2014 news: 10/15/14

Wednesday 15 October 2014

Joint Chiefs chair on Ebola, ISIS fears

NEW: Chairman of Joint Chiefs faults the Iraqi government

On possibly putting sending in ground troops, Dempsey said no but added "war is discovery"

Dempsey: "I'm worried about it because we know so little" about Ebola

Operation against ISIS is called "Inherent Resolve"

See Kyra Phillips' interview with Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, at 11 p.m. ET on CNN.

(CNN) -- The U.S. has a "winning strategy" to defeat ISIS, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff told CNN exclusively Wednesday, adding that he "can't foresee" sending "large ground combat forces into Iraq."

Gen. Martin Dempsey also touched on his concerns about the spread of the Ebola virus and what's more to come in the coalition battle against murderous Islamic extremists.

ISIS has inched closer to the Iraqi capital Baghdad this week and continued fighting in strategically important Anbar Province.

Is it possible that ISIS could gain control of Baghdad?

"I don't see that happening," he said. "I'm confident we can assist the Iraqis to keep Baghdad from falling."

However, Iraqi forces, some of whom abandoned their posts when ISIS began its assault on Iraq, need more training, Dempsey said. Still, they have "established a fairly formidable defensive perimeter around Baghdad" that Dempsey characterized as "a very thick and deep defense."

Dempsey repeated what he said before Congress weeks ago, stressing that doesn't see a need to put troops on the ground in the fight against ISIS. He was firm on the controversial notion that American troops could once again head back into Iraq to fight after being involved in a conflict that stretched from 2003 to 2011.

And yet he also told CNN that "war is discovery" and that if the situation evolves to the point where ground troops are necessary, he will evaluate that and make recommendations to President Barack Obama.

There are 12 teams of military advisers in Iraq now, he said.

Dempsey said the U.S. got a "significant commitment" from other members of the international coalition to add advisory teams. Dempsey said the plan is to set up three bases where the U.S. and others can train Iraqi security forces who are battling ISIS on the ground, along with Kurdish fighting forces.

He then reiterated that "war is discovery," stressed that ISIS is a "national security threat" and said that airstrikes alone will not beat ISIS though they have forced the group to change "the way it's moving."

Fighting ISIS is going to take "patience," Dempsey said, so it's critical that the U.S. and the coalition show progress soon.

For now, "we're on the right path."

Dempsey also revealed that the international coalition's operation against ISIS has a name: "Inherent Resolve."

The name, to him, means that "we need to be able to be credible and sustainable over time in order to accomplish the mission that we've been given."

'We gave Iraq a chance'

The chairman put much of the blame for the growth of ISIS on the Iraqi government.

Despite airstrikes and international outrage, the terror group is overrunning Iraqi forces and making significant strides in Syria.

"We gave Iraq a chance -- an opportunity," Dempsey said, talking about the war. "They failed to take that opportunity."

"The coaching, and teaching, and mentoring, the thousands of interactions at the local level were all wasted by the government of Iraq that chose deliberately to follow a sectarian agenda and alienate entire segments of the population, which created an environment in which ISIL could return and could flourish," he said, using an alternative acronym for ISIS.

When asked who in the U.S. government underestimated ISIS, Dempsey said: "I think what we all probably missed was the degree to which the Iraqi armed forces had eroded and wouldn't stand and face ISIL. I think we all missed that."

Dempsey alarmed about Ebola months ago

The chairman said he has been concerned about Ebola as a global threat for at least 90 days.

"I'm worried about it because we know so little about (Ebola)," he said, adding that his worry is stoked by seemingly conflicting information about how the virus can be spread.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said that the deadly virus, which originated in Africa, can be passed only through direct contact with bodily fluids when a person suffering from it exhibits symptoms.

"If you bring two doctors who happen to have that specialty into a room, one will say, 'No there is no way it will ever become airborne, but it could mutate so it could be harder to discover,' " and another might say something completely different, Dempsey said.

He said he is alarmed by the World Health Organization's warning that Ebola cases could increase and the virus could mutate.

"Then it will be an extraordinarily serious problem," he said. "I don't know who is right. I don't want to take that chance, so I am taking it very seriously."

Drone flyover sparks soccer brawl

Brother of Albanian PM was arrested after the brawl, Serbian PM's office says

Serbia's game against Albania in Belgrade was canceled after 42 minutes

A drone flew over the stadium carrying a flag with Albanian symbols

Both sets of players involved in brawl before game abandoned; UEFA is investigating

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(CNN) -- Ethnic tensions in the Balkans and an incident involving a drone led to the abandonment of a major European international football game Tuesday.

Serbia's European Championship qualifying match with Albania was abandoned after 41 minutes following ugly clashes between both sets of players.

The brawl followed the arrival of a mini-drone, which flew over the stadium while carrying a flag depicting the "Greater Albania."

Albania's tie against Serbia in Belgrade had to be called off following a brawl between both sets of players. A drone flew over the stadium with a flag emblazoned with Albanian symbols, which was taken down by home player Stefan Mitrovic. A melee ensued with police taking to the field with the contest abandoned after 41 minutes.

The drone's entry into the field sparked ugly scenes between rival players.

Nemanja Gudelj (L) scuffles with midfielder Albania's midfielder Bekim Balaj (C) and defender Andi Lila (R) over a flag with Albanian national symbols.

Albania's players ran from the field following the clashes with Serbian players.

Albania's players made their way to the safety of the dressing room as events began to turn nasty.

Police were brought in to deal with Serbian supporters as tensions continued to rise throughout the evening.

A fan drags the drone behind him after invading the pitch at the Stadion Crvena Zvezda.

Riot police clashed with Serbian supporters as the situation escalated.

Serbian riot police officers stand guard during the match in the Serbian capital city.

Police and supporters clashed with English referee Martin Atkinson forced to abandon the match.

Match abandoned after drone invasion

Football match ended by drone, brawl

When Serbian player Stefan Mitrovic ripped the flag down, it provided the catalyst for an already combustible tie to fully ignite.

Martin Atkinson, the English referee, took the players off the field with the game goalless following clashes between rival players.

See images of the incident

There were no signs of the tie being restarted with UEFA, the game's European governing body, confirming the game had been abandoned.

Albanian players ran from the field, while a number of missiles and flares were thrown from the stands by some home supporters. Images from photo agencies showed fans had invaded the pitch.

In a statement on its website, UEFA said that the match "was abandoned and the circumstances will be reported to the UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body."

It is expected to make an announcement on disciplinary proceedings on Wednesday.

The "Greater Albania" insignia refers to the idea of an extended area in which all ethnic Albanians reside -- one which would include Kosovo.

The two figures on the flag were Isa Boljetini, an Albanian nationalist who led uprisings against the Serbs and Ottomans in 1912 and 1913, while the other, Ismail Qemali, is considered to be the founder of the modern Albanian state, which became independent in 1912.

The word "Autochthonous," which refers to an indigenous inhabitant of a place, was emblazoned at the bottom of the flag and is considered an offense to Serbians.

The brother of Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama was arrested in Serbia on Tuesday night following the brawl, the office of the Serbian Prime Minister told CNN on Wednesday.

Olsi Rama was held briefly before being released at the insistence of Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic, then put on a plane home, Vucic's office said.

"What happened is something we can't comprehend at the moment," Serbia captain Branislav Ivanovic told reporters.

"On behalf of my team, all I can say is that we wanted to carry on and that we shielded the Albanian players every step of the way to the tunnel (after the riot broke out).

"The Albanian team said they were unfit physically and mentally to carry on after talking to the officials and they will now decide the fate of this match.

"We can only regret that football took a back seat but it is difficult to draw any conclusions or make any comments now."

Martin Odegaard grabbed another slice of history on Monday, coming on as a substitute during Norway's clash with Bulgaria to become the youngest player ever in European Championships qualifying history at 15 years and 300 days.

Odegaard was given his senior debut for Norwegian club Stromsgodet at the age of 15 by coach Ronny Delia, who has since moved to Scottish champion Celtic.

Martin's father Hans Erik played for Strømsgodset for 11 seasons. He now is overseeing his son's football career. "Martin has always -- and still loves to train," says Hans Erik. "For him training is fun. That's important. It means has kept his joy of football. If you feel you have to do it there's a danger that you will be burned out and tired. I don't think that is a real danger for Martin, because this is his passion and love."

Hans Erik admits his son is a better player than he was -- "but don't tell him that," he quips.

At the age of 15 years and 253 days, Odegaard became Norway's youngest football international in a 0-0 draw with the United Arab Emirates.

Odegaard was the youngest player to represent his country since 1910. "The good thing about Martin is that he always want to be better and is never satisfied," says Hans Erik.

After August's UAE game, Odegaard played for Norway's Under-21 team in a 2-1 defeat by Portugal in his home city of Drammen.

Hans Erik says he has always encouraged Martin (pictured center) to "want the ball and to never be afraid of making mistakes and always try and be creative. In training, always go where it's most tight so you develop best. This always wanting the ball is almost in his DNA."

The nurturing of a football prodigy

Cristiano Ronaldo now has 100 million 'fans' on Facebook -- way ahead of the nearest sporting opposition.

Part footballing superstar, part global brand; Ronaldo is adding Facebook fans at the rate of nearly one over second, 54 per minute on average.

The Real Madrid and Portugal star is regarded as one of the finest players ever to play the game and is also on top of the world in Twitter terms with over 30 million followers on the micro-blogging site.

Ronaldo's combination of talent good looks and social profile make him an attractive commodity for global brand names and companies, says Max Chilton, UK head of sports marketing research firm Repucom.

The next best tally in terms of sporting Facebook likes is not an individual but a club in the shape of FC Barcelona. The Catalan institution has over 76 million 'likes'.

AC Milan and Brazil superstar, Kaka, has 20 million followers on Twitter. A phenomenal tally but still 10 million less than his former Real Madrid teammate, Ronaldo.

Ronaldo's popularity on social media even dwarfs that of his employer, Real Madrid, which has 74 million Facebook 'likes' and 13.1 million Twitter followers.

LeBron James has the third most popular profile for a singular sports star on Twitter with 15.3 million followers. The NBA superstar also trails on the Facebook front with his account 'liked' by 21.6 million people.

Real play catch up with Ronaldo

$Cristiano Ronaldo\'s Facebook fan club$ Cristiano Ronaldo's Facebook fan club

Security had been tight in the lead up to the contest in Belgrade with no away fans present with tensions running high over Kosovo -- a majority-Albanian former Serbian province which declared independence in 2008.

In 1999, a 78-day air war was launched by NATO to stop the killing off ethnic Albanians in Kosovo by Serbian forces.

Kosovo's independence is recognized by many countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and France -- but not Serbia.

Four of Albania's starting lineup were born in Kosovo, with Lorik Cana of Italian club Lazio, goalkeeper Etrit Berisha, midfielder Burim Kukeli and Ermir Lenjani.

With Kosovo not recognized as a state by the United Nations, it is unable to join FIFA or UEFA, meaning some of its players have adopted other countries.

Xherdan Shaqiri, who plays his club football with Bayern Munich, represents Switzerland as does Valon Behrami and Granit Xhaka.

While Kosovo is able to play friendly matches, the team cannot compete in international competition.

Belgium-born Adnan Januzaj, one of the most exciting talents in the English Premier League with Manchester United, turned down the opportunity to play for Kosovo, where his father is from. He was also eligible for Albania through his mother's lineage.