Ukrainian City Braced As Shelling Intensifies

IS And Ukraine Crisis Make Nato Summit Crucial

Updated: 8:48am UK, Thursday 04 September 2014

By Faisal Islam, Political Editor

The last time a Nato summit was held in the UK, Margaret Thatcher was in the chair in London. It was 1990. The Cold War had been won.

A Europe "whole and free" was mentioned in the communique, alongside how "the Soviet Union has embarked on the long journey toward a free society".

Today, relations between Moscow and the West are at their lowest ebb since the Cold War.

And another Conservative prime minister, David Cameron, will chair a Nato summit, talking of a new threat that will require a generational ideological struggle "not unlike the Cold War" - against the self-declared Islamic State.

All of this speaks to a new world disorder. There's political chaos in Pakistan, Afghanistan is hardly stable, and the world has taken its eyes away from an extraordinary war in Libya.

At Celtic Manor in Wales, the talk will be about a new era of co-operation between Europe, the US and new partners.

Armoured personnel carriers, tanks and interactive defence displays will be parked on the fairways. There will be fly-pasts of Nato air assets. The Government rarely misses an opportunity to try and boost exports.

What both the PM and President Obama have referred to as "Russia's aggression" in Ukraine, and the threat from IS, will dominate the talks, even if the latter is only scheduled to be discussed at dinner on Friday night.

On Russia, the post-Cold War vision of a Europe whole and free is now being challenged by the actions of President Putin.

It seems a drastic step, but Nato may effectively alter the "founding act" of its relationship with Russia, essentially a promise not to build permanent bases in Eastern Europe.

The Baltic states and Poland would like this revisited. Germany, closer to Russia than the rest of Europe, is pushing back.

Officially, the founding act will stay. But expect new forward bases in Eastern Europe to allow rapid reaction to President Putin's "hybrid war" - the rapid use of deniable Russian military assets, known locally as "little green men".

President Poroshenko will meet with the "quint" (the US, UK, France, Germany and Italy) just before the summit. France has already paused the highly controversial sale of Mistral helicopter carriers. The export was due within weeks.

On IS, we are seeing the ramping of rhetoric to levels consistent with a more concerted military effort. President Obama said he wanted to destroy and degrade IS.

The summit will be about slow coalition building on the margins. Alongside 28 Nato leaders, including Turkey, there will be allies and partners such as Jordan.

The bigger agenda on a military coalition against IS requires an invitation from the central government in Baghdad, even to arm Kurdish forces.

The most important Nato summit in decades. It is a measure of the world's new instability that President Putin himself attended the last Nato summit in Chicago in 2012. And the main agenda here in Wales is dealing with chief summit guest from two years ago.

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BP's 'Gross Negligence' Led To Gulf Oil Spill

A federal judge has ruled that BP's reckless conduct led to the worst offshore oil spill in US history - a decision that exposes the oil giant to billions more in civil penalties.

BP was assigned the majority of blame for the 2010 Gulf of Mexico spill by US District Judge Carl Barbier on Thursday.

His ruling means BP now faces fines that are expected to total between $10.3bn (£6.3bn) and $17.6bn (£10.7bn).

Judge Barbier ruled that BP bears 67% of responsibility for the spill, while drilling rig owner Transocean Ltd was assigned 30% of blame.

Eleven workers were killed in the April 2010 oil rig explosion

Halliburton, which served as BP's cement contractor on the Deepwater Horizon rig, was assigned 3% of the blame. The energy services giant announced on Tuesday that it had agreed to pay $1.1bn (£665m) to settle plaintiff claims.

Eleven workers were killed when the rig exploded in April 2010, and millions of gallons of oil spewed into the Gulf while BP scrambled for weeks to seal the well.

Judge Barbier said BP made "profit-driven decisions" during drilling that led to the deadly blowout.

"The Court concludes that the discharge of oil 'was the result of gross negligence or wilful misconduct' by BP," Judge Barbier said in his written ruling.

"BP's conduct was reckless."

"These instances of negligence, taken together, evince an extreme deviation from the standard of care and a conscious disregard of known risks," he wrote in a 153-page ruling.

BP said in a news release that it would appeal the ruling, saying the company "believes that an impartial view of the record does not support the erroneous conclusion reached by the District Court".

The company's shares slumped about 6% after the ruling, reducing BP's market value by $7bn (£4.3bn).

BP has spent more than $24bn (£14.7bn) in spill-related expenses in the wake of the disaster. The company estimated that it will pay a total of $42bn (£25.7bn) to the matter is fully resolved.

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Nato Leaders To Unveil Tough Russia Sanctions

By Alistair Bunkall, Defence Correspondent

Tough new measures designed to halt Russian aggression in Ukraine will be unveiled on the second and final day of the Nato summit in Wales.

The United States and European Union are due to announce a new round of co-ordinated economic sanctions against Russia, US and British government sources have reported.

These are set to include restrictions on some of the country's all-important energy firms and travel restrictions.

But it comes amid reports of further fighting to the east of the port of Mariupol in eastern Ukraine, hours before Ukrainian, Russian and European envoys are expected to back a peace plan and a ceasefire.

Mayor of Mariupol, Yuri Khotlubey, told Ukraine's 112 TV channel: "Our artillery has come and is being deployed against the (pro-Russian) rebels.

Nato says thousands of Russian troops are in Ukraine

A commander of a Ukrainian volunteer militia based in Mariupol told Reuters news agency: "We were under fire all night but we are still keeping the rebels at bay. They are facing us with tanks and artillery."

Western leaders accuse Russia of sending thousands of troops into the east of the country.

Speaking on the sidelines of the summit on Thursday, deputy White House national security adviser Ben Rhodes said Russia would pay a price for its actions.

""The key point is that Russia must continue to face costs for its own escalation.

"If Russia escalates, we can escalate our pressure."

Nato Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has warned that Russia's incursion poses the most serious security threat to Europe since the Cold War, although Moscow has consistently denied direct military involvement.

Nato wants Iraq to request military training support

Nato is also expected to finalise plans for a Rapid Reaction Force that can deploy to Eastern Europe on 48 hours notice.

This will include pre-positioning logistic and planning support in Baltic countries, and the provision vital equipment.

Nato insists this does not breach a 1997 agreement not to create permanent bases near the Russian border.

The announcements will come a day after British Prime Minister David Cameron, US President Barack Obama and other senior Nato leaders met Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.

Mr Poroshenko has announced plans to order a ceasefire, provided a peace plan is agreed during separate talks in Minsk, attended by representatives from Ukraine, Russia and pro-Russian rebel forces. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin has also expressed hopes a truce will come into force later, two days after he unveiled his own seven-point peace plan.

Alongside Ukraine, Nato leaders will use the final day of the summit to discuss the threat posed by Islamic State extremists in Iraq and Syria.

The alliance leaders met for a formal dinner at Cardiff Castle last night.

Mr Obama is trying to bring together a coalition of nations and it is becoming increasingly likely the UK will authorise airstrikes against IS in northern Iraq.

But for any operation to be effective, it needs the support and involvement of countries in the region.

Nato is encouraging Iraq to request training support for its military although it will not go further and involve itself in a combat mission.

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Protests As China Rules Out Open HK Elections

Hong Kong: Democracy Promises Ring Hollow

Updated: 11:47am UK, Sunday 31 August 2014

By Mark Stone, Asia Correspondent

"How Hong Kong develops its democracy is completely within the sphere of the autonomy of Hong Kong. The central government [in Beijing] will not intervene." So said Lu Ping in 1993.

Mr Lu was the main representative of the Chinese delegation in the delicate negotiations for the handover of Hong Kong from Britain to China in 1997.

Today, for many, those words will feel deeply hollow.

At the heart of the 1997 "handover" was a pledge by China to honour the "one country, two systems" framework.

Under that agreement, known as the "Basic Law", Hong Kong would become part of Communist-ruled China but would be guaranteed autonomy to manage its own political, legal and social matters.

The Basic Law gave Hong Kong a "high degree of autonomy" and "executive, legislative and independent judicial power".

Crucially, the paper, endorsed by China, stated that the Chinese mainland's "socialist system and policies shall not be practiced" in Hong Kong.

"The previous capitalist system and way of life shall remain unchanged [in Hong Kong] for 50 years," it reads.

Until now, the territory's top political figure - the Chief Executive - has been chosen by a small election committee.

Today, Beijing has endorsed, for the first time ever, a proper framework for Hong Kong's first "direct" leadership election in 2017.

Good news you might think.

Given the wording in the Basic Law, which states explicitly that "universal suffrage" is the "ultimate aim" for Hong Kong, today's announcement from Beijing should have underlined the territory's political autonomy and allowed Hong Kongers to choose their leader with less, not more, interference from Beijing.

Yet the opposite has happened.

China's leaders have significantly tightened the threshold of eligibility for Chief Executive candidates.

You see, the 1997 "basic law" had small-print in it.

It states that Beijing has the final say over any interpretation or amendment of it.

And it appears the new leaders in Beijing are interpreting the paper differently from their predecessors and are amending it accordingly.

So, in the 2017 "election" (when the next Chief Executive will be chosen) Beijing has stipulated that each candidate must receive votes from half of a new "nomination committee" in order to be eligible to run.

Given that the nomination committee is made up of many pro-China loyalists placed there by Beijing, no democratic candidates will make it onto the ballot paper for the vote in 2017.

Beijing will successfully filter out any candidates it deems unacceptable.

We can expect protests and possible violence in the coming months.

The Occupy Central movement, which held a mass demonstration in July, has said it is prepared to bring the financial heart of Hong Kong Island to a standstill through a campaign of "mass civil disobedience".

Beijing has warned against "foreign interference".

A Foreign Ministry spokesman said it will not tolerate the use Hong Kong "as a bridgehead to subvert and infiltrate the mainland".

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Russia Warns Ukraine Troops To Pull Back

EU To Draft Urgent Sanctions Against Russia

Updated: 1:20pm UK, Sunday 31 August 2014

Russia could be facing a fresh wave of EU sanctions within a week after Russian tanks reportedly attacked a town near the Ukrainian border city of Luhansk.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said tanks had been used to "destroy virtually every house" in the town of Novosvitlivka.

There were now thousands of foreign troops and hundreds of foreign tanks inside Ukraine, he told a news conference in Brussels, where EU leaders met to discuss the crisis.

"There is a very high risk not only for peace and stability for Ukraine but for the whole peace and stability of Europe," he said.

After meeting his European counterparts, Mr Poroshenko warned that efforts to end violence with pro-Russian rebels were close to a "point of no return" and that failure could lead to "full-scale war".

European leaders have ordered officials to make urgent preparations for a toughening of measures, likely to target senior Kremlin figures as well as the defence, energy and financial sectors.

Prime Minister David Cameron said the EU summit had taken "important steps" and the European Commission would present firm proposals for tougher sanctions within a week.

"It is totally unacceptable that there are Russian soldiers on Ukrainian soil. We have now set out a timetable for further sanctions that could be ... significant steps," Mr Cameron said.

"It's a deeply serious situation and we have to show real resolve, real resilience in demonstrating to Russia that if she carries on in this way the relationship we have between Europe and Russia, Britain and Russia, America and Russia will be radically different in the future."

Outgoing EU Commission head Jose Manuel Barroso insisted it was not too late to find a political solution, but he added: "We are in a very serious, I would say, dramatic situation ... where we can reach the point of no return.

"If the escalation of the conflict continues, this point can come."

He added: "Russia should not underestimate the European Union's will and resolve to stand by its principles and values."

Meanwhile, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite called for a stepped up arms embargo on Russia.

She said: "It is the fact that Russia is in a war state against Ukraine. That means it is in a state of war against a country which would like to be closely integrated with the EU.

"Practically Russia is in a state of war against Europe."

It comes after a mutual exchange of captured soldiers between Ukraine and Russia on Sunday.

A group of 10 Russian paratroopers and 63 Ukrainian soldiers were returned after "very difficult negotiations", according to the Russian RIA news agency.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a TV show recorded on Friday, again denied that Moscow had sent troops to fight in Ukraine.

He said: "We need to immediately begin substantive talks... on questions of the political organisation of society and statehood in southeastern Ukraine with the goal of protecting the lawful interests of the people who live there."

He added that the West "should have known that Russia cannot stand aside when people are being shot at point-blank range".

Nato released images apparently showing Russian forces on the ground in eastern Ukraine.

Government sources said separatists are believed to have heavy weaponry supplied by President Vladimir Putin.

Included in the weaponry are 100 tanks and artillery pieces, anti-tank weapons and shoulder-mounted missile launchers, the sources said.

Russia has repeatedly dismissed accusations it has sent soldiers or equipment across the border.

President Barack Obama has said the satellite pictures made it "plain" that Russia had "deliberately and repeatedly violated the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine".

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Captured IS Suicide Bomber Reveals Threat

By Stuart Ramsay, Chief Correspondent

A wing of Sulaymaniah's military hospital has been sealed off and 24-hour security has been posted at the door of a ward.

Inside lies an injured young man; a very special patient and prisoner.

He is 23-year-old Horr Jaffer, from Chechnya, and he is an Islamic State (IS) suicide bomber.

His capture has been a secret until now.

Sky News is the first to get access to this man who was caught in the southern Kurdish town of Jalula after his bomb part exploded.

He had been attempting to destroy a Kurd checkpoint by driving a bomb-laden car into their midst.

The 23-year-old militant killed four people in his bomb attack

Four people died and many others were injured, but he was captured attempting to escape.

Under questioning he admits that he joined IS in Syria after his father, mother and six family members were killed there.

He says they had moved from Chechnya to Pakistan before going to Syria.

The Kurds believe his father and brothers were to all intents and purposes professional jihadists; moving to countries where they could ply their trade. That trade is killing people.

"I want to be a martyr. I decided after they killed my family," he says in barely audible Russian.

"They didn't tell me anything about what I was doing or where I was. I just had to press the button."

The killer claims that Syria is filling with foreign fighters; a constant stream from all over the world.

"There are nations from all over the world there. There is British amongst them. They are from Asian countries, Europe and America. From everywhere," he told me.

He says that they used to talk together and mix together but didn't understand a lot of what was said.

Spending an hour with him it was striking how little he knew about what IS is doing across swathes of Syria. He denied any knowledge of the creation of a caliphate by IS for example.

He struck me as a rather stupid boy, upset by the loss of his family and totally open to indoctrination by his IS handlers.

He was just the guy prepared to die and kill others with him and it seems there are lots like him.

When asked if he regretted what had happened he broke down.

Britain is growing increasingly concerned about the threat from IS

Arching his back in pain and misery, saying he just wanted to live a normal life that he did not mean to do what he did.

It is hard not to be moved by his anguish. Hard but not impossible. He is a killer.

Like many western governments and security services, Britain is growing increasingly concerned about both IS and the numbers of young men being radicalised and coming to Syria and Iraq.

Out here the Kurds say they are right to be concerned.

"It is almost like super-terrorism and this is the frontline," Bafle Talabani, the British-born founder of the Kurds' elite Counter Terrorism Group, told me in the grounds of his father's house, which happens to be the Presidential Palace.

"It is more aggressive, more merciless more brutal. This is the front of the war on terror," he says.

"If we don't stop this here they will come for the West, for England, for Europe or the United States. They need to be stopped."

Bafle Talabani says IS represents a super-terrorism and needs to be stopped

IS, he believes, is the most dangerous single entity in the world today.

He is urging western governments to allow the Kurds to buy their own weapons or supply them.

"The special forces have good equipment. The peshmergas' weapons go back to the Iran-Iraq war. They are fighting against good weapons and a well-organised outfit with lots of money," he says.

With so many willing jihadists available IS is unlikely to miss this single bomber.

When he is treated and well, he will go to prison and rot there for the rest of his life.

He will be denied martyrdom. The Kurds want the foreign fighters to know that.

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