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Olympics: Ebola hits youth event
8/15/2014 6:58:33 AM
- The Youth Olympic Games are taking place in Nanjing, China
- Around 700 athletes are attending the Games which starts Saturday
- International Olympic Committee takes action over Ebola threat
- Three athletes banned over virus concerns
(CNN) -- The Ebola crisis caused by the deadly virus sweeping through West Africa has forced the International Olympic Committee to ban three athletes from the region competing at the Youth Games in Nanjing, China.
The IOC says those from arriving in China from the affected areas will not be allowed to compete in combat sports or swimming, over concerns the virus could be transmitted during events.
According to the World Health Organization, 1,069 people have died from Ebola with the majority of the deaths occurring in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea.
A view of the @nanjing2014yog stadium! #yog #Nanjing2014 #youtholympics pic.twitter.com/41wlqwTNKA
— Youth Olympic Games (@youtholympics) August 9, 2014 "We regret that due to this issue some young athletes may have suffered twice, both from the anguish caused by the outbreak in their home countries and by not being able to compete in the Youth Olympic Games," read the IOC statement made in partnership with the Nanjing Youth Olympic Games Organizing Committee.
"The IOC and Organizing Committee will therefore offer to each of the National Olympic Committees affected, if they wish, that their national flag will be brought into the stadium at the opening ceremony and will be hoisted at the venues.
"The athletes who have not been able to participate will also receive in the near future an invitation from the IOC and the organizing committee to come to Nanjing to take part in a sporting competition and to experience the welcoming atmosphere and spirit of the city and Jiangsu province."
The IOC has also confirmed that other athletes from West Africa competing in events away from the swimming and combat sports will be subjected to regular physical examinations and temperature checks.
The games, which take place between August 16-28 was first held in 2010 and will attract just under 700 athletes in this year's edition.
Topless athlete stripped of gold medal
8/15/2014 11:29:27 AM
- French runner stripped of European gold in bizarre incident
- Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad took off vest in home straight
- 3,000m steeplechase star disqualified for indiscretion
- He has previous history of controversial incidents
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(CNN) -- It may have seemed like a good idea at the time but Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad's bizarre celebration in the home straight of the men's 3,000m steeplechase at the European championships has cost him dear.
Approaching the final barrier, the Frenchman had the race and gold medal in the bag, having enough time in hand to showboat by stripping off his running vest before putting it into his mouth and waving to the crowd.
Fans in the Letzigrund Stadium in Zurich jeered as he crossed the finishing line clear of his teammate Yoann Kowal in eight minutes 25.30 seconds -- his third straight victory in the event at the championships after 2010 and 2012.
The 29-year-old had the presence of mind to put his top back after the finish, but the damage was done.
Read: Bolt provides golden finale to Commonwealth Games
He was initially shown a yellow card as a warning by an official, but an appeal by Spain on behalf of fourth placed athlete Angel Mullera led to his disqualification.
His French team lodged a counter-protest but that was rejected, with Mekhissi-Benabbad disqualified under IAAF competition rules 143.1, 143.7.
Mullera was promoted to the bronze as result of the ruling.
"I find that the protest lodged by the Spaniards is anti fair-play," Ghani Yalouzsa, the technical director of the French athletics federation, was quoted by AFP.
But the double Olympic silver medalist is no stranger to controversy. After winning his 2012 Euro gold in Helsinki he was criticized for shoving a mascot who offered him a gift.
The year before, Mekhissi-Benabbad was involved in a punch-up with French teammate Mehdi Baala at the 2011 Monaco Diamond League meeting, trading blows while they were still on the track and earning a five-month suspension from their federation.
Which foods are off Russian menus?
8/15/2014 4:48:56 AM
- Russia has banned food imports from countries that have imposed sanctions against it
- As the world's fifth largest food importer, Russia relies on supply from abroad
- Russia bought $15.8 billion worth of food from the EU in 2013, and $1.3 billion worth of food from the U.S.
Editor's note: Viewing this on a mobile device? Click here to see the full infographic.
London (CNN) -- Europe's deteriorating relationship with Russia has hit the region's growth, even before new food sanctions begin to bite.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a tit for tat move against Western sanctions, last week banned imported European cheese, American chicken and Norwegian seafood from the country's dinner tables. The move was in response to countries imposing economic sanctions against Russia in the aftermath of the flight MH17 disaster.
The Kremlin banned most agriculture products from the U.S., the European Union, Norway, Canada and Australia -- a move that will likely hurt the West's already fragile economic recovery.
Europe's food exports to Russia were worth $15.8 billion in 2013, making up around 10% of the bloc's agriculture exports, according to EU data. European countries sold $1.6 billion worth of pork and $1.3 billion worth of cheese and curd to Russia.
The U.S. shipped $1.3 billion worth of food to Russia, with chicken and other poultry making up a quarter of the total value, around $310 million.
The ban of foreign food is more than just an inconvenience for Russians who like imported food. Russia is the world's fifth largest agricultural importer and remains dependent on food supply from abroad -- its agricultural trade deficit extended to $26 billion in 2013, according to data from the European Commission.
With billions worth of food disappearing from the market, prices are likely to go up and experts forecast increased Russian inflation, which is already running at 7.5%.
Russians will still be able to enjoy European wines and spirits, as well as bread, pasta and cereals. These have escaped the embargo -- even though their ban would hurt Europe economically. In 2013, EU countries sold nearly $1 billion worth of spirits and $733 million worth of wine to Russia.
Explore CNN's infographic above to see what items are likely to disappear from Russian menu.
Russia's food ban leaves Europeans with sour taste
Why Chelsea will win Premier League
8/15/2014 11:30:24 AM
- The 2014-15 English Premier League season starts on Saturday
- Chelsea, led by Jose Mourinho, is favorite to lift its first title since 2011
- Defending champion Manchester City has added six players to its squad
- Manchester United hoping to restore glory under new boss Louis van Gaal
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(CNN) -- Jose Mourinho was precisely as we had remembered him.
Provocative, outspoken, manipulative, supremely confident, and utterly compelling.
The only thing lacking in the Portuguese's first campaign back in charge at Chelsea was the usual glut of trophies.
But if you listened to the former Real Madrid and Inter coach opine on the English Premier League title race last season, his side was never in the running.
Despite managing a club owned by Roman Abramovich, who is worth a reputed $10 billion, Mourinho decried his team as the "little horse" in the scurry for the finish line.
This season, ominously, his tone is different.
The acquisition of two big names from Spain -- Cesc Fabregas of Barcelona and Diego Coasta from La Liga champion Atletico Madrid -- has taken his squad onto a different plane, while the return of stalwart Didier Drogba adds an unashamedly sentimental sheen.
"We have the squad that we want to have," Mourinho told reporters on the eve of the new season. "It is a squad for tomorrow, for next season and also a squad with big possibilities for the next five or 10 years with so many young people."
Chelsea may have finished third last season, but Mourinho's tactical prowess was still in evidence.
Not only did he propel the Londoners to home and away wins over eventual champion Manchester City, he did the same to Liverpool -- a morale-crushing 2-0 victory at Anfield in late April was the beginning of the end for the Reds' title aspirations.
It was against the lesser lights Chelsea faltered, but with his squad now bolstered by yet more quality, Mourinho's charges won't be as generous this time around.
Verdict: Surely, a third Premier League title under Mourinho awaits.
Read: Lampard on MLS adventure
MANCHESTER CITY
Champion twice in the past three seasons, City might have to play second fiddle to Mourinho and Chelsea in 2014-15.
Last season's triumph was a mass of contradictions -- for large parts of the campaign big-spending City was considered favorite but became ultimately reliant on Liverpool's last-gasp stumble to claim top honors.
Manuel Pellegrini's charges spent just 15 days at the top over the whole campaign; the irony of this season may well see it spend more time at the summit without finishing as top dog.
The club's Chilean coach is a year older and wiser as to the travails of English football however, and it has lavished more cash on fleshing out a squad that already has more depth than an Olympic swimming pool.
City has raided Portugal to prise Fernando and Eliaquim Mangala from Porto, while goalkeeper Willy Caballero and Bruno Zuculini have arrived from Spain.
That quartet's lack of English experience has been offset to a degree by the arrival of two seasoned Premier League campaigners plucked from City's rivals.
Frank Lampard, a three-time title winner, has joined on loan from City's subsidiary club New York City FC after being released by Chelsea, while France defender Bacary Sagna has signed from Arsenal.
As ever, City's success will hinge on its twin titans: midfielder Yaya Toure, who has resolved to stay at the club despite threatening to leave after he received a modest birthday present; and prolific Argentina striker Sergio Aguero, who has signed a new five-year contract.
Verdict: Close but no cigar as City settles for second best.
Read: Mangala signs for Man City
MANCHESTER UNITED
This is where the waters become muddied.
Can Louis van Gaal transform Manchester United into a serious title contender by sheer force of personality alone?
The great Alex Ferguson was able to, propelling his team to title success in his final season despite notable deficiencies in his squad.
But those holes remain -- not filled by David Moyes in his disastrous sole season in charge -- even if June's purchase of Ander Herrera from Athletic Bilbao in Spain will add some much-needed creativity in the middle of the park.
Promising English left-back Luke Shaw has also been added for what many believe to be a vastly inflated sum, but the 19-year-old will miss the opening month through injury.
For all its limitations, this is still a team that boasts a strike force as lethal as they come.
Wayne Rooney, newly installed as Van Gaal's captain, needs 15 goals to move third on the Premier League's all-time scorers list.
And Robin van Persie's four goals at the World Cup were crucial as Van Gaal led Netherlands to third place in Brazil.
There are no European Champions League distractions for United after last season's malaise, finishing a lowly seventh, so the squad should stay fresh and hungry.
Whatever happens, it won't be dull with Van Gaal around.
Verdict: An up-and-down season to end in third place.
Read: Can Van Gaal cut it at Man Utd?
ARSENAL
The Gunners have become masters of deception in recent years.
Promising Premier League campaigns have frittered away and shots at silverware squandered.
That is precisely what happened in the top flight last season. Arsenal spent 128 days atop the division in 2013-14 but suffered maulings at the hands of Chelsea and Liverpool as a familiar post-Christmas slump took hold.
A spike as spring emerged helped usher in Champions League qualification for the 17th straight year but then came a watershed moment in May -- an FA Cup triumph.
Victory over Hull City in England's premier knockout competition slaked a nine-year thirst for a trophy and eased the pressure on Arsene Wenger that had been steadily mounting throughout that time.
A change of direction that began with the marquee signing of Mesut Ozil from Real Madrid this time last year has continued, with £66 million ($110m) spent ahead of the new campaign.
The purchase of Alexis Sanchez from Barcelona after his fine World Cup with Chile has convinced many fans the Gunners can stay in title contention as 2014-15 reaches its business end.
In taking right-back Mathieu Debuchy from Newcastle United, Wenger has replaced departing Frenchman Bacary Sagna with an equally competent compatriot.
Colombia World Cup star David Ospina represents competition for Wojciech Szczesny in the race for the goalkeeper's jersey and teenage defender Calum Chambers -- who cost a reported $25 million from Southampton -- indulges Wenger's "one for the future" passion.
Another couple of signings before the window shuts on September 1 could catapult the London side into the title reckoning, but a top-four finish should still be comfortable even without.
Verdict: A fast start before a predictable fade to fourth place for the third successive season.
Read: Sanchez joins Arsenal
LIVERPOOL
How do you replace Luis Suarez? The simple answer is you can't.
The Uruguayan's move to Barcelona may have engendered an $128.5 million windfall, but he takes with him wistful memories of a luxuriant season that reaped 31 goals and 12 assists.
Manager Brendan Rodgers has chosen to disseminate that cash liberally, rather than try to plug the gap with one marquee signing.
That has one obvious advantage and one undeniable negative.
Eight new arrivals means Liverpool's options are now rich and plentiful but, as Tottenham found out so painfully when trying to replace Gareth Bale last season, it is rare they all hit the ground running.
Add to that a phalanx of extra games now that the Reds are in the European Champions League after an absence of four seasons, and repeating last year's push for the title seems unrealistic.
The likes of Adam Lallana and Dejan Lovren, both plucked from Southampton, have Premier League and World Cup experience while the likes of midfielder Emre Can and striker Divock Origi have huge potential -- though the latter, who scored Belgium's winner against Algeria at Brazil 2014, has been loaned back to French club Lille.
Rodgers' renowned man-management skills will be tested as he and aging captain Steven Gerrard attempt to bed the new arrivals into the Liverpool way.
Unless assimilation takes less time than expected, this season is destined to become one of transition for the Reds.
Verdict: A fifth-place finish after a long winter of adjustment..
Read: Barca 'Suarez is ours'
Which team do you think will win the title? Have your say in the comments box below or continue the conversation with CNN FC on Twitter or on Facebook.
Did police get it wrong in Ferguson?
8/15/2014 8:56:40 AM
- NEW: Congressman to call for "very stringent requirements" on disbursed military equipment
- Some claim the response in Ferguson shows militarization of law enforcement
- Veterans: Police are getting military weapons without the same training and rules
- Lt. Gen. Honore: "You're in trouble" when SWAT team is called for civil disturbance
(CNN) -- To people on the streets of Ferguson, Missouri, and many around the world who watched it unfold, it seemed like a scene out of another country.
"They are now firing into the crowd," a reporter says Wednesday night as loud blasts and fiery sparks show tear gas canisters apparently being shot by police. Screams follow.
"They're firing rubber bullets," a reporter with KARG Argus Radio is heard saying on video. "They're attacking reporters; they are attacking civilians. They are firing up on the media."
Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson said pepper bullets were used. A CNN crew also found spent crowd-control stun grenades lying in the street.
All the details of what happened amid protests over a police officer's fatal shooting of an unarmed teen have yet to come in. Multiple law enforcement agencies from the city, county and state levels have been dispatched to calm the protests. In the chaos, it was not immediately clear which agencies did what exactly -- though Ferguson Mayor Jay Knowles did say Thursday that St. Louis County police have been "in charge tactically since Sunday."
Change is coming. Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon announced Thursday the Missouri State Highway Patrol will head up security because "at this particular point, the attitudes weren't improving."
Missouri state troopers take over security in Ferguson
Even if things turn around quickly, though, it won't erase the memories from this past week or end the debate about tactics. Chief among them are decisions like deploying heavily armed officers and using military equipment, which some experts say helped to make a bad situation even worse.
Retired Lt. Gen. Russel Honore knows a thing or two about this kind of thing, having been dispatched to New Orleans in 2005 to lead recovery efforts after Hurricane Katrina. What authorities in Ferguson should have done, he said, is have "front line policemen" to face protesters, not a SWAT team.
retired Lt. Gen. Russel Honore
"The tactics they are using, I don't know where they learned them from," Honore said Thursday on "CNN Newsroom." "It appears they may be making them up on the way. But this is escalating the situation."
5 things to know about Michael Brown's shooting
What should police do with unruly protesters?
Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Missouri, echoed that view Thursday, saying her "constituents are allowed to have peaceful protests, and the police need to respect that right and protect that right."
"This kind of response by the police has become the problem instead of the solution," she added.
Police said they responded with force only after the Molotov cocktails were thrown at them, and news photos showed some young men in the crowd lighting them.
Yet Alderman Antonio French of St. Louis disputes this sequence, saying police started the violence and protesters responded.
Joey Jackson, an HLN legal analyst, said if there are some protesters who are unruly -- unlike the majority -- then police "need to isolate those people and perhaps respond to them as opposed to firing upon the crowd in general."
But the chief said police can't possibly go through the crowd and just remove certain individuals.
"If the crowd is getting violent, and you don't want to be violent, get out of the crowd," he said of protesters.
Mike Brooks, a former Washington police official who now serves as HLN's law enforcement analyst, cautioned against rushing to judge police over Wednesday night's fighting. "If there were, being thrown, rocks and bottles and Molotov cocktails, then they had to respond in kind," he argued.
But Brooks also said he has serious questions about the arrest of two journalists inside a McDonald's by an officer who, according to reports, refused to provide his name.
"Why did the police come in and ask them to leave?" Brooks asks. If there were a problem, it would be "up to the manager, the general manger of that establishment, to ask them to leave. I want to know what department these officers were from. And if I ask an officer, 'What is your name and badge number,' that officer better give it to me."
Michael Brown shooting, protests highlight racial divide
'In middle America, you don't need leftover equipment from Iraq'
Critics of the law enforcement response include Attorney General Eric Holder, who said "the scenes playing out in the streets of Ferguson over the last several nights cannot continue."
Some blame lay with protesters, he said. Even though "the vast majority ... have been peaceful," others have been marred by violence, looting and antagonizing of law enforcement.
Yet law enforcement's aim should be to "reduce tensions, not heighten them," he said. That means respecting "at all times" the rights of those gathered to express sympathy with Brown's family as well as the ability of journalists to report the story. (Two reporters were detained and then released without charges Wednesday.)
"At a time when we must seek to rebuild trust between law enforcement and the local community, I am deeply concerned that the deployment of military equipment and vehicles sends a conflicting message," Holder added.
Throughout the week, authorities in Ferguson have said the armored vehicles and weaponry have been in place to keep the peace.
American Civil Liberties Union
Yet civil liberty advocates and others disagree, saying the response in Ferguson is symptomatic of larger, disturbing trends in law enforcement.
In an extensive report issued weeks ago, the American Civil Liberties Union stated "American policing has become unnecessarily and dangerously militarized, in large part through federal programs that have armed state and local law enforcement agencies with the weapons and tactics of war, with almost no public discussion or oversight."
"Militarization of policing encourages officers to adopt a 'warrior' mentality and think of the people they are supposed to serve as enemies," the report added.
Rep. Emanuel Cleaver is among those who don't think such equipment makes sense in Ferguson. He told CNN he and Rep. Lacy Clay want to personally urge Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel to institute "very stringent requirements" whenever military equipment is disbursed, including special training of police.
"I think the heavy equipment probably should go to only cities like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, where there is always a threat of some kind of a terrorist attack," Cleaver said. "But in middle America, you don't need leftover equipment from Iraq."
Veterans critical of police response
Josh Weinberg, an Army veteran who focuses on security issues for the Truman Project, contends that police sometimes do "need high-powered weaponry" and other tools to go after "up-armored" and heavily armed criminals.
"It's really scary," he says.
But that doesn't mean the way Ferguson police used some of that equipment made sense, he argues.
Videos showed "a bunch of guys on top of an armored personnel carrier," Weinberg said. "When we're rolling around in Afghanistan and there is a threat of being shot, you don't sit on top of an APC. That defeats the purpose."
Josh Weinberg, Army veteran and security analyst
Weinberg says it's unfair to the military to call what happened in Ferguson evidence of "militarization," saying U.S. soldiers are well "trained in escalation of force."
The police apparently "had their weapons up and pointed at protesters who are obviously unarmed," he said. In the military, he learned that "your force posture matches the threat. You only raise your weapon if there is a threat that requires lethal force."
With a pointed weapon, Weinberg said, "you could make a mistake, maybe get startled, put your finger on the trigger and shoot somebody who doesn't deserve to be shot."
And threatening people unnecessarily can increase the tensions and danger, exacerbating the situation, he says. "A crowd kind of has a mind of its own that develops over time, depending on what threat they perceive."
Weinberg isn't alone. "As someone who studies policing in conflict, what's going on Ferguson isn't just immoral and probably unconstitutional, it's ineffective," Army veteran Jason Fritz wrote on Twitter. Fritz is now senior editor of War on the Rocks, which analyzes national security issues.
His was one of the tweets included in a storify being shared widely online Thursday morning, with this line at the top: "The general consensus here: if this is militarization, it's the s***iest, least-trained, least professional military in the world, using weapons far beyond what they need, or what the military would use when doing crowd control."
In another, author and former Marine logistics officer Jeff Clement wrote: "Our (Rules of Engagement) regarding who we could point weapons at in Afghanistan was more restrictive than cops in MO."
A white man's response to Ferguson
Complete coverage on the Ferguson shooting and protests
CNN's Greg Botelho and Catherine E. Shoichet contributed to this report.
Tennis: No. 1 Novak shocked again
8/15/2014 4:52:59 AM
- Top seed Novak Djokovic loses to Tommy Robredo in Cincinnati
- Second straight third round defeat for Djokovic in Masters 1000 events
- Andy Murray saves two match points before beating John Isner
- Serena Williams into quarterfinals of women's tournament in Ohio
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(CNN) -- Novak Djokovic will go into the U.S. Open without the match practice he was seeking after suffering his second straight third round defeat in a Masters 1000 tournament.
The world number one exited at this stage in Cincinnati Thursday to Spain's Tommy Robredo, beaten in straight sets, 7-6 7-5.
Fresh off his honeymoon and with his first child due, Djokovic went out to eventual winner Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in Toronto last week.
He had hoped to improve in this week's tournament, particularly as it's the only one of nine Masters 1000 events to elude him.
Read: Djokovic beaten in Toronto
Djokovic has been a four-time runner up on the hard courts in Ohio and lost to John Isner in the quarterfinals last year.
This time around he did not even get to that stage, losing control of his match against Robredo after losing a tight first set tiebreak 8-6.
Djokovic had actually retrieved an early break to level at 4-4 but could not take full advantage. A single break of service in the second set was enough for Robredo to close out a memorable win.
"Just many, many, many things are not clicking these two weeks on hard courts," Djokovic told the official ATP Tour website.
"It's unfortunate, but it's more than obvious I'm not playing even close to what I'm supposed to play. I have to keep on working and trying to get better for U.S.Open," added the Serbian.
Earlier, Isner had two match points against former Wimbledon and U.S. Open champion Andy Murray before the Briton emerged the winner in three sets.
Read: Djokovic revels in Wimbledon victory
Murray, who has slipped to eighth in the world rankings after having back surgery in 2013, eventually prevailed 6-7 6-4 7-6.
America giant Isner had the match points on Murray's service as he trailed 5-6 in the deciding set, but could not capitalize on his opportunities.
Murray took control of the subsequent tiebreaker and won it for the loss of just two points to go into the last eight.
"I played very well," Murray told Sky Sports. "This is a big win for me as he (Isner) plays extremely well here."
In the women's tournament at the same venue, world number one Serena Williams maintained her hopes of a first Cincinnati title with a straight sets win over Italy's Flavia Pennetta 6-2 6-2 to reach the quarterfinals.
"I got an early break and just didn't let go," Williams told the official WTA Tour website.
She will face Serbia's Jelena Jankovic for a place in the semifinals after the eighth seed later beat Sloane Stephens of America 7-6 6-4.
Why are Iraq oil prices so stable?
8/15/2014 4:35:49 AM
- Airstrikes, rebels seizing oil fields and a refugee crisis would normally spell market panic
- But in Iraq, which has dealing with all three issues, oil prices have remained steady
- The militants storming the country's north have not taken the country's oil-rich south
- And investment is still being pumped into the region, John Defterios writes
Editor's note: John Defterios is CNN's Emerging Markets Editor and anchor of Global Exchange, CNN's business show focused on the emerging and BRIC markets. Follow John on Twitter.
Abu Dhabi (CNN) -- Usually, airstrikes, rebels seizing control of oil fields and refineries, plus a severe refugee crisis are a recipe for market panic.
That is the situation unfolding in Northern Iraq, but without a spike in prices, even though energy companies are retrenching.
There's been a growing list of small and medium sized explorers who have suspended operations: London listed Afren, Dublin based Petroceltic and Abu Dhabi National Energy Company, known as TAQA here in the UAE. Chevron, a major oil company, is trimming non-essential staff and others will likely do the same.
Gulf Keystone, an early mover in the Kurdish Region, said the situation is not good, but after fortifying their facilities, production is holding steady at 25,000 barrels a day.
What we have now, after the initial panic when ISIS made its move into Iraq, are two distinct camps: Explorers suspending operations and producers battening down the hatches and producing as best they can. According to the Kurdish Regional Government, supplies up north are still above 300,000 barrels a day.
Tucked into the IEA's latest monthly report is one of today's harsher realities: ISIS has taken control of seven fields, which typically produce about 80 thousand barrels a day. Energy and security sources here in the region tell me that oil is starting to find its way onto the black market, offered at a heavy discount.
Beyond the fighting, other complex problems still exist that could easily tilt the balance in Iraq. In Baiji, near the country's center, 300,000 barrels of refining capacity is off-line after ISIS rebels fought for control, according to the Iraq Energy Institute's Luay al-Khatteeb.
Oil is being exported via pipeline from the Kurdish region through the Port of Ceyhan in Turkey. Tankers have sailed, but Baghdad is blocking sales with an on-going dispute over who actually controls that oil.
Despite all that, Iraq continues to supply the market with an ample level of crude. According to the IEA's monthly report, overall production is 3.1 million barrels a day, down slightly from the month before. Exports are up again to 2.44 million and that is what the market is concentrating on.
But there is a price to pay for the violence in the north and political in-fighting in Baghdad. The country's original target of expanding capacity to over 4 million barrels a day will be missed, according to al- Khatteeb.
With this level of uncertainty, the international oil companies (IOCs) may tighten their purse strings, waiting to see if the U.S. intervention can help stabilize the country before committing more money for exploration and production.
The big bounty for Iraq and the energy majors remains the oil rich south around Basra which, despite initial security threats against international oil workers, is pumping and exporting crude at near record levels.
BP initially trimmed staff when ISIS began its march into Iraq, but at the end of July, CEO Bob Dudley went out of his way to assure investors production is back up to normal with plans for expansion.
"The Rumaila field is now the second largest producing field in the world at about 1.4 million barrels per day," said Dudley. "If you think about the map of Iraq, it is down in the bottom of the funnel, near the Kuwait border, in the desert, in an unpopulated area."
Lukoil has put $4 billion into the West Qurna 2 field in the south -- one of the world's largest oil fields -- and despite initial delays is still producing 300,000 barrels a day without interruption.
What we have learned in the past two months of fighting, is another harsh reality: Money talks.
Iraq may have difficulty staying glued together as a country or even passing a petroleum law to govern revenue sharing, but securing production and distribution have been paramount. And that persistence earned the country $53 billion last month alone.
REA D MORE: Iraq's 'new reality' shakes global oil markets
READ MORE: Why does the U.S. intervene militarily in Iraq but not in Syria?
Football: Suarez loses 'biting' appeal
8/14/2014 8:47:53 AM
- Luis Suarez's "biting ban" is upheld by independent appeals panel
- Uruguay forward cannot play for new club Barcelona until late October
- However, he can now take part in training and promotional activities
- CAS rules that FIFA's sanctions were "generally proportionate to the offense committed"
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(CNN) -- Luis Suarez will have to wait until late October to make his debut for Spanish club Barcelona after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) partially upheld the Uruguay star's ban for biting an opponent on Thursday.
The striker was suspended from all football-related activity for four months -- preventing him from even training -- after he bit Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini on the shoulder during a World Cup group game in Brazil in late June, and banned for nine international matches.
Switzerland-based CAS heard the 27-year-old's case last week as he appealed against the punishment imposed by soccer's world governing body FIFA.
Suarez and his legal team had spent five hours before a three-man CAS appeal panel in Lausanne in an attempt to reduce the suspension, but the ban on playing was upheld along with a fine of $111,000.
Read: Suarez apologies and promises no repeat
However, CAS said he is free to take part in other football-related duties "such as training, promotional activities and administrative matters" and confirmed Suarez would be available to play friendly matches for Barcelona and the Uruguay national team during his suspension.
"The CAS Panel found that the sanctions imposed on the player were generally proportionate to the offense committed," the ruling stated.
"It has however considered that the stadium ban and the ban from 'any football-related activity' were excessive given that such measures are not appropriate to sanction the offense committed by the player and would still have an impact on his activity after the end of the suspension."
Suarez's ban from competitive matches expires on October 25, and Barcelona's next match is the "El Clasico" grudge match with rival Real Madrid the following day.
In a statement on its website, the Catalan giants said Suarez would join a training session Friday morning and will be officially unveiled during Monday's Joan Gamper Trophy match at the Nou Camp against Leon.
Because he is now free to play in friendly games, Suarez could also make his first appearance for Barca in that match against the Mexican club side.
Uruguay also has three friendly internationals scheduled before the end of October so its star striker is available to play against Japan on September 5.
Read: Do Latin Americans care more about football?
But Suarez will still have eight matches of his nine-game ban from competitive internationals to serve and Uruguay FA president Wilmar Valdez said he was disappointed with the CAS ruling.
"It's a cultural matter. The way we live football in South America is different to Europe, for us there are things which are normal and which deserve sanctions, but not such harsh ones," he said.
But leading Spanish sports lawyer Xavier Canal said the CAS decision was to be expected.
"I find it logical that the player is allowed to train with his colleagues and he can be presented by the club," he told CNN.
"The infraction happened while playing for Uruguay, and I think it's logical that the ban on playing for his country (in competitive matches) still stands."
The Chiellini incident was the third time Suarez had bitten a player -- he had previously been banned for similar transgressions while playing for Dutch club Ajax and English side Liverpool.
With Suarez sidelined, Uruguay lost its last-16 match to Colombia and was knocked out of the World Cup.
Suarez eventually apologized for his actions, but lost his appeal to FIFA over the sanctions before deciding to take the matter to CAS -- an independent "last resort" body that deals with sporting disputes.
FIFA's punishment did not stop Barcelona signing Suarez from Liverpool in a $127 million deal last month which will give the club a star-studded attack when he finally lines up alongside Lionel Messi and Neymar.
Suarez was top scorer in the English Premier League last season, winning the two major player of the year awards for his outstanding performances in helping Liverpool to second place and a return to the European Champions League.
He suffered a knee injury at the end of the season which threatened his participation in the World Cup. He missed Uruguay's first game but recovered to score two goals that ended England's hopes of reaching the knockout stages as the South Americans on 2-1.
But in the final group game, his bite on Chiellini -- captured by television cameras -- provided the most notorious moment of the World Cup, overshadowing a 1-0 victory by Uruguay that eliminated Italy.
Read: FIFA rejects Suarez appeal
In other football news Thursday, UEFA's appeals panel has upheld the decision to expel Legia Warsaw from the Champions League for fielding an ineligible player.
Legia won its third qualifying round match against Scottish champions Celtic 6-1 on aggregate, but brought on defender Bartosz Beresynski with four minutes remaining of the second leg.
He had been given a three-game ban after being sent off in Legia's final Europa League game last season and duly sat out two matches in the second qualifying round and the first leg of the tie against Celtic.
But Legia had failed to officially register Beresynski as a player, leading to the UEFA action.
The punishment means it will drop to the Europa League with Celtic reinstated to the final qualifying round of the Champions League, but Legia club officials said they would be making a further appeal to the CAS to overturn the decision.
Read: Chiellini: Suarez ban 'excessive'
Why do whites run mostly black town?
8/15/2014 9:05:53 AM
- Ferguson, Missouri, was one of hundreds of municipalities designated a "Playful City USA"
- The shooting death of Michael Brown, 18, by police has put it in the national spotlight
- Three of the city's 53 officers are African-American
- 63% of Ferguson's population is black; 34% is white
(CNN) -- Before Saturday's police shooting of an African-American teenager, Ferguson, Missouri, was known as one of hundreds of municipalities designated by a national nonprofit as a "Playful City USA," a place where children are supposed to have access to more opportunities to play in their communities.
But the shooting death of Michael Brown, a college-bound 18-year-old, by a police officer has brought national attention to the mostly black community for another reason.
Witnesses and residents say the young man was unarmed. Police say he tried to take an officer's gun. Authorities, citing threats and safety issues, have refused to identify the officer. Protests have turned violent. Tensions remain high after isolated looting incidents and dozens of arrests in the St. Louis suburb of 22,400.
To locals and longtime observers, the tension has been brewing since the 1970s, when Ferguson underwent a racial transformation.
Once predominantly white, the city became overwhelmingly black as white families moved out during the racial integration of public schools. At the same time, many African-American families started to move to Ferguson from St. Louis and surrounding communities.
"This whole situation has been boiling for a while," said Antonio French, a St. Louis alderman who lives five miles from Ferguson. "It's not just the death of Michael Brown but the way it's been handled by the local government and the response to the community's outrage that forced this to boil over."
A white man's response to Ferguson
On Thursday, Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon acknowledged long-simmering tensions between the community and police.
"This feels a little like an old wound that has been hit again," he said. "The key to this is ... ultimately getting to some of these deeper problems. These are deep and existing problems not only in Missouri but in America. This has clearly touched a nerve, and that nerve is not merely from this horrific incident that happened just a few short days ago."
Advocates for effective policing contend that law enforcement should reflect the diversity of the community it polices. When that is out of balance, however, an incident such as the Brown shooting can cause tensions to boil over.
What's happening in Ferguson today is a perfect example, said Beryl Satter, a history professor at Rutgers University in New Jersey.
"This is what happens when you have massive racial change in a community and the power structure remains in the hands of whites and the police force acts as this sort of mediating force between the white power structure and what is now a black community and has very little empathy or knowledge about that community."
Racial disparity
Two-thirds of Ferguson's population is black, and yet the mayor is white, and so are five of the six city council members.
The police chief is also white. There are only three African-Americans on the 53-person police force.
"This all gets back to segregation," Satter said. "The school boards, the police force, the juvenile courts remain the same. The population changes before the power structure changes. ... It happened across the country when there was very rapid resegregation of a town, a neighborhood or a city."
Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson admitted Wednesday that diversity on the force was a "constant struggle" but said race relations were a top priority for his department. He also said the officer who shot Brown was assaulted before opening fire on the young man.
According to a 2013 report released by the Missouri attorney general, African-Americans are not under-represented in crime statistics. They accounted for 93% of arrests after traffic stops, 92% of searches and 86% of traffic stops.
The St. Louis area has always been one of the most racially segregated regions in the country, according to Satter and other experts.
It was in St. Louis that a federal judge in 1847 returned Dred Scott to slavery in a decision upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled that African-Americans were not American citizens and could not sue in federal court.
Deadly race riots erupted in East St. Louis in the early 1900s. The looting and angry protests that followed Brown's death, Satter said, are part of the "historical lineage of violence and segregation."
While all the facts surrounding the Brown shooting have yet to come out, Satter said, the disconnect between the community and law enforcement can have lasting effects.
"It's just a terrible spiral of oppression," she said. "The reaction of rioting in response to police brutality is classic. It's so personal. Other kinds of oppression that black people face, say in the school or other places, it's not on your body. It's not as personally invasive. But police brutality hurts in a sharper, more profound and immediate way. People can relate to what happened to this boy."
Racial profiling training
Jackson told CNN this week that he was working to improve the diversity of the force. Racial profiling, he said, was "strictly forbidden."
"We actually have mandatory racial profiling training that we have to take to be certified," he said. "Racial profiling is against our policies. It actually benefits nothing."
David Klinger, a criminal justice professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis and a former Los Angeles police officer, said that a more diverse police force doesn't always translate into better police relations with a community.
"If the cops are not treating the citizens appropriately, is it a question of the cops not doing their job right because they're not trained well or they're knuckleheads or they hold racial animus?" he said. "Who knows? But if you bore down and it turns out that there's racial animus, then you have a real big problem on top of the lack of professionalism, because that's a flashpoint in our society. We have a rough history in America regarding race relations. And the police, unfortunately, have been on the wrong side of that."
Dan Isom, retired chief of police in St. Louis and a criminal justice professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, said the diversity of the police rank and file and command definitely affects community relations.
"When you look across the nation, it's not uncommon for police departments to have a racial makeup that is not consistent with the community," he said. "You don't have a political or community push for improvement until something like the Michael Brown shooting happens."
According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, about a quarter of police officers across the nation were ethnic minorities in 2007, compared with a sixth of officers in 1987.
Isom hopes the tragedy leads to change.
"There are so many questions to be asked beyond just the shooting," Isom said. "Certainly, the police department's makeup, the relationship with the community. Hopefully, this brings a bigger conversation: Why does this happen in the African-American community? What are the deeper issues we have to resolve between communities and police?"
Other factors about Ferguson need to be considered, observers said.
According to the 2010 census, community residents are mostly young; the average age is 31. Median household income is $37,000: about $10,000 less than Missouri as a whole. About one-fifth of Ferguson residents live in poverty.
African-Americans are much worse off economically than whites, with a 25% poverty rate that's more than twice that of whites, according to the most recent government estimates from two years ago. Their median income is only about 60% that of their white counterparts.
"Ferguson's black community is a very transient community, living in rental housing," said French, the St. Louis alderman. "Not many people register to vote, and even less participate in elections. ... People are living day to day out there, and part of their daily existence is negative encounters with the police. They want to be heard. They want their frustration to be recognized."
Complete coverage on Michael Brown's shooting
Ferguson police slammed for 'escalating the situation'
Opinion: Why Ferguson is your town
Williams tackles one that got away
8/15/2014 2:24:55 PM
- Serena Williams through to semifinals of Cincinnati Masters after win over Jelena Jankovic
- Stanilas Wawrinka knocked out of men's event by France's Julien Benneteau
- Roger Federer and Andy Murray face off in evening match for a place in semis
- Winner will face Milos Raonic after Canadian demolished Fabio Fognini 6-1 6-0
(CNN) -- Serena Williams is through to the semifinals of the Cincinnati Masters after a convincing straight sets win over Jelena Jankovic.
The world No. 1 may have won 17 grand slams and 61 singles titles in all during a glittering career, but getting her hands on the trophy in Cincinnati has proved elusive thus far.
But following Friday's 6-1 6-3 victory over the Serb, Williams' is one step closer to breaking her duck as she looks to fine tune her game ahead of her U.S. Open title defense later this month.
"She's beaten me several times, so I knew today I just had to be focused and do the best I could," Williams said, the WTA website reported.
"It didn't seem fast. I was just trying my best. And she played some great points. I was just trying to not make many errors, stay focused and do the best that I could.
"I had some unbelievable fans in the back who were totally helping me out, too."
A semifinal against either Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland or Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki awaits the American.
In the other half of the draw, Simona Halep takes on Maria Sharapova with the winner facing wither Ana Ivanovic or Ukraine's Elina Svitolina.
Benneteau stuns Stan
The men were also in quarterfinal action on Friday with France's Julien Benneteau bringing Stanilas Wawrinka's tournament to a premature end.
Apart from a semifinal appearance two seasons ago, the Swiss has a poor record in Cincinnati having tumbled out in the first or second round on five previous occasions.
Wawrinka looked on course to equal his best ever showing as he raced to a one set lead in just 27 minutes.
But the tide soon turned in Benneteau's favor as the Frenchman dominated the remaining two sets breaking the world No. 4's serve four times to run out a 1-6 6-1 6-2 winner in 80 minutes.
"It's my best result in a Masters 1000," Benneteau said, the ATPTour website reported.
"The Masters 1000 are very, very difficult tournaments because the cut is like 40, 45. It's top 45 players in the world on every tournament at this level. You don't have a lot of opportunities to make a very big result," Benneteau added.
Victory sees him become the first Frenchman to advance to the semis at the event for 15 years -- Arnaud Clement eventually lost out to eventual winner Thomas Enqvist of Sweden in 2000.
The world No. 41 will face either Spain's Tommy Robredo, who beat world No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the previous round, or world No. 6 David Ferrer.
In the other early match, Canada's Milos Raonic thumped Italy's Fabio Fognini in straight sets 6-1 6-0.
The world No. 7 can now look forward to a semifinal showdown with either Roger Federer or Andy Murray who play on Friday evening.
Read more: Djokovic suffers new setback in Cincinnati
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