadliest strike. In that attack, two parked car bombs exploded simultaneously in a commercial area in the northern Dolaie neighborhood, killing 14 civilians and wounding 34 others, a police officer said.
Senior Iraqi officials have tried to reassure residents that the capital is too well-protected for militants to capture, even as they struggle to stop frequent near daily deadly attacks.
Syrian Kurds Gain Importance In Campaign Against ISIS
WASHINGTON -- After more than a month of being outnumbered and outgunned, facing likely doom in Kobani, Kurdish fighters have begun to turn the tide against Islamic State militants with help from airstrikes by the U.S.-led coalition.The U.S. has said the strikes are intended to aid Kobani's defenders. But it has been reluctant to admit the likely reason for the recent success against ISIS: Unprecedented new coordination between Washington and the main Syrian Kurdish organization, the PYD.
Such cooperation represents a significant development in U.S. strategy in Syria and the Middle East, Syria watchers told The Huffington Post. As the U.S. develops a tactical relationship with the Syrian Kurds, it must rapidly consider the role the group will play in the coalition against ISIS, the PYD's future political goals, and ways to help the group without further destabilizing the region, experts said.
Britons fighting in Iraq and Syria may face treason charges if they return
Foreign secretary Philip Hammond claims those who have sworn personal allegiance to Isis may have committed the offence
British jihadis who go to fight in Iraq or Syria could be tried for treason, the foreign secretary has suggested.
Philip Hammond said such people had “sworn personal allegiance” to Islamic State (Isis) and could potentially have committed the offence.
Lord Haw Haw – real name William Joyce – was the last person to be prosecuted for treason in Britain, and was hanged in 1946 for his Nazi propaganda broadcasts.
The offence remains on the statute books, even though the death penalty has been abolished.
Questioning Hammond in the Commons, Tory backbencher Philip Hollobone said: “Given that, with the assent of this House, Her Majesty’s armed forces are now engaged in military action against Islamic State, given that we have all witnessed on television the beheading by a British jihadist of British and American aid workers, and given that the offence of treason still exists, but has not been used since 1946, will the foreign secretary ensure that British jihadists who return from Iraq and Syria are prosecuted for the offence of treason?
“Their actions are treachery against Her Majesty, and aiding and abetting enemies of Her Majesty is one of the greatest offences a British citizen can commit.”
Hammond replied that there were “a number of offences under English law with which returning foreign fighters can be charged”.
He said: “We have had a discussion about the allegiance question. We have seen people declaring that they have sworn personal allegiance to the so-called Islamic State.
“That does raise questions about their loyalty and allegiance to this country and about whether, as my honourable friend rightly says, the offence of treason could have been committed.
Philip Hammond said such people had “sworn personal allegiance” to Islamic State (Isis) and could potentially have committed the offence.
Lord Haw Haw – real name William Joyce – was the last person to be prosecuted for treason in Britain, and was hanged in 1946 for his Nazi propaganda broadcasts.
The offence remains on the statute books, even though the death penalty has been abolished.
Questioning Hammond in the Commons, Tory backbencher Philip Hollobone said: “Given that, with the assent of this House, Her Majesty’s armed forces are now engaged in military action against Islamic State, given that we have all witnessed on television the beheading by a British jihadist of British and American aid workers, and given that the offence of treason still exists, but has not been used since 1946, will the foreign secretary ensure that British jihadists who return from Iraq and Syria are prosecuted for the offence of treason?
“Their actions are treachery against Her Majesty, and aiding and abetting enemies of Her Majesty is one of the greatest offences a British citizen can commit.”
Hammond replied that there were “a number of offences under English law with which returning foreign fighters can be charged”.
He said: “We have had a discussion about the allegiance question. We have seen people declaring that they have sworn personal allegiance to the so-called Islamic State.
“That does raise questions about their loyalty and allegiance to this country and about whether, as my honourable friend rightly says, the offence of treason could have been committed.
Teenage boy shot dead by Israeli troops in West Bank
Bahaa Badr killed on Thursday evening during clashes between protesters and Israeli forces west of Ramallah
A 13-year-old boy has been shot and killed by Israeli forces in a village near the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah.
Bahaa Badr was shot in the chest on Thursday evening during clashes between protesters and Israeli forces who entered Beit Liqya near the separation wall with Israel.
According to reports, soldiers opened fire after demonstrators threw stones and Molotov cocktails at three Israel army Jeeps that entered the village west of Ramallah.
It is still unclear whether Badr took part in the clashes, which the Israeli army described as an “illegal riot”.
A spokesperson for the Israeli military said the army would investigate the killings, and that soldiers had been forced to fire at the boy when he threw a firebomb at them.
Ahmed Betawai, the director of the Ramallah hospital, said Badr died of his wounds about two hours after he was shot in the chest three times by live ammunition.
Laila Ghanam, the governor of Ramallah and Al Bireh, told Watan News the killing of the 13-year old boy was a “stain on a silent world” and another example of Israel’s crimes against children.
Tensions in the West Bank have risen since the start of Israel’s 50-day war in Gaza in July, in which over 2,000 Palestinians have been killed.
In a separate incident on Thursday in Jerusalem’s Silwan neighbourhood, Arab Israelis threw Molotov cocktails at a car and a police vehicle.
Frequent clashes have been reported in areas near east Jerusalem, where the Al-Aqsa mosque is located – the third holiest site in Islam.
Tensions at Al-Aqsa and Temple Mount spiked this week when Israeli border police began limiting access to Palestinian worshippers at the Haram al-Sharif in east Jerusalem. Israel has prevented men under 50 from worshipping at the mosque.
The new charges include four counts of killing a person in the course of an attack on a federal facility.
US Ambassador Chris Stevens and three others were killed in the attack, which became a political lightning rod.
"We will never relent in pursuing justice against those who commit heinous acts of terrorism against the United States," Attorney General Eric Holder wrote in a statement on Tuesday.
"Those who would do harm to our citizens - no matter how far away - should understand that our nation's memory is long and our reach is far."
The group has been fighting an insurgency since 2009, with some 2,000 civilians reportedly killed this year.
Boko Haram sparked global outrage six months ago by abducting more than 200 schoolgirls.
The girls were seized in the north-eastern town of Chibok in Borno state, and their continued captivity has led to criticism of the Nigerian government's efforts to secure their release.
Members of the Bring Back Our Girls campaign said in a tweet on Friday: "We are monitoring the news with huge expectations."
'Cautiously optimistic' Air Chief Marshal Badeh revealed the truce at the close of a three-day security meeting between Nigeria and Cameroon. He said Nigerian soldiers would comply with the agreement.
Western sanctions against Russia have hit high-ranking officials, banks, oil companies, and now two prize-winning racehorses.
The trainer of the celebrated thoroughbreds Zazou and Dashing Home cannot collect prize money won in races in Germany because the horses are owned by Ramzan Kadyrov, the strongman leader of Russia’s Chechnya republic who was put on the European Union sanctions list for supporting the annexation of Crimea.
As a result, the horses’ winnings are frozen, as is the funding from Kadyrov to feed, house and train them in Cologne.
“The horses aren’t allowed to race, we have to wait until the embargo is lifted,” trainer Waldemar Hickst told the Wall Street Journal this week. He said he is now financing the horses’ new idle lifestyle out of his own pocket.
The two stallions are ranked among the best in the world, and seven-year-old Zazou has earned at least €1m (£800,000) in prize money over his career. Since Kadyrov’s European assets were frozen by sanctions in July, Zazou has won €5,500 in Baden Baden and €2,000 in Dusseldorf, the German tabloid Bild reported. Due to sanctions, the two horses are no longer allowed to race, according to their trainer.
Kadyrov was appointed head of Chechnya by President Vladimir Putin following two bloody wars with Moscow and has ruled the restive republic with an iron fist. His paramilitary-style forces have been accused of human rights abuses as well as torture and killings and he is known for his love of the good life, including exotic animals, extravagant banquets and sporting events which he documents on his popular Instagram account.
Kadyrov is friendly with French actor Gerard Depardieu, now a Russian citizen, and hired Hollywood stars Jean-Claude Van Damme and Hilary Swank to attend his birthday party in 2011. In August, he reportedly had more than a thousand guests questioned by police after he lost his phone at a wedding in a reconstructed medieval Chechen village.
The West says Russia is arming separatist rebels and sending troops to eastern Ukraine. Moscow denies this.
The presidents did say outlines of a deal on a gas dispute had been agreed.
"We have agreed on the main parameters of the contract," Mr Poroshenko said, adding that "we could not reach any practical results".
Mr Putin said there was "progress" on the issue but that questions remained on how Kiev would pay its huge gas debts - estimated to be $4.5bn (£2.8bn) - to Moscow.
Most Russian gas supplies to Europe are delivered via Ukraine, and Mr Putin has warned Europe of "major transit risks" unless Ukraine settles the row.
Russia cut gas supplies to Ukraine in the summer, accusing Kiev of failing to pay its debts. Ukraine says the price set by Moscow is unfair.
Philippines militants release 2 kidnapped Germans held for 6 months
MANILA, Philippines – A Philippine official says two Germans kidnapped for six months have been released by a militant group just hours after it had threatened to behead one if no ransom payment was made.
Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said the Abu Sayyaf group released Stefan Okonek and Henrike Dielen late Friday on southern Jolo Island.
Abu
Sayyaf spokesman Abu Rami told radio station DXRZ in southern Zamboanga
City that his group received 250 million pesos ($5.6 million) in
ransom. He did not say who paid the ransom.
Gazmin said he was "not privy" to information about any ransom payment.
He said he was happy the Germans were safe and hoped there would be no more kidnappings.
Since then, a movement that began as peaceful sit-ins in key business districts to press for democratic reforms has spiraled into an increasingly volatile and dangerous crisis with no clear endgame. Support for protesters is fast waning, as days of violent clashes between activists, their opponents, and police overshadow the movement. Vast differences over political reforms divide the students and the government. Key thoroughfares remain closed. Some protesters are digging in for the long haul at the main occupation zone, while others fight to retake ground lost to police.
Against
this backdrop, a government offer to negotiate with students appears
highly unlikely to resolve the largest uprising since the former British
colony returned to Chinese control 17 years ago.
"The endgame is nowhere in sight," said Willy Lam, a China expert at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. "Short of using a high degree of force which might exacerbate dissatisfaction among the public, it looks like neither Beijing nor the Hong Kong government has what it takes to defuse the crisis."
Disease control specialists are being sent to Ohio to help monitor people she came into contact with there.
The virus has killed more than 4,000 people, almost all in West Africa, but infections are increasing in the West.
Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has said he is "bitterly disappointed" with the international response.
In an interview with the BBC's Newsnight programme, Mr Annan said richer countries should have moved faster.
General Electric, Morgan Stanley and Textron all rose after reporting results that were better than analysts expected.
The Dow Jones industrial average was up 294 points, or 1.8 percent, to 16,409 as of 11:57 a.m. Eastern time Friday.
The Standard & Poor's 500 rose 32 points, or 1.8 percent, to 1,895. The Nasdaq composite rose 70 points, or 1.7 percent, to 4,287.
European markets also made big gains. France's CAC 40 and Germany's DAX each rose 3 percent.
The price of oil rose 59 cents to $83.29 a barrel. It's still down 3 percent for the week.
Bond prices fell. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose to 2.21 percent.
The Canadian Hurricane Centre in Halifax says Gonzalo will likely transition into a strong post-tropical storm as it races toward North Atlantic waters Saturday.
The most punishing winds will be felt to the right of Gonzalo's track with the heaviest rainfall to the left.
Forecasters says southeastern Newfoundland is expected to be hit with
rain and wind from Gonzalo, even if the storm remains offshore.
There's a 50 per cent chance of Gonzalo making landfall on the island.
Complicating matters is a cold front bearing strong winds and heavy showers that's expected to cross Atlantic Canada today and Saturday.
Vison, a nurse at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas, where Duncan was being treated and later died, flew to Cleveland on Friday to help plan her wedding. She returned to Dallas on Monday. She called health officials before her flight on Monday, reporting a minor fever. But the Center for Disease Control and Prevention told her it was okay to get on the plane.
Because she may have been sick earlier than officials believed, the CDC is expanding their investigation to people the 29-year-old nurse may have come into contact with over the weekend. Included are passengers who were on her flight to Cleveland, Fox 8 Cleveland reported.
Frontier has reached out to passengers on five flights that used the same airplane Vinson flew on, the Denver Post reported. Anyone who flew with her is encouraged to call 1-800-CDC INFO.
A CDC spokesperson told the Wall Street Journal on Thursday that it was possible that passengers on Vinson's Friday flight may have contracted the virus.
Earlier this week, CDC Director Tom Frieden said that because Vinson's fever was low on Monday, it is unlikely that she was contagious. Still, he said it was mistake for her to fly.
He was allegedly tackled inside the White House on 19 September, and 800 rounds of ammunition, two hatchets and a machete found in his car.
A federal judge has ordered a mental competency review for Mr Gonzalez.
The three new charges include two federal counts of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers or employees, and one count of unlawful possession of a large capacity ammunition feeding device.
He was previously charged with entering a restricted building or grounds while carrying a deadly or dangerous weapon, and unlawful possession of ammunition.
Prosecutors say he jumped the main fence around the White House and gained entry inside through an unlocked door, then barrelled past a guard and ran into the East Room before being tackled.
US President Barack Obama and his family were not at the White House when the intrusion happened, having departed about 10 minutes earlier by helicopter.
Mr Gonzalez, an Iraq War veteran said to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, was previously stopped by Virginia police in July.
Officers found two powerful rifles, four handguns and other firearms and ammunition in his vehicle along with a map marking the White House.
In addition, it has been reported Secret Service agents interviewed Mr Gonzalez twice during the summer but concluded he was not a security threat.
He is currently scheduled to appear in court on 21 October.
The Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with the matter, reported Thursday that Hunter Biden’s short-lived military career ended because he failed a drug test after reporting to his unit in 2013. According to the Wall Street Journal, the Navy discharged him in February of this year.
Biden said in a statement to Fox News that he respects the Navy’s decision but did not specify why he was discharged.
“It was the honor of my life to serve in the U.S. Navy, and I deeply regret and am embarrassed that my actions led to my administrative discharge,” he said. “I respect the Navy's decision. With the love and support of my family, I'm moving forward.”
Biden, 44, made the decision to join the military late in life. According to the Wall Street Journal, Biden was commissioned as an ensign in the Navy Reserve in 2013 after deciding the previous year to join the service as a public affairs officer.
However, Biden was given a drug test after reporting to his unit at Navy Public Affairs Support Element East in Norfolk, Va. and tested positive for cocaine, the Wall Street Journal reported. According to the paper, the Navy would not specify what sort of discharge he was given.
SENATE POLLS TREND TO GOP - Since the HuffPost Pollster Senate forecast debuted in early September, Republicans have benefited from modest but important polling trends in six key battleground states. Our poll tracking model now estimates that Republican candidates have gained between one and three percentage points against their Democratic opponents in Louisiana, Alaska, Colorado, Iowa and New Hampshire. While these changes have been slight in absolute terms, they have helped shift a near toss-up races in several of those states to modest leads for the Republicans.
Mr Scott's camp disputes the report, saying they were not told Mr Crist, an ex-governor, had yet taken the stage.
The episode has already been dubbed "fangate" in the US political press.
Mr Crist served as a Republican governor of the state from 2007-11. He subsequently switched to the Democratic Party. This year the state's Democrats nominated him to run for his old job.
Mr Scott, a wealthy former healthcare executive, was elected in 2010 and is now running for re-election.
The debate at Broward College in Davie, Florida, opened as scheduled on Wednesday evening with an introduction from the panel moderators, but neither candidate appeared on stage.
Steven Blaney, Canada's minister of public safety, announced Thursday that potential changes could be coming to the CSIS Act, but didn't provide many details.
Canadian spy experts suggest they would likely make it easier for CSIS to gain access into info gathered by other members of the so-called "Five Eyes" group of nations -- Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada.
Last year, a federal security intelligence committee found there were "clear hazards" in the way intelligence sharing happened among the Five Eyes, pointing specifically to the different ways each country treated or responded to the same information.
"This is what has been holding CSIS back," said Mubin Shaikh, a former CSIS informant. "This would mean they can actively participate in foreign intelligence collection beyond what they have been doing already."
He called the move "long overdue."
The feds said the move would at least provide clarification and eliminate ambiguities, as well as bring a document written in 1984 up to speed with current global realities of terrorism.
"Terrorism is the chief threat and it's far more diffuse than in the past. The CSIS Act must keep pace," Andy Ellis, CSIS assistant director of operations, said.
"The Canadian courts have forced us to reconsider the way we undertake our operations ... we're doing that in keeping with the courts."
The feds said the changes to the act would also provide sources and officers with greater protection.
The announcement was part of the Canadian Intergovernmental Conference Secretariat, a series of meetings and discussions between federal and provincial ministers to better harmonize programs and policies and co-ordinate activities at both levels of government.
Ministers responsible for justice and public safety in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba discussed on Wednesday Canada's decision to join the fight against the Islamic State and what measures needed to be taken to reduce the group's threat to Canada.
"ISIS is a form of menace we have not seen before," said Michel Juneau Katsuya, a former CSIS agent.
"Globally, I think, there are about 13,000 of them -- almost 200 from Canada. And what happens when they want to come back. We need to be capable to defend ourselves, protect ourselves."
The Opposition greeted the news with some optimism, but warned it would be keeping a close eye on any move that would compromise civil liberties.
-
Bahaa Badr was shot in the chest on Thursday evening during clashes between protesters and Israeli forces who entered Beit Liqya near the separation wall with Israel.
According to reports, soldiers opened fire after demonstrators threw stones and Molotov cocktails at three Israel army Jeeps that entered the village west of Ramallah.
It is still unclear whether Badr took part in the clashes, which the Israeli army described as an “illegal riot”.
A spokesperson for the Israeli military said the army would investigate the killings, and that soldiers had been forced to fire at the boy when he threw a firebomb at them.
Ahmed Betawai, the director of the Ramallah hospital, said Badr died of his wounds about two hours after he was shot in the chest three times by live ammunition.
Laila Ghanam, the governor of Ramallah and Al Bireh, told Watan News the killing of the 13-year old boy was a “stain on a silent world” and another example of Israel’s crimes against children.
Tensions in the West Bank have risen since the start of Israel’s 50-day war in Gaza in July, in which over 2,000 Palestinians have been killed.
In a separate incident on Thursday in Jerusalem’s Silwan neighbourhood, Arab Israelis threw Molotov cocktails at a car and a police vehicle.
Frequent clashes have been reported in areas near east Jerusalem, where the Al-Aqsa mosque is located – the third holiest site in Islam.
Tensions at Al-Aqsa and Temple Mount spiked this week when Israeli border police began limiting access to Palestinian worshippers at the Haram al-Sharif in east Jerusalem. Israel has prevented men under 50 from worshipping at the mosque.
New charges against Benghazi raid 'ringleader'
A grand jury has brought
new charges against the suspected ringleader of the September 2012 raid
on a US diplomatic post in the Libyan city of Benghazi.
Ahmed Abu Khattala, 43, faces 17 new charges, some of which may be punishable by death if convicted.The new charges include four counts of killing a person in the course of an attack on a federal facility.
US Ambassador Chris Stevens and three others were killed in the attack, which became a political lightning rod.
"We will never relent in pursuing justice against those who commit heinous acts of terrorism against the United States," Attorney General Eric Holder wrote in a statement on Tuesday.
"Those who would do harm to our citizens - no matter how far away - should understand that our nation's memory is long and our reach is far."
Nigeria and Boko Haram 'agree ceasefire and girls' release'
Nigeria's military says
it has agreed a ceasefire with Islamist militants Boko Haram - and that
the schoolgirls the group has abducted will be released.
Nigeria's chief of defence staff, Alex Badeh, announced the truce. Boko Haram has not made a public statement.The group has been fighting an insurgency since 2009, with some 2,000 civilians reportedly killed this year.
Boko Haram sparked global outrage six months ago by abducting more than 200 schoolgirls.
The girls were seized in the north-eastern town of Chibok in Borno state, and their continued captivity has led to criticism of the Nigerian government's efforts to secure their release.
Members of the Bring Back Our Girls campaign said in a tweet on Friday: "We are monitoring the news with huge expectations."
'Cautiously optimistic' Air Chief Marshal Badeh revealed the truce at the close of a three-day security meeting between Nigeria and Cameroon. He said Nigerian soldiers would comply with the agreement.
Sanctions against Russia hit Chechen leader’s prize-winning racehorses
Thoroughbreds Zazou and Dashing Home unable to race and winnings frozen because Ramzan Kadyrov is target of sanctions
The trainer of the celebrated thoroughbreds Zazou and Dashing Home cannot collect prize money won in races in Germany because the horses are owned by Ramzan Kadyrov, the strongman leader of Russia’s Chechnya republic who was put on the European Union sanctions list for supporting the annexation of Crimea.
As a result, the horses’ winnings are frozen, as is the funding from Kadyrov to feed, house and train them in Cologne.
“The horses aren’t allowed to race, we have to wait until the embargo is lifted,” trainer Waldemar Hickst told the Wall Street Journal this week. He said he is now financing the horses’ new idle lifestyle out of his own pocket.
The two stallions are ranked among the best in the world, and seven-year-old Zazou has earned at least €1m (£800,000) in prize money over his career. Since Kadyrov’s European assets were frozen by sanctions in July, Zazou has won €5,500 in Baden Baden and €2,000 in Dusseldorf, the German tabloid Bild reported. Due to sanctions, the two horses are no longer allowed to race, according to their trainer.
Kadyrov was appointed head of Chechnya by President Vladimir Putin following two bloody wars with Moscow and has ruled the restive republic with an iron fist. His paramilitary-style forces have been accused of human rights abuses as well as torture and killings and he is known for his love of the good life, including exotic animals, extravagant banquets and sporting events which he documents on his popular Instagram account.
Kadyrov is friendly with French actor Gerard Depardieu, now a Russian citizen, and hired Hollywood stars Jean-Claude Van Damme and Hilary Swank to attend his birthday party in 2011. In August, he reportedly had more than a thousand guests questioned by police after he lost his phone at a wedding in a reconstructed medieval Chechen village.
Ukraine crisis: 'No breakthrough' in Putin-EU talks
The presidents of Russia
and Ukraine have held talks with the EU, but there has been no apparent
breakthrough on how to end the crisis in Ukraine.
Vladimir Putin and Petro Poroshenko - who were joined by EU
leaders in Milan - described the talks as positive but also difficult.The West says Russia is arming separatist rebels and sending troops to eastern Ukraine. Moscow denies this.
The presidents did say outlines of a deal on a gas dispute had been agreed.
"We have agreed on the main parameters of the contract," Mr Poroshenko said, adding that "we could not reach any practical results".
Mr Putin said there was "progress" on the issue but that questions remained on how Kiev would pay its huge gas debts - estimated to be $4.5bn (£2.8bn) - to Moscow.
Most Russian gas supplies to Europe are delivered via Ukraine, and Mr Putin has warned Europe of "major transit risks" unless Ukraine settles the row.
Russia cut gas supplies to Ukraine in the summer, accusing Kiev of failing to pay its debts. Ukraine says the price set by Moscow is unfair.
Philippines militants release 2 kidnapped Germans held for 6 months
MANILA, Philippines – A Philippine official says two Germans kidnapped for six months have been released by a militant group just hours after it had threatened to behead one if no ransom payment was made.
Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said the Abu Sayyaf group released Stefan Okonek and Henrike Dielen late Friday on southern Jolo Island.
Gazmin said he was "not privy" to information about any ransom payment.
He said he was happy the Germans were safe and hoped there would be no more kidnappings.
Hong Kong sees no clear endgame as protests turn increasingly volatile
HONG KONG – Three weeks ago, students at a rally stormed a fenced-off courtyard outside Hong Kong's government headquarters, triggering unprecedented mass protests for greater democracy in the semiautonomous Chinese city.Since then, a movement that began as peaceful sit-ins in key business districts to press for democratic reforms has spiraled into an increasingly volatile and dangerous crisis with no clear endgame. Support for protesters is fast waning, as days of violent clashes between activists, their opponents, and police overshadow the movement. Vast differences over political reforms divide the students and the government. Key thoroughfares remain closed. Some protesters are digging in for the long haul at the main occupation zone, while others fight to retake ground lost to police.
"The endgame is nowhere in sight," said Willy Lam, a China expert at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. "Short of using a high degree of force which might exacerbate dissatisfaction among the public, it looks like neither Beijing nor the Hong Kong government has what it takes to defuse the crisis."
Ebola crisis: Alert in US expands to Ohio
Health officials in the
US believe a nurse infected with Ebola may have been sick and contagious
for four days - and took two flights - before diagnosis.
They believe Amber Vinson may have become ill as early as last Friday, when she flew from Dallas to Ohio.Disease control specialists are being sent to Ohio to help monitor people she came into contact with there.
The virus has killed more than 4,000 people, almost all in West Africa, but infections are increasing in the West.
Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has said he is "bitterly disappointed" with the international response.
In an interview with the BBC's Newsnight programme, Mr Annan said richer countries should have moved faster.
US stocks surge as strong company earnings encourage investors; Wild week continues
NEW YORK – U.S. stocks are powering higher at midday as investors welcome a round of strong company earnings reports.General Electric, Morgan Stanley and Textron all rose after reporting results that were better than analysts expected.
The Standard & Poor's 500 rose 32 points, or 1.8 percent, to 1,895. The Nasdaq composite rose 70 points, or 1.7 percent, to 4,287.
European markets also made big gains. France's CAC 40 and Germany's DAX each rose 3 percent.
The price of oil rose 59 cents to $83.29 a barrel. It's still down 3 percent for the week.
Bond prices fell. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose to 2.21 percent.
Hurricane Gonzalo: Newfoundland Readies For Wind, Rain
HALIFAX - Canadian forecasters will provide an update today on hurricane Gonzalo, which is now a mighty Category 4 storm barrelling toward Bermuda.The Canadian Hurricane Centre in Halifax says Gonzalo will likely transition into a strong post-tropical storm as it races toward North Atlantic waters Saturday.
The most punishing winds will be felt to the right of Gonzalo's track with the heaviest rainfall to the left.
There's a 50 per cent chance of Gonzalo making landfall on the island.
Complicating matters is a cold front bearing strong winds and heavy showers that's expected to cross Atlantic Canada today and Saturday.
Ebola 'czar' appointed by White House to oversee outbreak response in US
Ron Klain, a lawyer who worked for Al Gore in the White House, will lead federal response to presence of Ebola in the US
The White House is reversing its previous insistence that government departments were coordinating the federal response to the presence of Ebola in the US successfully even without a single figurehead heading up the effort and appointing a so-called Ebola “czar”.
Ron Klain, a lawyer who also worked for Al Gore when he was vice-president and is currently general counsel of an investment group, will be responsible for making sure that state and federal agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Department for Homeland Security are working more effectively to track possible exposure to the disease.
“Klain, an attorney, comes to the job with strong management credentials, extensive federal government experience overseeing complex operations and good working relationships with leading members of Congress, as well as senior Obama administration officials, including the president,” said a senior administration official in a statement emailed to reporters on Friday.
His appointment, first reported by CNN, comes after President Barack Obama conceded such a role might be necessary in answer to a question from reporters on Thursday evening.
“It may make sense for us to have one person … so that after this initial surge of activity, we can have a more regular process just to make sure that we’re crossing all the T’s and dotting all the I’s going forward,” Obama said after a briefing with his advisers.
Previously, the White House “point person” on Ebola was the homeland security and counter-terrorism adviser, Lisa Monaco, who is also partially responsible for coordinating the administration’s response to Islamic State extremists.
The White House is reversing its previous insistence that government departments were coordinating the federal response to the presence of Ebola in the US successfully even without a single figurehead heading up the effort and appointing a so-called Ebola “czar”.
Ron Klain, a lawyer who also worked for Al Gore when he was vice-president and is currently general counsel of an investment group, will be responsible for making sure that state and federal agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Department for Homeland Security are working more effectively to track possible exposure to the disease.
“Klain, an attorney, comes to the job with strong management credentials, extensive federal government experience overseeing complex operations and good working relationships with leading members of Congress, as well as senior Obama administration officials, including the president,” said a senior administration official in a statement emailed to reporters on Friday.
His appointment, first reported by CNN, comes after President Barack Obama conceded such a role might be necessary in answer to a question from reporters on Thursday evening.
“It may make sense for us to have one person … so that after this initial surge of activity, we can have a more regular process just to make sure that we’re crossing all the T’s and dotting all the I’s going forward,” Obama said after a briefing with his advisers.
Previously, the White House “point person” on Ebola was the homeland security and counter-terrorism adviser, Lisa Monaco, who is also partially responsible for coordinating the administration’s response to Islamic State extremists.
Amber Vinson, Nurse Infected With Ebola, May Have Felt Ill As Early As Friday
Amber Vinson, the second person to be infected with Ebola after caring for patient Thomas Eric Duncan, may actually have had symptoms as early as last Friday, health officials said.Vison, a nurse at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas, where Duncan was being treated and later died, flew to Cleveland on Friday to help plan her wedding. She returned to Dallas on Monday. She called health officials before her flight on Monday, reporting a minor fever. But the Center for Disease Control and Prevention told her it was okay to get on the plane.
Because she may have been sick earlier than officials believed, the CDC is expanding their investigation to people the 29-year-old nurse may have come into contact with over the weekend. Included are passengers who were on her flight to Cleveland, Fox 8 Cleveland reported.
A CDC spokesperson told the Wall Street Journal on Thursday that it was possible that passengers on Vinson's Friday flight may have contracted the virus.
Earlier this week, CDC Director Tom Frieden said that because Vinson's fever was low on Monday, it is unlikely that she was contagious. Still, he said it was mistake for her to fly.
Florida man shoots his three children, killing two, after domestic dispute
- David Mohney also killed himself after argument with wife
- Sheriff: ‘To shoot the children, that’s cowardly’
A man shot his three children, killing two, and then turned the gun
on himself after an argument with his wife at their central Florida home
on Friday morning, law enforcement officials said.
David Mohney, 52; 11-year-old David Mohney; and 14-year-old Savanna Mohney died in the shooting at the home just south of Daytona Beach, the Volusia County sheriff, Ben Johnson, said.
Lauren Mohney, aged nine, also was shot by her father and was taken to an Orlando hospital with critical injuries, Johnson said.
“It’s very tough,” Johnson said at a news conference outside the family’s home. “It’s basically a cowardly event. If he wants to commit suicide, let him commit suicide. To shoot the children, that’s cowardly.”
David Mohney’s wife, Cynthia Mohney, 48, fled to a neighbour’s house to get help after the fight broke out, and she told deputies that her husband had threatened her with a gun, officials said. They said she was not injured, and investigators were questioning her on Friday morning.
Deputies received a call about the incident at 5.11am. A short time later, the sound of gunfire was heard inside the Port Orange home. Arriving deputies found the man and children inside.
The son was pronounced dead at the scene. The father and 14-year-old daughter were taken a Daytona Beach hospital, where they were both pronounced dead.
Court records in Volusia County indicate that the couple filed for divorce on 8 May and that an incident of domestic violence took place on 18 June. David Mohney filed a petition for injunction for protection against his wife on 3 June and filed for a voluntary dismissal of the injunction on 18 June, Davidson said.
Further details were not immediately available.
David Mohney, 52; 11-year-old David Mohney; and 14-year-old Savanna Mohney died in the shooting at the home just south of Daytona Beach, the Volusia County sheriff, Ben Johnson, said.
Lauren Mohney, aged nine, also was shot by her father and was taken to an Orlando hospital with critical injuries, Johnson said.
“It’s very tough,” Johnson said at a news conference outside the family’s home. “It’s basically a cowardly event. If he wants to commit suicide, let him commit suicide. To shoot the children, that’s cowardly.”
David Mohney’s wife, Cynthia Mohney, 48, fled to a neighbour’s house to get help after the fight broke out, and she told deputies that her husband had threatened her with a gun, officials said. They said she was not injured, and investigators were questioning her on Friday morning.
Deputies received a call about the incident at 5.11am. A short time later, the sound of gunfire was heard inside the Port Orange home. Arriving deputies found the man and children inside.
The son was pronounced dead at the scene. The father and 14-year-old daughter were taken a Daytona Beach hospital, where they were both pronounced dead.
Court records in Volusia County indicate that the couple filed for divorce on 8 May and that an incident of domestic violence took place on 18 June. David Mohney filed a petition for injunction for protection against his wife on 3 June and filed for a voluntary dismissal of the injunction on 18 June, Davidson said.
Further details were not immediately available.
White House 'intruder' Omar Gonzalez faces new charges
Additional charges have
been filed against a man accused of scaling the White House fence and
running into the building while carrying a knife.
Earlier this month, Omar Gonzalez, 42, pleaded not guilty to other charges stemming from the incident.He was allegedly tackled inside the White House on 19 September, and 800 rounds of ammunition, two hatchets and a machete found in his car.
A federal judge has ordered a mental competency review for Mr Gonzalez.
The three new charges include two federal counts of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers or employees, and one count of unlawful possession of a large capacity ammunition feeding device.
He was previously charged with entering a restricted building or grounds while carrying a deadly or dangerous weapon, and unlawful possession of ammunition.
Prosecutors say he jumped the main fence around the White House and gained entry inside through an unlocked door, then barrelled past a guard and ran into the East Room before being tackled.
US President Barack Obama and his family were not at the White House when the intrusion happened, having departed about 10 minutes earlier by helicopter.
Mr Gonzalez, an Iraq War veteran said to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, was previously stopped by Virginia police in July.
Officers found two powerful rifles, four handguns and other firearms and ammunition in his vehicle along with a map marking the White House.
In addition, it has been reported Secret Service agents interviewed Mr Gonzalez twice during the summer but concluded he was not a security threat.
He is currently scheduled to appear in court on 21 October.
Biden's son discharged from Navy after reportedly testing positive for cocaine
The son of Vice President Joe Biden says he is “embarrassed” after being discharged from the Navy Reserve earlier this year --- reportedly after testing positive for cocaine.The Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with the matter, reported Thursday that Hunter Biden’s short-lived military career ended because he failed a drug test after reporting to his unit in 2013. According to the Wall Street Journal, the Navy discharged him in February of this year.
“It was the honor of my life to serve in the U.S. Navy, and I deeply regret and am embarrassed that my actions led to my administrative discharge,” he said. “I respect the Navy's decision. With the love and support of my family, I'm moving forward.”
Biden, 44, made the decision to join the military late in life. According to the Wall Street Journal, Biden was commissioned as an ensign in the Navy Reserve in 2013 after deciding the previous year to join the service as a public affairs officer.
However, Biden was given a drug test after reporting to his unit at Navy Public Affairs Support Element East in Norfolk, Va. and tested positive for cocaine, the Wall Street Journal reported. According to the paper, the Navy would not specify what sort of discharge he was given.
HUFFPOLLSTER: Senate Survey Trends Are Good News For The GOP
Republicans have made modest but important gains in a handful of key swing states. A majority of Americans support recent judicial decisions in favor of gay marriage. And Latinos' demographic growth outpaces their electoral presence. This is HuffPollster for Friday, October 17, 2014.SENATE POLLS TREND TO GOP - Since the HuffPost Pollster Senate forecast debuted in early September, Republicans have benefited from modest but important polling trends in six key battleground states. Our poll tracking model now estimates that Republican candidates have gained between one and three percentage points against their Democratic opponents in Louisiana, Alaska, Colorado, Iowa and New Hampshire. While these changes have been slight in absolute terms, they have helped shift a near toss-up races in several of those states to modest leads for the Republicans.
'Fangate': Florida governor debate delayed over fan
A debate between two
candidates for Florida governor was delayed several minutes amid a
dispute over a small fan placed under one hopeful's lectern.
On Wednesday night moderators said Republican Governor Rick
Scott refused to appear, saying Democratic challenger Charlie Crist's
fan broke the rules.Mr Scott's camp disputes the report, saying they were not told Mr Crist, an ex-governor, had yet taken the stage.
The episode has already been dubbed "fangate" in the US political press.
Mr Crist served as a Republican governor of the state from 2007-11. He subsequently switched to the Democratic Party. This year the state's Democrats nominated him to run for his old job.
Mr Scott, a wealthy former healthcare executive, was elected in 2010 and is now running for re-election.
The debate at Broward College in Davie, Florida, opened as scheduled on Wednesday evening with an introduction from the panel moderators, but neither candidate appeared on stage.
CSIS to be given further powers to track Canadian terrorists abroad
BANFF, Alta. -- CSIS could soon be able to tap into more of our allies' spying information to track Canadians abroad suspected of taking part in terrorist activities.Steven Blaney, Canada's minister of public safety, announced Thursday that potential changes could be coming to the CSIS Act, but didn't provide many details.
Canadian spy experts suggest they would likely make it easier for CSIS to gain access into info gathered by other members of the so-called "Five Eyes" group of nations -- Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada.
Last year, a federal security intelligence committee found there were "clear hazards" in the way intelligence sharing happened among the Five Eyes, pointing specifically to the different ways each country treated or responded to the same information.
"This is what has been holding CSIS back," said Mubin Shaikh, a former CSIS informant. "This would mean they can actively participate in foreign intelligence collection beyond what they have been doing already."
He called the move "long overdue."
The feds said the move would at least provide clarification and eliminate ambiguities, as well as bring a document written in 1984 up to speed with current global realities of terrorism.
"Terrorism is the chief threat and it's far more diffuse than in the past. The CSIS Act must keep pace," Andy Ellis, CSIS assistant director of operations, said.
"The Canadian courts have forced us to reconsider the way we undertake our operations ... we're doing that in keeping with the courts."
The feds said the changes to the act would also provide sources and officers with greater protection.
The announcement was part of the Canadian Intergovernmental Conference Secretariat, a series of meetings and discussions between federal and provincial ministers to better harmonize programs and policies and co-ordinate activities at both levels of government.
Ministers responsible for justice and public safety in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba discussed on Wednesday Canada's decision to join the fight against the Islamic State and what measures needed to be taken to reduce the group's threat to Canada.
"ISIS is a form of menace we have not seen before," said Michel Juneau Katsuya, a former CSIS agent.
"Globally, I think, there are about 13,000 of them -- almost 200 from Canada. And what happens when they want to come back. We need to be capable to defend ourselves, protect ourselves."
The Opposition greeted the news with some optimism, but warned it would be keeping a close eye on any move that would compromise civil liberties.
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