Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/583479
ByJohn-ThorDahlburg The Associated Press BRUSSELS NATO's chief on Thursday signaled its readiness to deploy forces if needed to protect Turkey against any threat from Russia, as the alliance agreed on more changes to meet today's security threats. "All of this sends a clear message to all NATO citi- zens. NATO will defend you, NATO is on the ground, NATO is ready," alliance secretary-general Jens Stol- tenberg said. The actions came at a defense ministers' meeting that was overshadowed by growing concerns over Rus- sia's recent military actions in Syria. The new measures agreed upon include fi- nalized plans, including command and control ar- rangements, for a NATO Response Force of up to 40,000, twice the current size, and the creation of new NATO headquarters of- fices in Hungary and Slova- kia, Stoltenberg announced at a news conference. "We see an escalation of Russian military activity in Syria," Stoltenberg said. "And the ministers agreed that Russia's military esca- lation in Syria raises serious concerns." On Wednesday, Russian warships fired cruise mis- siles in the first combined air-and-ground assault with Syrian government troops since Moscow began its mil- itary campaign in the Mid- dle Eastern country last week. Over the weekend, Tur- key, a NATO member, re- ported back-to-back viola- tions of its airspace by Rus- sian warplanes. Stoltenberg, NATO's top civilian official, called Rus- sia's actions and unwav- ering support for belea- guered Syrian President Bashar al-Assad "not help- ful." In remarks to reporters earlier, Stoltenberg said the alliance was ready to send help to Turkey if required. "NATO is able and ready to defend all allies, includ- ing Turkey, against any threat," he said. He said NATO had al- ready increased "our ca- pacity, our ability, our pre- paredness to deploy forces, including to the south, including in Turkey, if needed." 'CLEAR MESSAGE' Ch ie f: N AT O OK s cha ng es to m ee t ne w th re at s VIRGINIAMAYO—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg pauses before speaking during a media conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Thursday. By Aron Heller and Tia Goldenberg The Associated Press JERUSALEM Prime Min- ister Benjamin Netanyahu sought to calm Israelis Thursday as a wave of Pal- estinian stabbing attacks spread deeper into Israel and clashes erupted across the West Bank, vowing to combat the growing vio- lence without alienating in- ternational allies. Netanyahu has come un- der fire from hard-liners within his own governing coalition as well as oppo- sition lawmakers for not putting an end to the surg- ing violence, which erupted weeks ago over tensions surrounding a Jerusalem site revered by Muslims and Jews. The unrest began with clashes between Palestin- ian protesters and Israeli police within the Jerusa- lem hilltop compound. But in recent days the violence has intensified and a series of attacks by Palestinians, carried out mainly by young people with no known links to armed groups, has shocked Israelis and raised fears of a new uprising. "Israelis are acting with bravery, courage, restraint and determination to neu- tralize and kill the terror- ists in the act," Netanyahu told reporters at a press conference with top defense officials. "With persistence, systematically and with de- termination, we will prove that terror doesn't pay." Israelis around the coun- try have watched warily in recent days as the violence spread away from Jeru- salem and the West Bank and deep into Israel. The violence continued Thurs- day, with four separate stabbing attacks in Jerusa- lem, the West Bank, Tel Aviv and northern Israel that wounded several Israelis. In the Tel Aviv incident, a Palestinian stabbed four Israelis with a screwdriver before a soldier killed him. Palestinian protesters meanwhile clashed with Is- raeli forces in a number of locations in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, where a 20-year-old protester was killed by live fire, according to a Palestinian hospital of- ficial and witnesses. Four Israelis have been killed in attacks over the past week. Seven Palestin- ians, including four alleged attackers, have been killed in the unrest. More than 130 Palestinians have been wounded in demonstrations and clashes across the West Bank and east Jerusalem. In a measure meant to ease tensions, Netanyahu banned Cabinet ministers and lawmakers from the sensitive Jerusalem holy site, fearing any high-pro- file spectacle could further enflame tensions. The move appeared to put him on a collision course with hard-liners in his government who have been pressing for a harsh crackdown and settlement expansion in the West Bank in response to the violence. Netanyahu said Thursday he was focusing on com- bating the violence and didn't want to anger inter- national allies, who oppose settlement construction, at a time when Israel needed support for security mea- sures. WEST BANK Is ra el i le ad er c al ls f or c al m am id s pi ra lin g at ta ck s MASSOUD HOSSAINI — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS The general director of medical charity, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), Christopher Stokes, right, and MSF's Country Representative for Afghanistan, Guilhem Molinie, are seen at their office, in Kabul, Afghanistan. By Lynne O'Donnell The Associated Press KABUL, AFGHANISTAN A day after President Barack Obama apologized for a tragic U.S. airstrike that killed at least 22 people at a hospital run by Doctors Without Borders in north- ern Afghanistan, the medi- cal charity said Thursday it iscontinuingtopressitsde- mandforanindependentin- vestigation of the incident. The Oct. 3 airstrike took placeasAfghanforceswere fighting to retake the stra- tegic northern city of Kun- duz, which was overrun and briefly held last week by the Taliban. The insur- gents, who have been mass- ing around the city for months, launched a multi- pronged attack that took authorities by surprise. Obama on Wednesday apologized to the organiza- tion and said the U.S. would examine military proce- durestolookforbetterways to prevent such incidents. But scarce details on the erroneous strike have only fueled growing con- demnation by MSF, as the charity is known under its French acronym, and other aid groups. Along with a dozen hospital staffers, 10 patients were also killed in the strike, which is likely to complicate delicate U.S. efforts in Afghanistan. Speaking to report- ers on Thursday in Ka- bul, MSF's general direc- tor, Christopher Stokes, reiterated the group's de- mand for the probe, say- ing it would be important and a precedent for non- government organizations working in conflict zones worldwide. Stokes said MSF wanted the Swiss-based Inter- national Humanitarian Fact-Finding Commis- sion — which is made up of diplomats, legal experts, doctors and some former military officials from nine European countries, in- cluding Britain and Rus- sia — "to get the facts of what happened, the truth." A er apology, charity presses probe request AFGHANISTAN AIRSTRIKE Paramásdetallesllameal1-800-660-6789 • 詳情請致電 1-800-893-9555 NOTICE OF EVIDENTIARY HEARING REGARDING PACIFIC GAS AND ELECTRIC COMPANY'S REQUEST TO INCREASE RATES FOR 2014 DROUGHT FIRE RISK REDUCTION ACTIVITIES (A.15-05-016) October 26-27, 2015 Starting at 10:00 a.m. at the address below: California Public Utilities Commission Courtroom State Office Building 505 Van Ness Avenue San Francisco, CA 94102 Summary On May 28, 2015, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) filed an application with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) for approval to increase rates for the recovery of expenses recorded in the electric Catastrophic Event Memorandum Account (CEMA). The 2015 CEMA Application seeks recovery of $26.6 million in expenses incurred in 2014 to comply with directives by California Governor Jerry Brown and the CPUC. Background On June 12, 2014, the CPUC approved Resolution ESRB-4 (the Resolution). This Resolution is in accordance with Governor Brown's drought State of Emergency proclamation. PG&E has an ongoing vegetation management program to ensure the safety of its electric distribution system.The Resolution ordered PG&E to take additional measures to reduce the likelihood of fires associated with drought- stricken vegetation near PG&E's electric distribution facilities. In 2014 PG&E introduced several programs to help reduce the risk of fire ignition from its electric distribution facilities or from drought- stricken vegetation damaging its facilities, including: • Additional ground and air inspections of its electric distribution facilities in high fire risk areas • Funding California Fire Safe Councils' fire fuel reduction programs • Funding fire lookouts, aerial patrols, and fire detection cameras located near PG&E's electric distribution facilities California state law allows PG&E to record to the CEMA expenses for complying with state and federal orders associated withdeclared emergencies.This application willbe examined bytheCPUC todetermine if costs are incremental, reasonable, and eligible for recovery from customers before any rate increase will be approved. PG&E will continue to undertake additional drought fire risk mitigation activities to ensure continued safety and electric reliability for communities we serve as long as the drought persists. If approved, this application would result in a rate increase that would start at the next electric rate change following a final decision in this proceeding. The distribution of these rate changes to each customer class ultimately depends on the CPUC's final decision. If the application is approved, PG&E estimates that a typical residential customer using 500 kWh per month would see an average bill increase of $0.23 (or 0.3 percent), from $89.30 to $89.53. Individual customers' bills will differ. The CPUC regulates and oversees all requests for any rate changes. Evidentiary Hearings At the evidentiary hearings noted above, PG&E and other formal parties to the proceeding will present their evidence through testimony and will be subject to cross-examination before an Administrative Law Judge (Judge). The hearings are open to the public, but only those who are formal parties are permitted to present evidence and/or cross-examine witnesses. After considering all proposals and evidence presented during the formal process, the Judge will issue a proposed decision which may accept PG&E's proposal, modify it or reject it.Any one of the five Commissioners may also issue an alternate decision based on the record.The proposed decision and any alternate will be acted upon at a CPUC Voting Meeting where the Commissioners will decide whether to adopt the proposed or an alternate decision. If you would like a copy of PG&E's filing and exhibits, please write to: PG&E, Request to Increase Rates for 2014 Drought Fire Risk Reduction Activities (A.15-05-016), P.O. Box 7442, San Francisco, CA 94120. A copy of PG&E's filing and exhibits are also available for review at the CPUC, 505 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94120, Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – noon. PG&E's filing (without exhibits) is available on the CPUC's website at www.cpuc.ca.gov/puc. CPUC Process As a party of record, the Office of Ratepayer Advocates (ORA) reviewed this application. ORA is the independent consumer advocate within the CPUC with a legislative mandate to represent investor-owned utility customers to obtain the lowest possible rate for service consistent with reliable and safe service levels. The ORA has a multi-disciplinary staff with expertise in economics, finance, accounting and engineering. For more information about ORA, please call (415) 703-1584, e-mail ora@cpuc.ca.gov or visit ORA's website at www.ora.ca.gov. Please note: The Commission Courtroom is wheelchair accessible. If you wish to attend and need specialized accommodations, please contact the Public Advisor's Office (PAO) (noted below) at least five business days prior to the hearing date. Any changes to the dates, times and locations of the hearings will be posted to the CPUC's Daily Calendar. If you would like to follow this proceeding, or any other issue before the CPUC, you may use the CPUC's free subscription service. Sign up at: http://subscribecpuc.cpuc.ca.gov/. If you would like to learn how you can participate in the proceeding, or if you have informal comments or questions about the CPUC processes,you may access the CPUC's PAO webpage at www.cpuc.ca.gov/puc and click on "Public Advisor" from the CPUC Information Menu.You may also contact the PAO as follows: Write: CPUC Public Advisor's Office, Room 2103 505 Van Ness Avenue San Francisco, CA 94102 Email: public.advisor@cpuc.ca.gov Phone: 1-866-849-8390 (toll-free) or 1-415-703-2074 TTY: 1-866-836-7825 (toll-free) or 1-415-703-5282 Please reference PG&E's CEMA Application No. 15-05-016 in any communications you have with the CPUC regarding this matter. All public comments will become part of the public correspondence file for this proceeding and made available for review for the assigned Judge, the Commissioners, and appropriate CPUC staff. Please help sponsor a classroom subscription Call Kathy at (530) 737-5047 to find out how. ThroughtheNewspapersinEducation program, area classrooms receive the Red Bluff Daily News every day thanks to the generosity of these local businesses & individuals. THANKYOUFORSUPPORTING N EWS D AILY RED BLUFF TEHAMA COUNTY E V O I C E O F T E H A M A C O U N TY S I N C E 1 8 8 5 NEWSPAPERS NIE • Dignity Health St. Elizabeth Community Hospital • Dr. Asato & Dr. Martin • Fidelity National Title Co. • Dolling Insurance • Gumm's Optical Shoppe • Olive City Quick Lube • Walmart • Tehama Co. Dept. Of Ed. • John Wheeler Logging, Inc. • Dudley's Excavating, Inc. • Etzler Financial & Insurance • Olive City Tax Professionals • Placer Title Company • Airport Auto Repair • Greenwaste Of Tehama • North Main Automotive • QRC • Red Bluff Vision Center • Steve's Backhoe Service • School House Market • Wing Solar & Wood Energy | NEWS | REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2015 8 B