News post for March 31 – 2015

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This post is for readers to add relevant links, videos and news as its discovered in the comments. Many will be data mined throughout the day to make the above the waterline posts but for the freshest news check the comments on this post below.

About Eeyore

Canadian artist and counter-jihad and freedom of speech activist as well as devout Schrödinger's catholic

54 Replies to “News post for March 31 – 2015”

  1. China Evacuates 571 From Yemen, Suspends Anti-Piracy Patrols (abcnews, March 31, 2015)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/china-evacuates-571-yemen-suspends-anti-piracy-patrols-30022156

    “China said Tuesday that it had evacuated more than 500 of its citizens from Yemen amid the growing violence in the Middle Eastern country.

    The Foreign Ministry said in a statement that 449 Chinese nationals left Yemen Monday evening aboard Chinese naval ships. They were headed for Djibouti on the heels of an additional 122 who arrived in the Horn of Africa nation Sunday.

    The official Xinhua News Agency reported Tuesday that the 449 Chinese and six people of other unspecified nationalities who left the Yemeni coastal city of Al-Hodayda had arrived in Djibouti, which is located directly across the southern tip of the Red Sea from Yemen.

    The ministry said the 571 Chinese will return home soon.

    The three Chinese navy ships had been carrying out escort missions in the Gulf of Aden and Somali waters and were diverted to the port of Aden to carry out the evacuations, state media reported, marking only the second time Chinese military assets have been used in such a mission.

    In 2011, China took the unprecedented step of dispatching one of its most sophisticated warships and military transport aircraft to help in the evacuation of about 35,000 Chinese citizens amid Libya’s civil war….”

  2. Roadside Bomb Kills 7 Afghans in Eastern Province (abcnews, March 31, 2015)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/roadside-bomb-kills-afghans-eastern-province-30022455

    “A deputy official says a roadside bombing in a remote province in eastern Afghanistan has killed seven people, all members of the same family.

    The deputy police chief in Ghazni province says the bombing took place on Monday afternoon in Andar district. Asadullha Ensafi says the mini bus the family was riding in struck the bomb and all seven people from the family died — three women, three children and a man.

    No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack but Ensafi blamed the Taliban. It was the third such roadside bombing this month in Ghazni province.

    Roadside bombs have been a weapon of choice for Taliban insurgents for many years, and are often used to target officials and members of the security forces but also kill many civilians.”

    • This answers many of my questions about France.

      Their negotiators are career people who’ve been negotiating with Iran on this issue for 10 years. Their core policy goes all the way back. They built nuclear facilities all over the Mideast.

      They don’t have the election cycle to worry about, let alone a presidential “legacy” at stake. They’re asking all the right questions, been burned themselves. Sanctions on Iran have cost them money and more’s at stake.

      They also know MUCH more about the Mideast. CARE much more. They’re not going to “pivot” away from long-standing relationships with people who speak FRENCH! Our “pivots” have become clownish pratfalls.

      We do well to remember that Israel was in the French sphere until the 1960s. Not that it means all that much today, but history always means something. French Jews don’t account for much in terms of votes, but rest assured they have analogues to our American-style interest groups.

      The French are simply appalled over the mess we’ve made of the region. [Never mind their own domestic disaster.]

      There’s no percentage in following one arrogant, clumsy, corrupt American Lame Duck. [Who may be an impostor, as per their intelligence sources.]

      A Duck who discounts the history we share with the French people. Who is in fact ashamed of the history the French are proud of.

  18. Reports: Banned Group Takes Prosecutor Hostage in Turkey (abcnews, March 31, 2015)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/reports-banned-group-takes-prosecutor-hostage-turkey-30024106

    “Members of a banned leftist group took a chief prosecutor hostage in his office Tuesday inside a court house in Istanbul, Turkish news agencies said. Police said negotiators were speaking to two militants in attempts to end the standoff.

    “There is no problem concerning any of our colleagues. Our negotiators and Umit Kocasakal, the head of the Istanbul Bar Association, are talking to the militants,” Istanbul Police Chief Selami Altunok said.

    “We are trying to resolve the issue without anyone being hurt,” he said.

    The private Dogan news agency said some shots were fired inside earlier in the incident.

    Dogan said police special forces had entered the building, which was evacuated. It was not clear how the assailants sneaked the arms in to the court house.

    The state-run Anadolu Agency and state television, TRT, identified the prosecutor as Mehmet Selim Kiraz. He is the prosecutor investigating the death of a teenager who was hit by a police gas canister fired during nationwide anti-government protests in 2013.

    A website close to the left-wing DHKP-C group said that militants from the banned organization had taken the prosecutor hostage at midday and had given authorities three hours to meet five demands, including forcing policemen held responsible for the teenager’s killing to confess the death.

    The group also demanded that the policemen be tried by “peoples’ courts” and for court officials to drop prosecutions or investigations against people who took part in protests denouncing the boy’s death. The website showed a picture of someone holding a gun to a man’s head with posters from the group in the background.

    The DHKP-C, which seeks a socialist state, is considered as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the European Union.

    The group has carried out sporadic attacks, including a suicide bombing on the U.S. embassy in 2013 that killed a security guard. The group was more active in the 1970s.”

        • Prosecutor injured, two captors killed in Istanbul hostage shootout

          A Turkish prosecutor was critically injured and two of his captors were killed on Tuesday, after security forces stormed the courthouse where a far-left group had taken the prosecutor hostage, Istanbul’s police chief said.

          The prosecutor was undergoing surgery and fighting for his life, according to Selami Altinok.

          “Because of gunshots heard from inside the prosecutor’s office, our security forces carried out an operation,” Altinok said.

          http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/31/us-turkey-hostage-idUSKBN0MR19T20150331

          Bloody climax to Turkey prosecutor hostage crisis

          A Turkish prosecutor has been badly wounded and two gunmen who took him hostage killed after a shootout at a courthouse in Istanbul, officials say.

          Gunshots were heard and smoke was seen rising from the scene, after special forces reportedly entered the building.

          The prosecutor was apparently taken hostage because he had headed an inquiry into the death of a boy during anti-government protests in 2013.

          A banned Marxist revolutionary group is said to be behind the incident.

          A statement posted online said the prosecutor would be killed if the group’s demands were not met.

          Dramatic images were seen on social media of a gun being held to the head of Mehmet Selim Kiraz at a court house in Istanbul.

          The Turkish government banned live TV coverage of the incident, citing security concerns.

          http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-32129012

  19. Turkish Military Officers Acquitted in Coup Plot Retrial (abcnews, March 31, 2015)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/turkish-military-officers-acquitted-coup-plot-retrial-30027175

    “An Istanbul court has acquitted 236 military officers of charges of plotting a coup to overthrow the government of then-Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

    The court ruled Tuesday in favor of the officers in their retrial, launched months after the Turkey’s highest court ruled that the original trial had violated the suspects’ right to a fair trial.

    In 2012, 326 officers were convicted of plotting to overthrow Erdogan’s Islamic-based government in 2003 in an alleged plot dubbed “Sledgehammer,” receiving sentences of up to 20 years imprisonment.

    In June, the Constitutional Court ordered many of the officers released pending a retrial.

    The initial trial helped curtail the military’s hold on Turkish politics, but the case was marred by the suspects’ long pre-trial confinement and judicial flaws, including allegations of fabricated evidence.”

  20. Turkey: Training, Arming Syrian Rebels Could Start in May (abcnews, March 31, 2015)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/turkey-training-arming-syrian-rebels-start-30024105

    “Turkey’s defense minister says a joint Turkish-U.S. program to train and arm Syrian rebels fighting the Islamic State group could begin in May.

    Ismet Yilmaz, however, told reporters Tuesday that the sides were still holding talks on the soldiers to be chosen for the program.

    Turkey and the U.S. reached a deal on training and arming the rebels in February after several months of negotiations. Turkish officials had previously said training would start in March.

    The U.S. has screened about 1,200 moderate Syrian rebels to participate in training in Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. U.S. Congress passed legislation authorizing the training and providing $500 million for training about 5,000 rebels over the next year.

    Yilmaz said Turkey supports British participation in the program as observers or trainers.”

  21. Iraqi forces take back Tikrit from ISIS, official says (CNN, March 31, 2015)
    http://edition.cnn.com/2015/03/31/middleeast/iraq-isis-tikrit/index.html

    “Iraqi forces battling to wrest Tikrit from ISIS are now in control of the city, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said Tuesday on Iraqiya TV. Al-Abadi, who is also the top military commander, said on state television that the city was liberated.

    Tikrit had been under ISIS control since June. The push into Tikrit comes days after a series of U.S.-led airstrikes targeted ISIS targets around the city. The airstrikes made it possible for the Iraqi forces to move through the city. Troops reported finding dozens of roadside bombs and booby-trapped buildings as they combed the city.

    At a Cabinet meeting before declaring Tikrit liberated, al-Abadi was already calling the operation a success….”

  22. Blackout affecting Turkey

    Turkey power cut: Prime Minister says nationwide blackout could be caused by terrorists

    A nationwide blackout across Turkey has thrown the country into chaos.

    Power outages have been reported in dozens of cities throughout the country due to a fault on power transmission lines, according to Turkey’s Electricity Transmission Company TE?A?’s statement.

    Prime minister Ahmet Davuto?lu said that a crisis-desk at the Ministry of Energy has been established.

    He added: “We’re considering all probabilities behind nationwide power outage, including terrorism.”

    Energy minister Taner Y?ld?z said that the fault was restored in some provinces as of midday.

    Due to the allegations that the fault was a cyber attack, Mr Y?ld?z said: “We cannot confirm whether power outage was a cyber or terrorist attack.”

    Istanbul’s metro, tram and Marmaray services have come to a halt due to the blackout.

    http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/nationwide-blackout-throws-turkey-into-chaos-10145504.html

  28. REUTERS – Spain arrests four including two teens planning to travel to Syria

    MADRID (Reuters) – Two young teenagers were arrested early on Tuesday in northeastern Spain, the same morning they planned to travel to Syria to fight with Islamist militants there, the Spanish interior ministry said.

    Police arrested the two, both aged under 16, and another two suspects in a raid in the Mediterranean city of Badalona, about 11 kilometers from Barcelona.

    “A brother of the minors had already traveled to Syria, recruited by jihadist groups, dying in 2014, and is believed to have formed part of the terrorist ranks supporting DAESH (Islamic State),” said the ministry in a statement.

    The ministry said the teenagers had dropped out of school in Badalona and begun studying at an Islamic center in Morocco. They were due to travel on Tuesday morning through Morocco to Turkey and from there onto Syria with the full knowledge of those close to them including their mother, said the ministry.

    Since the attacks on satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo in Paris earlier this year, Spain has stepped up efforts to prevent recruiters from militant groups targeting young Muslims.

    http://ca.reuters.com/article/topNews/idCAKBN0MR0MF20150331

    Spain arrests couple, two boys for sending jihadis to Syria

    A Moroccan couple and their two children were arrested on Tuesday morning in the eastern Catalonian city of Badalona by the Spanish Civil Guard for their alleged involvement in a network sending jihadis to Syria, Spain’s interior ministry said.

    The apprehended children were brothers, both under 16 years of age, according to the ministry, and were about to leave for Syria, via Morocco and Turkey, Spanish news agency Efe reported.

    Investigations revealed that the two children were scheduled to actually leave on Tuesday morning from Badalona to Morocco, and they had already contacted members of the network to facilitate their trip through Turkey.

    The brothers left their school in Badalona and were going to pursue Quranic studies in a religious school in the northern Moroccan city of Tetouan, while their family was completely aware that they would eventually be going to Syria.

    The interior ministry reported that the mother of the children had another son who died in the Syrian conflict in 2014, after joining an Islamist terrorist group.

    http://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/spain-arrests-couple-two-boys-for-sending-jihadis-to-syria-115033100580_1.html

  29. US will provide more military aid to Egypt

    Obama on Monday said he would ask the U.S. Congress for US$1.3 billion per year in military aid for Egypt and said he would lift holds on aircraft, missiles and tanks for Cairo in place since October 2013, the White House said in a statement.

    WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama on Monday said he would ask the U.S. Congress for US$1.3 billion per year in military aid for Egypt and said he would lift holds on aircraft, missiles and tanks for Cairo in place since October 2013, the White House said in a statement.

    Obama also said that the United States would discontinue starting in fiscal 2018 Egypt’s use of cash flow financing, a financial mechanism that allows Egypt to buy equipment on credit, the White House said.

    http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/obama-says-us-will-provid/1759962.html

    US releases military aid to Egypt, cites national security

    WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is releasing military aid to Egypt that was suspended after the 2013 coup in that country.

    The White House says Obama is lifting the hold on sending F-16 fighter jets, tanks and other material to Egypt. The U.S. has been weighing whether to lift the hold to help combat the extremist threat spilling over from Libya and in the Sinai Peninsula.

    But the White House says it is not issuing a certification that Egypt has made progress toward democracy. Instead, the U.S. is maintaining that the aid is in the interest of U.S. national security.

    The U.S. had to do one or the other to unblock the aid. The funds were suspended 21 months ago when the military overthrew Islamist President Mohammed Morsi.

    https://uk.news.yahoo.com/us-releases-military-aid-egypt-cites-national-security-185418101–politics.html#sfRlr0T

  30. GERMANWINGS – Video shows last seconds of death flight 4U9525

    A video emerged from on-board Germanwings flight 4U9525. German newspaper BILD and French magazine „Paris Match“ were able to view it.

    The authenticity oft the video is unquestionable, although the scenery on board is chaotic, totally blurred and no individuals can be identified.

    The video was recorded in the rear of the plane. It is unclear whether this was done while standing or sitting. It is also not known whether a passenger or crew member has filmed

    The audible screams prove that the passengers on board knew what desperate situation they were in. One can hear the cry „My God“ in several languages.

    ?The video also seems to confirm what the previous analysis of the voice recorder states: You can hear at least three clearly metallic sounding strikes. Apparently the pilot trying to break open the cockpit door with an ax or another metal object – until the very end.

    ?Just before the end of the video the aircraft seems to be touching a mountain. It looks like the cabine gets blown to the side. Once again you can hear people cry – then the video ends.

    more on the page :

    http://www.bild.de/news/ausland/flug-4u9525/absturz-englische-version-40379746.bild.html

    CNN report :

  32. SAUDI ARABIA – King Salman will work with the Muslim Brotherhood in order to stem the Iranian expansion

    Saudi journalist Jamal Khashogji, who has close ties to the decision making circle within the Kingdom, has tweeted that King Salman bin Abd Al-Aziz will strike a deal with the Muslim Brotherhood group, if he deemed it useful with stemming the Iranian expansion in the region.

    In an attempt to justify the Kingdom’s policy of dealing with the military coup in Egypt, although the coup authorities have been persecuting the Muslim Brotherhood there, Khashogji said: “King Salman has inherited the Egyptian condition”, pointing to the legacy bequeathed by King Abdullah bin Abd Al-Aziz. He added: “Let us say that so much water has passed under the bridge in Egypt and that there is a certain status quo.”

    Some observers have concluded that if Khashogji’s remarks do indeed express the conviction of the Saudi Authorities, this may be regarded as an attempt by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to evade bearing moral and international responsibility with regard to the undemocratic toppling of the Muslim Brotherhood.

    Khashogji went on to say: “King Salman bin Abd Al-Aziz has, since assuming responsibility, been pumping a new policy in the region.” He stressed that the King is preoccupied with two main issues: arresting the deterioration in the condition of the Arab east and putting an end to the Iranian hegemony across the region.

    Khashogji added: “Stemming the Iranian hegemony and preventing it from spreading further in the Arab region requires freezing all disagreements with the current of political Islam.” He pointed out that should dealing with the Brotherhood be useful for excluding the Houthis and restoring stability to Yemen, Saudi Arabia would do it; and if needed, he would do it in Syria too.

    In an attempt by the Saudi writer to evade answering for the double standard exercised by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in dealing with the coup in Yemen and the coup in Egypt, Khashogji said: “Leave the Egyptian case aside, because King Salman inherited the Egyptian condition as it is, and this is not a Saudi priority at the present time.”

    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/middle-east/17788-khashogji-king-salman-will-deal-with-the-muslim-brotherhood-in-order-to-stem-the-iranian-expansion

  33. FRANCE – Migrants quit Calais camp and leave all this behind: Abandoned tents, filthy sleeping bags and burnt-out beer cans litter former sports hall as 2,000 are forced to leave illegal site

    Last migrants have moved out of an illegal camp in Calais sports hall after more than a year living in squalor
    Around 2,000 men, women and child migrants slept rough on the site hoping to eventually reach Britain
    The hall now resembles rubbish dump with mattresses, tents and boxes left behind and will cost thousands to clean
    The migrants were ordered to leave illegal camp by police – but most have just moved half a mile away to new camp

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3020411/Migrants-quit-Calais-camp-leave-rubbish-behind.html