Isis 'just one mile from Baghdad' as al-Qaeda fighters join forces against Syria air strikes

According to the Foundation for Relief and Reconciliation in the Middle East, Isis was approaching the Iraqi capital on Monday morning.

"The Islamic State are now less than 2km away from entering Baghdad," a spokesperson said.

"They said it could never happen and now it almost has. Obama says he overestimated what the Iraqi Army could do. Well you only need to be here a very short while to know they can do very very little."

Isis fighters were also battling Government forces in a key town 25 miles west of Baghdad - Amiriyat al-Fallujah.

According to a BBC correspondent, fighting had calmed by Monday afternoon but a standoff continued along the main road to nearby Fallujah, which is under Isis control.

The extremists had been advancing towards the capital but were held off by bombing and Iraqi ground forces.

Peshmerga fighters hold their position in the strategic Jalawla area, in Diyala province, which is a gateway to BaghdadUS air strikes overnight targeted other Isis positions in Anbar province, the Pentagon said, and in Syria four more oil fields controlled by militants near Raqqa were hit on Sunday.

American officials called the attacks “successful” but the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claimed mostly civilians were hit and a grain silo was destroyed.

The news comes amid reports of an emerging alliance between Isis forces in Syria and Jabhat al-Nusra, also known as the Nusra Front.

The group is the Syrian offshoot of al-Qaeda and has been fighting against the Assad regime in the civil war.

Despite months of clashes between its forces and Isis (also known as Islamic State) militants, the two groups appear to be forming a loose coalition in parts of the country to fight increasing attacks by the US and its allies.

al-Nusra has called US airstrikes against Isis "a war against Islam"

Al-Nusra’s official spokesperson, Abu Firas al-Suri, threatened the coalition nations with retaliation on Saturday.

“These states have committed a horrible act that is going to put them on the list of jihadist targets throughout the world,” he said.

“This is not a war against al-Nusra, but a war against Islam.”

Al-Nusra and Isis leaders are now holding war planning meetings together, a source told the Guardian, although no formal alliance has been confirmed.

The reports follow growing defections from other Islamist groups to Isis, which is seen as better organised and equipped to create an “Islamic State” straddling Iraq and Syria.

A loyalty pledge was reportedly made by al-Nusra in June in the town of Al-Bukamal near the Iraqi border, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, and the two groups have fought together against Government forces.

A Tornado GR4 alongside a Voyager refuelling aircraft during the RAF’s first combat mission against Isis in northern Iraq

The report appeared to be confirmed on Twitter by a photograph showing an Egyptian al-Nusra Front commander shaking hands with an Isis leader of Chechen origin.

Although both Isis and al-Nusra are rooted in al-Qaeda, the two have been rivals since Isis started its involvement in Syria’s civil war in spring last year and have engaged in bloody battles killing more than 3,000 militants from both sides.

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A merger had been declared by Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in 2013, when Isis was known as al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI), but the alliance was rejected by al-Nusra and overruled by al-Qaeda leader al-Zawahiri.

But the international response to Isis’ bloody rampage through Iraq and Syria, and the beheadings of British and American hostages, is pushing the groups towards an alliance.

An al-Nusra source told Reuters: “There are hardline voices inside Nusra who are pushing for reconciliation with Islamic State.”

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MOL Says Ukraine Crisis Won't Disrupt Its Crude Oil Supplies From Russia

• Sep. 30 2014 08:47
• Last edited 08:44

Mol GroupHungarian oil group MOL still gets most of its crude oil from Russia via Ukraine, despite the ongoing crisis in that country.

Hungarian oil group MOL is reasonably confident that its crude supplies from Russia will not be disrupted by the Ukraine conflict because its Russian partners are reputable companies, the head of its downstream business said.

Ferenc Horvath, MOL's Executive Vice President for Downstream, told the Reuters Eastern Europe Investment Summit that MOL had also started purchasing crude for its Hungarian refinery via an Adriatic pipeline, from Kurdistan and elsewhere, a year ago, although it still gets most of its crude from Russia via Ukraine.

"From a Russian point of view I don't see an execution risk. Of course, there is always a risk due to [the] Russia-Ukraine political situation for some disruption of crude deliveries," Horvath said Monday.

He said MOL was buying one cargo, or 80,000 tonnes, of crude via the Adriatic each month.

"We are ready and our system is able to supply via the Adriatic pipeline enough crude for our Hungarian refinery, and also the majority of the Slovak refinery can be served."

MOL was adjusting to the excess refinery capacity in Europe and had already transformed its Italian refinery into a logistics hub, Horvath said.

He also urged Croatian oil and gas company INA, in which MOL holds close to 50 percent, to consolidate its refining capacity at one site instead of keeping two refineries running, which is generating losses.

The Croatian economy minister, who has heading Croatia's team during negotiations with MOL, has not been willing to discuss plans to rationalize INA's refining business so far. The Croatian government is the other big shareholder in INA.

Horvath said INA refineries are probably the smallest and least competitive in Europe. INA's Rijeka refinery had a much better chance of being competitive in the market than its Sisak facility, he said.

"As I could see from the earlier calculations and materials and discussions with colleagues from INA, there is no economic rationale and no economic environment where Sisak can competitively continue its refining operation," he said.

As for MOL's outlook, Horvath said the refining and petrochemical environment had improved a lot in the third quarter, with margins increasing, and consumption rising this year in Central Europe, MOL's core markets.

This slow recovery in fuel consumption should continue in the third quarter, he said.

"And regarding the Russia-Ukraine crisis, I believe that the impact on fuel consumption in this region will not be so direct or so quick," Horvath said.

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Ukraine opens criminal proceedings against Russian investigative officials

© RIA Novosti, Alexey Kudenko

Tags: Criminal justice, Investigative Committee, Ukraine, Russia

11:07 30/09/2014

MOSCOW, September 30 (RAPSI) – The Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine has opened criminal proceedings against Russian Investigative Committee officials in response to Moscow’s investigation of crimes committed in Donbas and other Ukrainian regions, the office writes on its website on Tuesday.

Kiev has described Russian investigators’ activity as interference in the sphere of its competence.

Ukrainian prosecutors also said the opening of the Russian criminal proceedings on Ukraine was designed to help the Donetsk and Luhansk republics, which Kiev describes as terrorist organizations, and that it is hindering the execution of authority by Ukrainian government officials and the public.
The Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office did not name the Russian individuals against whom it has opened the case.

The Russian Investigative Committee announced on Monday that it has launched an investigation into the genocide of Russian speakers in the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk people’s republics. According to Russian investigators, “unidentified senior political and military officials in Ukraine, the Ukrainian armed forces, the National Guard and the Right Sector issued orders aimed at the extermination of precisely Russian-speaking residents in the Donetsk and Luhansk republics.”

The Ukrainian prosecutors recalled that a special department was established at the Russian Investigative Committee this summer to investigate crimes against civilians in Ukraine. Russia also opened a case against Ukrainian pilot Nadiya Savchenko, who is blamed for the death of Russian journalists, and a case on the use of prohibited methods and means of warfare in Donbas, where Kiev is conducting a special operation against the local self-defense forces.

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IS, Iraq battle over key town

Iraqi ground forces, backed by air strikes, appear to have halted advancing Islamic State (IS) militants in a town west of Baghdad.

The BBC’s Lyse Doucet in the Iraqi capital says the air strikes followed clashes with IS militants, who have been making gains towards the capital.

Amariya al-Falluja, 40km (25 miles) from Baghdad, is a key strategic town.

It comes as a US-led coalition continues to carry out air strikes on IS targets in Syria and Iraq.

The area around Amariya al-Falluja is now said to be calm, but there is a standoff along the main road to Falluja to the north, which is controlled by IS, our correspondent says.

US aircraft also attacked other IS positions in Anbar province overnight, the Pentagon said.

Meanwhile, Turkish tanks have taken up positions on a hill along the border near the Syrian town of Kobane after several shells hit Turkish territory during clashes between IS militants and Kurdish fighters.

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Mourinho: I'll stay for as long as Chelsea want

Jose Mourinho says he will stay at Chelsea for as long as the club and owner Roman Abramovich want him to.

Mourinho's side have enjoyed an unbeaten start to the season but the Portuguese knows his job will come under threat should he not deliver silveraware again this season.

"I will only leave when Mr Abramovich calls me to tell me it is over," Mourinho told Portuguese newspaper Record. "Only on that day will I look for other solutions.

For the first time in four full seasons as a Chelsea manager, Mourinho finished without a trophy last season. The 51-year-old knows a second successive campaign without something to show for it would bring pressure."Last time [at Chelsea] it was different because even though I was heart and soul in the project I was leading, I always asked myself 'which will be the next one?' Now it's the first time I don't think about it."

That is ultimately what led to his shock Chelsea exit in September 2007; having relinquished the title to Manchester United the season before, the hierarchy deemed an FA Cup and League Cup double not good enough. Mourinho then left following the club's indifferent start to the 2007/08 campaign.

Should it happen again, however, Mourinho indicated he would be open to take over at another Premier League club.

He said: "If it had to be, yes, but my priority will always be Chelsea and never think about the interest of others.

"I know football and know I won't be here five, eight, ten years if I don't manage to win. Of course not. When I have to think about the matter then we'll see.

"The difference is that last time I didn't have the aim of staying many, many years. Now I'll stay as long as they want me to. I really am the happy one."

Mourinho's side travel to Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League on Tuesday night. It is a former stomping ground for Mourinho, who was part of Sir Bobby Robson's backroom staff at the club before Robson was sacked in 1993.

"I have the best memories of Sporting. I only had one bad one, which was the day we learned Sporting was going to dispense with the services of manager Bobby Robson," Mourinho said.

"It was a project in which people had their heart and soul and the manager felt they could become champions. I was the do-it-all boy, willing to help.

"He had a nice group who believed it was possible to win the league. It wasn't. But that's part of football."

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Ashley Cole looking forward to Frank Lampard reunion during Manchester City v AS Roma in Champions League

Ashley Cole is looking forward to facing his former Chelsea and England teammate Frank Lampard when AS Roma take on Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium in the Champions League on Tuesday.

When Ashley Cole left the Premier League for Serie A in the summer, he probably did not expect to be back in England so soon.

But the former England international is back in his native country, as he prepares to help his new club ASRoma progress to the last 16 of the Champions League.

The 33-year-old left-back will be in action for the Italian club on Tuesday when they take on English champions Manchester City in a Group E clash at the Etihad Stadium.

On Tuesday, Cole will face his former Chelsea teammate Frank Lampard, who was also released by the London club at the end of last season. The 36-year-old is actually on the books of New York City FC, but is on loan at City until January.

Cole is looking forward to playing against him as well as his ex-England international teammate Joe Hart on Tuesday.

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Van Persie offers insight into Van Gaal’s methods at Man United

Robin van Persie has revealed some detailed insight into Louis van Gaal’s methods and why he is so confident they will be a big success at Manchester United.

Alongside Daley Blind, Van Persie is the only other Dutchman in United’s first-team and their time spent with Van Gaal at the World Cup has given them the perfect head start with Van Gaal which is helping them be part of his philosophy right now.

“If I look at what I have seen in training and on the pitch in games I can see that it is getting much better. Now we have to extend that and make at least the top four. That is a realistic target but it’s still early in the season. We are winners. We are not here just to set low standards. We want them to be as high as possible, winning games and winning trophies.” Robin van Persie

Speaking to The Telegraph, Van Persie emphasised Van Gaal’s collective methods of making sure all the squad got involved in every aspect and how it helps build the philosophy at the club.

“Everybody gets involved in the project and everyone has their own say which is maybe new for some players but not for me, as I know how he works,” he said.

“I think it’s very interesting and very good because we are all pulling on the same rope, as the Dutch say. It is very demanding in a good way as you have to be focused every single day of the sessions or the meetings.

“He wants players to get involved in the meeting, too. You have to give your own input which is what the staff likes, but that’s a bit of the Dutch thing. Only me and Daley Blind knew how he worked before, so that takes some time, but I’m convinced we will do what he wants us to do and go where he wants us to go.

“I had two years with Van Gaal as the national coach and that’s a different situation from working with him on a daily basis. I had a bit of insight in to how he works and it gave me a head start, but his way of working is very good, very direct and very clear for everyone. There is a lot of communication and he is doing great, but he’s trying to get his philosophy in to a lot of new players.”

At face value, the morale in United’s campaign is very good right now. The loss to Leicester City didn’t knock the wind out of United’s sails and they immediately bounced back with a 2-1 victory over West Ham.

Van Gaal’s methodologies don’t promote immediate success but so long as he has the time to bring it all together, United could soon be playing the best football in the league which is certainly something to be excited about.

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