Icetruck

Kirkuk: Clashes reported after Iraqi forces advance on Kurdish-held sites

Clashes have been reported between Iraqi and Kurdish forces after Baghdad sent troops towards disputed areas held by the Kurds in Kirkuk province.

State TV said government forces had taken control of some areas, including oil fields, "without fighting". But Kurdish officials denied this.

An exchange of artillery fire is said to have occurred south of Kirkuk city.

The US government has said it is very concerned and urged dialogue "as the best option to defuse tensions".

Why was the operation launched?

Tensions between Iraq's Arab-led central government and the autonomous Kurdistan Region intensified after people living in areas under its control voted overwhelmingly for independence in a referendum last month.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said the referendum was unconstitutional and demanded it be annulled. The Kurdistan Regional Government insisted it was legitimate and called for dialogue.

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Crisis talks on Sunday failed to resolve the stand-off between the two sides.

The Iraqi government said overnight that it had launched the operation in Kirkuk to "secure bases" and "federal installations".

Kurdish officials said Iraqi troops had been advancing alongside government-backed Shia militias south of Kirkuk city and intended to take control of oil fields and an airbase.

A KRG official told Reuters news agency that the infrastructure targeted still remained under Kurdish control.

Hemin Hawrami, an aide to Kurdistan Regional President Massoud Barzani, earlier said Kurdish leaders rejected the "military option" but were "ready to defend" the city against outside forces.

A spokesperson for Mr Barzani later accused Iraqi forces of launching a war against the Kurds.

• Iraqi Kurds decisively back independence
• Independence: What is at stake?

What is disputed?

Kirkuk is an oil-rich province claimed by both the Kurds and the central government. It is thought to have a Kurdish majority, but its provincial capital has large Arab and Turkmen populations.

Kurdish Peshmerga forces took control of much of the province in 2014, when Islamic State (IS) militants swept across northern Iraq and the army collapsed.

The Iraqi parliament asked Mr Abadi to deploy troops to Kirkuk and other disputed areas after the referendum result was announced, but he said last week that he would accept them being governed by a "joint administration" and that he did not want an armed confrontation.

"We won't use our army against our people or to launch a war against our Kurdish citizens," the prime minister said.

Parliament also accused the KRG of deploying foreign fighters in Kirkuk, including members of the Turkish Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which it said was akin to a declaration of war. But KRG officials denied this.

• Sykes-Picot: The map that spawned a century of resentment
• Iraqi Kurdistan profile

International concern

The independence referendum was not only vehemently opposed by Baghdad, but also by much of the international community.

There is concern about the vote's potentially destabilising effects, particularly with the ongoing battle against IS.

On Sunday, Pentagon spokeswoman Laura Seal said that the US was urging against "destabilising actions that distract from the fight against [IS] and further undermine Iraq's stability".

"We oppose violence from any party," she added.

Iran and Turkey, which have Kurdish minorities and are fiercely opposed to Iraqi Kurds gaining independence, have backed Baghdad's response to the referendum.

Who are the Kurds?

Kurds are the fourth-largest ethnic group in the Middle East, but they have never obtained a permanent nation state.

They are one of the indigenous people of the Mesopotamian plains and the highlands in what are now south-eastern Turkey, north-eastern Syria, northern Iraq, north-western Iran and south-western Armenia.

In Iraq, where they make up an estimated 15-20% of the population of 37 million, Kurds faced decades of repression before they acquired autonomy in 1991.

• Why don't Kurds have a state?

Source – bbc.com

Catalonia: Independence deadline approaches for Puigdemont

The leader of the Spanish region of Catalonia is just hours away from a deadline set by the central government to clarify whether or not he has declared independence.

If he confirms that he has, he will have until Thursday to withdraw the declaration or Catalonia, which has substantial autonomy, faces the prospect of direct rule from Madrid.

The deadline given to Carles Puigdemont is 10:00 local time (08:00 GMT).

It is not yet clear what he will say.

• Catalan crisis in 300 words
• The man who wants to break up Spain

After an independence referendum two weeks ago which was declared invalid by the country's Constitutional Court, Mr Puigdemont signed a declaration of independence but immediately suspended its implementation.

He said he wanted to negotiate with the government in Madrid but that has not happened.

Mr Puigdemont is under pressure from coalition partners to go ahead with independence, while Spanish and international politicians have tried to dissuade him from it.

The European Union has made clear that should Catalonia split from Spain, the region will cease to be part of the EU.

Yes or no?

Analysis by the BBC's James Reynolds in Barcelona

The Spanish government has asked Carles Puigdemont what it considers to be an extremely simple question: Has he declared independence or not?

Yes, or no?

If Mr Puigdemont says that he has declared independence, Spain may move towards the dramatic step of dissolving the regional government in Catalonia and calling new local elections.

By contrast, if Mr Puigdemont says that he hasn't declared independence, the Spanish authorities may decide that he is no longer breaking the law.

But such a step may anger the Catalan leader's coalition partners who are campaigning for a clear break with Spain.

It may be that Carles Puigdemont tries to find a way round a simple yes/no answer in order to win himself more time.

What is Catalonia?

Catalonia is a region in north-east Spain. It has its own language, parliament, flag and anthem. It even has its own police force and controls some of its own public services, such as schools and healthcare.

It is one of Spain's wealthiest and most productive regions and has a distinct history dating back almost 1,000 years.

• Would Catalonia be a viable country?
• Spain Catalan crisis: Six things you need to know

What happened in the referendum?

The Catalan parliament approved an independence referendum which went ahead on 1 October despite being suspended by Spain's Constitutional Court.

National police were sent to the region to try and stop voting at polling stations. Hundreds of people were hurt, including some police officers.

Turnout in the referendum was less than 50%. Of those who voted, the Catalan authorities said nearly 90% opted for independence.

What happens next?

If Madrid invokes Article 155 of its constitution and imposes direct rule, Catalonia will no longer have the power to make decisions on public services such as healthcare and education.

The central government can also take control of the police and call for a snap election.

Source – bbc.com

North Korea crisis: Tillerson says diplomacy will continue

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has insisted President Donald Trump wants to resolve the confrontation with North Korea through diplomacy.

It will continue until "the first bomb drops", he told CNN.

Sanctions and diplomacy, he said, had brought unprecedented international unity against North Korea's nuclear weapons programme.

Last month, Mr Trump told Mr Tillerson not to waste time seeking talks with Kim Jong-un.

Mr Tillerson's remarks come as the US and South Korea begin their latest joint military exercise in waters surrounding the Korean peninsula, involving fighter jets, destroyers and aircraft carriers.

The drills regularly anger the North, and Pyongyang has in the past denounced them as a "rehearsal for war".

In Sunday's interview, Mr Tillerson again refused to comment on whether he had referred to Mr Trump as a moron after a July meeting at the Pentagon.

"I'm not going to deal with that petty stuff," he replied, saying he would not dignify the question with an answer.

The president responded by challenging the secretary of state to an IQ test but a spokeswoman said later it had been a joke.

Lines of communication

In recent months, North Korea has defied international opinion by conducting its sixth nuclear test and launching two missiles over Japan.

Analysts say the secretive communist state is clearly set on developing a nuclear-capable missile, able to threaten the continental US, despite UN sanctions.

At the end of last month, Mr Tillerson disclosed that the US was in "direct contact" with the North and looking at the possibility of talks.

After months of heated rhetoric, it came as a surprise to some that the two countries had lines of communication.

However, the next day Mr Trump tweeted Mr Tillerson to say: "Save your energy Rex, we'll do what has to be done!"

Skip Twitter post by @realDonaldTrump

…Save your energy Rex, we'll do what has to be done!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 1, 2017

Report

End of Twitter post by @realDonaldTrump

Source – bbc.com

Kirkuk: Iraqi forces advance on Kurdish-held sites

Iraqi forces are advancing towards Kurdish-held sites in Kirkuk province.

They intend to take control of oil fields and an airbase in the disputed region, Kurdish security officials say.

Tensions between the two sides over the future of Iraqi Kurdistan have been high since Iraqi Kurds voted for independence in a September referendum.

The US urged dialogue "as the best option to defuse tensions" and continued to support a united Iraq, a Pentagon spokeswoman said.

Crisis talks on Sunday failed to resolve the standoff as Kurdish leaders refused Iraqi government demands to reject the referendum result.

• Iraqi Kurds decisively back independence
• Independence: What is at stake?
• Peshmerga Kirkuk 'deadline' passes

The Iraqi troops were advancing alongside government-backed Shia militias south of Kirkuk city, Kurdish officials reported.

The Iraqi government said its aim was to "secure bases" and "federal installations" but "co-operate" with Kurdish Peshmerga fighters.

State media report that Iraqi forces have already taken control of some areas.

Kurdish Peshmerga forces took control of much of Kirkuk in 2014, when militants from so-called Islamic State (IS) swept across northern Iraq and the army collapsed.

Hemin Hawrami, an aide to Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani, tweeted that Kurdish Peshmerga fighters were "in full control" of the airbase.

He earlier said Kurdish leaders rejected the "military option" but were "ready to defend" the city against outside forces.

Pentagon spokeswoman Laura Seal said the US urged against "destabilising actions that distract from the fight against [IS] and further undermine Iraq's stability".

"We oppose violence from any party," she said.

Baghdad has accused the Kurdistan administration of deploying outside fighters to Kirkuk, including from the Turkey-based Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which it said was akin to a declaration of war.

The Iraqi Kurds deny this.

On Saturday, there was a brief outbreak of fighting near Kirkuk, with each side blaming the other.

Oil-rich Kirkuk province is claimed by both the Kurds and Baghdad, though the two sides were recently united in the fight against IS.

Source – bbc.com

AirAsia flight returns to Perth after mid-air scare

An AirAsia Indonesia flight has been forced to turn back to Australia after pilots were alerted to a possible loss of cabin pressure, airport officials say.

Flight QZ535, bound for the Indonesian island of Bali, changed course about 25 minutes after take-off on Sunday.

The Airbus A320, carrying 151 people, landed safely at Perth Airport.

AirAsia said the flight experienced a "technical issue". Australian media said it had appeared to lose altitude.

"We were all pretty much saying goodbye to each other. It was really upsetting," one passenger told the local Nine network.

A video taken on the plane, broadcast by local media, shows oxygen masks hanging from the ceiling and one person shouting "passengers get down, passengers get down".

Another passenger, Claire Askew, told the Seven network that "panic was escalated" by airline staff who were screaming and appeared to be in tears.

In a statement, AirAsia said it was "fully committed" to the safety of passengers. It did not elaborate on the problem.

"AirAsia apologises to passengers for any inconvenience caused," the statement said.

In June, an AirAsia X flight on its way to Bali was also forced to turn back to Perth after an engine problem left it "shaking like a washing machine".

In December 2014, an AirAsia plane crashed into the Java Sea, killing all 162 people on board after the aircraft's rudder control system malfunctioned during the flight.

Source – bbc.com

China congress: How authorities censor your thoughts

If you control public communication you can control the way people think and how they behave. That's what Xi Jinping's government is counting on.

And it is never more true than at the time of major political gatherings.

The Communist Party Congress, held every five years, is set to begin next week: an event which will culminate in the revelation of the new leadership team behind General Secretary Xi.

So the censors here are poised to restrict with one hand and disseminate with the other.

What they're looking out for are key words and expressions popping up in social media. Anything signalling an intention to protest or ridiculing the country's senior political figures will be blocked and potentially see a user reported to the authorities.

For example, a message featuring the name of this country's ever-more powerful leader and his sometimes-used nickname "Winnie the Pooh" (小熊维尼) will simply not go through to group discussions on the messaging app WeChat.

Funny stickers featuring Mr Xi or previous Chinese leaders also can't be sent to chat groups.

• Why China censors banned Winnie the Pooh
• The military parade posts China censored

China has all the appearances of an increasingly open society: flashy new cities with Hollywood movies advertised on bus stops; digital currency taken up like nowhere else; cool kids getting around on hire bikes zooming through a gleaming modern existence.

And yet, since Mr Xi came to power five years ago, public discourse has been increasingly censored to try and control everything from political thought to sexual activity.

Olympic freedom

In the lead up to the Olympic Games in 2008, it felt as if freedom of expression was ever on the rise here.

New laws allowed foreign reporters to travel around the country without specific permission from local governments.

It's hard to believe it, but Google searches were not blocked then.

Investigative journalism from local Chinese publications – like the Southern Weekend newspaper and Caijing magazine – was becoming as good as anywhere in the world.

I remember being at a function where a group of journalists were speaking to one of the foreign affairs ministry spokespeople. We had some concern or other, and he was reassuring us that everything would be all right.

"Don't worry," he said, smiling as he pushed an imaginary truck gear into position. "In China we only have one gear, and it's forward."

It sometimes doesn't feel like that now.

The Great Firewall

"You can't control the internet," is something people would say in those years – part mantra, part celebration of a new global reality.

But Chinese officials have worked out that actually, you can.

Rather than connecting to the internet, this country has something more like an intranet within the boundaries of the Great Firewall of China.

Sites like Amnesty International, Facebook, and Twitter are unreachable for most Chinese, unless they have use of a virtual private network (VPN), which effectively punts their computer over the Great Firewall.

So, with the congress approaching, there's been an assault on VPN use. The government has ordered Apple to remove all VPNs from its Chinese app store.

The company has decided in favour of not being kicked out of this enormous market and is doing what Beijing wants.

Years ago Google was given a similar ultimatum: allow Chinese officials to censor search results or you're gone. Google didn't cave in, and was blocked.

Watching WeChat

China's most effective censorship tool is also the country's most widespread method of communication.

Pretty much everybody here uses the phone app WeChat. It has text messaging, group chats, photo sharing, location searching and electronic payments.

• How social media is different in China

During periods of political sensitivity – like now – key words will trigger the blocking or monitoring of a post. If sensitive enough, they could even lead to state security knocking on your door.

New regulations also make a person who sets up a group chat responsible for what's said amongst the group.

As you can imagine, the administrators of football team chats might be feeling a little nervous about the content of late night posts from drunken players.

Some will wonder how this is all possible as the app is not owned by the government but run by the hugely-powerful Chinese company Tencent.

Well, under new regulations from the Cyber Administration of China, private entities which run these platforms are required to not only enforce content restrictions but also report those who violate them to the "relevant authorities".

For many Chinese people – even those overseas – WeChat has also become their main news feed. If you restrict this content you can close out certain news coverage.

Potential challengers to WeChat's virtual monopoly are also being reined in. WhatsApp is not 100% within the domain of the Chinese state.

So, at times in recent weeks, its use has been impossible to reach without a VPN.

• Is WhatsApp being censored in China?
• China disrupts WhatsApp messaging service

It is not clear whether the disruption of WhatsApp is a temporary measure to coincide with the congress or yet another restriction that's here to stay.

Tight grip on the press

It is no secret that every Chinese newspaper and television station is under the complete control of the Communist Party.

And yet last year, when Mr Xi visited the People's Daily newspaper, Xinhua wire service and state broadcaster CCTV, he still demanded the absolute loyalty of reporters who should follow the Party's leadership in "politics, thought and action".

• A misty-eyed ode to China's leader from a deputy editor

But, just in case some journalists didn't get the memo, a set of rules have been sent around governing coverage of this year's congress, requiring all interviews with experts or scholars to be approved by the outlet's "work unit leadership" and the central propaganda department.

However, China's censorship and propaganda model is also going beyond sensitive political matters.

Online bookstores must now work under a rating system from the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television which includes the promotion of "moral values".

Popular blogs focusing on celebrity scandals and the intrigues of the rich and famous have been forced to close.

To talk about such matters has been deemed to be not in keeping with "core socialist values".

No naughty dramas

For a time, cheap online video dramas were pushing out the boundaries of what could be viewed here. There was a gay sitcom, for example.

But digital platforms have been ordered to stop showing hundreds of foreign shows, and their locally produced material is expected to follow the same restrictions as television.

As it is, on Chinese TV you rarely see anything approaching a passionate kiss.

Two years ago a TV drama was forced to reframe and zoom in on its shots so as to crop out the generous cleavage of its 7th Century maidens, in order to remain on air.

Thus goes the creeping imposition of a state-sanctioned morality under Mr Xi's administration.

Last month, TV dramas were given notice of a new set of rules governing their content. They should "enhance people's cultural taste" and "strengthen spiritual civilisation".

Directors are supposed to come up with engaging characters beyond the realms of lewd behaviour, extra-marital affairs, gambling, drugs, homosexuality and other forms of "immoral" behaviour.

The notice suggested eulogising the Communist Party of China, the country, the people and also national heroes. And one figure is emerging via the propaganda machine to stand head and shoulders above all others.

The cult of Xi?

As the censors shut down dissent, the party is urging a way of thinking about all that's good in China and tracing it back to a single source – Xi Jinping.

An exhibition focusing on the recent achievements of the Chinese government has opened in Beijing.

Vast rooms are dedicated to science, transport, the military, the economy, sport, ethnic minorities, and they are all dominated by massive photos of Xi Jinping. There must be hundreds of them.

The English language newspaper China Daily has been rolling out a series of front page stories – one every day – about the "impact of" a visit from Mr Xi on various villages, towns and cities after the General Secretary passed on his advice.

"He asked people to protect the lake", "President Xi proposed moving people in the villages to the new settlement", "Xi emphasised the importance of afforestation", et cetera.

Some here are joking that this type of reporting is not all that far from what you might expect in the North Korean press describing its own god-like leaders.

When Chinese officials make speeches now, they refer to this or that aspect of what they're up to "with Xi Jinping at the core".

• Xi Jinping's growing power in China
• China's Xi named commander in chief
• How China guards the Xi creation myth

It goes without saying that you cannot question "the core" without this nation's considerable censorship apparatus crashing down upon you.

But, short of such an obvious breach, the rules regarding what can and can't be said, broadcast, forwarded, analysed are thought to be kept deliberately vague.

In this way, everyone is on their toes and the authorities can shut down what they like at any time without having to give a reason.

Editors, cartoonists, reporters, directors, bloggers, comedians, administrators running social media platforms and ordinary Chinese citizens posting to their friends are all staying well clear of certain subjects just in case it lands them in hot water.

In short: Chinese censorship works, and plenty of other governments around the world are looking on with admiration.

Source – bbc.com

Source – bbc.com

Source – bbc.com

Somalia: At least 230 dead in Mogadishu blast

A massive bomb attack in a busy area of the Somali capital Mogadishu on Saturday is now known to have killed at least 230 people, police say.

Hundreds more were wounded when a lorry packed with explosives detonated near the entrance of a hotel.

It is the deadliest terror attack in Somalia since the Islamist al-Shabab group launched its insurgency in 2007.

President Mohamed Abdullahi "Farmajo" Mohamed blamed the attack on them, calling it a "heinous act".

No group has yet said it was behind the bombing.

"Brothers, this cruel act was targeted at civilians who were going about their business," the president said.

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He has declared three days of mourning for the victims of the blast.

Local media reported families gathering in the area on Sunday morning, looking for missing loved ones amid the ruins of one of the largest bombs ever to strike the city.

Police official Ibrahim Mohamed told AFP news agency the death toll was likely to rise. "There are more than 300 wounded, some of them seriously," he said.

Officials also confirmed that two people were killed in a second bomb attack in the Madina district of the city.

Mogadishu's Mayor Thabit Abdi called for unity while addressing a crowd of people who had gathered to protest.

"Oh, people of Mogadishu, Mogadishu shouldn't be a graveyard for burnt dead bodies," he said.

"Mogadishu is a place of respect, and if we remain united like we are today, moving ahead, we will surely defeat the enemy, Allah willing."

Skip Twitter post by @AaminAmbulance

Photos from the scene. In our 10 year experience as the first responder in #Mogadishu, we haven't seen anything like this. pic.twitter.com/cNxeDD86u6

— Aamin Ambulance (@AaminAmbulance) October 15, 2017

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End of Twitter post by @AaminAmbulance

A BBC Somali reporter at the scene of the main blast said the Safari Hotel had collapsed, with people trapped under the rubble.

An eyewitness, local resident Muhidin Ali, told AFP it was "the biggest blast I have ever witnessed, it destroyed the whole area".

Meanwhile, the director of the Madina Hospital, Mohamed Yusuf Hassan, said he was shocked by the scale of the attack.

"Seventy-two wounded people were admitted to the hospital and 25 of them are in very serious condition. Others lost their hands and legs at the scene.

"What happened yesterday was incredible, I have never seen such a thing before, and countless people lost their lives. Corpses were burned beyond recognition."

The international community has been quick to condemn the attack:

• African Union Commission's president Moussa Faki Mahamat said the body would continue supporting Somalia in efforts "to achieve sustainable peace and security"
• Turkey said it would send planes with medical supplies, and fly wounded people to Turkey for treatment
• In a statement, the US Mission to Somalia called it "cowardly" and said it reinvigorated US commitments to help African countries fight terrorism
• UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said his thoughts were with victims' families and the government and people of Somalia. "Those responsible have shown no regard for human life or the suffering of the Somali people," he continued
• UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres tweeted that he was "sickened" by the attacks and urged "unity in the face of terrorism and violent extremism"
• French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted that France stands by Somalia's side

Source – bbc.com

Liberia election: Weah and Boakai headed for presidential run-off

Former football star George Weah and Vice-President Joseph Boakai are headed for a run-off in Liberia's presidential election.

Nearly all the results from Tuesday's poll have been counted, the election commission says.

Mr Weah, the first African to win the Ballon D'Or football award, is leading with 39%, while Mr Boakai is in second place with 29%.

A second round between the pair is expected next month.

They lead the field of 20 candidates who competed to succeed Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Africa's first female elected president and a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.

Fewer than 5% of polling stations have yet to declare results, and lawyer Charles Brumskine is in third place with 9.8%.

• Profile: Liberia's Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
• Wenger wrongly celebrates Weah victory
• Is ex-warlord pulling election strings from UK prison?

Both Mr Weah and Mr Boakai had predicted they would win the first round of voting.

Mr Weah's former manager on the football field, Arsene Wenger, was earlier this week apparently duped by false reports that he had already been elected president.

He told reporters: "It's not often you have a former player who becomes president of a country. So well done, Georgie."

Meet the frontrunners

George Weah, 51:

• Former Fifa World Footballer of the Year
• Arsene Wenger, now at Arsenal, was his coach at Monaco in the 1990s
• Has the political backing of jailed warlord and former president Charles Taylor
• Taylor's ex-wife, Jewel Howard Taylor, is his running mate

Joseph Boakai, 73:

• Nicknamed "Sleepy Joe"
• Denies it is because he is often caught napping at public events, says it is because he is a dreamer
• Vice-president under Ellen Johnson Sirleaf since 2005
• Has distanced himself from her record, saying "a lot more needs to be achieved"

Liberia, which was founded by freed US slaves in the 19th Century, has not had a smooth transfer of power in 73 years.

Ms Sirleaf took office in 2006, after her predecessor, Charles Taylor, was forced out of office by rebels in 2003, ending a long civil war.

Taylor is currently serving a 50-year prison sentence in the UK for war crimes related to the conflict in neighbouring Sierra Leone.

Mr Weah, 51, has chosen Taylor's ex-wife Jewel Howard Taylor as his running mate.

Source – bbc.com