Reader’s links for Jan. 3 – 2016

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Thank you all for those that take the effort to assist this site in keeping the public informed. Below, typically people can find the latest enemy propaganda, news items of related materials from multiple countries and languages, op-eds from many excellent sites who write on our topics, geopolitics and immigration issues and so on.

About Eeyore

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

51 Replies to “Reader’s links for Jan. 3 – 2016”

  1. Iran, Saudi step up war of words over executed Shiite cleric

    By AMIR VAHDAT and JON GAMBRELL
    Associated Press

    Latest News
    Iran, Saudi step up war of words over executed Shiite cleric

    The Latest: 400 protesters gather near Saudi Embassy in Iran

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    Turkey’s Erdogan meets king in Saudi Arabia for Syria talks

    Saudi Arabia posts $98B deficit, raises petrol prices

    Buy AP Photo Reprints

    TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran’s top leader on Sunday warned Saudi Arabia of “divine revenge” over the execution of an opposition Shiite cleric while Riyadh accused Tehran of supporting terrorism, escalating a war of words hours after protesters stormed the Saudi Embassy in Tehran.

    Saudi Arabia announced the execution of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr on Saturday along with 46 others, including three other Shiite dissidents and a number of al-Qaida militants. It was largest mass execution carried out by the kingdom in three and a half decades.

    Al-Nimr was a central figure in protests by Saudi Arabia’s Shiite minority until his arrest in 2012, and his execution drew condemnation from Shiites across the region.

    http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/ML_SAUDI_ARABIA?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2016-01-03-06-28-50

  2. Texas governor challenges Obama to ‘come and take’ the Lone Star state’s guns as the president prepares to take executive action

    Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3382526/Texas-governor-challenges-Obama-come-Lone-Star-state-s-guns-president-prepares-executive-action.html#ixzz3wBksXRPk
    Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

    Texas Gov Greg Abbott criticized President Barack Obama’s plan to move ahead with possible executive actions on guns in a tweet in which he told the Commander-in-Chief to ‘come & take’ the state’s guns.

    Obama said in his weekly radio address that he is looking for ways to keep guns out of the hands of ‘a dangerous few’ without depending on Congress to pass a law on the fraught subject of gun control.

    He plans to meet his attorney general, Loretta Lynch, on Monday to see what executive actions might be possible. Steps to strengthen background checks could come this week.

    At a rally in Biloxi, Mississippi, tonight Donald Trump also pledged to undo any action Obama takes on gun control if he wins the next election

    Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3382526/Texas-governor-challenges-Obama-come-Lone-Star-state-s-guns-president-prepares-executive-action.html#ixzz3wBl2NimX
    Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

  3. Mexico mayor assassinated one day after taking office

    Cuernavaca (Mexico) (AFP) – Several gunmen burst into the home of a newly elected Mexican mayor and shot her dead on Saturday, just hours into her tenure, police said.

    Gisela Mota, 33, a left-of-center former member of Congress, was gunned down barely 24 hours after taking her oath of office in the city of Temixco, which is about 90 kilometers (55 miles) from the capital Mexico City.

    Temixco is plagued by organized crime and rampant drug trafficking — problems the slain mayor had vowed to help clean up.

    The government of central Morelos state said that two of the suspected gunmen had been killed and one was in custody.

    http://news.yahoo.com/mexico-mayor-assassinated-one-day-taking-office-202904917.html

  4. Hong Kong bookseller’s disappearance sparks protests at Beijing office

    HONG KONG (Reuters) – Hong Kong opposition lawmakers protested on Sunday outside Beijing’s representative office in the Chinese-ruled city over the disappearance of a bookseller who specializes in publications critical of the Communist Party government.

    Lee Bo, 65, a major shareholder of Causeway Bay Books, “vanished” on Wednesday after he went to fetch books from his warehouse in the city, Lee’s wife told Hong Kong media.

    She said her husband had called her from a mainland Chinese number to tell her he was safe but would not reveal his location, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported on Sunday. She said Lee spoke to her in Mandarin even though the pair usually communicated in Cantonese.

    Lee is the fifth person linked to the bookstore to have gone missing in the past two months. Others include Gui Minhai, owner of Mighty Current, the publishing house that owns the bookstore, the SCMP reported. Missing person reports were filed for three others, it said.

    http://www.oann.com/hong-kong-booksellers-disappearance-sparks-protests-at-beijing-office/

    • I don’t think there is any connection between this disappearance and the attempt on Nigal Farange but they both show the lefts attitude towards people disagree with them.

    • President Xi’s love life may be behind missing booksellers

      A Hong Kong lawmaker believes that five employees from a publishing house have been detained by Beijing authorities, likely over a book about a former girlfriend of Chinese President Xi.

  5. Vietnam protests after China lands plane on disputed Spratlys

    HANOI (Reuters) – Vietnam formally accused China of violating its sovereignty and a recent confidence-building pact on Saturday by landing a plane on an airstrip Beijing has built on an artificial island in a contested part of the South China Sea.

    Foreign Ministry spokesman Le Hai Binh said the airfield, had been “built illegally” on Fiery Cross Reef in the Spratly archipelago, in territory that was “part of Vietnam’s Spratlys”.

    China’s Foreign Ministry rejected the complaint, saying that what was a test flight to the newly built airfield on the reef, which China calls Yongshu Jiao, was a matter “completely within China’s sovereignty,” the Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported.

    The United States said it was concerned that the flight had exacerbated tensions.

    Washington has criticized China’s construction of artificial islands in the South China Sea and worries that Beijing plans to use them for military purposes, even though China says it has no hostile intent.

    Pooja Jhunjhunwala, a spokeswoman for the U.S. State Department, said there was “a pressing need for claimants to publicly commit to a reciprocal halt to further land reclamation, construction of new facilities, and militarization of disputed features.”

    http://www.oann.com/vietnam-protests-after-china-lands-plane-on-disputed-spratlys/

  6. ‘Sizable percentage’ of world leaders probably crazy, Obama tells Seinfeld

    NEW YORK (Reuters) – President Barack Obama took a short spin with comedian Jerry Seinfeld for his “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” web series and told him that “a pretty sizable percentage” of world leaders may be crazy.

    In his latest pop culture venture, Obama filmed a special guest spot for the series, streamed on Crackle. Each 20-minute episode features Seinfeld chatting informally with a different comedian.

    Obama has “gotten off just enough funny lines to get on this show,” Seinfeld said in the episode that hit the web late on Wednesday.

    The former star of the hit TV comedy series “Seinfeld” chose a silver blue 1963 Corvette Stingray for the ride with Obama, although for security reasons the pair had to be content with a few slow turns around the White House grounds and the coffee was drunk in a staff dining room.

    Amid the small talk, viewers learned that Obama blows off steam by cursing, that his underwear is all one brand and one color, that he shaves before he works out and that his guilty food pleasure is nachos.

    http://www.oann.com/obama-becomes-one-of-jerry-seinfelds-comedians-in-cars-getting-coffee/

  7. I R A Q – RAW: Saudi embassy struck by rocket after Sheikh Nimr’s execution in Bagdad

  8. Who is George Soros, and Why is He Attacking Donald Trump & Ted Cruz?
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    We hear about this man and see him stating all sorts of odd things about Donald Trump and Ted Cruz—but why? What does George Soros gain by their being defeated? What is behind George Soros and just who is this character that seems to pop out in favor of Marxists like Obama, borderline Communists like the Clintons, and strong Socialists like Bernie Sanders? What is George Soros’s plan for the Democratic Party—or, rather, the new Socialist Party claiming to be Democratic?

    Here is a link to all the information anyone wants to know about George Soros, but that the Main Stream Media fails to disclose.

    New York hedge fund manager George Soros is one of the most politically powerful individuals on earth. Since the mid-1980s in particular, he has used his immense influence to help reconfigure the political landscapes of several countries around the world—in some cases playing a key role in toppling regimes that had held the reins of government for years, even decades. Vis à vis the United States, a strong case can be made for the claim that Soros today affects American politics and culture more profoundly that any other living person.

    George Soros’s latest attacks upon Ted Cruz and Donald Trump speak volumes about what he is and why he is against them. He is well connected to the Clintons, and perhaps they asked him to come out and make wild accusations about Donald Trump and Ted Cruz to help Hillary Clinton get her name higher than it is and to distract attention from her opponents. Soros was helping Adolph Hitler’s Nazis with taking items from the Jewish people before they were killed! George Soros does not care about people, only his Socialist/Marxist views.

    Read more at http://freedomoutpost.com/2016/01/who-is-george-soros-attacking-donald-trump-ted-cruz/#LEr7LGOUZvBtqhTy.99

    http://freedomoutpost.com/2016/01/who-is-george-soros-attacking-donald-trump-ted-cruz/

  9. UK – ISIS terror doctors recruited from UK will return to work in NHS

    BRITISH doctors who are currently helping save the lives of ISIS terrorists injured by allied bombings are expected to return to the UK and work in the NHS.

    The numbers of UK-born medics being recruited to vile jihadi cause is so worrying that British officials have been sent to Sudan in a desperate attempt to stop the flow.

    The Foreign Office understands that the Islamic State – also known as Daesh – are urgently seeking more foreign medics to help at its hospitals in Syria.

    ISIS have already persuaded doctors from Australia, Russia and nearly 20 from Britain to join their makeshift health ministry.

    British officials are now coordinating efforts to prevent more Britons from joining the terrorist health service by sending a delegation to Sudan.

    Many of those who have already joined up with ISIS include at least 17 British doctors who were studying at Sudan’s University of Medical Sciences and Technology (UMST).

    Parents had sent their children to Sudan to study medicine to reconnect with their African and Islamic roots before returning to work as doctors in the NHS.

    Families of the doctors concerned have revealed that a second group of five Britons have now joined up with members of an earlier group who travelled across the ISIS border in March.[…]

    http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/631054/ISIS-terror-doctors-recruited-UK-return-to-NHS

    • BBC – Islamic State militants kill five men it says ‘spied for UK’

      A video has been released online by so-called Islamic State, which it says shows the killing of five men who it claimed had been spying for the UK.

      A masked militant speaking with a British accent appears in the 10-minute film, threatening attacks in the UK.

      He says this is a message for Prime Minister David Cameron.

      A young boy is also seen speaking in English and talking about killing unbelievers. The propaganda video has not been independently verified.

      In the video, some of the men say that they are from Raqqa in Syria and another says he is from Benghazi, Libya, but none say they are from the UK.

      BBC World Service Middle East editor Alan Johnston said the video shows five men making what is claimed to be their confessions but they appear to be “speaking under the most extraordinary duress”.

      “They may be entirely innocent,” he added.

      One says he had been asked to provide information about the location of IS militants, possibly so that they could be targeted by air strikes, our correspondent said.

      http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-35218086
      ===================================================

      DAILY MAIL – ISIS releases video of execution of ‘five British spies’ which features young boy with UK accent making chilling threats to kill

      Propaganda video shows ISIS thugs shooting five men at point blank range
      Executioner threatened Prime Minister, calling him a ‘slave to White House’
      Young boy who appears to be around five said ‘we will kill them over there’
      British fighter jets began airstrikes on ISIS locations in Syria a month ago

      A young boy with a British accent has threatened the UK with new atrocities in a depraved ISIS execution video in which five spies are killed.

      Dressed in military fatigues and a black bandanna bearing the white mark of ISIS, he pointed to the distance and declared: ‘We will kill kuffar [non believers] over there.’

      In the ten minute long propaganda video, five shackled men dressed in orange jumpsuits ‘confessed’ to spying for British security services.

      One of the masked executioners, who spoke in a clear British accent, threatened David Cameron before killing the unarmed prisoners.

      The five captives were forced to confess to their crimes – most probably under duress – before they were paraded to a remote desert location and ordered to kneel.

      The English speaking jihadi yelled ‘Allahu Akbar’ before he and four other fanatics shot the men from point blank range.

      The video ended with a trailer for another execution in which a young, dark skinned boy warned Britain of coming atrocities.

      It raised fears that the child, who appeared to be around five, may have been made to execute someone on camera.

      Before killing the prisoners in cold blood, the British jihadi said: ‘This is a message to David Cameron, slave of the White House, mule of the Jews.’

      He called the Prime Minister an ‘imbecile’ and warned ‘your children will pay’ for British airstrikes on ISIS targets in Syria.

      He added: ‘How strange it is that we find ourselves today hearing an insignificant leader like you challenge the might of the Islamic State.

      How strange it is that the leader of a small island threatens us with a handful of planes.

      ‘One would have thought you would have learned the lessons of your pathetic master in Washington and his failed campaign against Islamic State.

      ‘It seems that you, just like your predecessors [Tony] Blair and [Gordon] Brown, are just as arrogant and foolish.

      ‘David, only a fool would wage war against a land where the law of Allah reigns supreme and where the people live under the justice and security of the Sharia.

      ‘As for those of you who wish to continue fighting under the banner of Cameron on the minimum wage, we say to you, to ask yourself, do you really think your government will care about you when you come into our hands?

      ‘Or will they abandon you, as they have abandoned these spies, and those who came before them.’

      http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3382779/ISIS-releases-video-showing-execution-five-British-spies-warning-David-Cameron-UK-bombing.html

  10. Iran: Protests against Saudi execution of top Shia cleric continue in Tehran

    Protests over the execution of top Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr continued to erupt in Tehran, Sunday, as demonstrators kept hitting the streets to express outrage over the kingdom’s policies.

    • UK: Hundreds decry govt. support of Saudi Arabia after Sheikh Nimr’s execution
      For the second day in a row, hundreds rallied outside the Saudi embassy in London, Sunday, in protest over the execution of top Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr by Saudi-Arabia, as well as Britain’s support of the kingdom.

      Around 200 protesters gathered for the demonstration, which was organised by English Shia Muslim groups and Amnesty International, demanding the West to stop funding and supporting Saudi-Arabia.

  11. Poll: Whites and Republicans Rank as Angriest Americans (nbcnews, Jan 3, 2015)
    http://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/poll-whites-republicans-rank-angriest-americans-n488636

    “Nearly half of Americans are angry, and no groups are angrier than whites and Republicans, according to a new NBC News/Survey Monkey/Esquire online poll about outrage in the country.

    Overall, 49 percent of Americans said they find themselves feeling angrier now about current events than they were one year ago. Whites are the angriest, with 54 percent saying they have grown more outraged over the past year. That’s more than Latinos (43 percent) and African-Americans (33 percent).

    Seventy-three percent of whites said they get angry at least once per day, compared with 66 percent of Hispanics and 56 percent of blacks.

    The poll also found Republicans are angrier than Democrats. Sixty-one percent of Republicans say current events irk them more today than a year ago, compared to 42 percent of Democrats.

    Republicans rank Congressional dysfunction and consumer fraud as the issues they get angriest about. Democrats rank police shooting unarmed black men as the issue that makes them most mad.

    And in what may come as a surprise to some, women slightly edge out men in their outrage, 53 percent to 44 percent. Fifty-eight percent of white women say they are angrier compared to 44 percent of non-white women.

    Overall, 52 percent of the country said the idea of the “American dream” no longer holds true. The group most pessimistic about the thought that anyone in the country can work hard to get ahead is Americans between 45 and 64 who are thinking about retirement, the survey found…”

  12. Turkey faces big losses as Russia sanctions bite (BBC, Jan 2, 2016)
    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35209987

    “Russian sanctions are now affecting Turkish tourism, construction firms and food exports, amid a bitter dispute over the Syria conflict.

    The Kremlin reacted with fury when a Turkish F-16 fighter shot down a Russian Su-24 bomber on the Syria-Turkey border in November.

    Russia has banned:

    The import of Turkish fruit and vegetables, poultry and salt

    The sale of charter holidays for Russians to Turkey

    Construction projects with Turkish firms in Russia unless a special exemption is granted
    There are restrictions now on Turkish citizens working for companies registered in Russia.

    And Russia has suspended work on TurkStream – a new Black Sea pipeline that was to boost Russian gas exports to Turkey.

    Economist Erhan Aslanoglu says the sanctions are bound to have an impact on the Turkish economy in the short term, but in the medium term Turkey will recover.

    He predicts that the cost for Turkey in lost business could be at least $10bn (£7bn)…”

  13. Battle for Pathankot Indian airbase enters second night (BBC, Jan 3, 2016)
    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-35216716

    “The battle between Indian troops and militants who attacked an air force base at Pathankot near the Pakistani border has entered a second night.

    At least four attackers and seven Indian soldiers have died so far.

    It is unclear whether all the militants have been killed, with the home secretary saying two gunmen were still at large.

    The attack is being seen as a blow to an apparent Indo-Pakistani peace initiative launched just days ago.

    Hopes for a thaw in relations were raised after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid an unexpected visit to his Pakistani counterpart, Nawaz Sharif.

    Fresh gunfire and a blast were heard at the base on Sunday, more than a day after the attack started.

    Pakistan’s foreign ministry and the US State Department have condemned the attack…”

  14. Deadly IS attack on Iraq ex-US Camp Speicher base (BBC, Jan 3, 2016)
    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-35217319

    “At least 12 members of the Iraqi security forces have been killed in a suicide bomb attack on the former US base of Camp Speicher, outside Tikrit.

    There were reports of about five bombers at the camp’s western gates. So-called Islamic State (IS) said it carried out the attack.

    Most of the dead were police recruits.

    The attack comes as IS continue to counterattack on the edges of the city of Ramadi, a week after it was recaptured by Iraqi troops.

    The BBC’s Thomas Fessy, who has just returned from Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province, says there has been heavy fighting in the centre and north-eastern districts of the city, and the Iraqi forces have been taking casualties.

    The Iraqi government said a week ago that it had “liberated” Ramadi from IS. The jihadist group had held the city since May.”

  15. India mission in Afghan city of Mazar-e-Sharif comes under attack (BBC, Jan 3, 2016)
    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-35216950

    “Explosions and gunfire have been heard at the Indian consulate in the northern Afghan city of Mazar-e-Sharif.

    Officials said the attackers had tried to enter the compound but had not been able to and were now in an adjacent building. Security forces reportedly cordoned off the area.

    Indian diplomatic missions have come under attack from militants in the past in Afghanistan.
    In 2008 and 2009, the embassy in Kabul was attacked twice, with dozens killed.

    An Indian consulate official told the AFP agency from inside the compound that fighting was going on around the building.

    No group said it was behind the attack. Indian officials said no staff had been harmed in the attack.

    In May 2014, heavily-armed gunmen attacked the Indian consulate in Herat, while in August 2013 nine civilians died when the Indian consulate in Jalalabad was targeted.”

  16. 200 Migrants Rescued off Greece So Far in 2016; 1 Dead (abcnews, Jan 3, 2016)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/200-migrants-rescued-off-greek-islands-dead-36066596

    “Greece’s coast guard says 217 migrants have been rescued by authorities since the start of the new year in four separate incidents.

    Migrants, the majority of them refugees from Syria’s civil war, keep trying to enter the European Union despite the cold and rough seas.

    A coast guard spokeswoman said conditions in the eastern Aegean Sea were “very unfavorable” with high winds prevailing.

    The first casualty of the year, a boy, died on Saturday when an inflatable dinghy carrying 40 people was thrown into rocks off the Greek island of Agathonisi. The others were rescued, including a woman who had been thrown at sea during the crash.

    On Sunday, 56 people had been rescued so far, according to the coast guard.”

  17. After 1 Million Migrants, Europe’s Borders Are Back (abcnews, Jan 3, 2016)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/million-migrants-europes-borders-back-36064003

    “Since it opened in 2000, the Oresund bridge between Sweden and Denmark has been a towering symbol of European integration and hassle-free travel across borders that people didn’t even notice were there.

    On Monday new travel restrictions imposed by Sweden to stem a record flow of migrants are transforming the bridge into a striking example of how national boundaries are re-emerging. A year of clampdowns on migration and terrorism has all but killed the idea of a borderless Europe where you could drive or train-hop from Spain in the south to Norway in the north without ever having to show your passport.

    “We’re turning back the clock,” said Andreas Onnerfors, who lives in Lund, on the Swedish side of the bridge. An associate professor in intellectual history, he said he’s benefited from the free flow of people and ideas across the bridge — he’s studied on both sides and taught students from both Sweden and Denmark.

    “We’re going back to a time when the bridge didn’t exist,” he said, referring to the ID checkpoints being set up Monday on the Danish side for train passengers wishing to cross over to Sweden.

    The move is meant to stop undocumented migrants from reaching Sweden, which abruptly reversed its open-door policy after receiving more than 160,000 asylum-seekers last year, mainly from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.

    It follows the reintroduction of border checks in Germany, Austria, France, Belgium and other countries in what’s supposed to be a passport-free travel zone spanning 26 nations.

    The moves are supposedly temporary, but are likely to be extended if Europe’s migrant crisis continues in 2016…”

  18. French Military Says Airstrikes Destroy IS Missile Factory (abcnews, Jan 3, 2016)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/french-military-airstrikes-destroy-missile-factory-36066524

    “The French military says its warplanes have destroyed a site in Syria used by Islamic State extremists to produce missiles and store weapons.

    The Defense Ministry said in a statement Sunday that the overnight airstrikes targeted a site east of Aleppo, in an operation conducted by Rafale fighter jets using SCALP cruise missiles.

    The French jets were acting jointly with the U.S.-led coalition, the statement said.

    France joined the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State extremists in Iraq in 2014 and expanded its operations to Syria in September. French warplanes intensified military action against IS targets after the extremist group claimed responsibility for attacks in Paris on Nov. 13 that killed 130 people.”

  19. Yemeni Government Forces Clash With Militants Over Aden Port (abcnews, Jan 3, 2016)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/yemeni-government-forces-clash-militants-aden-port-36064030

    “Yemeni government forces clashed Sunday with militant groups for control over the strategic Port of Aden in the southern city with the same name, Yemeni government officials said.

    The officials say the militants — who are using the port to run lucrative smuggling operations — have refused to hand over the port to the government. They accuse the militants of receiving support from al-Qaida.

    A drive-by shooting on Thursday in Aden killed Ahmed al-Idrisi, a top pro-government militia leader, and five of his companions, just hours after he reluctantly agreed to hand over control of the city’s port to government troops.

    Security officials claimed that al-Idrisi publicly backed the government but maintained secret deals with extremists and anti-government forces.

    Residents in a neighborhood near the port described seeing militiamen deploy in the area and hearing clashes between the militia fighters and government forces.

    Militants believed to be from al-Qaida killed a high-ranking military officer and injured four of his bodyguards while they were on their way to the port, security officials said.

    The officials said heavy clashes are taking place at the port’s main gate…”

  20. Bavarian leader Seehofer says Germany can take in maximum of 200,000 refugees (DW, Jan 3, 2016)
    http://www.dw.com/en/bavarian-leader-seehofer-says-germany-can-take-in-maximum-of-200000-refugees/a-18956030

    “A leading Bavarian politician has suggested Germany can take in no more than 200,000 refugees per year. Political allies, Horst Seehofer’s CSU and Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats are at odds over refugee policy.

    After months of insisting Germany needs to cap the number of refugees it can accept, the leader of the state of Bavaria and head of the Christian Social Union (CSU) has for the first time put forward a concrete figure.

    Horst Seehofer told the German mass circulation newspaper “Bild am Sonntag” that Germany can take in a “maximum of 200,000 refugees” per year, putting the CSU again at odds with Chancellor Angela Merkel’s persistence that Europe’s largest economy must keep its borders open to a massive influx of refugees.

    “From our past experience I can say Germany has no problem with an influx of 100,000 or at most 200,000 asylum seekers and refugees fleeing war,” said the head of the Bavarian sister party to Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU).

    “This number is manageable and also allows for integration. Anything more than that I think is too much,” Seehofer said, adding that families joining refugees already in Germany needed to be taken into consideration.

    Seehofer insisted that there “cannot be any discussion” over obligatory integration for refugees….”

  21. Two soldiers injured as army truck targeted near Islamabad-Peshawar Motorway toll plaza (tribune, Jan 3, 2016)
    http://tribune.com.pk/story/1021146/two-injured-as-army-convoy-targeted-near-islamabad-peshawar-motorway/

    “At least two soldiers were wounded after a roadside bomb targeting an army convoy went off near Islamabad-Peshawar Motorway toll plaza on Sunday morning.

    An improvised explosive device (IED), planted near the Islamabad-Peshawar Motorway toll plaza went off when an army vehicle was passing, a police source told The Express Tribune.

    The outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for the attack in an email sent to journalists. “TTP commandos carried out the IED attack on an army truck on the Ring Road near motorway,” TTP spokesperson Mohammad Khorasani said in a statement…”

  22. NDS seizes bomb-making factory in Helmand (khaama, Jan 3, 2016)
    http://www.khaama.com/nds-seizes-bomb-making-factory-in-helmand-4455

    “The National Directorate of Security (NDS) – Afghanistan’s intelligence agency has seized a bomb-making factory in southern Afghanistan’s Helmand province.

    A statement released by the agency on Sunday states that the factory was discovered and destroyed in a joint operation with Afghan National Army in Wazir Abad village of Garmsir District.

    33 landmines, rounds of heavy weapons, explosive materials and other materials used to make bombs were at the factory by the time it was raided.

    “Terrorists were making bombs, suicide vests and anti-tank landmines in this factory to martyr or hurt our people including kids, women, elders and Afghan soldiers,” the statement states.
    “Fortunately, by confiscating these explosives, several attacks of the enemy and bloodshed of our people are prevented.”

    This comes as numerous Taliban militants have launched an attack on parts of Helmand province and trying to take the control of those areas.

    Security forces have been engaged in clashes with them to rebuff their attack. Ministry of Defense says Taliban have suffered heavy casualties.”

  23. Drone strike leaves 5 militants dead in Kunar province (khaama, Jan 3, 2016)
    http://www.khaama.com/drone-strike-leaves-5-militants-dead-in-kunar-province-1914

    “At last five militants were killed in a drone strike apparently carried out by the coalition security forces in eastern Kunar province of Afghanistan.

    The Ministry of Defense (MoD) said Sunday that the airstrike was carried out on Saturday in Shegal district, targeting a group of militants in Chogam area.

    MoD in a statement said at least two militants were also injured in the airstrike but did not disclose further information regarding the identities of the militants killed in the raid.

    The anti-government armed militant groups including the Taliban group has not commented regarding the report so far.

    Kunar is among the volatile provinces in eastern Afghanistan where anti-government armed militant groups are actively operating and frequently carry out insurgency activities.

    Militants loyal to the Afghan Taliban as well as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other insurgent groups are active in various districts of Kunar.

    A commander of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) was killed in a similar strike in Shegal district earlier in the month of November last year.”

  24. Security forces rebuff attack on security posts in Kunar’s Shigal District (khaama, Jan 3, 2016)
    http://www.khaama.com/security-forces-rebuff-taliban-attack-in-kunars-shigal-district-4453

    “Security forces have rebuffed a militant attack on security posts in Shigal District of eastern Nangarhar province.

    A statement released by the Ministry of Defense on Sunday states that a group of armed opponents attacked security posts of Afghan National Army (ANA) in Shultan area yesterday.

    The statement adds that ANA gave a befitting response to the militants where they also used heavy weapons.

    According to the statement, an artillery shell landed among the insurgents leaving three of them killed and three others wounded.

    The press release further states that two wounded militants who were being transported for medical treatment were arrested in a military check post.

    They have been taken under medical care but after gaining health they would be referred to judiciary organs for investigation, the statement states.”

  25. Taliban confirms death of top leader Sayyed Muhammad Haqqani (khaama, Jan 3, 2016)
    http://www.khaama.com/taliban-confirms-death-of-top-leader-sayyed-muhammad-haqqani-1913

    “The Taliban militants group in Afghanistan confirmed death of the group’s top leader Sayyed Muhammad Haqqani due to natural causes.

    Mawlawi Haqqani has been described as Taliban group leadership’s top figure for being involved in different affairs of the Taliban insurgency since the formation of the group in mid 90s.

    According to Taliban, Mawlawi Haqqani was the former deputy of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Afghanistan’s Ambassador to Pakistan, Executive of Administration Bureau.

    He was the current deputy head of Commission for Cultural Affairs of the militant group and played key role in spreading propaganda during the Taliban-led insurgency since the fall of the Taliban regime following the US-led invasion in 2001.

    Taliban did not disclose further information regarding the exact location where Mawlawi Haqqani was based and died, however the group’s top leaders are mainly based in Pakistan and are operating from the Quetta Council.

    The persistent activities by the Taliban group using the Pakistani soil has been the main source of tension between Kabul and Islamabad with the officials continuously criticizing Pakistani for providing sanctuaries to the anti-government armed militant groups, specifically the Haqqani Network and Taliban group, accused of major terror attacks in the country.”

  26. Air and ground forces intensify operations against ISIS fanatics in Nangarhar (khaama, Jan 3, 2016)
    http://www.khaama.com/air-and-ground-forces-intensify-operations-against-isis-fanatics-in-nangarhar-1912

    “The Afghan national security forces have intensified air and ground operations against the fanatics loyal to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group in eastern Nangarhar province as the loyalists of the terror group are attempting to expand foothold in the country.

    The Afghan National Army (ANA) Deputy Chief of Staff Gen. Murad Ali Murad said the Afghan forces have inflicted major casualties to the fanatics of ISIS terror group in Nangarahr, particularly in Achin district.

    Gen. Murad told Radio Free Europe (RFE) during an exclusive interview that the public uprising forces are also supporting the Afghan national security forces to suppress the activities of ISIS loyalists in Nangarhar.

    In regards to the deployment of terrorists by unidentified choppers in parts of Nangarhar province, Gen. Murad said they have not received concrete reports or evidences to prove the allegations.

    The Afghan Air Force carried out its latest airstrike on ISIS fanatics in eastern Nangarhar province on Friday, leaving at least 14 loyalists of the terror group dead.

    There have been growing concerns regarding the threats posed by emergent ISIS loyalists in Afghanistan with the US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter saying late last year that the threat posed by the terror group is being tracked very closely as they have started creating ‘little nests’ in Afghanistan.

    Meanwhile, the commander of the US and NATO forces in Afghanistan Gen. John Campbell earlier said the loyalists of the terror group are attempting to establish a regional base in Jalalabad, the capital city of eastern Nangarhar province.

    Gen. Campbell, said Tuesday that foreign militants from Syria and Iraq had joined the loyalists of the terror group in eastern Nangarhar province and are trying to consolidate links with the leadership of the terror group based in Syria and Iraq.”

  27. Saudi Arabia severs ties with Iran as Mideast protests rage (CNN, Jan 3, 2016)
    http://edition.cnn.com/2016/01/03/middleeast/saudi-arabia-executes-dozens-terror/index.html

    “First, one man’s execution spurred sectarian protests and violence in the Middle East. Now, it appears to have sparked a serious diplomatic rift.

    Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister said Sunday that his country is severing ties with Iran. Iranian diplomats in Saudi Arabia have 48 hours to leave the country, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told reporters.

    The two countries have long been at odds, but Saudi Arabia’s execution of Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr Saturday kicked off a new round of sparring between them that analysts say could mark a dangerous shift in an already volatile region…”

  28. Charlie Hebdo: what next for magazine one year after attack?

    A million copies of a special issue will be printed this week to mark the anniversary of the attack by Islamist gunmen who slaughtered 12 people

    The front cover of the anniversary issue, to hit the newsstands on Wednesday, shows a God-like figure in a Biblical robe and sandals, running with a Kalashnikov assault rifle on his back. The caption reads: “The killer is still running”.

    Above him is an eye enclosed by a triangle, which is a symbol known as the “eye of providence” or the “all-seeing eye of God” associated with several religions and with freemasonry.

    […]The editorial, by Riss, begins with an ironic reference to the attack: “On January 7, 2015, around 11:35 am, something rather special happened.”

    It goes on to say that when Charlie Hebdo published the Mohammed cartoons in 2006, “No one seriously thought that one day it would all end in violence. It is unthinkable for a religion to kill journalists in France in the 21st century”.

    It says it was not just Muslim “fanatics ground down by the Koran” but also “goody-two-shoes” of other religions who “wanted to see us in the hell they believe in… because we had blasphemed”.

    It also condemns “embittered intellectuals, insipid commentators and jealous journalists” who wanted to see the end of Charlie Hebdo because it “had always been an anomaly in the French media landscape”.

    Riss says the existence of Charlie Hebdo, founded in 1970, was fragile because of its precarious finances since it was resurrected in 1992 after ceasing publication for 12 years.

    After the attack last year, he says many people “looked at us as if we were zombies” and some said the magazine was destined to die anyway because of its lack of money.

    However, he declares that the staff are more determined than ever to continue, not to let “two little fools in hoods blow away the work of our lives”.

    The editorial ends with the words: “The convictions of atheists and secular people can move even more mountains than the faith of the believers.”

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/12079430/Charlie-Hebdo-what-next-for-magazine-one-year-after-attack.html

    PIC :

    http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/03540/The_latest_Charlie_3540203c.jpg

  29. Italy launches investigation after five women die in childbirth (telegraph, Jan 4, 2016)
    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/12079705/Italy-launches-investigation-after-five-women-die-in-childbirth.html

    “Italian health authorities on Sunday ordered investigations into why five women died in childbirth in seven days, shocking a nation with one of the lowest maternal mortality rates in the world.

    The deaths occurred across the country between December 25 and 31.

    While all appear to have explicable causes, their concentration during the holiday period has raised questions over whether hospital staffing may have been a factor and whether older mothers-to-be are sufficiently monitored for signs of potentially fatal conditions.

    In the latest case, Giovanna Lazzari, 29, already a mother of two who was eight months pregnant, died on New Year’s Eve in Brescia, northern Italy, a day after coming to an emergency unit with a fever and symptoms of gastroenteritis, according to her partner Roberto Coppini.

    As her condition deteriorated, doctors attempted an emergency caesarean section but were unable to save either mother or foetus.

    “In a few hours, I lost a baby and a unique mamma. Someone has to tell me what happened,” said Mr Coppini.

    “Giovanna sent me a text message during the night in which she told me she had very strong pains but that the doctors were not paying any attention to her.

    “She would have been 30 on January 1. She was young and healthy.”

    Ezio Belleri, the hospital’s director general, said an initial review of Lazzari’s treatment had not found any indication of errors.

    “The doctors did everything that could be done,” he said. “Up to now, nothing indicates that any errors were made.”

    He added that the cause of death was septic shock brought on by haemorrhaging that was likely the result of an unpredictably rapid spread of a very strong bacterial infection.

    Beatrice Lorenzin, health minister, has dispatched experts to establish what happened in Brescia and three of the other four fatal cases. Their first report is due on Monday.

    “We have to understand if the recommended procedures were followed or if there were organisational deficiencies,” said Ms Lorenzin.

    “The priority is identifying any errors and preventing other tragedies.”

    In two of the other cases, both of which resulted in still births, the mothers, aged 35 and 39, suffered cardiac arrest during labour, according to reports.”

  30. Briton faces five years in jail for Kyrgyz sausage horse penis slur (telegraph, Jan 3, 2016)
    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/kyrgyzstan/12079017/Briton-faces-five-years-in-jail-for-horse-penis-slur-on-Kyrgyzstan-sausage-delicacy.html

    “A Scottish gold miner faces up to five years in prison after outraging fellow workers at a mine in Kyrgyzstan by comparing a national delicacy to a horse penis.

    Michael Mcfeat was arrested under race hate laws in the country after his remarks on Facebook about the horse meat sausage known as chuchuk caused a temporary strike.

    The 39-year-old posted a picture showing people apparently in a canteen, saying his colleagues were queuing out of the door for their “special delicacy, the horse’s penis”.

    An interior ministry spokesman told the AFP news agency that Michael Mcfeat, who works as a Welding Superintendent for Toronto-based Centerra Gold, was detained by police after posting the comment.

    Mr Mcfeat, of Abernethy, Perthshire, now faces racial hatred charges, which can bring three to five years in prison under Kyrgyz law.

    He later removed his comments and apologised. He said: “I truly never meant to offend anyone and I’m truly sorry as it was never my intention.”…”

  31. 15-year-old boy ‘raped by ISIS terror chief is EXECUTED by evil jihadis for being gay’ (express, Jan 4, 2016)
    http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/631199/boy-raped-ISIS-terror-chief-executed-evil-jihadis-gay-Daesh

    “The 15-year-old victim was sentenced to death after he was tried by an Islamic court in Deir ezzor.

    According to Islamic State’s radical interpretation of Sharia law, homosexuality is considered an offence punishable by death.

    A witness said the execution took place in public, in front of a large gathering of local civilians in the area.

    Despite condemning the victim to death, the ISIS militant who reportedly raped him was only demoted and spared the death sentence.

    Media activist Sarai al-Din said: “The boy was accused of being engaged in a homosexual relation with the prominent ISIS officer.

    “[The ISIS militant leader] was forced to leave Syria and join the fighting fronts in northwestern Iraq.

    “The decision has been taken by the ISIS leadership.”

    News of the latest execution comes just hours after the militants issued a chilling terror threat to the UK in a video which purportedly shows the murder of five alleged British spies…”