Guantanamo Bay: The Inmates Who Remain

Boko Haram Fight Intensifies In West Africa

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 14 Februari 2015 | 14.59

By Alex Crawford, Special Correspondent, Fotokol

The battle against Boko Haram is intensifying in the run-up to the delayed Nigerian elections.

The terror group appears to be mounting more attacks especially on neighboring border towns along the country's frontier.

Authorities who put back the elections by six weeks because of the threat from the extremist group, have vowed to crush all Boko Haram camps between now and polling day on March 28.

A five-Nation group of West African countries are now involved in the fight. Nigeria has been joined by Cameroon, Niger, Chad and Benin.

The Sky News team of myself, cameraman Garwen McLuckie and producer Nick Ludlam gained rare access to Cameroon's elite Rapid Intervention Battalion - known as BIR - and joined their troops in the far north of the country.

We travelled with them to the town of Fotokol, which continues to be the focus of fighting.

Parts of Fotokol have been torn apart - with rows of stalls, homes and vehicles torched. Survivors talk of men being sprayed with bullets as they rose from praying in one of the mosques.

We saw the walls of the mosque, peppered with holes. One of those who carried the bodies out said 37 men were killed there.

Fotokol is just one of the towns on the border with Nigeria to be invaded and terrorised by the Boko Haram extremist group - and its inhabitants are traumatised.

One inhabitant told us he had been too scared to leave his household since the attack five days earlier. Nine members of his household had been killed shortly after early morning prayers.

The stakes are high for the Cameroon military posted along the frontier with their much richer, bigger, more powerful Nigerian neighbour.

They have now been bolstered by troops from Chad, but the battle with the militants is just as fierce. And if they fail, the consequences are devastating - as Fotokol found out.

As we arrived in the area, more Chadian troops were preparing to advance into Nigeria, telling us there was a battle still raging over the bridge separating Cameroon from their neighbour.

One Chadian soldier who spoke to us told us the fighting was "very dangerous and hard".

"We don't even have time to sleep," he said.

"The fighting goes on through the night even."

The Cameroon soldiers are fiercely dedicated to their task.

"We will not let Boko Haram enter our country," said one commander.

"That will not happen. If I go, then someone else will take my place. There is no other option."

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Gallery: Profile Of Boko Haram Leader

Abubakar Shekau is the leader of Boko Haram. He took control of the Islamist group after the death of founder Mohammed Yusuf in 2009

Little is known about him, although he was born in Shekau village in the northeastern state of Yobe and is now thought to be in his early 40s

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Argentina's Kirchner Faces Iran Bomb Probe

Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has been formally accused of trying to cover up Iranian involvement in a deadly bombing.

The allegations were first aired by prosecutor Alberto Nisman, before he was found dead from a gunshot wound last month.

His death - which roused suspicion despite being labelled suicide - came a day before he was due to give evidence to Congress over the Argentine Jewish Mutual Association bombing, which killed 85.

Mr Nisman claimed the President protected Iranian officials from prosecution over the 1994 bombing in exchange for oil.

Federal Prosecutor Gerardo Pollicita has now decided to go ahead with the probe.

"An investigation will be initiated with an eye toward substantiating ... the accusations and whether those responsible can be held criminally responsible," he said.

Three prosecutors and a coordinator have been named to take over the case.

They have already endorsed Mr Nisman's conclusions, accusing Mrs Kirchner, Foreign Minister Hector Timerman and others of a cover-up.

A judge will now decide whether to call Mrs Kirchner to make a statement.

The 61-year-old has presidential immunity which can only be removed with a two-thirds majority in Congress.

Mrs Kirchner's cabinet chief, Jorge Capitanich, has accused the courts of trying to stage a "judicial coup" against the embattled leader.

The government says "no action on the part of government officials was designed to dis-incriminate Iranian citizens".

The bombing at the Buenos Aires Jewish center, known as AMIA, was the deadliest such attack in Argentina's history.

An initial investigation ended with no convictions.

In 2006 Mr Nisman was named to reopen the case.

He accused Iran of ordering the attack via Hezbollah and requested arrest warrants for five officials.

Four days before he was found dead he filed a report accusing Mrs Kirchner and Mr Timerman of colluding to shield the Iranians.

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Ukraine: Fresh Bombing Endangers Peace Deal

Ukraine's president has warned that fresh shelling in the east of the country is putting the impending ceasefire in danger.

At least 11 people have been killed and dozens wounded in the last 24 hours, but a ceasefire agreed on Thursday is due to come into force at 10pm UK time.

A shell landed in a school yard in the eastern Ukrainian town of Artemivsk controlled by the government forces on Friday, killing one child and two adults.

Meanwhile, Ukraine and Russian-backed rebels fought fiercely across the east of the country despite the new peace deal brokered by Germany and France in Minsk.

And Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said: "We have city of Artemivsk which is situated about 30km from the touchline, absolutely not anything involved in the military operation.

"And in the same way like in Kramatorsk, the Russian multiple rocket launch system Grad, or Smerch, just killed, confirmed killed three civilians.

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Gallery: Ukraine Crisis Continues

Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine agreed a deal on Thursday that offers a "glimmer of hope" for an end to fighting in eastern Ukraine after marathon overnight talks

Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko (L) addresses journalists as he takes part in peace talks on resolving the Ukrainian crisis in Minsk

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Russia Warned Over Ukraine Truce Failure

Written By Unknown on Jumat, 13 Februari 2015 | 14.59

Russia has been warned sanctions will be ramped up if the truce to end the Ukraine conflict is not fully implemented.

The ceasefire is due to come into force on Sunday following 16-hour talks between Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany.

Previous ceasefires have failed to hold and German Chancellor Angela Merkel described the agreement as "a glimmer of hope - no more, no less".

Russia is already enduring financial and diplomatic sanctions for its alleged role in helping separatists who control parts of eastern Ukraine.

And Mrs Merkel warned: "We hold open the possibility, if these new agreements are not implemented, that we must take further measures."

EU officials have been asked to prepare extra sanctions in case the ceasefire collapses, Mrs Merkel added.

European Council President Donald Tusk said previously agreed sanctions against 19 Russian and Ukrainian individuals and nine entities would still come into force next week.

"Our trust in the goodwill of (Russian) President Putin is limited, this is why we have to maintain our decision on sanctions," he said.

The terms of the ceasefire include a withdrawal of heavy weapons, Ukraine taking control of its Russian border, the granting of special status to rebel regions and addressing the humanitarian crisis created by the 10-month conflict.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko admitted to having doubts.

"It was very difficult negotiation and we expect a not easy implementation process," he said.

Soon after the ceasefire was announced, Kiev complained of a new mass influx of Russian armour into rebel-held areas.

The US labelled the agreement, which was brokered in Belarus, as "potentially significant", but also expressed concern about the situation on the ground.

"The United States is particularly concerned about the escalation of fighting today, which is inconsistent with the spirit of the accord," the White House said in a statement.

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Gallery: Ukraine Crisis: Fighting Increases (February 11)

Local residents look at the remains of a rocket shell on a street in the town of Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine

Seven civilians have been killed and 26 wounded in rocket strikes on the town of Kramatorsk

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British Sons Plead For Guantanamo Dad's Release

By Ian Woods, Senior Correspondent

The British family of a prisoner in Guantanamo Bay have pleaded with the US government to send him home to London.

In their first interview, the teenage sons of Shaker Aamer told Sky News how their hopes of a reunion have been raised and then dashed.

Mr Aamer has been detained without trial inside the maximum security prison for 13 years - even though he was cleared for release in 2008.

The British government has lobbied on his behalf, and his case has attracted cross-party support, but there has been no explanation as to why he has not yet been freed.

Although he was born in Saudi Arabia, his wife and four children are British citizens. They barely remember their father; indeed his youngest son, Faris, was born on the same day as Mr Aamer arrived at Guantanamo on Valentine's Day 2002.

Faris celebrates his 13th birthday on Saturday and told Sky News: "It's upsetting and quite shocking that I've never met him in my entire life."

His 15-year-old brother Micheal spoke of how their hopes have been dashed.

"We felt very happy," he said.

"We thought there might be a chance for him to come home, but it just kept getting delayed.

"We just felt more sad because nothing happened. We've seen other people with their parents... seen how they enjoy themselves, how they're so close to them.

"It's like there is a part of our heart that is missing because we've been yearning for him to come home for many years and nothing's happened yet."

Mr Aamer took his young family and pregnant wife to Afghanistan in 2001. He says he was working for a humanitarian charity.

But a few weeks later the 9/11 attacks put the country at the centre of America's so-called War on Terror.

His family escaped to Pakistan but Mr Aamer says he gave himself up to the Northern Alliance and was then handed over to US forces.

After detention at Bagram Airbase he was moved to Guantanamo.

The Pentagon compiled a lengthy list of allegations claiming he had ties to al Qaeda.

His lawyer insists the allegations are false and are the result of torture or false confessions to earn rewards.

And his supporters stress that if the Americans actually believed them, they would not have cleared him for release.

Guantanamo spokesman Lt Col Myles Caggins told Sky News: "In 2009 Shaker Aamer's detention status was reviewed. As a result he was placed in a category we call 'eligible for transfer'.

"At some point in the future we will find a new home for him to be repatriated or resettled to."

But Micheal was unimpressed when he saw the video.

"I feel very sad because the man said they were going to try to find him a home," he said.

"But his home is here in London with his family."

There have been various theories about the delay.

Some say the US may prefer to see him sent to Saudi Arabia, where he is less likely to speak publicly about allegations of torture. There is also the issue of compensation.

Lt Col Caggins said: "We make these moves after a rigorous inter-agency process between our security officials, law enforcement and intelligence officials to ensure that transfer will be to a place that can maintain security assurances and human rights protections for those former Guantanamo detainees."

Mr Aamer's lawyer, Clive Stafford Smith, scoffs at that.

"The most obvious person in the entire world to release is Shaker Aamer because he would be coming to the country with the best record of released prisoners, Britain," he said.

"And he would be coming to a place where we know his human rights are going to be respected, and he's been cleared for eight years, and he's got a wife and four children. What on earth is the argument against it?"

At least in recent years the family have been able to speak to their father. The International Red Cross has organised Skype video calls. Micheal remembers the first.

"We were all very excited," he said.

"We were very energetic. We couldn't wait to see him. And then when the call finally happened, we couldn't believe it was actually him.

"His voice. We hadn't heard it for such a long time.

"It was very surprising to hear his voice again. It was a shock. Skype has been very good at lifting our hopes up again because we've been able to speak to him, see how he's doing, and he's a very funny person.

"He always makes jokes. He lightens the mood a lot of the time. We talk about what's going on in our lives, how our education is."

Mr Aamer's wife and daughter preferred to stay in the background and not be interviewed. Because both boys are under 16, Sky News has agreed not to show their faces.

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Guantanamo Bay: The Inmates Who Remain

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Some 122 men are being held without charge at Guantanamo Bay, despite many having already been cleared for release.

Here are eight of those prisoners who are still detained at the US-run facility in Cuba.

:: Younis Abdurrahman Chekkouri, 46

Born in 1968 in Morocco, Chekkouri was captured by Pakistani authorities in 2001 and sent to Guantanamo a year later. He is understood to have co-founded the Moroccan Islamic Fighting Group and was a close associate of Osama bin Laden. The US believes he is of high intelligence value and poses a threat to the country and its interests.

:: Omar Hamzayavich Abdulayev, 36

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Gallery: Guantanamo Bay: In Pictures

Detainees sitting in a holding area watched by military police at Camp X-Ray inside Naval Base Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, 11 January 2002

A detainee is escorted by unarmed US army personnel inside Camp X-Ray on the Guantanamo Naval Base, US, 17 January 2002

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General view shows Camp X-Ray at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba

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One of the thirty-four newly arrived detainees is walked to the showers by US Army Military Police 11 Febuary, 2002, at Camp X-Ray

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An Army guard watches over detainees at Camp Delta, 10 September 2002

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Abdulayev, originally from Tajikistan, was reportedly captured by Pakistani authorities at a checkpoint in 2001. It was claimed he was carrying handwritten notes on chemicals and explosives and he was transferred to Guantanamo in 2002 at the age of 24. US authorities say he has admitted to being a member of the Islamic Movement of Tajikistan and is of high risk.

:: Ravil Mingazov, 47

Born in 1967 and reportedly of Russian nationality, Mingazov was detained during a raid by Pakistani police in Faisalabad in 2002 and sent to Guantanamo the same year. US authorities claim he has admitted attending al Qaeda training camps in Tajikistan and Afghanistan and has received explosives and assassination training. He is considered by the US to be of high risk to the US and its allies, but of low intelligence value.

:: Ahmed Ould Abdel Aziz, 44

Abdel Aziz was captured by Pakistani intelligence services during a raid on a suspected al Qaeda safe house in Karachi in 2002. It is claimed a search of the house recovered a mobile phone, radios and a telephone book. Originally from Mauritania, he was transferred to Guantanamo Bay the same year to provide intelligence on members of al Qaeda killed in Afghanistan during attacks by US and Coalition forces. US authorities claim he has provided "vast amounts of information" but has been deceptive regarding key facts such as locations and dates.

:: Riduan Isomuddin, 50

Isomuddin was born in Indonesia in 1964 and captured in Thailand in 2003 before being transferred to Guantanamo Bay in 2006 to face prosecution for terrorist offences against the US. Authorities in America claim Isomuddin was responsible for the Bali bombings in Indonesia in 2002 and that he is "committed to the most extreme Islamic ideology". The US considers him a high-value detainee.

:: Ghaleb Nasser, 35

Born in 1979 in Yemen, Nasser was taken prisoner in Afghanistan in 2001 and sent to Guantanamo in 2002. US authorities claim he was part of Osama bin Laden's 55th Arab Brigade and that he is high risk to the US and its allies. He has reportedly provided a significant amount of information about al Qaeda and Taliban activities in or near Tora Bora and the front lines of Kunduz.

:: Moath al Alwi, 37

Al Alwi was captured by Pakistani forces in 2001 while attempting to cross the Afghanistan-Pakistani border. He was assessed to be part of Osama bin Laden's security team and sent to Guantanamo in 2002. The US has claimed al Alwi, who is from Yemen, attended advanced militant training courses at al Qaeda-affiliated training camps where he was trained in "elite hand-to-hand combat". He is considered by US authorities to be of high risk to its interests and of high intelligence value.

:: Fayiz al Kandari, 37

Born in Kuwait, al Kandari was reportedly captured by unidentified Afghans as he was heading down the Tora Bora mountains in Pakistan and sent to Guantanamo Bay in 2002. US authorities have claimed al Kandari served as an advisor to Osama bin Laden and have assessed him as being of high risk to the US, its interests and allies.

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Written By Unknown on Kamis, 12 Februari 2015 | 14.59

It may seem strange but a precursor to a ceasefire is often a spike in the actual fighting on the battlefield and that is exactly what is happening in eastern Ukraine.

Both the government and rebel forces are engaged in what are effectively land grabs as the expectation of some type of deal being reached in Minsk draws nearer.

There may of course be no deal or not one that lasts too long, so it sort of makes sense for the protagonists to go at each other "hammer and tongs" as the countdown begins.

If you are sheltering in a Soviet-era block of flats while grad rockets land in your neighbourhood it might not feel like it makes any sense at all.

There has been a ceasefire deal of course. It was agreed in September last year and brought around a period of some stability rather than an actual end to the fighting. Both sides took the opportunity to strengthen their positions though and as the year began the hostilities grew more intense and finally flared into the current state of war once again.

The key question is whether the leaders of Ukraine, France, Germany and, of course, Russia can come up with a renewed plan acceptable to everyone.

In essence, the formula for the peace deal would be an immediate ceasefire; after that its starts getting more tricky.

A wide demilitarised zone on both sides of the front line and monitored by international observers is being proposed with a similar observer corp on the proper Ukrainian/Russian border.

Heavy weapons would be withdrawn by both sides and prisoners exchanged in the ensuing peace.

Ukraine would maintain its territorial integrity but the Kiev government would give greater autonomy to the local governments of Donetsk and Luhansk.

All of the above agreements would be acceptable to all sides as well as the countries watching in. The problem is that the details aren't just sticking points - they could be game changers.

To begin with, exactly where is the demilitarised zone and the "border" with western Ukraine? Since the September treaty, the rebels have taken more ground and want to keep it. Ukraine wants it back.

What constitutes heavy weapons and will some of the rebels' suspiciously new bits of kit return across the border to Russia from whence it came?

What about those rebels who everyone acknowledges are Russian? Sent by the Kremlin or not, Ukraine says they have to go home.

What will be the status of the newly empowered rebel-held regions? Ukraine wants to remain the government of the whole country. The rebels and Russia, to all intents and purposes, want these areas to be autonomous although remaining within Ukraine to act as a veto for any future attempts by Kiev to strengthen its ties to Europe.

What happens to Crimea is probably way too toxic for these talks and will probably be set aside and put in the "just don't go there" bin for now.

So if all these issues have been addressed and everyone sticks to their side of the bargain a permanent peace is imminent.

However, I wouldn't bet on it.

Both sides have said they will strengthen their positions and prepare for a greater escalation in the war if no deal is reached. Regardless, one must expect them to strengthen their positions and prepare for war anyway; it just might be further back than the current front lines.

What the local population can hope for is a ceasefire and a return to a sort of peace. Most agree that they want the fighting to stop and it all to go away. While many support the Kiev side, many also distrust Kiev, won't forgive attacks by government troops on their towns and are fearful of revenge by the substantial right-wing militias that make up Ukraine's "Civil Defence" forces.

A year on, Ukraine remains bitterly divided and riven with complex ideological, social and geographical problems.

A Minsk deal won't solve these problems but it might halt the killing; for a while.

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World Leaders To Sign Document On Ukraine

The leaders of Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France could be close to an agreement after 12 hours of talks aimed at resolving the Ukrainian crisis, diplomatic sources say.

Details remain unclear about a document expected to be signed in the Belarus capital Minsk.

Sources said it may be a joint declaration rather than a full agreement to end the 10-month conflict.

"There's hope that an agreement will be signed by the contact group," one diplomatic source told the AFP news agency.

Ukrainian presidential aide Valeriy Chaly said earlier a "battle of nerves" was under way as dawn approached.

"We've got another 5-6 hours of work. At least," he said on Facebook after talks had already been going on for seven hours.

"But we should not leave here without an agreement on an unconditional ceasefire."

The talks, in the Belarussian capital Minsk, involve Russia President Vladimir Putin, Ukrainian leader Petro Poroshenko, French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Mr Poroshenko has said they are crucial in deciding whether the situation will de-escalate or spiral "out of control".

Sky's Stuart Ramsay, who is at the summit, said: "We've seen a lot of running around with what look like communiques, so something appears to be getting done."

The negotiations opened with a brief handshake between Mr Poroshenko and Mr Putin, who were meeting for the first time since October.

A source close to one of the delegations told the AFP news agency: "Everybody is yawning but they are still arguing."

Another source with knowledge of the discussions told AFP the leaders hoped to sign a joint statement calling for the fulfilment of an earlier failed peace plan signed by Kiev and the rebels last year.

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Gallery: Ukraine Crisis: Fighting Increases (February 11)

Local residents look at the remains of a rocket shell on a street in the town of Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine

Seven civilians have been killed and 26 wounded in rocket strikes on the town of Kramatorsk

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Korean Air Exec Guilty Of 'Nut Rage'

The daughter of the boss of Korean Air has been convicted over a tantrum she threw on a flight over a bag of nuts.

A South Korean court has ruled that Heather Cho violated air safety law after she delayed a flight by forcing the captain to return to the gate so the most senior cabin crew member could be removed from the plane.

Cho, who was vice president responsible for cabin service at the family-run airline, took exception to being served macadamia nuts in a packet rather than a bowl on a flight from New York to Incheon, South Korea, in December.

The court in Seoul also found her guilty of obstructing the flight's captain in the performance of his duties and of forcing a crew member to leave the plane.

Cho, 40, was cleared of interfering with a transport ministry investigation into the incident.

She is due to be sentenced later and faces up to three years in prison.

Cho's behaviour caused an uproar in South Korea, where she was accused of being petty and arrogant.

South Korea's biggest airline had previously apologised for causing "inconvenience" for passengers, but defended Ms Cho's actions as a "reasonable" move to improve inflight service.

This response only served to fuel public outrage.

Following her resignation, Cho, who joined Korean Air in 1999, issued a statement through the airline.

She said: "I feel so sorry for our customers and South Koreans for causing such trouble... and seek forgiveness from the people who might have been hurt by me."

Her father, Korean Air tycoon Cho Yang-ho, accepted her resignation immediately.

More follows...

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'Belgium Terror Recruiters' Await Their Fate

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 11 Februari 2015 | 15.00

By Robert Nisbet, Europe Correspondent

Verdicts are expected later in the trial of 46 members of an extremist Islamist group accused of brainwashing young men in Belgium to fight in Syria.

Prosecutors claim the now-disbanded Sharia4Belgium network targeted impressionable men in Antwerp and Vilvoorde, north of Brussels, before starting a process of radicalisation and then delivering them to the conflict zone to fight the regime of President Bashar al Assad.

The alleged ringleader is 32-year-old Fouad Belkacem, a Moroccan-born car engineer, who is already serving a two-year sentence for inciting hatred against non-Muslims.

The avowed aim of his group of radicals was to establish Sharia law in Belgium, an intention he expressed in a series of YouTube videos.

In one, shown to the court, he said he wanted to destroy the Atomium tourist attraction in Brussels.

Public prosecutor Ann Fransen said he equated fighting so-called "holy war" with praying and fasting and told reporters: "Belkacem's words can only be interpreted as a call to violence and jihad."

Of the 46 accused, only eight have made an appearance in Antwerp's tightly-secured courtroom, as the remainder are believed to be still in Syria.

One of the young men Belkacem is alleged to have radicalised is 19-year-old Jejoen Bontinck, who is also on trial, charged with belonging to Sharia4Belgium, which carries a four-year jail term.

The teenager claims he travelled to Syria to help victims of the conflict, but his father, Dimitri, who brought him home, says he knew his son was being indoctrinated.

"Of course we asked for help, from youth organisations (and) the police," he told Sky News last year.

"But they answered: 'We live in a democracy, we have free speech, we have freedom of religion.' It was very sad, very painful."

It is estimated by the EU's INTCEN intelligence centre that more than 3,000 European citizens are fighting so-called jihad, and more than 10% of those come from Belgium, a higher percentage than any other country.

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Gallery: Belgian Police Target Returning Jihadists

Forensic officers work in the rain on Rue de la Colline in Verviers, eastern Belgium

Belgian police shot dead two suspects in a huge operation against jihadists who had returned from Syria and planned an imminent attack

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Machete Seized As Australia Plot 'Foiled'

Australian police say they have prevented an "imminent" terror attack linked to Islamic State (IS) after arresting two men in a Sydney suburb.

Police say a machete, a hunting knife and homemade IS flag were seized in Fairfield, as well as a video of a man talking about an attack.

New South Wales Deputy Police Commissioner Catherine Burn said the planned attack was "consistent with the messaging coming out of IS".

State premier Mike Baird said a potentially "catastrophic" incident had been avoided.

He said: "It was beyond disturbing, what was planned. Certainly, something catastrophic was avoided... and for that we should be very thankful."

When asked whether a beheading was planned, Ms Burns said police were unsure of the attack's nature, but added it was imminent and likely to have involved a knife.

"We believe that the men were potentially going to harm somebody, maybe even kill somebody, and potentially using one of the items that we identified and recovered yesterday, potentially a knife," she said.

The men, aged 24 and 25, would have carried out the attack on Tuesday if they had not been arrested that day, Ms Burn added.

"We built up information, we received further information which indicated an attack was imminent, and we acted," she explained.

Omar al Kutobi and Mohammad Kiad have been charged with undertaking acts in preparation or planning for a terrorist act, which carries a maximum punishment of life in prison.

They were refused bail during a brief court hearing on Wednesday. Neither man appeared in the courtroom.

Ms Burn said the men were not previously on their radar and she did not know whether the alleged target was the police, military or the general public.

However, she did confirm that one of those arrested features in the video that was seized.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott told Parliament the footage depicted one of the suspects kneeling in front of the IS flag with the knife and machete while making a statement in Arabic.

Police are trying to determine if the men were in contact with anyone associated with IS.

In December, a gunman claiming to represent IS took 18 people hostage in a 16-hour siege at a Sydney cafe.

The hostage situation ended in a hail of gunfire when police rushed the cafe.

The gunman, Man Haron Monis, and hostages Tori Johnson and Katrina Dawson died in the siege.

A number of raids have been carried out in Sydney and Melbourne since Australia raised its terror threat level to high for the first time in September, citing the likelihood of attacks by Australians radicalised in Iraq or Syria.

Australia, which backs US action against IS in Syria and Iraq, believes at least 70 citizens are fighting in the region, backed by 100 "facilitators" at home.

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Mortar Attacks Before Ukraine Peace Talks

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Four people have been killed in mortar attacks on a bus station and a metals plant in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk, as leaders gathered for peace talks in Belarus.

"A bus driver died as a result of mortar fire at a bus station in the centre of Donetsk," a spokesman for the pro-Russian separatists told AFP.

An employee of the metals plant said three people including two guards had lost their lives during an attack on the smelter.

President Barack Obama has urged his Russian counterpart to reach a deal to end the 10-month Ukraine conflict.

Mr Obama spoke with President Vladimir Putin in a telephone call on the eve of the discussions.

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Gallery: Ukraine Crisis: Fighting Intensifies

A destroyed Ukrainian Army tank outside Uglegorsk, 6km (4m) southwest of Debaltseve

Pro-Russian separatists' ammunition and an armoured vehicle in Uglegorsk. The EU has put fresh sanctions against Moscow on hold ahead of further talks to thrash out a lasting peace deal

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A pro-Russian separatist fighter. President Barack Obama said the United States had no desire to "weaken" Russia, but the West had to impose a penalty for Moscow's aggression in Ukraine

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Part of a Ukrainian Army tank destroyed in fighting

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Pro-Russian separatist fighters ride on the top of an armoured vehicle

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In a statement released afterwards, the White House said Mr Obama warned Mr Putin the "costs for Russia will rise" if a peaceful solution is not found.

"If Russia continues its aggressive actions in Ukraine, including by sending troops, weapons, and financing to support the separatists, the costs for Russia will rise," the statement said.

The Kremlin said the two leaders highlighted the need for a political solution to the "internal" conflict in Ukraine, which has killed more than 5,300 people since April.

Moscow added that Mr Obama and Mr Putin noted the necessity to safeguard the rights of inhabitants of all Ukrainian regions, including Russian-speakers in the country's east.

The summit in the Belarus capital follows last week's discussions between Mr Putin and Ukrainian leader Petro Poroshenko, led by Germany and France.

Mr Putin is scheduled to meet Mr Poroshenko and the leaders of France and Germany at today's summit.

The talks are expected to focus on withdrawing heavy weapons, creating a demilitarised zone in eastern Ukraine and starting a dialogue between Kiev and the rebels.

On Tuesday, rockets killed more than 10 civilians and soldiers in Ukrainian government-held territory and rebels pushed ahead with an assault on a rail junction.

Mr Obama has come under increasing pressure to provide military aid to Ukraine amid claims Russia has been arming the rebels with heavy weaponry - claims denied by Moscow.

After meeting German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Washington on Monday, Mr Obama said he had ordered his team to see "whether there are additional things we can do to help Ukraine bolster its defences in the face of Russian aggression".

Britain has said it will keep its decision not to arm Ukraine under review as it "could not allow" its armed forces to "collapse".

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Written By Unknown on Selasa, 10 Februari 2015 | 14.59

Kremlin: Don't Issue Ultimatums To Putin

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Vladimir Putin will not be spoken to in the language of ultimatums, a Russian radio station has quoted the Kremlin as saying.

Reports suggest German Chancellor Angela Merkel had given him until Wednesday to agree a peace plan over Ukraine or face new sanctions.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Govorit Moskva radio: "Nobody has ever talked to the president in the tone of an ultimatum - and could not do so even if they wanted to."

The warning came as Mrs Merkel met US President Barack Obama to discuss the peace initiative, while the White House considers supplying weapons to Kiev.

The President said Russia was trying to redraw borders behind the "barrel of a gun" and that diplomacy remained the priority in the crisis.

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Gallery: Ukraine Fighting: Latest Pictures

Ukrainian servicemen unload Grad rockets from a truck before launching them towards pro-Russian separatist forces outside Debaltseve, eastern Ukraine

At least nine Ukrainian soldiers have been killed and 26 wounded in fighting with Russian-backed separatists in Ukraine's eastern regions in the past 24 hours

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Ukraine's military say fighting has been particularly intense around the town of Debaltseve, a major rail and road junction northeast of the city of Donetsk

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Regional police chief Vyacheslav Abroskin said seven civilians had been killed by shelling in Debaltseve and another frontline town of Avdiivka

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The leaders of Ukraine, Germany, France and Russia are preparing for a summit in the Belarussian capital of Minsk on Wednesday, aiming to end the 10-month conflict, which has killed more than 5,000 people.

Mr Putin hosted Mrs Merkel and the French leader Francois Hollande for talks in the Kremlin on Friday and the Wall Street Journal had reported that Mrs Merkel had given Mr Putin until Wednesday to agree to a Franco-German peace plan.

Meanwhile, the European Union has approved new visa bans and asset freezes on more Ukrainian separatists and Russians but has suspended the new sanctions until 16 February to give peace talks a chance, according to French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius.

He said: "The principle of the sanctions will be kept but their implementation will depend on the situation on the ground.

"We will assess the situation again next Monday."

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