Syrian Jets Bomb Rebel Town as Isis Take Another Border Post

Smoke rises from an oil refinery in Baiji, north of Baghdad, on 19 June, 2014.Reuters

Syrian fighter planes raided areas close to the Iraq border under the control of the Sunni Islamist rebels even as the Iraqi front of Isis took control of more territory in the north-west of the country and intensified the battle for the biggest oil refinery in the country.

At least 16 people were killed and dozens injured as jets bombed residential areas in the town of Muhassan, which lies just over 100 km from the border with Iraq.

Meanwhile, militants from the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isis) seized a border post on the Iraq-Syria frontier, Reuters reported, citing security sources.

The Iraqi government, which is tottering under the heavy onslaught of the Isis forces that saw the quick disintegration of the US-trained armed forces, denied the outpost had fallen to the militants, but the fast-paced advance of the Sunni militia looked poised to erase colonial era borders between the two strife-torn countries.

Isis's capture of al-Qaim, a strategic town in a key supply route, will also pit the al-Qaeda- inspired militant outfit against rival Sunni factions that control vast swathes of land in the civil war-afflicted Syria's eastern regions.

The neighbouring Albukamal border post within Syrian borders has been under the control of the Syrian Sunni opposition outfit called the Nusra Front, which has fought with Iraq's Isis on numerous occasions in the past for regional hegemony.

Colonial era border erased

Analysts who monitor the developments in Syria and Iraq have said the latest developments point to the smashing of a century-old border lines between Iraq and Syria drawn by colonial powers Britain and France.

The head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights [SOHR] monitoring group, Rami Abdulrahman, said Isis had pushed the Nusra Front out from many areas of eastern Syria in the past few days.

Isis's capture of al-Qaim will help them marginalise rival factions of Sunni militancy and allow them to consolidate their grip on the area straddling the two countries where they aim to establish a hardline Sunni Islamic caliphate, according to Rami Abdulrahman, the head of the SOHR.

The Isis has become a more dreaded outfit in the last two weeks following their confiscation of weapons from fleeing Iraqi troops and the looting of millions of dollars from banks in Mosul, the second biggest city of Iraq which they took control of in the beginning of their latest campaign.

With civil war looming over Iraq, neighbouring Iran, a Shiite country, has thrown its weight behind the Nouri al-Maliki government in Baghdad and said it would not hesitate to send troops to Iraq to defend the Shiite shrines.

However, Saudi Arabia, which is ruled by Sunnis, has warned Tehran not to meddle in the internal affairs of Iraq.

Pakistan Gang Rape: Police Arrest Three Men after Woman is Found Hanged from Tree

GRAPHIC IMAGE WARNING:

The body of 20-year-old Muzammil Bibi was discovered by her parents.Reuters

A man has confessed to the rape and murder of a woman in Pakistan.

20-year-old Muzammil Bibi's body was found hanging from a tree in the Layyah district of Punjab province.

Police have confirmed that the woman's boyfriend of six months, named as Muhammad Saqib, was taken into custody after he confessed to her rape and murder.

He admitted he attempted to force the victim to have sex with two of his friends at a wholesale vegetable shop where he worked, but she refused.

After she resisted the rape her attackers strangled her. Her body was hanged to make it appear to be a suicide.

Senior police official Ghazi Salahudin said: "The incident occurred in Layyah district (in Punjab province) on Thursday night and was reported to the police on Friday when the local people saw a woman hanging from a tree."

The incident echoes an attack in India last month, in which two teenage girls were found gang-raped and hanged from a mango tree in Uttar Pradesh state. Three men were arrested over the killings and two policemen were held on suspicion of trying to cover up the crime.

Senior officer Sadaqat Ali Chohan said that the latest rape and murder of a woman in Pakistan bears a chilling similarity to the UP gang rapes and may have been a copycat crime.

"This is the first time in my 22 years of service in the police that I have seen such a case, where a girl was raped in this way and found hanging from a tree," he said.

"We have heard of such cases in India but never in Pakistan. The girl's clothes were torn. We took her down and moved her to hospital. Her body had signs of resistance. We have arrested three individuals who have confessed to the crime."

The victim was the eldest of eight siblings. Her parents are both blind and earn their livelihood by farming a small piece of land.

Police said her parents spent all night looking for her and found her body hanging the next morning.

The latest incident in Pakistan follows the death of 17-year-old Pakistani gang rape victim, Amina Bibi, who died after setting herself on fire in protest at a police decision to set a key suspect in the case free.

The incidence of rape and domestic violence is not as high profile in Pakistan as it is in India. India's government has been heavily criticised for their alleged lack of action over the rising number of rapes in the country. The Delhi gang rape of a student on a bus sparked protests in the Indian capital, with demands for more severe penalties for perpetrators.

A rape is reported on average ever 20 minutes in India, but critics claim many more are either unreported or deliberately ignored by police.

Earlier this month, a member of India's ruling BJP party caused outrage after making comments suggesting that an incident can only be accepted as rape if the authorities are notified.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has called for action over sexual violence against women.

"We say no to the dismissive, destructive attitude of 'Boys will be boys'. Together, we can empower more people to understand that violence against women degrades us all."

'Empty' Wayne Rooney Tells England Fans: 'Sorry for World Cup Exit'

Wayne Rooney faced the media after England were sent crashing out of the World Cup

Wayne Rooney cut a dejected figure as he faced the media after England's World Cup disaster in Brazil.

The forward said sorry to fans who travelled thousands of miles or stayed up late, only for England to be dumped out of the competition after just two games.

The "frustrated" 28-year-old said it was an "empty feeling" after Italy and Uruguay ended England's World Cup dream.

"We're sorry for not going through. We've dedicated our lives to this tournament and unfortunately we haven't succeeded," said Rooney ."Hopefully in the future we'll give them something to be happy about."

Rooney insisted manager Roy Hodgson was the right man to take the team forward, following speculation over whether the boss should go.

"Roy is the man to take us forward. He's changed the way we play over the past couple of years," said Rooney. "You can see the progression; obviously the results have been disappointing over the past two games.

"You can feel the progression and this will help them. Hopefully in the future this will make us a better team."

The Manchester United star said his first World Cup goal - netted against Uruguay, meant nothing amid such dire circumstances for England.

Instead, the player some claim is England's only world-class performer said he was left with a "strange" and "empty feeling."

He said: "This team is much bigger than Wayne Rooney is," he said. "I'm part of this team and working hard to make this team successful.

"It's not about me scoring, it's about us trying to do the right things; I think we did some good things. We tried to be positive but at the end of day we lost two games.

"It's a hard feeling to have. In previous tournaments we maybe haven't played as well and gone through, whereas in this tournament it's been fine margins and we could have quite easily. It's tough to take

"It'll be tough these next few days but we have to be strong as a team and make sure we're ready for the game on Tuesday."

Costa Rica is the third and final group D match for England, which is now a dead rubber following England's exit.

Rooney called his team-mates to remember the pain of this competition to make them stronger in future.

"We all can learn from this. It's vital we do that. We take the pain we're feeling now and remember that come the next tournament. We have to learn from this. We have to be more clinical and maybe take our chances more and then we probably wouldn't be in the position we're in."

South African Company Sells Armed Drones for Crowd Control

The Desert Wolf Skunk octocopter is unveiled at the IFSEC International trade show in London . (Desert Wolf)

An anti-riot drone equipped with pepper spray, strobe lighting and deafening audio to disperse unruly crowds has gone on the market.

The unmanned Skunk, made by South African company Desert Wolf, has four high-pressure carbon fibre airguns each capable of firing 20 paintballs, pepper spray capsules or rubber bullets per second, "stopping any crowd in its tracks", and can carry up to 4,000 rounds at a time.

In a press release, the makers go to some lengths to reassure readers that the highest projectile firing rate will only be used in "an extreme life-threatening situation".

They said that the device had been sold to an international mining company, and could be used to help prevent another Marikana – a reference to a 2012 protest in which 34 striking miners were shot dead in clashes with police.

The Desert Wolf Skunk octocopter. (Desert Wolf)

Unveiled at a recent trade show, the Wolf is retailing for 500,000 rand (£27,400).

The drone is also capable of identifying and recording individuals in the crowd using FLIR thermal infrared and HD colour cameras, and controllers on the ground can use microphones to remotely broadcast instructions and warnings.

Hennie Kieser, Desert Wolf's managing director, said that orders were already flooding in.

"We received an order for 25 units just after [the unveiling]. We cannot disclose the customer, but I can say it will be used by an international mining house," he told the BBC.

"We are also busy with a number of other customers who want to finalise their orders -- some mines in South Africa, some security companies in South Africa and outside South Africa, some police units outside South Africa and a number of other industrial customers."

The Marikana killings are the bloodiest act of police violence in post-apartheid South Africa, and are the subject of an ongoing judicial enquiry. Ten other people, including police and security guards, died in the protests.

Police stand over the bodies of dead protesters in Marikana, 2012. (Getty)

Kieser said he had flown drones at Marikana as part of a surveillance operation.

"Anyone who was at Marikana would rather have this technology than live ammunition," he continued. "People who say it's inhumane compared to 9mm bullets are idiotic," he told the Guardian.

James Nichol, who represents the families of some of the miners killed at Marikana said that plans to use armed drones against demonstrating crowds such as that at Marikana was "disgraceful".

"It's absolutely outrageous. Using pepper spray like ammunition to scatter the crowd. People are entitled to be on strike. Who would make the decision? It's absurd," he told the paper.

Crude Oil Futures Finish Higher Amid Iraq Supply Disruption Fears

Smoke rises from an oil refinery in Baiji, north of Baghdad, on 19 June, 2014.Reuters

Crude oil prices witnessed mixed trade on 20 June, but logged gains for the week, amid fears about potential supply disruptions from Opec's second-largest crude producer Iraq, which is battling a Sunni insurgency.

August Brent contract finished 25 cents lower at $114.81 a barrel on 20 June.

Prices gained 2.1% for the week as a whole.

August US contract finished 78 cents higher at $106.83 a barrel on 20 June.

July WTI contract finished 83 cents, or 0.8%, higher at $107.26 a barrel on 20 June.

Prices inched up 0.33% for the week.

Commerzbank Corporates & Markets said in a 20 June note to clients: "A barrel of Brent oil continues trading at around $115 due to the unrest in Iraq. Developments in the region will likely dictate the direction of oil prices.

"If southern Iraq, where most production sites are located, remains calm, the oil price will probably fall back into the middle of its established medium-term trading range."

Iraqi output.IEA, Commerzbank Research

Commerzbank Corporates & Markets said in a separate note: "Recent events cast an unfavourable light on political stability and security in Iraq, and this is likely to dampen investment in oil infrastructure. It is therefore unlikely that in the years ahead Iraq's oil production will expand as quickly as hitherto assumed."

"In its recent Medium-term Oil Market Report, the International Energy Agency (IEA) lowered its forecast for Iraqi production capacity in 2018 by 470,000 barrels per day. By 2019, the IEA now expects production to increase by only 1.28 million to 4.54 million barrels per day.

"This would still mean that Iraq accounts for 60% of the growth in OPEC supply expected over this period. But much more OPEC oil will be needed at the end of this decade, because the shale oil boom in the US is expected to show a noticeable loss of momentum by then," Commerzbank added.

Iraqi Kurdish Oil

Iraqi Kurdistan looked ready to unload the first shipment of crude oil from its new pipeline at an Israeli port.

After weeks of seeking a buyer for the disputed crude, over which Iraq's central government claims sole sales rights, a ship carrying the cargo was tracked to waters near Israel's Ashkelon port on 20 June.

Reuters reported that the tanker is expected to dock early on 21 June, although it was not clear whether the oil on board the SCF Altai tanker had been sold to a local refiner or was going to be stored.

Brent At 9-Month High

Brent crude held at $114.91 a barrel at 10:34 GMT on 20 June, having breached a nine-month high of $115 a barrel on 19 June.

Tensions in Iraq have escalated in recent days as Sunni extremists, led by the militants from Isis (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant,) fought for control of Iraq's biggest oil refinery – the Baiji facility.

The White House has announced it will send 300 troops to support the Iraqi national army as it combats the insurgency.

Drive Isis Out of Iraq Now or Repent Later, Says Shia Spiritual Head Ali al-Sistani

Volunteers queue to collect their Iraqi Army uniforms in KarbalaAFP

Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the spiritual leader of Shiites in Iran, has called for the expulsion of Sunni militant group Isis from the country and suggested the Nouri al-Maliki government's mistakes had worsened the sectarian divide in the country.

The Grand Ayatollah, who had earlier exhorted Shiite believers in Iraq to take up arms to defend the government from advancing troops of the Sunni militant group, the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isis), has now said that everyone would regret in future if the militia were not thrown out.

"If fighting and dislodging them is not done today, all will feel sorry tomorrow," said the octogenarian leader revered by Shiites in Iraq.

Al-Sistani asked both Sunnis and Shias to join hands to defend the country's integrity and said the newly elected parliament should convene to take the process of government formation ahead.

In what could be a veiled reference to Maliki's policies, which his western supporters believe were inadequate to heal the sectarian divide in the country, al-Sistani said Baghdad should not repeat the past mistakes.

The Isis militants ripped through the north of the country, taking control of Mosul and Tikrit and launching an audacious attack on the biggest oil refinery in the country even as the US-trained army disintegrated.

Maliki appealed for US help to contain the militants' advance into Baghdad but the US has not decided if it should launch air strikes on the insurgents.

Reports from Washington have said the White House thinks Maliki should be replaced before the US steps in to prop up Baghdad.

US intelligence agencies' warning

Reuters reported that US intelligence agencies had warned Maliki that his government's failure to reconcile festering differences between the rival Muslim communities was alienating the Sunni minority.

Citing two security officials, the agency said high-ranking US policymakers had concluded that Maliki's policy and his government were fomenting animosity among the Sunnis and that a backlash was in the making.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon has said Iran has sent a small number of troops into Iraq to stop the Isis militants' advance to Baghdad.

"There are some Iranian revolutionary operatives in Iraq but I've seen no indication of ground forces or major units," Admiral John Kirby said.

Tehran had earlier said it would step in to protect Shia holy shrines in Iraq from the Sunni insurgents.

Gold Prices to Rise Further on Fed Reserve's Dovish Stance and Iraq Crisis

Gold prices to rise next week.Reuters

Gold prices are set to rise further next week, with a dovish US central bank and the conflict in Iraq expected to lend support to the yellow metal.

As many as 18 of 26 analysts polled in a Kitco Gold Survey said they expected gold prices to trade higher next week, while six predicted that prices will drop and two forecast prices to trade sideways.

Traders will want gold to stay above the psychologically important $1,300 an ounce level.

Ole Hansen, head of commodity strategy at Saxo Bank, said: "The triple combination of a slightly more dovish Fed, the crisis in Iraq and the technical break back above the 200-day moving average leaves the door open for higher prices next week..."

Adrian Day, who runs Adrian Day Asset Management, said: "The gold market has finally woken up to the fact that the [US] Federal Reserve is going to continue to be very accommodative. Fed Chairwoman Janet Yellen herself [made it] clear that any interest hikes are some time into the future and inferred that higher inflation is not a real concern of hers. So gold jumped after the [FOMC] meeting put out its statement and continued rallying. Iraq supports gold but is not the primary reason gold has moved up."

Gold Ends Higher

Gold futures for delivery in August finished at $1,316.60 an ounce on 20 June.

Prices jumped 3.3% for the week as a whole.

Gold rose to a two-month high of $1321.59 on 19 June, 3.45% stronger than its close on 18 June, when prices skyrocketed following the Fed policy statement, which showed the world's most powerful central bank is not yet ready to sound more hawkish despite recent growth and inflation upsides, triggering increased short-covering in the metals.

The World Gold Council WGC), the marketing body for the industry, said on 18 June it will host a meeting "to explore reform of the London Gold Fix", an age-old pricing of gold twice daily that has drawn severe criticism lately for its alleged lack of transparency.

WGC said representatives of bullion banks, refiners, exchange traded funds and other gold investment product sponsors, exchanges, industry bodies, central banks and mining companies will attend the meeting, scheduled for 7 July.

The London gold fix is used to determine the prices of the precious metal the world over.

The UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is expected to attend the meeting.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi Is 'Business Authoritarian': WikiLeaks's Julian Assange

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi.Reuters

Julian Assange, founder of whistleblower website Wikileaks, has labelled newly-elected, right-leaning Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as "business authoritarian" during a live question and answer session on social media site Reddit.

Assange, who leaked classified documents about the US military intervention in Afghanistan to spark a controversy, has been living in the Ecuadorian embassy in London since 2012.

He logged on to Reddit for an "ask me anything" session on 19 June, and discussed subjects from the World Cup to bitcoin and Edward Snowden.

Speaking about Modi, Assange noted that his election is "a very interesting development in Indian democracy".

"We have released many interesting documents on Modi's ascension to power. From these materials it's clear Modi can be most accurately described as a 'business authoritarian'," he said.

"Whether India needs a stronger centre to compete with China is an open question. Inevitably strong leaders make mistakes and eventually lose their faculties."

"Other than his extensive big business alliances, I think it is an open question as to whether Modi will bring more good than bad to India," Assange added.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led by Modi secured 282 seats on its own in India's latest general election, easily crossing the minimum 272-mark required to form government.

Modi was sworn in as India's prime minister subsequently to head the most stable government of the country in decades.

There were concerns that the BJP's brute majority over other political parties in the country could lead to authoritarian rule in the country. The government's recent hasty decision to increase railway fares steeply is seen as authoritarian by critics.

The BJP and Wikileaks had been involved in a spat before over certain US diplomatic cables released by Wikileaks in 2011, which allegedly described Modi as "incorruptible" or "the lone honest Indian politician" in India.

Wikileaks later clarified that it never endorsed Modi's honesty.

"No WikiLeaks document say #Modi is 'incorruptible', rather he is popular because 'viewed' as 'incorruptible'," WikiLeaks tweeted.

Subsequently, the BJP responded that Modi did not need a certificate from Julian Assange or Wikileaks.