FBI: Children rescued in sex-trafficking crackdown

WASHINGTON (AP) — Nearly 170 victims of child sex trafficking, many of whom had never been reported missing, were rescued in the last week as part of an annual nationwide crackdown, the FBI said Monday.

Besides the 168 children rescued from the sex trade, 281 pimps were arrested during the same period on state and federal charges.

"These are not faraway kids in faraway lands," FBI Director James Comey said in announcing the annual enforcement push known as Operation Cross Country. Instead, he added, "These are America's children."

This is the eighth such week-long operation, which this year unfolded in 106 cities. The FBI says nearly 3,600 children have so far been recovered from the street.

"I hate that we have to do this work — hate it," Comey said. "I love the people who've devoted their lives to doing this work. There is no more meaningful work that the FBI participates in than rescuing children."

He said the operations were designed to "crush these pimps" and show that children are not for sale. They are also intended to rescue children who are being trafficked on street corners, in truck stops and, increasingly, on the Internet, where pimps advertise and arrange sexual encounters.

One challenge, officials said, is that many of the children who were recovered were never reported missing in the first place — by parents, guardians and the entire child welfare system designed to protect them.

"No one is reporting them missing. Hence, no one is looking for them," said John Ryan, CEO of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. "But for operations like this, these children likely would never have been found."

He said better laws were needed to require child welfare service to report children who disappear. Right now, he said, only two states have laws requiring agencies to report children missing from their care. There is no national, uniform standard.

"We cannot find them if no one reports them missing," Ryan said.

Though this operation is the FBI's eighth of its kind, Comey said this year featured the highest number of participating cities. But he said the biggest change was the increasing prevalence of children being sold online rather than on street corners.

FBI: Children rescued in sex-trafficking crackdown

Almost 170 victims, many of whom were never reported missing, were rescued by agents last week.
281 pimps arrested

Paris (AFP) - Neurotoxic pesticides blamed for the world's bee collapse are also harming butterflies, worms, fish and birds, said a scientific review that called Tuesday for tighter regulation to curb their use.

Analysing two decades of reports on the topic, an international panel of 29 scientists found there was "clear evidence of harm" from use of two pesticide types, neonicotinoids and fipronil.

And the evidence was "sufficient to trigger regulatory action".

"We are witnessing a threat to the productivity of our natural and farmed environment," said Jean-Marc Bonmatin of France's National Centre for Scientific Research, co-author of the report entitled the Worldwide Integrated Assessment.

Far from protecting food production, these nerve-targeting insecticides known as neonics were "imperilling the pollinators, habitat engineers and natural pest controllers at the heart of a functioning ecosystem."

The four-year assessment was carried out by The Task Force on Systemic Pesticides, which advises the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the world's watchdog on species loss.

Neonics are widely used insecticides whose effects can be instant and lethal, or chronic. Exposure can impair smell and memory in some species, curb procreation, reduce foraging, cause flight difficulties and increase disease susceptibility.

Used for insect pest management in farming, but also in pet flea control, they have been fingered in the recent decline in bees -- crucial pollinators of human food crops -- in Europe, the Americas and Asia.

The latest study says these pesticides, absorbed by plants, are also harming other insect pollinators, fish and birds as they leach into soil and water.

The most affected species were terrestrial invertebrates such as earthworms, which are crucial soil-enrichers, said a press statement.

Bees and butterflies were next, followed by aquatic invertebrates like freshwater snails and water fleas, then birds, and finally fish, amphibians and certain microbes.

"The combination of their widescale use and inherent properties, has resulted in widespread contamination of agricultural soils, freshwater resources, wetlands, non-target vegetation, estuarine and coastal marine systems," the authors wrote.

"This means that many organisms inhabiting these habitats are being repeatedly and chronically exposed to effective concentrations of these insecticides."

- Call for 'substantial reduction' -

Neonics can persist in soil for more than 1,000 days, and in woody plants for over a year, and the compounds into which they break down can be more toxic than the original, active ingredients.

The review, which its authors said will be published in the journal Environment Science and Pollution Research, looked at evidence of neonic damage gathered in 800 reports over the last two decades.

Last year, scientists said neonicotinoids and another pesticide group, organophosphates, can scramble the brain circuits of honeybees, affecting memory and navigation skills they need to find food, and placing entire hives under threat.

The EU has since placed a temporary ban on some of these chemicals.

Earlier this month, researchers said venom from one of the world's most poisonous creatures, the Australian funnel web spider, could help save the world's honeybees by providing a biopesticide that kills pests but spares the precious pollinators.

The new study said neonics can be 5,000 to 10,000 times more toxic to bees than DDT, a pesticide that has been banned for agricultural use.

The report said there was not enough data to determine whether there was an impact on mammals and reptiles, "but in the case of the latter, the researchers concluded that it was probable".

The authors suggested that regulatory agencies consider "to further tighten regulations on neonicotinoids and fipronil, and consider formulating plans for a substantial reduction of the global scale of use."

Together, the two classes are the most widely used insecticides with a global market share of about 40 percent, said the authors, and global sales of more than $2.63 billion (1.9 billion euros) in 2011.

Kiev (AFP) - Ukraine's pro-Russian insurgents have agreed to a temporary ceasefire and talks with the new Western-backed president, as US President Barack Obama warned Russia it risks fresh sanctions over its support for the separatists.

The surprise ceasefire announcement from the head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic came a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin publicly threw his weight behind Kiev's peace overtures and urged the separatists to halt fire.

Ukraine's security services confirmed on Monday evening that militia strikes in the two heavily-Russified industrial regions that have been at the heart of the insurgency came to an abrupt halt in the late afternoon.

The self-proclaimed prime minister of Donetsk said his side's ceasefire would match the one earlier ordered by President Petro Poroshenko and last until Friday morning.

"In response to the ceasefire declared by Kiev, we pledge to also halt fire on our part. This ceasefire will last until June 27," Oleksandr Borodai told Russia's ITAR-TASS news agency in Donetsk.

"We hope that during the period in which both sides halt fire, we will be able to agree and begin consultations about holding negotiations about a peaceful settlement to the conflict," he told Russian state television in separate comments.

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A pro-Russian militant detains a man suspected of spying for Ukraine in the eastern Ukrainian city o …

The White House said Obama told Russian President Vladimir Putin by phone on Monday that Russia would face new sanctions if it fails to stop the flow of weapons into Ukraine.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Obama used the call to drive home consistent US and Western warnings on Ukraine -- that Russia must stop supporting separatists in the east of the country and halt the flow of weapons across the border.

"Though we believe a diplomatic solution is still possible, Russia will face additional costs if we do not see concrete actions to de-escalate the situation," Earnest stressed.

The Kremlin said only that Putin "stressed that a genuine cessation of fighting and the start of direct talks between the warring sides would have the highest priority for the normalisation of the situation."

While Obama spoke to Putin, US Vice President Joe Biden spoke to Poroshenko for the second time in as many days, and told him Washington would "continue to strongly support" his peace plan.

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Soldiers of the self-proclaimed "Lugansk People's Republic" stand guard at the Russian …

- 'Tanks being readied' -

Meanwhile, US State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said that Washington had new information that tanks were being readied at a site in southwestern Russia to be sent into eastern Ukraine.

Washington said last week that a number of Russian tanks and armoured personnel carriers had already made the trip across the border.

The rebel's ceasefire announcement delivered a desperately-needed boost to Poroshenko two weeks into a presidency that is scrambling to stamp out both a deadly uprising and an economic meltdown that has been compounded by a cut in Russian gas deliveries last week.

But they also appear to confirm Putin's decisive say in the insurgents' actions -- a point disputed by the Kremlin, and one that appeared in doubt when the two separatist regions declared independence despite being urged by Russia not to do so in May.

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Pro-Russian armed militiamen take up position on a road between Kramatorsk and Slavyansk, Ukraine on …

Poroshenko has been pressing world leaders to follow through with their threat to unleash devastating economic sanctions against Russia should Putin fail to immediately end his perceived military and diplomatic backing for the insurgency.

The new Kiev leader will also sign a historic EU trade pact on Friday that crowns his May 25 election promise to make the decisive move westward -- one strongly resisted by Russia, and that lies at the heart of the current crisis.

The European Union warned after a meeting of foreign ministers in Luxembourg on Monday that it expected to see action from Putin "within days".

Some analysts believe Putin is still smarting from the sudden loss of an ally in Kiev -- ousted by pro-EU protesters in February -- who could have brought Ukraine into a new alliance of post-Soviet nations being assembled by the Russian leader.

The subsequent flow of heavy weapons and gunmen across the porous border into eastern Ukraine seem to indicate that the Kremlin is -- at the very least -- turning a blind eye to local Russian officials and military commanders' efforts to support the insurgents.

And Putin's order on Saturday for Russian forces from the Volga to western Siberia to conduct snap military drills also suggests that he wants to keep Poroshenko's government unsettled in order to maintain influence in the Russified southeast.

But the Kremlin chief seems equally determined to avoid steps that could trigger broader sanctions and deal a further blow to a Russian economy that is already teetering on the edge of a recession.

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. teams of special forces going into Iraq after a three-year gap will face an aggressive insurgency, a splintering military and a precarious political situation as they help Iraqi security forces improve their ability to battle Sunni militants.

The Army Green Berets, who are expected to make up much of the U.S. force, have been assessing and training other militaries for decades as a core part of their job. But while much of what they will be doing in Iraq will be familiar, it will be complicated by the stunning collapse of the Iraqi military, left leaderless by internal Sunni-Shiite divisions.

Experts suggest that while the elite commandos may be able to stop the immediate deterioration of Iraqi forces, it will require a far broader effort to quell the deep sectarian divide in the country and put systems in place to build more professional military leadership.

The U.S. and Iraq on Monday reached a key agreement on legal protections that will enable up to 300 special operations forces to deploy in the country. Two teams of 12 members each are already in Iraq and could begin their assessment this week, and another four teams are expected to go into the country soon.

"They will be very good at improving the immediate tactical proficiency of some of the Iraqi military, but they will be less prepared to address the long-term health of the Iraqi army," said retired Lt. Gen. James Dubik, who was in charge of training Iraqi forces in 2007 and 2008. In essence, he said, the U.S. teams will be "sharpening the tip of the spear, but not replacing the rotted staff with a new one."

In a string of battlefield victories, the Sunni militants have captured several key towns in the north and on the border with Syria, sending Iraqi troops fleeing. Abandoned by military leaders who may have felt alienated by the Shiite-led government, troops ran, leaving their weapons and equipment.

"It's a rapidly deteriorating situation," said Rick Nelson, a senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "It's a hot war. They have to get in and help stop the bleeding to get the Iraqi forces to be able to maintain stability and security in the country."

Brig. Gen. Darsie Rogers, head of Army Special Forces Command, said Green Berets currently are conducting training missions in 30 countries and do so in more than 150 nations each year. Highly trained in special warfare and counterinsurgency, the teams routinely are used to help other countries build and improve their militaries.

The latest Iraq mission, Rogers said, is more akin to what special forces have been doing in Afghanistan and the Philippines and what they did in Iraq during the war years. But it's a bit larger than similar missions going on around the world, including a number of countries in Africa.

Rogers, who served in Iraq, said the assessment phase will be important in determining how to go forward but, "having some experience with that, I think that we will rather quickly understand where we need to apply our assistance."

The teams will determine how the U.S. can best help the Iraqi forces, then the additional teams will deploy. They are expected to help the Iraqis improve their military systems and commands, but not embed with the fighting units or engage in direct combat.

Rogers also noted that a number of U.S. special forces have served in Iraq.

"The relationships that we have with the Iraqis, at least those that I had while I was there, were very strong, and I'm sure that we'll be able to capitalize on this as we go back in," Rogers said.

Still, Dubik said that while the commandos will provide important short-term help for the Iraq forces, they will not be sufficient to solve the problem. Instead, he said Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki needs to make several critical political moves, including disbanding the office of the commander in chief, which has been blamed for roiling sectarian divisions and pushing a Shiite agenda.

U.S. officials are also pressing for a government transition that will better empower the minorities and bring the country together, thus conceivably avoiding a civil war.

The legal agreement signed Monday was needed to get the special forces into Iraq.

The Pentagon spokesman, Rear Adm. John Kirby, said Iraq had outlined acceptable legal assurances for the short-term mission in a diplomatic note ensuring that troops will not be subject to Iraq's judicial process. Instead, if there are any problems, troops would be subject to the U.S. Uniform Code of Military Justice.

The legal protections are similar to those provided to U.S. diplomats and troops working out of the embassy, officials said,

White House spokesman Josh Earnest drew a distinction between the current situation and the administration's desire to have the Iraqi parliament approve immunity for American troops when the U.S. was looking to leave a residual force behind in 2011. Iraq refused to sign that agreement and the U.S. pulled all but a small number of forces out of the country in December 2011. Fewer than 200 troops, largely providing security, have remained at the U.S. Embassy as part of the Office of Security Cooperation.

"We're dealing with an emergency situation — that's the first part — and there is an urgent need for these advisers to be able to do their work on the ground in Iraq," Earnest said, adding that they are going in at the request of the Iraq government.

Officials also noted that the force being sent in now is much smaller than the several thousand that the military planned to leave there after 2011.

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AP White House Correspondent Julie Pace contributed to this report.