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Middle East Iraq breaks Islamic State siege of Amerli
Islamist militia now guards US Embassy in Libya
- AP foreign,
TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) — An Islamist-allied militia group in
control of Libya's capital now guards the U.S. Embassy and its
residential compound, a commander said Sunday, as onlookers toured the
abandoned homes of diplomats who fled the country more than a month ago.
An Associated Press journalist saw holes left by small-arms and rocket fire dotting the residential compound, reminders of weeks of violence between rival militias over control of Tripoli that sparked the evacuation.
The breach of a deserted U.S. diplomatic post — including images of men earlier swimming in the compound's algae-filled pools — likely will reinvigorate debate in the U.S. over its role in Libya, more than three years after supporting rebels who toppled dictator Moammar Gadhafi. It also comes just before the two-year anniversary of the slaying of U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans in Libya.
A commander for the Dawn of Libya group, Moussa Abu-Zaqia, told the AP that his forces had been guarding the residential compound since last week, a day after it seized control of the capital and its international airport after weeks of fighting with a rival militia. Abu-Zaqia said the rival militia from Zintan was in the compound before his troops took it over.
Some windows at the compound had been broken, but it appeared most of the equipment there remained untouched. The AP journalist saw treadmills, weight benches and protein bars in the compound's abandoned gym. Forks, knives and napkins set for a banquet sat on one table, while a cantina still had cornflakes, vinegar, salt and pepper sitting out.
Some papers lay strewn on the floor, but it didn't appear that the villas in the compound had been ransacked.
Hassan Ali, a Dawn of Libya commander, said his fighters saw "small fires and a little damage" before they chased the rival Zintan militia out of the residential compound.
"We entered and put some of our fighters to secure this place and we preserved this place as much as we could," he said.
Abu-Zaqia said his militia had asked cleaners to come to spruce up the grounds.
He added that the U.S. Embassy staff "are most welcome in God's blessing, and any area that is controlled by Dawn of Libya is totally secure and there are no troubles at all."
Another Dawn of Libya commander, who spoke on condition of anonymity as he wasn't authorized to speak by his leaders, told the AP that the U.S. Embassy, about a kilometer (half a mile) away, also was under guard by his militiamen.
"We've secured the location and the assets of the embassy," he said. "We've informed our command ... immediately after entering the place following the exit of the rival militia. The place is secure and under protection."
The commander did not elaborate and the AP journalist could not reach the embassy. The Dawn of Libya militia is not associated with the extremist militia Ansar al-Shariah, which Washington blames for the deadly assault on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi on Sept. 11, 2012, that killed Stevens and the three other Americans.
A video posted online Sunday showed unarmed men playing in a pool at the compound and jumping into it from a second-story balcony. In a message on Twitter, U.S. Ambassador to Libya Deborah Jones said the video appeared to have been shot in at the embassy's residential annex, though she said she couldn't "say definitively" since she wasn't there.
"To my knowledge & per recent photos the US Embassy Tripoli chancery & compound is now being safeguarded and has not been ransacked," she wrote on Twitter. She did not immediately respond to a request to elaborate. State Department officials in Washington also declined to immediately comment.
Typically, local forces provide security for diplomatic posts, but Libya's government has largely relied on militias for law enforcement since Gadhafi's ouster, as its military and police forces remain weak. In the past several weeks, the security vacuum in Tripoli deepened as militia violence worsened and the diplomatic security provided by Libya's Interior Ministry in the area apparently fled as well.
It remains unclear who the U.S. left in control of guarding its facilities after its personnel evacuated under military escort on July 26. The State Department has said embassy operations would be suspended until the security situation in Libya improved.
Libya's militias, many of which originate from rebel forces that fought Gadhafi, have become powerful players in post-war Libya. Successive governments have put militias on their payroll in return for maintaining order, but rivalries over control and resources have led to fierce fighting among them and posed a constant challenge to the central government and a hoped-for transition to democracy.
The militia violence began after Islamist candidates lost parliament in June elections and a renegade general began a military campaign against Islamist-allied militias in Benghazi, Libya's second-largest city. Now, Libya has two competing governments and two parliaments, deepening divisions and escalating the political struggle that's torn the country apart.
---
Associated Press writers Sarah El Deeb and Jon Gambrell in Cairo contributed to this report.
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An Associated Press journalist saw holes left by small-arms and rocket fire dotting the residential compound, reminders of weeks of violence between rival militias over control of Tripoli that sparked the evacuation.
The breach of a deserted U.S. diplomatic post — including images of men earlier swimming in the compound's algae-filled pools — likely will reinvigorate debate in the U.S. over its role in Libya, more than three years after supporting rebels who toppled dictator Moammar Gadhafi. It also comes just before the two-year anniversary of the slaying of U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans in Libya.
A commander for the Dawn of Libya group, Moussa Abu-Zaqia, told the AP that his forces had been guarding the residential compound since last week, a day after it seized control of the capital and its international airport after weeks of fighting with a rival militia. Abu-Zaqia said the rival militia from Zintan was in the compound before his troops took it over.
Some windows at the compound had been broken, but it appeared most of the equipment there remained untouched. The AP journalist saw treadmills, weight benches and protein bars in the compound's abandoned gym. Forks, knives and napkins set for a banquet sat on one table, while a cantina still had cornflakes, vinegar, salt and pepper sitting out.
Some papers lay strewn on the floor, but it didn't appear that the villas in the compound had been ransacked.
Hassan Ali, a Dawn of Libya commander, said his fighters saw "small fires and a little damage" before they chased the rival Zintan militia out of the residential compound.
"We entered and put some of our fighters to secure this place and we preserved this place as much as we could," he said.
Abu-Zaqia said his militia had asked cleaners to come to spruce up the grounds.
He added that the U.S. Embassy staff "are most welcome in God's blessing, and any area that is controlled by Dawn of Libya is totally secure and there are no troubles at all."
Another Dawn of Libya commander, who spoke on condition of anonymity as he wasn't authorized to speak by his leaders, told the AP that the U.S. Embassy, about a kilometer (half a mile) away, also was under guard by his militiamen.
"We've secured the location and the assets of the embassy," he said. "We've informed our command ... immediately after entering the place following the exit of the rival militia. The place is secure and under protection."
The commander did not elaborate and the AP journalist could not reach the embassy. The Dawn of Libya militia is not associated with the extremist militia Ansar al-Shariah, which Washington blames for the deadly assault on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi on Sept. 11, 2012, that killed Stevens and the three other Americans.
A video posted online Sunday showed unarmed men playing in a pool at the compound and jumping into it from a second-story balcony. In a message on Twitter, U.S. Ambassador to Libya Deborah Jones said the video appeared to have been shot in at the embassy's residential annex, though she said she couldn't "say definitively" since she wasn't there.
"To my knowledge & per recent photos the US Embassy Tripoli chancery & compound is now being safeguarded and has not been ransacked," she wrote on Twitter. She did not immediately respond to a request to elaborate. State Department officials in Washington also declined to immediately comment.
Typically, local forces provide security for diplomatic posts, but Libya's government has largely relied on militias for law enforcement since Gadhafi's ouster, as its military and police forces remain weak. In the past several weeks, the security vacuum in Tripoli deepened as militia violence worsened and the diplomatic security provided by Libya's Interior Ministry in the area apparently fled as well.
It remains unclear who the U.S. left in control of guarding its facilities after its personnel evacuated under military escort on July 26. The State Department has said embassy operations would be suspended until the security situation in Libya improved.
Libya's militias, many of which originate from rebel forces that fought Gadhafi, have become powerful players in post-war Libya. Successive governments have put militias on their payroll in return for maintaining order, but rivalries over control and resources have led to fierce fighting among them and posed a constant challenge to the central government and a hoped-for transition to democracy.
The militia violence began after Islamist candidates lost parliament in June elections and a renegade general began a military campaign against Islamist-allied militias in Benghazi, Libya's second-largest city. Now, Libya has two competing governments and two parliaments, deepening divisions and escalating the political struggle that's torn the country apart.
---
Associated Press writers Sarah El Deeb and Jon Gambrell in Cairo contributed to this report.
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Hong Kong braces for protests as China rules out full democracy
- Hong Kong braces for protests as China rules out full democracy
BEIJING/HONG KONG
1 of 5. Pro-democracy protesters hold up their mobile phones during a campaign to kick off the Occupy Central civil disobedience event in Hong Kong August 31, 2014.
Credit: Reuters/Tyrone Siu(Reuters) - Pro-democracy activists vowed on Sunday to bring Hong Kong's financial hub to a standstill after China's parliament rejected their demands for the right to freely choose the former British colony's next leader in 2017.
The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) endorsed a framework to let only two or three candidates run in the 2017 leadership vote. All candidates must first obtain majority backing from a nominating committee likely to be stacked with Beijing loyalists.
The relatively tough decision by the NPC - China's final arbiter on the city's democratic affairs - makes it almost impossible for opposition democrats to get on the ballot.
"This is a legal, fair and reasonable decision. It is a dignified, prudent decision, and its legal effect is beyond doubt," Li Fei, deputy secretary general of the NPC standing committee, told reporters after the decision.
Hundreds of "Occupy Central" activists, who demand Beijing allow a real, free election, prepared to stage a small protest late on Sunday to formally launch a campaign of civil disobedience that will climax with a blockade at some time of the city's important Central business district.
"Today is not only the darkest day in the history of Hong Kong's democratic development, today is also the darkest day of one country, two systems," said Benny Tai, a law professor and one of Occupy Central's main leaders, referring to the formula under which capitalist Hong Kong, with a population of around 7.2 million, was returned to Communist Chinese rule in 1997.
The Occupy movement said in a statement that "all chances of dialogue have been exhausted and the occupation of Central will definitely happen." It gave no timeframe for its action.
A spokesman for Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (0388.HK), which operates the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, said contingency planning was taken very seriously. "We have long had a specialist team that coordinates group response plans for scenarios that put at risk the continuing operation of the exchange or threaten the well-being or safety of our staff."
Hong Kong's current chief executive Leung Chun-ying said Beijing's decision represented a major step forward in Hong Kong's development. "Universal suffrage for the (chief executive) election through "one person, one vote" by Hong Kong people is not only a big step forward for Hong Kong, but also a historic milestone for our country," he said, adding people should express their opinion through peaceful and legal methods.
Political reform has been a constant source of friction between Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement and the mainland since Britain returned the city to China 17 years ago.
In nearby Macau, another special administrative region, leader and sole candidate Fernando Chui was "re-elected" on Sunday by a select panel of 400 largely pro-China loyalists in the tiny but wealthy former Portuguese colony.
GIRDING FOR ACTION
Scores of police vehicles and hundreds of officers were deployed outside Hong Kong government headquarters as people began to gather late on Sunday, braving heavy rain at times, with some chanting slogans.
Key government buildings, including the Chief Executive's office and a People's Liberation Army barracks nearby, were also ringed by high fences and barricades.
"It (the NPC decision) leaves no room for us to fight for a genuinely democratic system, and we will begin our campaign for peaceful, non-violent struggle," said Joseph Cheng, the convenor of the Alliance for True Democracy, a coalition of groups advocating universal suffrage in Hong Kong. "We want to tell the world we haven't given up. We will continue to fight."
On the surface, the NPC's decision is a breakthrough that endorses the framework for the first direct vote by a Chinese city to choose its leader. Beijing is already hailing it as a milestone in democratic reform.
However, by tightly curbing nominations for the 2017 leadership poll, some democrats said Beijing was pushing a Chinese-style version of "fake" democracy.
The NPC statement said all nominations would be carried out according to "democratic procedures" and each candidate would need the endorsement of more than half of a nominating committee that will be similar in composition to an existing 1,200-person election committee stacked with Beijing loyalists.
The proposed electoral framework will still needs to be approved by two-thirds of Hong Kong's 70-seat legislature. With pro-democracy lawmakers holding more than a third of the seats, the proposal will likely be shelved.
In that case, the next leader would likely again be chosen by a small election committee. Wang Zhenmin, a prominent legal scholar and adviser to the Chinese government, said recently that: "Less perfect universal suffrage is better than no universal suffrage," adding that this window of opportunity in Hong Kong was an historical crossroads after "2,000 years of (Chinese) feudal history without any democracy."
Senior Chinese officials have repeatedly warned activists against their "illegal" protests, and say they won't back down.
Some key members of the pro-democracy movement, including media magnate Jimmy Lai, have also come under pressure in the run-up to the Chinese parliamentary decision.
China has also repeatedly warned against foreign interference, saying it will not tolerate the use of Hong Kong "as a bridgehead to subvert and infiltrate the mainland."
The Occupy Central movement has not yet won broad support among Hong Kong's middle class, who are concerned about antagonising China and disruptions to business. Any strong measures by China or the Hong Kong police could change that.
(Additional reporting by Pete Sweeney in SHANGHAI, Bobby Yip, Grace Li, Twinnie Siu, Dancy Zhang and Donny Kwok in HONG KONG; Editing by Paul Tait, Simon Cameron-Moore and Ian Geoghegan)
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Jubilant Iraqi forces break two-month siege of Amerli - officials Video US conducts airstrikes on IS to provide humanitarian support
Jubilant Iraqi forces break two-month siege of Amerli - officials |
BAGHDAD
1 of 13. Shi'ite volunteers are seen with their weapons during an intensive security deployment to fight against militants of the Islamic State, formerly known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), in the town of Tuz Khurmatu August 31, 2014.
Credit: Reuters/ Stringer(Reuters) - Iraqi security forces backed by Shi'ite militias on Sunday broke the two-month siege of Amerli by Islamic State militants and entered the northern town, officials said.
The mayor of Amerli and army officers said troops backed by militias defeated fighters from the Islamic State (IS) to the east of the town. Fighting continued to the north of Amerli in several villages.
"Security forces and militia fighters are inside Amerli now after breaking the siege and that will definitely relieve the suffering of residents," said Adel al-Bayati, mayor of Amerli.
It was hailed as a huge strategic victory for the Iraqi security forces and the militia fighters who joined them after a summer that saw the Islamic State lead other Sunni armed groups in seizing almost one-third of the country's territory.
"Amerli's battle is a golden victory registered by the Iraqi security forces who are still fighting the terrorist groups in north and south areas of Amerli," said military spokesman Qassim al-Attta.
Atta described Amerli as a launching pad to retake the northern province of Salahuddin, including its capital, which was captured by IS in June.
"The next step will be holding the ground tightly and liberating all the areas which link Amerli to Salahuddin," Atta said on state television. "Our forces will gather in thousands in Amerli to march towards Tikrit."
While Kurdish fighters, backed by US air strikes, had beat back the Islamic State after losing terrain in August, the collection of Shi'ite security forces and militias had yet to score a significant military win.
The advance of the Iraqi forces in Amerli comes after the U.S. military carried out air strikes overnight on IS militant positions near the town and airdropped humanitarian supplies to the trapped residents there. More aid was dropped from British, French and Australian planes.
The Pentagon said the warplanes hit three Humvee patrol vehicles, a tank and an armed vehicle held by militants in addition to a checkpoint controlled by the group, according to the military's Central Command, which runs U.S. operations in the Middle East.
U.S. ROLE CRITICAL
One Kurdish fighter on a base north of Amerli described the American role as critical in ending the siege.
"It would have been absolutely impossible without the American planes," the Kurdish peshmerga fighter said. "The strikes prevented the Islamic State from moving freely and targeted them with 100 percent accuracy."
Residents of Amerli expressed relief.
"I can see the tanks of the Iraqi army patrolling Amerli's streets now. I'm very happy we got rid of the Islamic State terrorists who were threatening to slaughter us," said Amir Ismael, an Amerli resident, by phone.
Armed residents had managed to fend off attacks by IS fighters, who encircled the town and regarded its majority Shi'ite Turkmen population as apostates. More than 15,000 people had remained trapped inside Amerli.
North of Amerli, Shiite militia and Kurdish peshmerga fighters were deployed. The armed men were a reminder of how militia fighters have gained in popularity since the beginning of June when IS launched its blitz across northern Iraq.
"Our goal is all the same to fight IS and repel terrorism," said a fighter from the Peace Brigades, an offshoot of cleric Muqtada Sadr's Mahdi Army militia.
The mobilization of Shi'ite militias to take Amerli had created a fluid situation where the armed groups who once fought the American military were benefit ting from U.S. air strikes.
One Shi'ite fighter, who declined to give the name of his group, said all Shi'ite militia groups were present, including Asaib Ahl al-Haq, Kataib Hezbollah and Sadr's Peace Brigades.
"Everyone is here," the fighter said speaking on condition of anonymity. "We came to break the siege of Amerli. We came out of humanity. When the siege of Amerli is broken we will go back to our normal lives."
Fighting raged elsewhere in Iraq. In the western city of Ramadi, where Iraqi forces have been battling Sunni groups dominated by IS since January, a suicide bomber detonated an explosives-packed Humvee military vehicle, according to two police officers and a medical official.
The blast, targeting an unfinished nine-floor building, killed 22 security personnel and 15 civilians, the medical and police officials said. The building, used by security personnel, was in the centre of Ramadi in western Anbar province.
(Reporting by Isabel Coles and Ahmed Rasheed; Editing by Ned Parker and Stephen Powell)
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Pakistan PM still surrounded by protesters after deadly clashes Related Video Video Pressure mounts on Pakistan's premier to quit Video Police, demonstrators come to blows in Islamabad
- Pakistan PM still surrounded by protesters after deadly clashes
| ISLAMABAD
1 of 10. Imran Khan(C), the Chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) political party, addresses supporters during the Revolution March in Islamabad August 31, 2014.
Credit: Reuters/Faisal Mahmood(Reuters) - Pakistan's powerful army said on Sunday any further use of force to resolve an escalating political crisis would only worsen the situation, after weeks of protests demanding Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's resignation turned violent.
Peaceful anti-government demonstrations spilled over into deadly confrontation overnight after thousands of protesters tried to storm Sharif's residence. Police responded with teargas and rubber bullets. At least three people were killed and more than 200 wounded, further angering protest leaders.
Activists demanding Sharif's resignation have camped outside government offices for more than two weeks but it was the first time violence broke out as protesters, some armed with sticks and wearing gas masks, tried to break through police lines.
Army chiefs held an emergency meeting in the garrison city of Rawalpindi on Sunday night to discuss the crisis, prompting speculation that the military could take decisive action to end the crisis in a nation where power has usually changed hands via coups rather than elections.
But in a brief statement, the army reaffirmed its commitment to democracy and said the crisis had to be solved politically.
"Further use of force will only aggravate the problem. It was once again reiterated that the situation should be resolved politically without wasting any time and without recourse to violent means," it said.
Small skirmishes continued into Sunday, with police occasionally firing teargas, but the crowd massing outside parliament appeared peaceful on Sunday night, with some dancing or sleeping on the grass.
Smaller protests were also reported in the city of Lahore, Sharif's political power base, and other parts of Pakistan.
How the crisis ends and whether Sharif survives ultimately lies in the military's hands in a country ruled by generals for half of its history.
With tensions rising, last week the army said it was asked by the government to help defuse the crisis but has so far not directly intervened. It was unclear how the deadlock could be resolved with the opposition flatly refusing to leave the streets until Sharif quits.
Sharif, who swept to office last year in Pakistan's first democratic transition of power, has resisted calls to resign while agreeing to meet other demands such as an investigation into suspicions of fraud during last year's election.
His office reiterated on Sunday evening that his resignation was out of the question.
"It was agreed that this undemocratic onslaught should be withdrawn and parties should come back to the negotiation table," his press office said in a statement after Sharif chaired a meeting with his top officials.
ARMY'S ROLE
Protests led by Imran Khan, a renowned cricketer before entering politics, and fiery cleric Tahir ul-Qadri, erupted in the capital Islamabad on Aug. 15 and talks to find a negotiated solution have repeatedly failed.
"I am prepared to die here. I have learnt that government plans a major crackdown against us tonight," Khan told his supporters. "I am here till my last breath."
Khan told the cheering crowd to challenge security forces protecting the parliament and the prime minister's house.
"The way you stood up last night, you have to stand up today also," he said. "We will face them and make them run away this time."
Despite his fiery rhetoric, there were no signs the crowd was preparing to march on government buildings again.
Ousted from an earlier stint in office in a coup in 1999, Sharif still has a difficult relationship with the army.
Even if he rides out of this crisis, Sharif is likely to remain significantly weakened for the rest of his tenure and sidelined on key issues such as foreign policy and security.
Qadri, who has rallied thousands of his own supporters alongside those of Imran Khan, said protests would not subside unless Sharif resigned.
"State atrocities have reached their peak," he told his supporters, standing on top of a shipping container. "Imran Khan and Dr. Qadri are fighting this war together."
(Additional reporting by Sheree Sardar and Mubasher Bukhari; Writing by Maria Golovnina; Editing by Rosalind Russell)
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Putin calls for talks on east Ukraine 'statehood'; rebels fire on ship Related Video Video Russia and Ukraine close to 'point of no return' -EU Video Putin: Ukrainian assault on eastern cities reminiscent of Nazi siege Video Russian rebels to allow Ukrainian troops safe exit Related News Rescue under way after separatists claim first attack on Ukrainian ship Ukrainian forces in port city prepare for 'Russian-led' assault U.S. Senator Menendez calls for arming Ukraine
Putin calls for talks on east Ukraine 'statehood'; rebels fire on ship
MOSCOW/MARIUPOL Ukraine - Russian President Vladimir Putin called on Sunday for immediate talks on the "statehood" of southern and eastern Ukraine, although his spokesman said this did not mean Moscow now endorsed rebel calls for independence for territory they have seized. | Video
MOSCOW/MARIUPOL Ukraine
1 of 14. Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures as he speaks to the media after talks with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in Minsk August 27, 2014.
Credit: Reuters/Alexander Zemlianichenko/Pool
The Kremlin leader's remarks, two days after a public appearance in which he compared the Kiev government with Nazis and warned the West not to "mess with us", came as Europe and the United States prepared possible further sanctions to halt what they say is direct Russian military involvement in the war in Ukraine.
In the first naval attack of the four-month conflict, the separatists fired on a Ukrainian vessel in the Azov Sea on Sunday. A Ukrainian military spokesman said a rescue operation was under way after the artillery attack from the shore.
Ukrainian troops and local residents were reinforcing the port of Mariupol on Sunday, the next big city in the path of pro-Russian fighters who pushed back government forces along the Azov Sea this past week in an offensive on a new front.
Ukraine and Russia swapped soldiers who had entered each other's territory near the battlefield, where Kiev says Moscow's forces have come to the aid of pro-Russian insurgents, tipping the military balance in the rebels' favour.
Talks should be held immediately "and not just on technical issues but on the political organisation of society and statehood in southeastern Ukraine", Putin said in an interview with Channel 1 state television, his hair tousled by wind on the shore of a lake.
Putin's use of the word "statehood" was interpreted in Western media as implying backing for the rebel demand of independence, something Moscow has so far stopped short of publicly endorsing.
However, Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there was no new endorsement from Moscow for rebel independence. Asked if "New Russia", a term pro-Moscow rebels use for their territory, should still be part of Ukraine, Peskov said: "Of course."
"Only Ukraine can reach an agreement with New Russia, taking into account the interests of New Russia, and this is the only way to reach a political settlement."
Rebels have rallied behind the term "New Russia" since Putin first used it in a public appearance in April. Putin called it a tsarist-era term for land that now forms southern and eastern Ukraine. Ukrainians consider the term deeply offensive and say it reveals Moscow's imperial designs on their territory.
Moscow has long called for Kiev to hold direct political talks with the rebels. Kiev says it is willing to have talks on more rights for the south and east, but will not talk directly to armed fighters it describes as "international terrorists" and Russian puppets that can only be reined in by Moscow.
The deputy leader of the rebel Donetsk People's Republic, Andrei Purgin, said he was due to participate in talks in the Belarus capital Minsk on Monday. Past talks by a "contact group" involving Moscow, Kiev and the rebels have covered technical issues such as access to the crash site of a Malaysian airliner shot down in July, but not political questions.
NEW ADVANCE
Ukrainian military spokesman Andriy Lysenko said the vessel which came under shellfire was a naval cutter. There was no information on the number of people on board.
The pro-Russian rebels claimed responsibility. "The militia have dealt the enemy their first naval defeat," Igor Strelkov, a former separatist military commander, said on the social media network VKontakte.
Photographs and videos posted on Strelkov's page showed footage taken from the shore looking out to sea, where thick black smoke was visible on the horizon. It was not possible to confirm their authenticity.
The past week has seen Ukrainian forces flee in the path of a new rebel advance, drawing concern from Ukraine's Western allies, who say armoured columns of Russian troops came to the aid of a rebellion that would otherwise have been near collapse.
European Union leaders agreed on Saturday to draw up new economic sanctions against Moscow, a move hailed by the United States, which is planning tighter sanctions of its own and wants to act jointly with Europe.
Some residents of Mariupol have taken to the streets of the port to show support for the Ukrainian government as pro-Russian forces gain ground. Many others have fled from the prospect of an all-out assault on the city of nearly 500,000 people.
"We are proud to be from this city and we are ready to defend it from the occupiers," said Alexandra, 28, a post office clerk wearing a ribbon in blue and yellow Ukrainian colours.
"We will dig trenches. We will throw petrol bombs at them, the occupiers," she said. "I believe our army and our (volunteer) battalions will protect us."
Ihor, 42, and his wife Lena, 40, were packing their car to flee with their five-year-old daughter. They had sheltered in Mariupol after battle came to their home city Donetsk in July.
"We will not wait for another repetition of war. We did nothing to provoke it and we do not want to be a part of it," said Lena.
TROOP SWAP
The swap of soldiers overnight at the frontier was a rare gesture to ease tension, but Kiev and Moscow have given starkly opposing accounts of how their troops came to be on each other's territory. A Russian commander said an unspecified number of Russian paratroops were swapped for 63 Ukrainian soldiers. Kiev said the Russian soldiers numbered nine.
Kiev and its allies in Europe and the United States say the new rebel offensive has been backed by more than 1,000 Russian troops fighting openly to support the insurgents. The rebels themselves say thousands of Russian troops have fought on their behalf while "on leave".
Reuters journalists on the Russian side of the border have seen Russian troops showing signs of having returned from battle, with their insignia removed or rubbed out.
Despite the evidence, Moscow denies its troops are fighting in Ukraine and says a small party of soldiers crossed the border by accident. Russian Major-General Alexei Ragozin said the paratroops were handed back after "very difficult" negotiations.
"I consider it unacceptable that our servicemen were detained by the Ukrainian side for so many days. Our lads are upset about everything that happened. They will all receive the necessary psychological and other kinds of help. The lads will all be OK."
Ragozin said Russia, by contrast, had promptly returned hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers who at various times have crossed the border when squeezed by rebel forces. He said the latest group of 63 had entered Russia on Wednesday.
Kiev has in the past said some of its soldiers crossed into Russia to escape from fighting on the Ukrainian side of the frontier, behaviour that contrasts to that of the Russians it says crossed the border to wage war in Ukraine. Ukraine's military spokesman has mocked the idea that the Russians had "got lost like Little Red Riding Hood in the forest".
SANCTIONS
The United States and European Union have gradually tightened economic sanctions against Russia, first imposed after Moscow annexed Ukraine's Crimea peninsula in March following the ousting of Kiev's pro-Russian president by protesters.
So far, however, the measures have done little to deter Putin, who gave a typically defiant public appearance on Friday in which he described Russians and Ukrainians as "practically one people" and compared Kiev's attempts to recapture rebellious cities with the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union.
Russia is a strong nuclear power, and foreigners should understand that "it's best not to mess with us", he said.
Moscow has responded to sanctions by banning the import of most Western foodstuffs and shutting down McDonalds restaurants. The moves reinforce a sense among Russians that they are isolated from a hostile world, as in Cold War days.
Agreeing the Western sanctions has been tricky, not least because the 28-member EU must take decisions by consensus and many of its countries depend on Russian energy resources.
Nevertheless, the EU has gone further than many had predicted, agreeing to impose sanctions on Russia's financial and oil industries last month after the Malaysian airliner was shot down over rebel territory, killing nearly 300 people, most of them Dutch.
EU leaders agreed on Saturday to ask the executive European Commission to draw up more sanctions measures, which could be adopted in coming days.
The White House praised the move to "show strong support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity". But in a sign of the difficulty in achieving an EU consensus, the leader of Slovakia said sanctions had failed so far and threatened to veto any new ones that damaged his country's national interest.
(Additional reporting by Richard Balmforth and Pavel Polityuk in Kiev, Vladimir Soldatkin in Chelyabinsk, Russia and Mark Trevelyan in Moscow; Writing by Peter Graff; Editing by Mark Heinrich and David Stamp)
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Descubren en las costas libias 15 cadáveres de emigrantes africanos
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31/08/2014 - 18:50
Descubren en las costas libias 15 cadáveres de emigrantes africanos
31 Ago 2014Los guardacostas libios encontraron este domingo 15 cadáveres de emigrantes africanos cerca de Trípoli, al lado de los restos de la lancha, nueve días después del naufragio de otra embarcación en el que murieron unos 170 inmigrantes clandestinos.AFP / F Nasri
Restos de una embarcación en la que viajaban inmigrantes clandestinos de Libia que naufragó ante la costa tunecina de Ben Gherdane, el 29 de agosto de 2014
"Durante una patrulla de rutina, hemos descubierto 15 cuerpos de emigrantes africanos que flotaban a 15 km de la costa", frente a la localidad de Al Qarabole (60 kilómetros al este de Trípoli), indicó a AFP un agente de los guardacostas, Abdellatif Mohamed Ibrahim. "Estos cuerpos, incluidos los de dos mujeres y dos niños, flotaban al lado de una lancha neumática destripada", añadió Ibrahim.
El agente consideró que otros cuerpos podrían haberse hundido en el mar, frente a Al Qarabole, que ya fue escenario de un drama la semana pasada.
El 22 de agosto, los guardacostas libios anunciaron que 170 emigrantes clandestinos originarios del África subsahariana estaban desaparecidos tras el naufragio de su embarcación en Al Qarabole. Indicaron tres días después haber encontrado los 170 cuerpos sin vida.
Aprovechando la menor vigilancia de la costas de Libia, país sumido en el caos y donde el gobierno no ejerce más que una autoridad teórica, abundan los traficantes que proponen a los emigrantes atravesar el Mediterráneo, en dirección a Italia.
Libia es un país de tránsito hacia la costas europeas para cientos de miles de migrantes, en su mayoría africanos, aunque también procedentes de las zonas en conflicto de Oriente Medio.
copiado http://www.afp.com/
Nueva lucha para cientos de gazatíes: la discapacidad
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31/08/2014 - 20:20
Nueva lucha para cientos de gazatíes: la discapacidad
31 Ago 2014Tras la sangrienta guerra entre Israel y el movimiento islamista palestino Hamas, cientos de palestinos, como Ahmed Ayad, deben ahora aprender a vivir con un miembro menos en la Franja de Gaza, donde el sistema de salud debe también hacer frente a las secuelas del conflicto.AFP / Roberto Shmidt
El palestino Ahmed Ayyad el 30 de agosto de 2014 en la Franja de Gaza frente a una pared de su casa en la que se ven marcas de balas tras la sangrienta guerra entre Israel y Hamas.
En la sala de espera del único centro protésico de Gaza, Ahmed Ayad recuerda impactado aquel 20 de julio, cuando los esquirlas de un obús despedazaron su brazo, acribillaron su pecho y mataron a cuatro allegados, entre ellos, dos sobrinos.
"Los bombardeos empezaron con la oración de la mañana (...) Los escuchamos acercarse hacia las 06H00 y tuvimos que abandonar nuestros hogares", explica este joven de 23 años con la mirada perdida.
Ayad vivía en el barrio de Shejaiya, situado frente a la frontera con Israel y uno de los más bombardeados.
"Me alcanzaron en la mano, la pierna y el pecho. Había miembros despedazados por todas partes, gente que había perdido sus brazos o sus piernas", recuerda.
En Cisjordania, donde fue trasladado tras el visto bueno de Israel junto a otros heridos graves, le amputaron el brazo. A diferencia de los heridos hospitalizados en Jordania, Egipto o Turquía, el joven regresó a su casa 14 días después.
Un médico del Centro Protésico de Gaza acaba de masajear su muñón para insensibilizar la piel. Esta es la primera de una larga serie de sesiones antes de aplicarle una prótesis.
Según estimaciones de Naciones Unidas, un millar de palestinos de los más de 10.000 heridos durante la guerra padecerán una discapacidad permanente.
- "Ya está, vamos a morir" -AFP / Roberto Schmidt
El palestino Ahmed Ayyad el 30 de agosto de 2014 en la Franja de Gaza frente a una pared de su casa en la que se ven marcas de balas tras la sangrienta guerra entre Israel y Hamas.
Aunque el Centro Protésico de Gaza dispone de las prótesis necesarias, las cuentas del ayuntamiento están en números rojos y no está claro que los 25 trabajadores del centro puedan seguir trabajando, dice su director, Hazem Shawa.
"Los empleados no cobran desde hace tres meses", si bien "acordamos (...) que continuaríamos tratando a la gente el máximo tiempo posible, aunque no se paguen los salarios", apunta Shawa.
La Franja de Gaza está sometida a una importante presión económica a causa del bloqueo impuesto por Israel desde hace años. Las organizaciones humanitarias pudieron intensificar su ayuda a los heridos graves, gracias al alto el fuego instaurado el martes.
Nahaya al Angar, de 28 años, se beneficia también en Shejaiya de los cuidados médicos proporcionados por Handicap International, que trabaja en este superpoblado enclave palestino de 362 km2 desde 2007.
Nahaya y sus tres hijos acabaron sepultados bajo los escombros el 20 de julio, cuando una bomba impactó en su casa. Ella presenta fracturas en la pelvis, que le impiden caminar sin ayuda, mientras que su hijos tienen quemaduras.
"La casa se derrumbó sobre nosotros. Cuando me dí cuenta que estaba bajo los escombros, me dije: ya está, vamos a morir", recuerda ella, sentada en una cama en la casa de su padre, donde recuerda que se puso a gritar frenéticamente para que los vecinos rescataran a sus hijos.AFP / Roberto Schmidt
El palestino Ahmed Ayyad el 30 de agosto de 2014 en la Franja de Gaza frente a una pared de su casa en la que se ven marcas de balas tras la sangrienta guerra entre Israel y Hamas.
Handicap International y sus socios gazatíes deben luchar también para poder llevar a cabo su misión, asegura la directora de proyectos Samah Abu Lamzy, quien subraya que los trabajadores humanitarios no escaparon de los efectos de esta guerra, que dejo 2.143 palestinos muertos, en su mayoría civiles.
Según Abu Lamzy, los equipos desplegados en el terreno "no recibieron el apoyo psicológico necesario tras el sufrimiento que padecieron durante los más de cincuenta días" de conflicto. copiado http://www.afp.com/
Embaixadora dos EUA na Líbia nega saque em embaixada
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31/08/2014 - 19:50
Embaixadora dos EUA na Líbia nega saque em embaixada
A embaixadora dos Estados Unidos na Líbia, refugiada em Malta após a evacuação dos funcionários diplomáticos no fim de julho, indicou neste domingo que apenas um anexo residencial da embaixada foi invadido por milícias islamitas em Trípoli.AFP / MAHMUD TURKIA
Sacos de areia são vistos no interior da Embaixada dos Estados Unidos, em Trípoli, 31 de agosto de 2014
Deborah Jones declarou através de sua conta no Twitter que o complexo não foi saqueado.
"Meu conhecimento é que, depois de ver imagens recentes, o complexo da embaixada americana em Trípoli está bem protegido e não foi saqueado", explicou.
A embaixadora se refere a um vídeo publicado na internet que mostra um grupo de homens, alguns armados, em varandas e ao redor de uma piscina, onde alguns nadam diante dos aplausos de seus companheiros.
Os Estados Unidos retiraram seus funcionários diplomáticos da Líbia no dia 26 de julho, depois que o país foi palco de violentos combates entre milícias rivais na estrada que leva ao aeroporto da capital, Trípoli.
copiado http://www.afp.com/pt/
Ataque em Mogadíscio termina com sete islamitas shebab mortos
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31/08/2014 - 19:50
Ataque em Mogadíscio termina com sete islamitas shebab mortos
As forças de segurança somalis anunciaram neste domingo que mataram ao menos sete islamitas shebab, depois de colocarem fim a um ataque coordenado contra a sede e uma prisão dos serviços de inteligência na capital, Mogadíscio.afp.com / AMISON / Tobin Jones
Soldados da Amison comemoram libertação de Bulomarer, na Somália, em 30 de agosto de 2014
O ministro da Informação, Mustafa Duhulow, indicou que três membros das forças de segurança e dois civis também morreram neste ataque, que durou 45 minutos. Um balanço policial anterior informava sobre a morte de quatro criminosos.
Segundo a polícia e testemunhas, foi registrada uma forte explosão, provocada por um carro-bomba, em frente ao Centro Nacional de Inteligência, seguida de tiroteios.
"Eram sete criminosos. Um deles se imolou no carro-bomba, enquanto as forças de segurança mataram os outros seis", declarou o porta-voz do ministério do Interior, Mohamed Yusuf.
"O ataque terminou e os criminosos fracassaram em sua tentativa de deter a operação 'Oceano Índico'", acrescentou Yusuf em referência à operação lançada pelas forças somalis e pelas forças da União Africana na Somália (Amisom) contra os shebab.
Um porta-voz dos shebab, Abdulaziz Abu Musab, confirmou que lançaram um ataque contra um centro de tortura. "Matamos 15 soldados, que os ocidentais treinavam na tortura de prisioneiros. Alguns prisioneiros escaparam", acrescentou.
As dependências do quartel-general, que abriga uma prisão de segurança máxima, encontram-se próximas à Villa Somalia, um complexo onde se localiza o escritório do presidente Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, apoiado pela comunidade internacional.
Estes islamitas, vinculados à Al-Qaeda, atacam alvos do governo e das forças de segurança com o objetivo aparente de desacreditar as autoridades, que sustentam que estão vencendo a guerra contra estes combatentes.
copiado http://www.afp.com/pt/
Putin menciona pela primeira vez possível categoria de Estado no leste da Ucrânia
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31/08/2014 - 18:50
Putin menciona pela primeira vez possível categoria de Estado no leste da Ucrânia
O presidente russo, Vladimir Putin, mencionou neste domingo pela primeira vez a possibilidade de que as regiões separatistas do leste da Ucrânia obtenham uma categoria de Estado, cujo termo não definiu, apesar das pressões dos ocidentais.AFP / FRANCISCO LEONG
Soldado do regime de Kiev, do batalhão Azov, trabalha em colina nos arredores de Mariupol, em 30 de agosto de 2014
"Devemos iniciar imediatamente negociações substanciais (...) sobre questões de organização política da sociedade e sobre a categoria de Estado do sudeste da Ucrânia com o objetivo de proteger os interesses legítimos de seus habitantes", disse Putin, citado pelas agências de notícias russas, em um programa de televisão no leste do país.
Putin não esclareceu o termo de categoria de Estado, mas seu porta-voz, Dimitri Peskov, minimizou neste domingo estas declarações, ao considerar que não se tratava de dar o status de Estado às regiões rebeldes, mas que a Ucrânia deveria "levar em conta os interesses da Novorossia".
Na sexta-feira Putin já havia elogiado os avanços dos separatistas pró-russos em uma mensagem destinada aos "insurgentes da Novorossia", a Nova Rússia, a mesma palavra que utilizou para anexar a Crimeia em março ao se referir às regiões de língua russa do leste e sul da Ucrânia.
A Rússia até agora havia exigido que a Ucrânia concedesse maiores direitos às regiões separatistas de Donetsk e Lugansk, sob um sistema federal descentralizado.
Na entrevista gravada na sexta-feira, Putin não mencionou a ameaça de novas sanções contra Moscou por parte dos ocidentais.
Os líderes da União Europeia, reunidos no sábado de urgência em Bruxelas, exigiram que a Rússia retire todas as suas forças militares da Ucrânia e disseram estar dispostos a tomar medidas maiores.
Putin também responsabilizou os ocidentais pelo conflito na Ucrânia, acusando-os de ter apoiado um golpe em fevereiro contra o então presidente ucraniano, Viktor Yanukovytch, pró-Kremlin.
"Deveriam saber que a Rússia não pode ficar à margem quando atiram nas pessoas quase à queima-roupa", declarou Putin, acrescentando que não tinha em mente "o Estado russo, mas os russos".
Ucrânia e Rússia se aproximam de uma guerra
Moscou sempre negou ter enviado soldados à Ucrânia para apoiar a rebelião pró-russa que combate as tropas ucranianas no Leste há quase cinco meses, em um conflito que deixou quase 2.600 mortos.
A crise ucraniana provocou a pior deterioração das relações entre a Rússia e as potências ocidentais desde o fim da Guerra Fria.
A tensão voltou a disparar nesta semana após a revelação por fontes concordantes de incursões das tropas russas na Ucrânia, mais de mil soldados, segundo a Otan.
O presidente ucraniano, Petro Poroshenko, advertiu no sábado em Bruxelas que a Ucrânia e a Rússia estavam se aproximando de um caminho sem volta.
"E este caminho sem volta é uma guerra em grande escala", ressaltou, após o importante avanço dos rebeldes nos últimos dias até as cidades estratégicas da costa sul da região separatista de Donetsk.
Sinal do envolvimento do exército russo no conflito, a Ucrânia capturou há uma semana dez paraquedistas russos que trocou neste domingo por 63 soldados ucranianos.
- Mariupol se prepara para a guerra -
Em terra, os insurgentes retomaram a iniciativa nos últimos dias e dizem preparar uma nova ofensiva contra as forças governamentais no leste da Ucrânia, dirigida particularmente ao porto estratégico de Mariupol.
A localidade, situada quase 100 km ao sul de Donetsk, une pela costa a fronteira russa à península da Crimeia, anexada pela Rússia em março.
"Entraremos (em Mariupol) em um futuro próximo", advertiu o primeiro-ministro da autoproclamada República Popular de Donetsk (DNR), Alexander Zajarchenko.
Na Casa de Cultura e da Juventude de Mariupol, militantes favoráveis à Ucrânia organizaram neste domingo uma reunião "para ensinar aos habitantes as ações que devem ser adotadas em caso de bombardeio da cidade, como quando se esconder ou onde se refugiar", explicou Denis Gavrilov, da associação Mariupol Unida, antes de mostrar um filme.afp.com / POOL / Mikhail Klimentyev
O presidente russo, Vladimir Putin, participa do Fórum da Juventude 'Seliger-2014', no norte do país
Nos campos ao redor de Mariupol, em direção às posições separatistas no leste, um jornalista da AFP viu combatentes ucranianos, mas não observou blindados ou material.
Em uma das estradas que levam à cidade foram instalados blocos de concreto e trincheiras para evitar uma eventual incursão de tanques dos separatistas pró-russos.
copiado http://www.afp.com/pt/
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