How the ISIS is Using Scorched Earth Tactics as it Retreats

Satellite imagery of the current operations by Iraqi forces to retake Mosul reveal how ISIS can inflict damage even when the militant group is on the run.

Iraqi forces began the operation to retake Mosul on Oct. 16, with forces advancing from the south along the Tigris River and from the east with the goal of retaking the outskirts of the city before beginning a block-by-block clearing of the largest city still held by ISIS in Iraq.

Imagery from the past week reveals front-line fires near the city as well as two large industrial fires that were set off by ISIS as the militants retreated from those positions. The black smoke is from the Qayyarah oil field, which burned for over four months, and the white smoke that began on Oct. 20 is from a sulphur plant in Mishraq that was retaken by Iraqi forces within days of the start of the operation.

While Iraqi forces continue to push out the ISIS, the militants are leaving behind destroyed infrastructure and dangerous environmental conditions.

On June 18, Iraqi security forces began an offensive to retake Qayyarah, which ISIS seized in 2014. The militants used an oil field complex and refinery 40 miles south of Mosul to finance its operations. Based on satellite imagery, ISIS was apparently aware an attack was imminent because smoke began emanating from a small number of wells on June 16.

On July 9, Iraqi forces secured a large air base nine miles west of Qayyarah. By then, more than 10 well heads were ablaze. On Aug. 25, Iraqi forces declared that Qayyarah had been retaken from ISIS. By the end of the summer, more than 15 wells were on fire. In September, close to 600 U.S. troops arrived at the air base to assist Iraqi forces with the planned offensive. While ISIS is no longer in control of Qayyarah, it still occasionally attacks the facility.

The refinery served as the largest employer for Qayyarah, which had a population of 30,000 before the militants took over. Once able to process 10,000 barrels a day (bpd), the refinery produced just 2,000 bpd under ISIS. It has now been rendered useless by ISIS sabotage. The town’s population dwindled to roughly 13,000 during ISIS occupation.

The Washington Post

How the ISIS is Using Scorched Earth Tactics as it Retreats

Lagarde: Further Reforms Needed in GCC Countries to Face Low Oil Prices

Riyadh–Christine Lagarde, managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), said that Saudi Arabia has started a great change in economic policy to respond to low oil prices.

She added that the Saudis have started a fiscal adjustment, with expenditures coming down and revenues increasing.

“These efforts should continue over the medium-term including through further increases in energy prices which are still low by international standards, further revenue-raising measures including from the planned introduction of excises and the VAT at the GCC level, and further spending restraint,” she said during a joint news conference with Saudi Finance Minister Ibrahim Al-Assaf in Riyadh on Wednesday.

Lagarde also stressed that the so-called “Vision 2030” and “National Transformation Program (NTP)” strategies provide for “ambitious” reforms to reduce the country’s dependency on the commodity.

The IMF managing director said that GCC countries should implement further reforms to face the decline in oil prices.

“The reforms that the GCC countries have been implementing over the past year in response to the decline in oil prices are impressive,” Lagarde said, stressing these countries need to continue enforcing fiscal adjustment measures in the medium term.

“Where possible, countries should phase in deficit-reduction measures gradually, while strengthening their medium-term fiscal frameworks and fiscal transparency to support the adjustment,” she said.

“Policies to support growth and employment will also need to continue,” she added.

For his part, Al-Assaf said that the IMF forecasts for GDP growth of 1.2 percent this year and 2.0 percent in 2017 were “reasonable”, noting that he expects economic growth to be “2.0 percent or less” in 2017.

He said he hoped plans to impose region-wide VAT and excise taxes would be finalized at a meeting of GCC finance ministers on Thursday.

Lagarde: Further Reforms Needed in GCC Countries to Face Low Oil Prices

Washington 'Troubled' by Sentence of American Citizen in Iran

Washington-The United States has said that it was “troubled” by Iran’s 18-year sentence of an American citizen as the State Department urged Tehran to cease arbitrary detentions.

“We are troubled by reports that Robin or Reza Shahini, a person reported to be a U.S. citizen, may have been convicted and sentenced to 18 years in prison,” State Department spokesman John Kirby said Tuesday.

“We reaffirm our calls on Iran to respect and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms, cease arbitrary and politically motivated detentions, and ensure fair and transparent judicial proceedings in all criminal prosecutions consistent with its laws and its international obligations,” he said.

Kirby stressed that Washington holds onto its policy of not paying any ransom for prisoners.

“We don’t pay ransom. We didn’t then, we don’t now, we’re not going to change that policy going forward. And we’re going to continue to raise our concerns with Iranian officials about the detained citizens there,” he said.

“That’s not going to stop. We’re also going to continue to call on Iran to respect and protect human rights and to ensure fair and transparent judicial proceedings,” the spokesman added.

The sentence against Shahini comes after an Iranian American businessman and his 80-year-old father were sentenced last week to 10 years in an Iranian prison.

Siamak Namazi and his father Baquer Namazi were sentenced for collaboration with the American government.

Shahini, 45, immigrated to the U.S. in 2000 and resided in the California city of San Diego. He received the citizenship in 2009.

The San Diego man said he was arrested July 11 when he was visiting his mother and other family members in Iran.

State Department sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that contacts are underway between Washington and Tehran to resolve Shahini’s case.

Analysts said that the long sentences against U.S. citizens of Iranian origin could harm ties between the two countries.

Iran is seeking to pressure Washington to receive ransom, they added.

Washington 'Troubled' by Sentence of American Citizen in Iran

Britain, U.S. Deploy Planes, Troops to Deter Russia in The East

Britain announced on Wednesday that it will be sending fighter jets to Romania in 2017 and that the United States made promises on deploying troops, tanks and artillery to Poland in NATO’s biggest military build-up on Russia’s borders since the Cold War.

Germany, Canada and other NATO allies also pledged forces at a defense ministers meeting in Brussels on the same day two Russian warships armed with cruise missiles entered the Baltic Sea between Sweden and Denmark, underscoring East-West tensions.

In Madrid, the foreign ministry said Russia had withdrawn a request to refuel three warships in Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta after NATO allies said they could be used to target civilians in Syria.

The ships were part of an eight-ship carrier battle group – including Russia’s sole aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov – that is expected to join around 10 other Russian vessels already off the Syrian coast, diplomats said.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the troop contributions to a new 4,000-strong force in the Baltics and eastern Europe were a measured response to what the alliance believes are some 330,000 Russian troops stationed on Russia’s western flank near Moscow.

“This month alone, Russia has deployed nuclear-capable Iskander missiles to Kaliningrad and suspended a weapons-grade plutonium agreement with the United States,” Stoltenberg said, also accusing Russia of continued support for rebels in Ukraine.

Those ballistic missiles can hit targets across Poland and the Baltics, although NATO officials declined to say if Russia had moved nuclear warheads to Kaliningrad.

NATO’s aim is to make good on a July promise by NATO leaders to deter Russia in Europe’s ex-Soviet states, after Moscow orchestrated the annexation of the Crimea peninsula in 2014.

NATO’s plan is to set up four battle groups with a total of some 4,000 troops from early next year, backed by a 40,000-strong rapid-reaction force, and if need be, follow-on forces.

As part of that, U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter announced a “battle-ready battalion task force” of about 900 soldiers would be sent to eastern Poland, as well as another, separate force equipped with tanks and other heavy equipment to move across eastern Europe.

“It’s a major sign of the U.S. commitment to strengthening deterrence here,” Carter said.

Britain’s Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said Britain would send an 800-strong battalion to Estonia, supported by French and Danish troops, starting from May. The United States wants its troops in position by June.

London is also sending Typhoon fighter aircraft to Romania to patrol around the Black Sea, partly in support of Turkey.

“Although we are leaving the European Union, we will be doing more to help secure the eastern and southern flanks of NATO,” Fallon said.

Britain, U.S. Deploy Planes, Troops to Deter Russia in The East

Microsoft Reveal 3D Features for New Windows Update

Microsoft Corp an groundbreaking announcement on Wednesday informing the over 400 million Windows’ 10 users worldwide that a free update to its operating system that lets users take photos and edit content in three dimensions, in a bid to raise excitement for its declining computing business.

The Windows 10 Creators Update, coming in early 2017, lets users on mobile devices take three-dimensional photos by scanning an object as they walk around it. It also allows for 3D graphics in Microsoft’s popular PowerPoint presentation software, and a new “Paint 3D” application lets people edit photos and other designs in three dimensions.

Shares of Microsoft were up 0.2 percent in morning trading.

Terry Myerson, Microsoft’s executive vice president for the Windows and devices group, said the update was tailored for gamers who are increasingly interested in augmented and virtual reality experiences.

“Windows 10 will be your platform for gaming glory,” he said at a product launch event in New York. Accessories for the update will start at $299, Myerson said.

The revamped operating system and accessories, which also will let users tour world heritage sites in virtual reality, come as Microsoft’s Windows and mobile business is struggling.

Revenue for the unit fell 1.8 percent last quarter to $9.29 billion, Microsoft said last week. It forecast the division’s sales at up to $11.6 billion for this quarter, well below year-earlier results of $12.7 billion.

Nonetheless, Microsoft is riding high on its fast-growing cloud business, which companies can use to host their websites, apps or data. Shares of Microsoft have doubled since August 2013, with Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella restoring investor confidence by focusing on mobile and cloud computing rather than PCs.

Microsoft Reveal 3D Features for New Windows Update

'Private Sector' Tops Discussions among GCC Ministers of Housing

Riyadh- The 15th GCC Housing Ministers committee kicked off on Tuesday under chairmanship of Housing Minister Majed bin Abdullah Al-Hogail.

In his speech at the meeting, Al-Hogail stressed the importance of collaboration among the GCC states to overcome the impact of global economic crisis on Housing projects in the Gulf region.

He added that this collaboration should be in the form of holding workshops and exchanging expertise to come up with a unified vision to help in the sector’s development.

Moreover, al-Hogail explained that the GCC ministers of housing have put programs to include the private sector, find solutions for the housing crisis, and benefit from some Gulf experiences, including UAE and Bahrain.

He said that every Gulf state has different needs and the main target of this meeting is to put a joint experience database in which all can benefit from the Gulf successful experiences.

Regarding local matter, al-Hogail said that the Saudi 2030 Vision confirmed the participation of the private sector to sustain the housing sector in the framework of the transfer of government subsidy to the private subsidy.

He also hoped that the companies could play a role better than its current one and is not limited to the regional countries.

The ministers reviewed topics listed on the agenda, such as decisions of the Supreme Council and the housing database, besides discussing the declaration of the GCC award under the theme ‘Providing the Suitable Housing by the Best Use of Resources.’

The meeting also discussed the participation in the fourth Arab Housing Conference, which will be organized in Riyadh during December 20- 22 under the title “Activating Partnership between the Public and Private Sectors to Promote Housing Sector.”

For his part, Kuwaiti Housing Minister Yasser Abul said that he gave the conferees a briefing on Kuwait’s unique housing experience of setting up an apartment-owners’ union for those who has been given government housing units.

He believed that such a move would surely protect both the landlord and the government.

'Private Sector' Tops Discussions among GCC Ministers of Housing

Gary Lineker Defends Twitter Views as the Sun Gives him Red Card

It may be hard to recall now that he has the country’s biggest-selling newspaper baying for his head over his views on immigration, but the only thing Gary Lineker used to be criticised for was failing to have an opinion.

Famously never booked in his footballing career and gently mocked for his inoffensiveness during his playing heyday, the journey from being lauded by the Sun as England’s goal-scoring hero to “jug-eared leftie luvvie” has been a long and winding one.

The Match of the Day host, who is one of the BBC’s best-known faces and also presents BT Sport’s Champions League coverage, maintained his sense of humour on Friday after the Sun called for him to be sacked over what they called “migrant lies” amid ongoing public debate about the government’s treatment of child refugees from Calais.

“Getting a bit of a spanking today, but things could be worse: Imagine, just for a second, being a refugee having to flee from your home,” said Lineker on the social networking site through which he has aired his opinion on the way newspapers have reported events in Calais.

“Must say though, I’m rather chuffed to have been called a ‘luvvie’,” added Lineker, who also thanked those who had responded with messages of support.

In the wake of newspaper front pages earlier this week that questioned the ages of child migrants being admitted to join their families in the UK, Lineker had said: “The treatment by some towards these young refugees is hideously racist and utterly heartless. What’s happening to our country?”

The former Everton, Spurs and Barcelona striker has continued to speak his mind on Twitter despite the polarised reaction. On the eve of the European referendum, Lineker sent a late-night tweet that said: “Whatever happens, Nigel Farage will always be a dick”.

The 55-year-old presenter later apologised for the personal insult, but the next day made his feelings on Brexit clear: “Feel ashamed of my generation. We’ve let down our children and their children.”

Those views, in the face of rabid support for Brexit from the Mail and the Sun – combined with his role as a well-paid BBC presenter at a time when the corporation has again been under pressure from familiar critics – have made him a target.

Lineker’s distaste for the editorial agenda and modus operandi of the Mail and the Sun, in particular, is not new and has been simmering for some time. He quit his Mail on Sunday column after six months in 2011 following what he viewed as a sting operation on the FA chairman at the time, Lord Triesman, who was forced to step down at a time when England was bidding to host the 2018 World Cup.

Since then, he has frequently attacked the Mail in particular. In a 2013 Guardian interview, he said criticism of Match of the Day was essentially “a Daily Mail thing – and their anti-BBC issue”.

In 2014, he told the Guardian that “Twitter Gary” enabled him to be more outspoken than he could be on television. “I’ve quite often written tweets that I think are across that line, but I just delete them. There’s a few of those,” he said. “My law to myself is, if I’ve got doubts, then don’t send it. Do I really need the shit? Although I suppose I quite enjoy finding out where the line is.”

Lineker’s career as a television anchor has brought him a £2m-plus salary – he took a BBC pay cut, but then signed his deal with BT Sport for live Champions League coverage – and maintained his status as a household name.

The Guardian

Gary Lineker Defends Twitter Views as the Sun Gives him Red Card