Tuesday, 28 June 2016

Russia, US trade accusations in maritime encounter

Posted by Unknown, on 18:01

Washington and Moscow on Tuesday accused each other of conducting dangerous maritime maneuvers after two warships sailed closely past each other in the Mediterranean Sea earlier this month.
Russia's defense ministry said the USS Gravely, an American destroyer, crossed the path of the Russian frigate Yaroslav Mudry on June 17, coming "dangerously close."
The US Navy committed a "gross violation of international rules on the prevention of collisions at sea," violating a maritime agreement signed by the US and Soviet authorities in 1972, Moscow said.
A US defense official later gave a completely different account, saying the Russian ship had deliberately maneuvered to approach the USS Gravely.
The Russian frigate had also displayed an international sign showing her maneuverability to be restricted when she first positioned herself about two miles (three kilometers) from the Gravely, the official said.
"The maneuvering demonstrates that (the Yaroslav Mudry) was not in fact restricted in her ability to maneuver, and was thus intentionally displaying a false international signal," he added, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Russia insisted its frigate was in international waters and not "conducting dangerous maneuvers" in regard to the American destroyer.
US officials said the two ships passed within 315 yards (288 meters) of each other. The Russians put the distance at just "60 to 70" meters.
The Pentagon has reported a number of cases of Russian jets buzzing US planes and ships in the Baltic Sea in recent months with tensions between the two sides at their highest point since the Cold War over the crisis in Ukraine.
In April, the US Navy released video footage of Russian aircraft over the Baltic Sea flying very close to another destroyer, the USS Donald Cook, including in a "simulated attack profile."
Russia's defense ministry used the contested incident in the Mediterranean Sea to hit back at the United States.
The Pentagon "has recently accused with great perseverance Russian pilots and marines of lacking professionalism," it said.
"But this incident shows that US (sailors) allow themselves to forget basic rules of maritime safety."Relations between Russia and the West nosedived over Moscow's annexation of Crimea from Kiev in March 2014 and its support for a pro-Kremlin insurgency in eastern Ukraine.
"These actions have the potential to unnecessarily escalate tensions between countries, and could result in a miscalculation or accident which results in serious injury or death," the US defense official said.  AFP

Turkish PM says first signs in Istanbul attack point to IS

Posted by Unknown, on 17:58

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Wednesday that early signs suggested the Islamic State group was behind a triple suicide bombing at Istanbul airport, as he announced the death toll in the attack had risen to 36.
"According to the most recent information, 36 people have lost their lives," Yildirim told journalists at the scene of the attack, adding that "the evidence points to Daesh", using another name for IS.
The premier added that there were "many injured", without giving a figure.
Three suicide bombers opened fire at passengers with automatic rifles before blowing themselves up, Yildirim said.
He did not identify the bombers or give their nationality.
The prime minister added that the attackers had arrived at the airport by taxi. He ruled out any security failings at Ataturk, one of Europe's busiest air hubs.
Air traffic will resume at the airport from 3:00 am local time (0000 GMT), Yildirim said. AFP

Britain wins Brexit breathing space at gloomy EU summit

Posted by Unknown, on 17:56


EU leaders gave Britain breathing space Tuesday by accepting it needed time to absorb a shock Brexit vote before triggering a divorce but insisted the crunch move could not wait months.
A humiliated Prime Minister David Cameron came face-to-face with European colleagues for the first time since last week's vote at a Brussels summit which leaders said was "sad" but pragmatic.
Trillions of dollars have been wiped off world markets since Thursday's vote to leave the EU, while the United Kingdom's future has been thrown into doubt after Scotland said it would push for a new independence referendum.
Further shockwaves juddered through British politics as Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the main opposition Labour party, vowed to fight on despite losing a crushing no-confidence vote among his party's lawmakers.
Thousands of people took to the streets of London, which voted overwhelmingly to stay in the EU, to protest against the referendum result, waving EU flags and placards saying: "Stop Brexit".
After hours of talks in Brussels, EU President Donald Tusk said that he understood that time was needed "for the dust to settle" in Britain before the next steps can be taken.But reflecting wider concerns of a domino effect of other states wanting to leave, European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker said Britain did not have "months to meditate".
He set a clear timetable for triggering Article 50, the EU treaty clause that begins the two-year withdrawal process, after Cameron's successor takes office in early September.
Juncker said that if the new prime minister was a pro-remain figure, Article 50 should be activated "in two weeks after his appointment" -- but if it was a supporter of the leave campaign, "it should be done the day after his appointment," he added.
The current favourites to take over from Cameron are leading "out" campaigner Boris Johnson and interior minister Theresa May, a low-key backer of EU membership.
- 'You're not laughing now' -
Over a dinner of poached veal tenderloin followed by strawberries, a chastened Cameron urged EU leaders to consider reforming rules on freedom of movement, one of the EU's central tenets, to cement a close relationship with Britain post-Brexit.
He said Britain and the EU should "have as close an economic relationship as possible and that the key to staying close is really to look at reform to free movement," a Downing Street source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
A British government source added that Cameron believed that free movement was "one of the driving factors in people voting to leave".
At a press conference, Cameron insisted he had no regrets about holding the referendum.
Earlier, US President Barack Obama warned against "hysteria" as stock markets and the pound staged a tentative recovery after days of losses that saw sterling slump to a 31-year low.
But with so much still remaining uncertain, analysts warned the recovery could be short-lived.
Late Monday, Standard & Poor's and Fitch both cut their credit ratings for Britain as a result of the referendum.
One happy man was Nigel Farage, head of the UK Independence Party, who told a jeering European Parliament -- after a hug with his old sparring partner Juncker -- that the joke was now on them.
"When I came here 17 years ago and I said I wanted to lead a campaign to get Britain to leave the EU, you all laughed at me," he said. "But you are not laughing now."- Breaking up is hard to do -
European powers are loath to give Britain an easy ride as it leaves the EU, partly because they do not want to send a signal to other countries which may eventually head in the same direction.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has warned Cameron could not "cherry-pick" the terms of the exit negotiations and that there would be no informal talks before Article 50 was triggered.
The European Parliament has called on Britain to initiate the departure process "as soon as possible", its president Martin Schulz saying Cameron was "taking the destiny of our entire continent hostage purely for internal political reasons".
The Brexit vote has also put the remaining 27 members of the EU under pressure to come up with an adequate response to prevent other countries following suit.
The 27 will meet without Cameron on Wednesday and Tusk proposed holding another summit in September in Bratislava.AFP

Saturday, 18 June 2016

Embattled PM's coalition wins by-elections in Malaysia

Posted by Unknown, on 19:23

Malaysia's ruling party won two parliamentary by-elections Saturday that were closely watched for indications of whether graft allegations hounding Prime Minister Najib Razak were affecting his governing coalition's support.
The results in two mainly rural constituencies were largely expected, as support typically runs strong in such areas for the dominant United Malays National Organisation (UMNO).
The UMNO-led ruling coalition also enjoys huge advantages in money and machinery over a splintered opposition.
UMNO candidate Budiman Mohamad Zohdi won the parliamentary seat of Sungai Besar of west-central Malaysia, while Mastura Mohamad Yazid won the Kuala Kangsar constituency seat in the country's north, the election commission announced.
Both candidates also pulled off a thumping victory as predicted.
The contests -- held after the previous incumbents died together in a helicopter crash in May -- are the first parliamentary electoral contests since the corruption allegations emerged last year.
But for the second time in as many months, the results provided relief for Najib and his ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition.
Last month, the BN scored a thumping victory in Sarawak state assembly polls to extend its decades-old control of that stronghold state.
"The victory in both the constituencies (on Saturday) will enable Najib to entrench himself as the powerful leader of UMNO," said Oh Ei Sun, a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore.
UMNO benefited in Saturday's contests from opposition discord.
It had faced candidates from the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) and Amanah, a new party comprising mostly former PAS members.
Amanah's members split acrimoniously from PAS last year, largely over the latter's increasing Islamic conservatism.
Experts say that likely split the votes of the Muslim ethnic Malays who are the country's majority group.
Najib faces allegations that billions of dollars were plundered from a state-owned investment fund he founded.
The accusations, which burst forth last year, include the revelation Najib received at least $681 million in deposits to his personal bank accounts in 2013.
Najib and the state fund, 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), deny wrongdoing.
But Najib has fuelled suspicions by shutting down domestic investigations and sidelining critics, while shoring up his hold on power.
Authorities in a half-dozen countries are investigating 1MDB money flows, however, and Switzerland and Singapore have frozen millions of dollars in assets.
Najib led the BN -- in power since independence in 1957 -- to its worst-ever showing in 2013 national elections amid voter concerns over the economy, corruption and alleged government repression.
Malaysia's opposition had sought to highlight the 1MDB issue in campaigning for Saturday's polls, but analysts say the issue carries little weight with masses of Malays who have been raised on UMNO control.AFP

Russian defence chief, Assad coordinate on 'anti-terrorist fight'

Posted by Unknown, on 19:18

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu met in Damascus on Saturday with President Bashar al-Assad to discuss anti-terrorist "cooperation" in Syria's conflict, a bone of contention between Moscow and Washington.
Shoigu, the highest ranking Russian official to travel to Syria since the conflict erupted five years ago, was sent by President Vladimir Putin for the surprise meeting with Moscow's long-time ally Assad, the Syrian state news agency SANA said.
"The talks focused on military cooperation between the two countries and joint action to fight against terrorist organisations on Syrian soil," it said.
In Moscow, the defence ministry said the discussions centred on "current questions of military and technical cooperation... as well as certain aspects of the cooperation in the fight against terrorist groups operating in Syria".
The visit came as a US defence department spokesman said that Pentagon officials in a video conference with Russian counterparts had voiced "strong concerns" over Moscow's alleged bombing of US-backed forces in southern Syria.
US military officials "expressed strong concerns about the attack on the coalition-supported counter-ISIL (Islamic State) forces at the Al-Tanaf garrison, which included forces that are participants in the cessation of hostilities in Syria", Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said.
The Pentagon "emphasized that those concerns would be addressed through ongoing diplomatic discussions on the cessation of hostilities", he said.
US defence officials have said Russian warplanes carried out raids in Al-Tanaf targeting a meeting of combatants supported by the US-led coalition that was held to coordinate the fight against IS jihadists in Syria and Iraq.
The Syrians belonged to the New Syrian Army, trained by the British and the Americans in a coalition camp in Jordan, while the Iraqis were tribal fighters, officials said.
Russia, however, said it had not carried out any strikes targeting opposition forces included in a ceasefire brokered by Washington and Moscow that excludes IS, without mentioning Al-Tanaf.
Shoigu, whose country's military intervention since last September turned the tide of the conflict in favour of Assad's regime, also inspected Russia's air base in Hmeimim in the Syrian coastal province of Latakia, his ministry said.
The West has repeatedly accused Russian forces of also targeting non-jihadist rebels with air strikes in an effort to prop up the regime.AFP

Obama touts environmental record on family outing to national parks

Posted by Unknown, on 19:12

President Barack Obama and the first family celebrated America's cherished natural heritage Saturday during a weekend tour marking the 100th anniversary of the nation's vaunted national park system.
Obama, also using the occasion to tout his environmental record, is the first sitting president since John F. Kennedy in 1962 to visit California's Yosemite National Park.
Obama has made protecting nature areas one of the hallmarks of his presidency.
Since 2009, he has set aside as protected areas more than 265 million acres (100 million hectares) of public lands and waters across the country, more than any of his predecessors did. A large part of that involves a marine sanctuary around islands and atolls in the Pacific.
In doing so, he relied on the Antiquities Act, a law signed in 1906 by then president Theodore Roosevelt, a fervent advocate of preserving the country's natural resources.
For Obama, who has made the fight against climate change a priority of his two terms in office and complains of systematic obstructionism by the Republican-controlled Congress, the law has been key to circumventing his opponents on environmental issues.It allows the president to move swiftly to preserve threatened areas, which can be transformed into national parks if Congress gives the go ahead.
The Grand Canyon, Death Valley and vast swathes of Alaska have benefited from the law.
Before Obama, 16 presidents have used the measures. Only three, all of them Republicans, did not do so: Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush.
Before leaving office in January, Obama could sign off on other protection projects awaiting his signature, such as an expansion of the Papahanaumokuakea marine reserve in Hawaii, declared a decade ago by George W. Bush and home to many endangered species.
Over the years, such presidential designations have often triggered conflicts because they end up prohibiting exploration and development of fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas and coal on the protected lands or in protected waters.
Some lawmakers question the legal foundation of the Antiquities Act and what they see as a carte blanche for the president.
These lawmakers complain of poor management of federal lands and stymied economic development. They have tried in vain several times to have the law erased.But the national park system remains hugely popular in the United States. The 400-odd parks received a record 305 million visitors last year. The system turns 100 on August 25.
"We have more work to do to preserve our lands and culture and our history. We're not done yet," Obama said in a speech against the spectacular backdrop of Yosemite Falls, the highest waterfall in the park.
"For this centennial, we're asking all Americans to find your park so everyone, including those from underserved communities, can experience these wonders."
- 'Spectacular !' -
On Friday ,the president and his family visited Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico, which features more than 100 caves, three of them open to the public.
The Obamas visited the Big Room, a large cave chamber located 754 feet (230 meters) underground and filled with stalactites and stalagmites. It is also a sanctuary for hundreds of thousands of bats.
"Spectacular," Obama said.
"How cool is this?", he added as he turned to journalists, although the comment seemed aimed more at his teenage daughters, Malia and Sasha.
Several hours later, after flying over waterfalls and granite peaks, the first family traveled to Yosemite, known for its giant redwood trees.
At one point, he and first lady Michelle stopped to chat with some kids at a park facility under bright, sunny skies and Mrs Obama asked them what they would do to scare away bears.
As the kids started yelling, the president said: "Oh, I would get out of here!"
The Obamas then sat on the ground for a photo with the group, with the president making sure all kids were smiling.
"Everybody say cheese," he said. "Everybody say 'national parks.' Everybody say 'happy birthday,'" he added, mentioning a birthday girl in the group.
"Who is going to help me up now?" he added.
The family outing is reminiscent of one the Obamas made in 2009 to Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming.
With seven months left in Obama's second and final term, environmental groups are urging the president not to rest on his laurels when it comes to protecting nature."What he has done so far has been significant," said Sharon Buccino of the National Resources Defense Council.
"But the real measure of his conservation legacy is going to be judged based on what he does with his remaining time."AFP

Christo's 'walk on water' art work rained off

Posted by Unknown, on 18:58


Thousands of people stepped out onto artist Christo Vladimirov Javacheff's latest work in northern Italy on Saturday, seizing the chance to "walk on water" until bad weather forced the evacuation of the floating walkway.
Organisers ordered the temporary evacuation of the walkway of 200,000 floating cubes covered in orange fabric floating atop Lake Iseo on Saturday evening, after wind and rain made it unstable.
The walkways were expected to reopen later on Saturday night, although storms forecast for Sunday could see them shut again.
Earlier, the most eager fans of Christo, as he is universally known, spent the night camped out to be the first to step onto the three kilometre (1.9 mile)-long runway that connects the village of Sulzano to the small island of Monte Isola on the lake.
"It's a very physical project, you need to go there (to understand it)," Christo said Thursday of the project called "The Floating Piers" which is open to the public from June 18 to July 3.
"The Floating Piers" cost 15 million euros ($16.7 million) to create but will be open to the public for free, day and night, and is expected to attract 500,000 visitors by the time it closes.Several of the first visitors to experience the Bulgarian-born US artist's brainchild removed their shoes to better appreciate the "physical project" that was first conceived in 1970 but has taken until now to come to fruition.
Others sunbathed on the pontoons while braver souls dived head first into Iseo's dark green water.
"It's like being on a boat, it sways, it's fun," Agata, 12, told Italian media.
Her family had driven overnight from Bergamo to arrive at the installation in time for dawn.
The number of visitors reached a peak after lunch with a long queue snaking toward the project's entrance.
Several people queuing were taken ill as they waited under a baking sun.
Christo himself advised his fans to visit another day and ordered that shuttle buses to nearby car parks should make fewer trips.
"It's a great feeling, I am very satisfied with the result which is the product of cooperation between all the organisations that have guaranteed the safety of all of those wanting to walk on the water," said Lombardy regional president Roberto Maroni.Around 150 people were posted on the walkway to ensure safety wile 30 lifeguards were on hand in the event of an accident.
Christo first rose to fame along with his late wife Jeanne-Claude for their eye-catching wrapping-up of famous landmarks like the Pont Neuf across the Seine in Paris in 1985 and Berlin's Reichstag in 1995 -- a project which took almost a quarter of a century of bureaucratic wrangling to get off the ground.
Around 150 people were posted on the walkway to ensure safety wile 30 lifeguards were on hand in the event of an accident.
Christo first rose to fame along with his late wife Jeanne-Claude for their eye-catching wrapping-up of famous landmarks like the Pont Neuf across the Seine in Paris in 1985 and Berlin's Reichstag in 1995 -- a project which took almost a quarter of a century of bureaucratic wrangling to get off the ground.AFP

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