Kobane clashes kill 100 IS jihadists in three days: monitor | ||
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Beirut (AFP) - At least 100 jihadists from the Islamic State group have been killed in three days of fighting for the strategic Syrian border town of Kobane, a monitor said on Saturday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the deaths brought the total number of IS fighters killed in the ground battle for Kobane to 576 since clashes there began on September 16. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Power struggle in Burkina Faso after president flees | ||
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Ouagadougou (AFP) - Rival military factions laid claim to power in Burkina Faso on Saturday after the west African nation's president fled following days of violent unrest over plans to extend his 27-year rule. The leader of a group of young army officers, Isaac Zida, declared himself in charge, dismissing as "obsolete" an earlier such bid by the army chief and close ally of the ousted president. The tussle for power comes after days of violent demonstrations against president Blaise Compaore's longtime rule that saw parliament stormed and set ablaze, in protests closely watched across the continent where other veteran heads of state are also aiming to extend their rule. After days of protests that brought tens of thousands onto the streets of the capital Ouagadougou, calm returned on Saturday, with shops reopening and calls by organisations behind the demonstrations for supporters to clean up the debris left behind. In a televised appearance early Saturday, Zida, the second in command of the presidential guard, said he had assumed "the responsibilities of head of the transition and of head of state" to ensure a "smooth democratic transition". "The aspirations for democratic change" of the Burkina youth "will be neither betrayed, nor disappointed", he said. A rival claim made hours earlier by army chief Navere Honore Traore was "obsolete", he said. He said that former president Compaore, who was said to have fled the capital Ougadougou, was "in a safe place" and his "safety and well-being are assured". A French diplomatic source told AFP that Compaore was travelling south towards the town of Po near the border with Ghana and that he had not asked for refuge in France, the former colonial power. The uprising in Burkina Faso, which has drawn parallels with the Arab Spring, was sparked by plans to change the constitution to allow Compaore to stand once again for elections next year. Compaore is one of several sub-Saharan African leaders who have stayed in power for decades, and at least four heads of state are pressing for similar constitutional changes to cling to power. - Compaore's 'henchman' - Army chief Traore said on Friday that he was assuming power as head of state, a day after he ordered the dissolution of the government and a dusk-to-dawn curfew. But many protesters are deeply opposed to him taking power, seeing him as a close ally of Compaore. "We do not want General Traore in power. We need someone credible. Traore is Blaise Compaore's henchman," said Monou Tapsoaba, an activist with the opposition People's Movement for Progress. Zida appears to have more legitimacy with civil society. He appeared before large crowds alongside lawyer Guy Herve Kam, leader of the Citizen Broom group that helped lead the demonstrations, in Place de la Nation on Friday. France's President Francois Hollande vowed that Paris would "contribute to calming" the situation in its former colony, while Washington urged "a transfer of power in accordance with the constitution". The EU called for the people of Burkina Faso to have the final say in who rules their country. The crisis is the worst in Burkina Faso since a wave of mutinies shook the country in 2011. Compaore had initially rejected calls to resign. He withdrew plans for a vote on the constitutional changes but vowed to stay in power for another year. He was only 36 when he seized power in a 1987 coup in which his former friend Thomas Sankara was ousted and assassinated. His bid to cling to power angered many, particularly young people in a country where 60 percent of the population of almost 17 million is under 25. Many have spent their entire lives under the leadership of one man and are disillusioned by the establishment in the landlocked nation which is stagnating near the bottom of the UN human development index. Known in colonial times as Upper Volta, the country became independent from France in 1960 and its name was changed to Burkina Faso ("the land of upright men") in 1984. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Conservatives Are Already Freaking Out About Jeb Bush's Possible Run For President | ||
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During a prominent gathering of conservatives in the first-in-the-nation primary state of New Hampshire, the largest spattering of boos among the crowd didn't come at speakers' frequent mentions of President Barack Obama. The loudest jeers came when a speaker would mention former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. "You know, I heard Jeb Bush the other day," mogul Donald Trump said during his speech at the Freedom Summit, hosted by the conservative groups Citizens United and the Americans for Prosperity Foundation. He paused in his speech as the boos started. As chatter heats up about a Bush possibly running for president in 2016, he faces a potentially significant obstacle — convincing the conservative base to rally around him as a Republican nominee. Conservatives' problems with Bush, the brother of former President George W. Bush and younger son of President George H.W. Bush, are threefold. First, he supports overhauling the nation's immigration system, something that has made some on the right charge he supports "amnesty" for undocumented immigrants living in the US. Bush also has embraced the Common Core educational standards, a policy that is quickly becoming the "Obamacare" of education on the right. And, to a lesser extent, conservatives also agree with the sentiment of Bush over-saturation. They are tired of the Bush name representing the Republican Party, and they want to avoid a potential third Bush in office over the last five presidencies. "Bush as a last name" is an issue, said Erick Erickson, the editor in chief of the conservative news site RedState. "It is the same problems the Democrats have. 'Let’s go forward by going backward.' Not exactly a winning slogan." But the base's problem with Bush begins with his positions on immigration and education. Some conservatives see Bush as pseudo-repeat version of 2012 presidential nominee Mitt Romney — a candidate they were reluctant to back in the 2012 election, before he became the Republican Party's go-to surrogate in this election cycle. Steve Deace, a prominent conservative in the crucial early presidential state of Iowa, summed up conservatives' problem with Jeb Bush: He's everything they hated about Romney, and nothing they liked about him. "I'm saying there's a chance" Bush could win the backing of conservatives and the nomination, Deace told Business Insider in an email, adding, "The same chance I have to look good in a thong."
Bush was the target of ire at the Freedom Summit in April because of remarks he made earlier in the week about undocumented immigrants — many of whom, he said, came to the US out of an "act of love" for their families. In general, Bush supports an overhaul of the nation's immigration laws, and he has said the bipartisan Senate bill passed last June was a "good effort" toward accomplishing that goal. The Senate's bill, which garnered the support of 14 Republicans, has been a non-starter in the House amid fierce pushback from the chamber's conservative wing. Conservatives' disapproval of both Obama and congressional Republicans on the issue of immigration only heightened this summer, when tens of thousands of undocumented immigrants streamed across the US-Mexico border. Even Mike Huckabee, a fellow potential 2016 Republican candidate who is more sympathetic to immigration reform than other conservative prospects, attacked Bush's April comments. "I think what Jeb was trying to say was that many people come to the United States to look for opportunity," Huckabee said. "I don't personally support amnesty. I think we ought to have a secure border." But an increasingly important issue among conservative activists is the Common Core education standards, which one conservative who spoke to Business Insider called "Obamacore." The activist said it had the potential to be "Jeb's Romneycare," referring to the Massachusetts healthcare law mirroring the federal Affordable Care Act that was passed during Romney's tenure as governor of the state. Bush's overall record on education during his tenure as governor is well-admired on the right. His "A+ plan" placed a greater emphasis on standardized testing in Florida, and he instituted broad school choice featuring vouchers and charter schools. However, Bush also took an active role in implementing the Common Core standards and continues to be perhaps their staunchest defender on the right. "He's the poster-child for Common Core," Deace said. The Common Core standards were developed by a group appointed by the National Governors Association, the bipartisan organization of the nation's governors. The standards were adopted in mid-2009, intending to foster greater academic achievement and allow for comparable standards across states. One of its goals, as stated by the NGA, was to return power back to states after President George W. Bush's No Child Left Behind law let the federal government play a major role in state education standards. Conservatives began souring on the Common Core law after the Obama administration tied certain grants to states' adoption of the standards. But as the right's opposition has grown, Bush and the group he co-founded, the Foundation for Excellence in Education, have dug in with their support. Bush has even suggested opponents of Common Core are dabbling in conspiracy theories. "Never under-estimate moms," Erickson said. "The Chamber of Commerce types have spun this as no big deal and no causing harm. But it is only just rolling out. This is becoming an issue and will be an issue with the base that hurts Jeb because of his defense." How Bush deals with conservative opposition to his stances on immigration and Common Core will likely determine how far he gets in the nomination process, should he choose to run. He has two options. One involves making a very un-Romney-like move and continuing to defend his views on both immigration and on Common Core. This would represent a contrast from Romney, who entered the 2012 GOP primary open to immigration reform before eventually famously saying undocumented immigrants should self-deport. Romney also moved markedly away from the universal healthcare law he helped design as governor of Massachusetts, even as some supporters touted it as his biggest achievement. But, if Bush adopts this strategy, it could also more firmly alienate a moderate base he needs to win over to win the nomination. Bush's second potential strategy would involve gently softening his position on both issues, like Romney did, over the next year. This is what multiple prominent conservatives believe he will do. On immigration, this will include likely pointing to his 2013 book, "Immigration Wars," in which he came out against a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. On Common Core, Bush will likely emphasize that he only cares about the standards — not the name. As Erickson said, "He has Romney's position, and Romney got the nomination." " I think we need someone new to be the party’s leader," he said. "It’s just no one is sure who that should be, which gives Jeb an advantage." SEE ALSO: Here's Why Jeb Bush Would Be The GOP's 'Immediate Front-Runner' If He Runs For President Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Australia, N.Zealand mark 100 years since first troops left for WWI | ||
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Sydney (AFP) - Australia and New Zealand on Saturday marked 100 years since their first convoy of troops left for the battlefields of World War I, with thousands attending events to commemorate the "heavy day in history". The convoy left the Western Australian town of Albany on November 1, 1914, carrying 20,000 Australian and 8,500 New Zealand soldiers bound for Gallipoli in modern day Turkey and later the battlefields of Europe. "It was a heavy day in our history and it led to even heavier times to come," Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said in remarks welcoming New Zealand leader John Key to the country. "All were sailing into history," Abbott told a commemorative service overlooking the ocean, referring to the convoy. "The first World War was the crucible in which the Australian identity was forged. In 1914 we were a country with a flag and a parliament but little sense of nationhood. "The baptism of fire that was the Great War changed all that. The scale of sacrifice and loss was beyond anything imaginable." Losses in Gallipoli were hard, with the offensive claiming the lives of more than 11,000 New Zealand and Australian troops in a matter of months, although worse battles were to follow in the Great War, Key said. "In a war that engulfed the world, our young nations were among the hardest hit. No community, rural or urban, was left untouched by loss," Key said. "But the service, and sacrifice, of those who fought for us -- would play a critical role in forging our national identities. "Our experiences in the First World War marked an important point in our coming of age as countries. They made us look at who we were, and we came from colonies to became nations," Key said.
- 'Gone but never forgotten' -
Before the service thousands had lined the streets of Albany for a commemorative troop march, ahead of a symbolic departure of a flotilla of naval warships from King George Sound. Albany in the far south of Western Australia was the gathering point for ships carrying the Australian Imperial Force and New Zealand Expeditionary Force which were later to become known as the 'Anzacs'. The first convoy was joined at sea two days later by two ships carrying more Australian troops along with the Japanese cruiser HIJMS Ibuki to help protect their journey. Japanese and New Zealand ships alongside French troops were also set to participate in this weekend's commemorations in Albany, a town which for many Australians who fought in WWI was the last they saw of home. "On days such as this we do not glorify war but we do acknowledge the selflessness and comradeship of shared struggle," Abbott told the gathering which included French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and Japan's Parliamentary Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Kazuyuki Nakane. "Today we also remember all those we fought with, the soldiers and sailors of the countries of the British empire, of gallant France, and of Japan, first an ally, then a foe, now the very best of friends. "We remember them all. They are all gone now. Gone, but never forgotten by the nation they shaped." Among those who travelled to Albany for the event was Judy Purdie, who told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation she was there in honour of her grandfather who left Albany to fight in France in 1916. "It put tears in my eyes. It's just a very emotional time, it's wonderful," she said. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Nationwide blackout hits Bangladesh | ||
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Dhaka (AFP) - A nationwide power blackout hit Bangladesh on Saturday after a transmission line failed, the government said. Engineers "are working to fix the outage" which hit all areas linked to the national electricity grid, Masud Alberuni, a senior power ministry official, told AFP. "The national grid tripped" close to mid-day, Alberuni said. "As a result, all the power generating stations automatically shut down," he said. Saturday is a weekend day in Bangladesh so the impact on industry was not as severe as if the blackout had occurred on a weekday. But homes and shops were without electricity to power appliances. Dhaka international airport was running on generator fuel, the power ministry official said. Alberuni did not identify the transmission line which had suffered the problem. But Bangladeshi media reported that it involved a transmission line transporting electricity from India to its northeastern neighbour. Bangladesh began importing power from India late last year through a transmission line stretching from India's eastern state of West Bengal to southwestern Bangladesh. Electricity supplies in Bangladesh, one of the world's poorest and most densely populated countries, are vastly stretched. Growth in energy consumption has outdistanced economic growth in Bangladesh, as in other parts of the developing world, with an expanding middle-class and increasing industrialisation imposing ever-heavier loads on scant fuel-generating capacity.
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Juncker's new EU Commission takes office | ||
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Brussels (AFP) - The new European Commission led by EU veteran Jean-Claude Juncker formally took office Saturday, promising to "get down to work" as Europe faces a host of political and economic challenges. The agenda is heavy, with Juncker making it his first task to launch a 300 billion euro ($380 billion) investment plan by Christmas to kickstart a faltering economy plagued by stubborn, near-record unemployment. The Ukraine crisis meanwhile shows no sign of easing, the European Union is locked in difficult talks on a massive and controversial trade deal with Washington and Britain's future in the bloc is uncertain. "Now it's time to roll up the sleeves and get down to work. Europe's challenges cannot wait," Juncker said in a statement Saturday. "As of today, my team and I will work hard to deliver Europe the new start we have promised. A first test comes Sunday when pro-Russian rebels plan elections in the areas they control in eastern Ukraine in defiance of the EU which says they are illegal, will not be recognised and undermine fragile peace efforts. The Commission, the EU's executive arm, wields huge powers from the massive glass-and-steel Berlaymont headquarters in central Brussels, drawing up the legislative proposals needed to put the member states' decisions into effect. Its 23,500 strong staff also submit myriad proposals across the whole agenda, be it on the economy or environment for member state leaders to consider when they meet in the European Council.
- Experienced politician -
Juncker is no stranger to the halls of power in Brussels. He served for 19 years as Luxembourg prime minister and was head of the eurozone group of finance ministers during the darkest days of the debt crisis when the single currency seemed on the brink of collapse. A famously dry sense of humour, an ability to get things done, to find the common ground where none seemed to exist and a convivial approach to life all served him well during the many long nights of the crisis. Juncker succeeds Portugal's Jose Manuel Barroso who served 10 years, during which time the EU expanded from 15 to 28 members and the Commission gained unprecedented powers in economic policy, including the right to vet eurozone member state budgets. The parlous state of the economy, however, with growth struggling and new jobs in short supply, has taken the gloss off the European dream for many and eurosceptic parties made significant gains in May elections. In response, Juncker has promised repeatedly to make Europe work again for its 500 million citizens. "This is the 'last-chance' Commission," he told the European Parliament last month. "Either we succeed in bringing Europe's citizens together, to drastically reduce the level of unemployment and offer a way forward for our youth, or we fail." Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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