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Herridge: CIA documents being withheld from Benghazi committee.
Fox News – David Petraeus provides classified testimony on Benghazi
Surviving Nigeria’s Boko Haram (BBC, Jan 7, 2016)
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-35241610
“More than two million Nigerians have fled their homes seeking refuge from Boko Haram insurgents over the last six years.
One of the largest camps is in a semi-arid field outside the north-eastern town of Dalori, with row-upon-row of white tents stretching for more than a kilometre.
BBC Africa’s Jimeh Saleh met some of the 18,000 residents there and heard how they have survived attacks by the Islamist militant group and how they are now coping…”
German broadcaster sorry for slow reporting on mob assaults (tribune, Jan 6, 2016)
http://tribune.com.pk/story/1022911/german-broadcaster-sorry-for-slow-reporting-on-mob-assaults/
“German public broadcaster ZDF has apologised for delays in reporting on a wave of sexual assaults blamed on men of Arab appearance amid accusations Wednesday of media self-censorship of the inflammatory issue.
The rash of attacks and thefts in a New Year’s Eve crowd in the western city of Cologne was only widely covered by national media early this week, after police had initially reported no major incidents.
News editors of ZDF’s flagship “heute” (today) evening news programme apologised on social media for not reporting on the incidents at least in its Monday evening bulletin, four days after the attacks.
German public broadcaster ZDF has apologised for delays in reporting on a wave of sexual assaults blamed on men of Arab appearance amid accusations Wednesday of media self-censorship of the inflammatory issue.
The rash of attacks and thefts in a New Year’s Eve crowd in the western city of Cologne was only widely covered by national media early this week, after police had initially reported no major incidents.
News editors of ZDF’s flagship “heute” (today) evening news programme apologised on social media for not reporting on the incidents at least in its Monday evening bulletin, four days after the attacks….”
Cologne sex attacks ‘require police rethink’ (BBC, Jan 7, 2016)
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35248601
“Police in Germany will have to rethink their tactics following attacks on women in the city of Cologne on New Year’s Eve, a senior official has said.
Ralf Jaeger, interior minister for North Rhine-Westphalia, said police had to “adjust” to the fact that groups of men had attacked women en masse.
Three suspects have been identified, he said, but no arrests had been made.
Scores of women say they were robbed or sexually assaulted by men, reportedly of Arab or North African appearance.
Mr Jaeger also warned that anti-immigrant groups were trying to use the attacks to stir up hatred against refugees.
“What happens on the right-wing platforms and in chat rooms is at least as awful as the acts of those assaulting the women,” he said. “This is poisoning the climate of our society.”…”
German justice minister threatens foreign Cologne attackers with deportation (DW, Jan 7, 2016)
http://www.dw.com/en/german-justice-minister-threatens-foreign-cologne-attackers-with-deportation/a-18964436
“Following dozens of alleged sexual assaults in Cologne, the German justice minister has said that deportations are “completely conceivable.” Many victims described their attacker as of “Arab or North African origin.”
Heiko Maas told German media group “Funke” on Thursday that “anyone who believes they can breach law and order must be punished – no matter where they come from.”
Apart from deportation, asylum seekers could also face conviction and imprisonment of at least one year, even during an ongoing asylum procedure, the justice minister said. Authorities, including Mass, have warned that they do not yet know whether any of the culprits were refugees or asylum seekers.
Maas called on German authorities to respond to the assaults “with the utmost determination, but also prudence.”
“This includes first determining the facts and the perpetrators as precisely as possible,” the minister said, adding that all perpetrators must be punished for their “vile deeds.”
“That is what we now owe the victims above all else.”…”
But wouldnt “that” be racist? 😉
Officials: Man With Knife Shot Dead at Paris Police Station (DW, Jan 7, 2016)
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/year-charlie-hebdo-attack-france-recalls-reflects-36137466
“Officers shot and killed a knife-wielding man wearing a fake explosive vest at a police station in northern Paris on Thursday, French officials said, a year to the day after an attack on the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo launched a bloody year in the French capital.
Luc Poignant, a police union official, said the man cried out “Allahu akbar,” Arabic for “God is great.”
The man was wearing what looked like an explosive vest, but it was fake, according to two French police officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing investigation. They said the man has not yet been identified.
Just a few minutes earlier, elsewhere in the city, French President Francois Hollande had finished paying homage to police officers killed in the line of duty, including three shot to death in attacks last January.
A Paris police official said police were investigating the incident at the Paris police station Thursday as “more likely terrorism” than a standard criminal act. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to be publicly named according to police policy.
The neighborhood in the Goutte d’Or district of northern Paris was locked down.
Hollande had said earlier that what he called a “terrorist threat” would continue to weigh on France…”
Libya Truck Bomb Kills at Least 60 Policemen, Wounds 200 (abcnews, Jan 7, 2016)
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/libya-truck-bomb-kills-60-policemen-wounds-200-36138496
“A truck bomb exploded in the western Libyan city of Zliten near a police base, killing at least 60 policemen and wounding 200 on Thursday, officials said.
No one claimed responsibility for the bombing, but a local Islamic State affiliate has been trying to gain a foothold in Zliten from its central stronghold of Sirte.
Rescue crews have only managed to extract 60 bodies out of the wreckage, a hospital spokesman, Moamar Kaddi, said. Libyan officials said they believed there might be dozens more dead.
The base, where 400 police recruits were training, was used by the border police, a Zliten security official said. Border police foiled numerous human smuggling attempts off the coast of Zliten last year. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
Smugglers are known in Libya for responding with violence to any effort to disrupt their operations.
In recent years, thousands of migrants seeking a better life in Europe sailed from Libya on rickety, overcrowded boats. Hundreds have drowned in those crossings.
Libya slid into chaos following the 2011 toppling and killing of longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi. The oil-rich country is torn between an Islamist government in the capital, Tripoli, and a rival internationally recognized government in the east; meanwhile a U.N.-supported unity government sits in neighboring Tunisia.
Residents in Libyan coastal cities have long expressed fears of the variety of smugglers and traffickers who run lucrative operations along the Mediterranean. Authorities echoed the same concerns, claiming they are unable to fully tackle these networks without international assistance.”
L I B Y A – Zliten
DAILY MAIL – Massive suicide truck bombing in Libya leaves 60 police officers dead at Muammar Gaddafi’s former military base as hospitals struggle to cope
Scores of dead and 200 wounded in powerful blast in western Libya
Police training camp in Zliten was military base under Gaddafi’s rule
Attack attributed to Islamic State but no official claims
It comes after three days of fighting in oil terminals
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3388779/Massive-suicide-truck-bombing-Libya-leaves-60-police-officers-dead-Muammar-Gaddafi-s-former-military-base-hospitals-struggle-cope.html
Gunmen open fire on tourist coach at Cairo hotel (BBC, Jan 7, 2016)
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-35251258
“Two gunmen opened fire at a hotel close to the pyramids of Giza outside Cairo, as tourists boarded a coach, Egyptian security sources have said.
There were no casualties in the attack, which caused some damage to the Three Pyramids Hotel, and the gunmen were arrested soon afterwards, they added.
The driver of the bus told the BBC that the tourists included Israeli Arabs…”
Iran embassy bombing: Saudis targeted Yemen site – Tehran (BBC, Jan 7, 2016)
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-35251917
“Iran has accused Saudi-led coalition warplanes of “deliberately” bombing its embassy in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa.
State media quoted a foreign ministry spokesman as saying members of staff had been wounded in an air strike.
Sanaa residents reported dozens of air strikes on Thursday by the coalition, which is battling Houthi rebels.
However, residents and witnesses in Sanaa reported there was no damage to the embassy after the air strikes, Reuters and AP report.
An AP reporter at the site said the embassy was still standing and had no visible damage.
A coalition spokesman said the strikes had targeted rebel missile launchers, and that the rebels had used abandoned embassies for operations.
Saudi Arabia has become embroiled in a diplomatic row with Iran after a Shia cleric, Nimr al-Nimr, was executed by the Saudi authorities.
The government in Riyadh accuses Iran of supporting the Houthis militarily – a charge it denies.”
Soros: It’s the 2008 crisis all over again
Billionaire financier George Soros is warning of an impending financial markets crisis as investors around the world were roiled by turmoil in China trade for the second time this week.
Speaking at an economic forum in Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo, he told an audience that China is struggling to find a new growth model and its currency devaluation is transferring problems to the rest of the world, according to media. He added that a return to rising interest rates was proving difficult for the developing world.
The current environment reminded him of the “crisis we had in 2008,” The Sunday Times in Sri Lanka reported on Thursday morning. “China has a major adjustment problem,” he added, according to Bloomberg. “I would say it amounts to a crisis.”
China’s CSI 300 tumbled more than 7 percent in early trade Thursday, again triggering the market’s circuit breaker. As well as roiling sentiment across Asia, it also battered European risk assets with the German DAX down 3.5 percent at 11 a.m. London time.
http://www.cnbc.com/2016/01/07/soros-its-the-2008-crisis-all-over-again.html
Soros is a very nasty person and is not to be trusted but he does know the markets. Having said that if he thinks he can make money he is not above working to ensure that the worlds economy crashes.
Personally I have been expecting a crash for a couple of years, this one is going to be worse then 08.
The MEGADRONE big enough to carry a passenger: Chinese firm says self-flying craft could be used as a smart taxi
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3387542/The-MEGADRONE-big-carry-passenger-Chinese-firm-says-self-flying-craft-used-smart-taxi.html#ixzz3wZa8fNgM
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
A Chinese drone maker has revealed a giant quadcopter big enough to fit a passenger.
EHang claims to be building the world’s first ‘Autonomous Aerial Vehicle’ for transporting people.
Unveiled at CES in Las Vegas and called the 184, the all-electric vehicle has four arms with a total of eight propellers at the end.
‘You know how it feels to sit in a Ferrari? This is 10 times better,’ George Yan, co-founder of Ehang said in an interview with DailyMail.com.
Scroll down for video
EHang is building the world’s first ‘Autonomous Aerial Vehicle’ for transporting people. Unveiled at CES in Las Veges, the 184 flies itself
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EHang is building the world’s first ‘Autonomous Aerial Vehicle’ for transporting people. Unveiled at CES in Las Veges, the 184 flies itself
The company says the 184 is autonomous, so all the passenger has to do is enter in their destination in the smartphone app, sit back, and let the drone take over.
There’s no option to take control of the 184 remotely. The cockpit is empty, apart from a stand to place a smartphone or tablet and a cup holder.
‘I think in all of us there is that little kid in all of us that says I want to fly,’ said Yan. ‘I don’t want to get a pilot license after five or 10 hours of flying, I want to do it right away. We’re making that dream happen.’
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3387542/The-MEGADRONE-big-carry-passenger-Chinese-firm-says-self-flying-craft-used-smart-taxi.html#ixzz3wZaJ4tls
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
Intel launches x-ray-like glasses that allow wearers to ‘see inside’ objects
Smart augmented reality helmet allows wearers to overlay maps, schematics and thermal images to effectively see through walls, pipes and other solid objects
Daqri Smart Helmet
The Daqri Smart Helmet, demonstrated on stage at CES in Las Vegas by Intel during CEO Brian Krzanich’s keynote, is an industrial AR system capable of giving the wearer ‘Terminator vision’. Photograph: Ethan Miller/Getty Images
Samuel Gibbs
@SamuelGibbs
Wednesday 6 January 2016 05.58 EST
Last modified on Wednesday 6 January 2016 07.36 EST
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Intel has launched a set of glasses built into a helmet that give x-ray-like vision using its RealSense 3D camera.
The glasses-cum-hardhat was unveiled at CES in Las Vegas and has been co-developed with augmented reality company Daqri using Intel’s latest processor and camera technology. It has taken concepts – like those of Microsoft’s Hololens – and produced a real product.
Unlike devices such as HoloLens or Google Glass, which have been marketed as consumer devices, the Daqri Smart Helmet is designed with industrial use in mind. It will allow the wearer to effectively peer into the workings of objects using real-time overlay of information, such as wiring diagrams, schematics and problem areas that need fixing.
Intel has spent years trying to move beyond just making and being known for the chips that run computers. It launched its RealSense system at CES in 2014 – a follow up to the company’s Perceptual Computing platform.
http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/jan/06/intel-daqri-smart-helmet-realsense-ar-augmented-reality-x-ray-glasses-ces
South Korea seeks U.S. strategic weapons after North’s nuclear test
SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea is in talks with the United States to deploy U.S. strategic weapons on the Korean peninsula, a South Korean military official said on Thursday, a day after North Korea said it successfully tested a hydrogen nuclear device.
South Korea also said it would resume propaganda broadcasts by loudspeaker into North Korea from Friday, which is likely to infuriate its isolated rival, in response to its fourth nuclear test.
The United States and weapons experts voiced doubts the device North Korea tested on Wednesday was a hydrogen bomb, but calls mounted for more sanctions against it for its rogue nuclear program.
The underground explosion angered China, which was not given prior notice although it is North Korea’s main ally, pointing to a strain in their ties.
The test also alarmed Japan. Its prime minister, Shinzo Abe, agreed with U.S. President Barack Obama in a telephone call that a firm global response was needed, the White House said.
http://www.oann.com/north-korea-successfully-conducts-nuclear-test/
To put the situation in poker terms, North Korea raised the stakes and now we either meet the raise or fold. South Korea is asking for the US to deploy nuclear weapons to offset the ones in the North. Any we deploy (not gonna happen while Obama or Hillary is in the White House) would be the small yield missile warhead and possibly the small yield artillery rounds. Yes we do or did have nuclear artillery rounds.
I don’t understand why the USA destroyed all those Pershing 2 missiles that were in Europe. Why didn’t we just bring them back home and store them in the desert like the F-111s? We could have sold them to Taiwan and South Korea for cash on the barrel.
Cameron upbeat but poll shows Britons tilting toward leaving EU
Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron leaves Number 10 Downing Street to attend Prime Minister’s Questions at parliament in London
Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron leaves Number 10 Downing Street at parliament in London, Britain January 6, 2016. REUTERS/Toby Melville
January 7, 2016
By Guy Faulconbridge and Irene Preisinger
LONDON/WILDBAD KREUTH, Germany (Reuters) – A majority of Britons who have made up their minds would vote to leave the European Union in a forthcoming referendum, making Britain by far the most reluctant member of the 28-nation bloc, an opinion poll published on Thursday showed.
As Prime Minister David Cameron pushed for a deal from other EU leaders to improve London’s membership terms before a vote he could call as early as June, the ORB poll indicated that opposition to the European Union was growing in Britain.
While 21 percent of voters are still undecided, 43 percent want to leave the EU and 36 percent want to stay, the survey showed.
When the undecided are stripped out, 54 percent of voters want a British exit, or ‘Brexit’, up from 51 percent a year ago, and 46 percent want to stay, down from 49 percent.
The public scepticism contrasted with Cameron’s latest declaration of optimism that a deal can be struck on his demands for changes in Britain’s relationship with Brussels, including reducing benefit rights for EU migrants working in the UK.
http://www.oann.com/cameron-upbeat-but-poll-shows-britons-tilting-toward-leaving-eu/
Saudi will collapse if keeps its ‘sectarian’ policies: Iran Guards
Members of Iranian revolutionary guard march during parade to commemorate anniversary of Iran-Iraq war, in Tehran
Members of the Iranian revolutionary guard march during a parade to commemorate the anniversary of the Iran-Iraq war (1980-88), in Tehran September 22, 2011. REUTERS/Stringer
January 7, 2016
By Bozorgmehr Sharafedin
DUBAI (Reuters) – The deputy head of Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) told Saudi Arabia on Thursday it would “collapse” in coming years if it kept pursuing what he called its sectarian policies in the region.
Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Sudan and Djibouti broke off ties with Iran this week, the United Arab Emirates downgraded its relations and Kuwait and Qatar recalled their ambassadors after the Saudi embassy in Tehran was stormed by protesters.
Tensions between Shi’ite Muslim power Iran and the conservative Sunni kingdom have spiralled since Saudi Arabia on Saturday executed cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, an opponent of the ruling dynasty who demanded greater rights for Saudi Arabia’s marginalized Shi’ite minority.
“The policies of the Saudi regime will have a domino effect and they will be buried under the avalanche they have created,” the IRGC’s second-in-command, Brigadier General Hossein Salami, was quoted as saying by the Fars news agency.
“If the Saudis do not correct their path, their regime will collapse in coming years.”
http://www.oann.com/saudi-will-collapse-if-keeps-its-sectarian-policies-iran-guards/
Talks uncertain as India says Pakistan must first hunt militants
An Indian security personnel stands guard on a building at IAF base at Pathankot
An Indian security personnel stands guard on a building at the Indian Air Force (IAF) base at Pathankot in Punjab, India, January 5, 2016. REUTERS/Mukesh Gupta
January 7, 2016
By Krista Mahr and Douglas Busvine
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – India called on Pakistan on Thursday to take “prompt and decisive” action against militants it blames for an attack on an air base, days before fraught peace talks between the nuclear-armed neighbors are scheduled to resume.
A meeting between the foreign secretaries of both nations had been tentatively scheduled for Jan. 15, but it is unclear if it will still happen after the weekend attack on the Indian Air Force base near the Pakistan border. India’s foreign ministry said Islamabad has been given actionable intelligence that those who planned the assault came from Pakistan.
“As far as we are concerned the ball is now in Pakistan’s court,” spokesman Vikas Swarup told reporters when asked if the talks were on. “The immediate issue in front of us is Pakistan’s response to the terrorist attack.”
A senior Pakistani official said India provided intelligence that included telephone numbers, call intercepts, and locations where they believe the attackers or their handlers were.
http://www.oann.com/talks-uncertain-as-india-says-pakistan-must-first-hunt-militants/
Merkel wants authorities to get to bottom of Cologne attacks
German Chancellor Angela addresses joint news conference in Berlin
German Chancellor Angela Merkel addresses a joint news conference with Romania’s Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos (not pictured) at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, January 7, 2016. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke
January 7, 2016
BERLIN (Reuters) – Chancellor Angela Merkel pressed the German authorities on Thursday to get to the bottom of what happened in attacks on women at New Year celebrations in the city of Cologne that have shocked the country.
About 90 women reported being robbed, threatened or sexually molested at New Year celebrations outside the city’s cathedral by young, mostly drunk, men, police said on Tuesday, in events they described as “a new dimension in crime”.
The police chief in Cologne has said the perpetrators appeared to be of “Arab or North African” origin.
“What happened at New Year is completely unacceptable,” Merkel told a news conference in Berlin after meeting Romanian Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos.
http://www.oann.com/merkel-wants-authorities-to-get-to-bottom-of-cologne-attacks/
China sends envoy to Saudi, Iran amid feud
Shi’ites protest against the execution of Shi’ite Muslim cleric Nimr al-Nimr in Saudi Arabia, during a demonstration in Baghdad
Shi’ites protest against the execution of Shi’ite Muslim cleric Nimr al-Nimr in Saudi Arabia, during a demonstration in Baghdad January 6, 2016. REUTERS/Khalid al Mousily
January 7, 2016
BEIJING (Reuters) – China has sent an envoy to Saudi Arabia and Iran amid an escalating feud, the foreign ministry said on Thursday, calling on all sides to exercise restraint.
Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Ming was currently in Saudi Arabia and would travel on to Iran, ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a daily news briefing.
“We hope the situation in the Middle East can move in the direction of amelioration,” Hua told reporters.
Tension between Shi’ite-majority Iran and Sunni-majority Saudi Arabia has spiralled since the execution of a Shi’ite cleric in Saudi Arabia.
Qatar recalled its ambassador to Iran on Wednesday, state news agency QNA said, after allies Saudi Arabia and Bahrain cut their ties with Tehran following attacks on Saudi missions by Iranian protesters.
“We hope that all parties can remain calm and exercise restraint and appropriately resolve relevant issues via dialogue and consultation,” Hua added.
http://www.oann.com/china-sends-envoy-to-saudi-iran-amid-feud/
Trump threatens to pull $1 billion investment if he is banned from UK
File photo of U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaking at a campaign rally in Lowell
U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Lowell, Massachusetts in this January 4, 2016, file photo. REUTERS/Brian Snyder/Files
January 7, 2016
LONDON (Reuters) – U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has threatened to cancel over 700 million pounds ($1 billion) of planned investments in golf courses in Scotland if Britain slaps him with a travel ban.
The threat from Trump, owner of two golf courses in his mother’s homeland of Scotland, comes as British lawmakers prepare to hold a debate on a petition signed by over half a million people calling for him to be barred from the country after his proposal to stop Muslims entering the United States.
The debate will be held on Jan. 18 but will not be followed by a vote. Only interior minister Theresa May can issue an order banning entry into Britain and Prime Minister David Cameron has said he does not favor barring Trump.
http://www.oann.com/trump-threatens-to-pull-1-billion-investment-if-he-is-banned-from-uk/
You don’t want to play hard ball with the Donald
FRANCE -PARIS – Attacker killed by Paris police carried Islamic State flag
Paris prosecutor says man shot dead outside Paris police station carried mobile phone, sheet of paper with Islamic State flag and claim of responsibility
A knife-wielding man, wearing fake explosives and carrying an Islamic State flag, was shot dead by officers Thursday as he tried to enter a police station in northern Paris, according to French officials. The incident occurred on the one-year anniversary of the terror attack on the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo.
Pierre-Henry Brandet, Interior Ministry spokesman, said the man at the police station is believed to have cried out “Allahu Akbar” or “God is great” in Arabic, as he tried to enter the station in the 18th arrondissement.
A statement from the French prosecutor’s office said the unidentified man was carrying an Islamic State flag drawn on a piece of paper along with a statement, in Arabic, claiming responsibility for the attack on the police station.
Alexis Mukenge, who saw the shooting from inside another building, told the network iTele that police told the man, “Stop. Move back.” Mukenge said officers fired twice, and the man immediately dropped to the ground.
The attack occurred only minutes after French President Francois Hollande, speaking at police quarters in another district, paid homage to police officers killed in the line of duty, including three shot to death last January during the Charlie Hebdo attack.
A police official, speaking to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of police policy, said authorities are viewing the incident as “more likely terrorism” than a criminal act.
Two other French officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing investigation, said the belt the man was wearing had wires protruding from his body and was a fake, the AP reported. One of the officials said the man threatened officers at the police station with a butcher’s knife.
Until police determined the explosives were fake, the man’s body lay on the sidewalk where it was inspected by a robot and bomb-sniffing dogs, The New York Times reported. Photos posted on Twitter after the attack showed the purported attacker’s body lying on the pavement. He was wearing a camouflage coat.
At least a dozen police vans blocked off the area in the Goutte d’Or district. Sirens were activated and schools were placed on lockdown in the neighborhood.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2016/01/07/knifeman-shot-charlie-hebdo/78401344/
France: Paris’ 18th district on lockdown after police shoot knifeman
France: Knifeman shot dead by officers outside Paris police station
DAILY MAIL – The moment terrorist shot dead as he ran towards Paris police station wearing a fake suicide vest is checked for explosives by a robot as it emerges he was carrying a note declaring allegiance to ISIS
A man has been shot dead by police officers in Barbes, northern Paris
The man wore a fake suicide belt and threatened police with a knife
Today is the one year anniversary of the Charlie Hebdo terror attack
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3388512/Man-shot-outside-Paris-police-station-terrorist-attack-anniversary-Charlie-Hebdo-shootings.html
Paris attacker had pledged allegiance with IS: investigation source
Paris (AFP) – A man who was shot dead Thursday while trying to attack a Paris police station had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, a source close to the investigation said.
A piece of paper found on the man’s body “vows allegiance” to IS and said he was avenging French “attacks in Syria”, the source told AFP.
http://news.yahoo.com/paris-attacker-had-pledged-allegiance-investigation-source-180450225.html
Yemen: Protesters burn photo of Saudi king during rally in Sanaa
Iran accuses Saudi Arabia of bombing its embassy in Yemen
L I B Y A – Plumes of black smoke after ISIS sets fire to Libya Al-Sidra oil facility
Thick, black smoke was rising from the Al-Sidra oil facility, about 400 kilometers west of Benghazi, while firefighters struggled to put the flames out. Islamic State group attacked the oil fields on Monday morning, officials said. It took several hours before fighters charged with protecting the oil fields pushed the militants back.
BREITBART – German Minister: Critics Of Cologne Migrant Rapists Are ‘At Least As Awful’ As Rapists Themselves
The interior minister for the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, within which Cologne is situated, has said people of a right wing persuasion discussing the mass sexual assaults on New Years Eve online are equally “awful” as the attackers and rapists.
“What happens on the right-wing platforms and in chat rooms is at least as awful as the acts of those assaulting the women,” Ralf Jaeger, a member of the left wing Social Democratic Party of Germany, told reporters this morning.
“This is poisoning the climate of our society”, he added, after equating anti-immigration rhetoric with sexual assault. […]
http://www.breitbart.com/london/2016/01/07/german-minister-critics-of-cologne-migrant-rapists-are-as-awful-as-rapists-themselves/
RT – Cologne assailants ‘ threatened victims & witnesses, urinated in public’ – police
( 9 min 25 )
German media has published, what it claims, is a leaked police report on the mass attacks in the city of Cologne. On New Year’s Eve, a group of about a thousand men – mostly of Arab and North African appearance – sexually assaulted more than a hundred women in the city’s main square
Exams to be taken earlier in the day to fit around Ramadan, exam boards say
The announcement follows comments by the children’s commissioner, who said the exams time table could be delayed to accommodate Muslim pupils
GCSE and A-level exams could be rejigged this summer to take into account the impact of Ramadan, when Muslims fast during daylight hours, the exam boards have said.
Tests could be taken earlier in the day, when Muslim students are the least hungry, or even before the start of the exams season, before the holy month begins in early June – or set at a time to lessen the effect on Muslim students.
The news followed comments from the children’s commissioner Anne Longfield, who said talks were being held around “delaying the exam timetable” to lessen the impact on taking tests for Muslim students.
………………………………………..
Malcolm Trobe, deputy general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said the union is meeting with Muslim faith leaders to discuss Ramadan, and plans to issue guidance to schools and colleges ahead of the exams.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/12084785/Exams-to-be-taken-earlier-in-the-day-to-fit-around-Ramadan-exam-boards-say.html
Germany: Cologne NYE attacks ‘disgusting criminal acts,’ says Merkel
German Chancellor Angela Merkel made further comments about the events that took place in Cologne on New Year’s Eve, during a joint press conference with Romania’s Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos in Berlin, Thursday.
SOT Angela Merkel, German Chancellor (German): “What happened during the New Year’s Eve [in Cologne] is completely unacceptable. They were disgusting criminal acts that a state cannot tolerate and Germany will not tolerate.”
SOT Angela Merkel, German Chancellor (German): “Of course serious questions are risen after what happened, questions that go beyond Cologne. There are further questions: Are there connections? Are there common behavior patterns? Is there a condemnation of women by certain groups?
[ by C E R T A I N G R O U P S ?..... is she 200% stupid or 400 % ingenuous ? ]
And we have to stand up against this by all means because I don’t think this was just an individual case.”SOT Angela Merkel, German Chancellor (German): “But we have also have to discuss again and again the foundation of our cultural coexistence in Germany. What the people expect rightly is that these words will be followed by actions. We have to review and determine if there is the necessary outbound departures or, regarding deportations from Germany, whether we have done everything to also set a clear example to those who are not willing to obey our legal system.”
Germany: Refugee problem was not prepared by us, it came suddenly – Merkel
German Chancellor Angela Merkel welcomed the interim Romanian Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos for the first time at the Chancellery in Berlin, Thursday. The two leaders focused on the refugee crisis and the Minsk agreement as well as bilateral talks.
SOT, Angela Merkel, German Chancellor (German): “Romania borders with Ukraine and the current process, the Minsk process in Ukraine is highly important for Romania. We [Merkel and Ciolos] have the same opinion of what should be done and must be done.”
SOT, Angela Merkel, German Chancellor (German): “Certainly it is to blame that these mandatory quotas [for the acceptance of refugees within EU countries] were decided very fast and over the heads of some countries. On the other hand I adverted that the refugee problem was not prepared by us for ten years but came suddenly and that meant we had to find answers fast.”
SOT, Angela Merkel, German Chancellor (German): “Solidarity consists of mutuality. I don’t want to frame concrete threats here ‘What happens when’ but I would like to say that a Schengen system can only work when we have a common responsibility for refugees and the protection of the outer borders.”
EXPLOSIVE TRUMP ATTACK AD on HRC, Bill, Monica, Cosby and Weiner!
http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2016/01/explosive-trump-attack-ad-on-hrc-bill-monica-cosby-and-weiner/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BAPvZ-1GhbP/
Countries to pledge spots for Syrian refugees at UN conference
The United Nations will hold a conference in March where countries will be asked to pledge resettlement places for Muslims fleeing the Syrian conflict, according to the world body’s new refugee chief.
A T T A C K E R I D E N T I F I E D
Who Is Sallah Ali ? Paris Suspect Killed By Police On Charlie Hebdo Anniversary Was [ Muslim ] From Morocco
The knife-wielding suspect killed Thursday as he attempted to enter a police station in Paris has been named as Sallah Ali, a convicted thief, officials said, BBC reported. The suspect was wearing a fake suicide vest as he apparently attempted to carry out an attack.
Ali, 20, was from Casablanca, Morocco, and was said to be carrying a piece of paper with the Islamic State group’s flag. That finding turned the investigation from an individual assault to a likely attempted terrorist attack, the Local reported. Investigators said they were exploring links to “terrorist undertaking,” but did not provide further detail, according to the Washington Post.
Investigators said they did not believe other individuals were involved in the apparent attempted attack at the police station. The attack was believed to be in retribution for French airstrikes in Syria, the French newspaper L’Express reported.
France has intensified an airstrike campaign against the Islamic State group, aka ISIS, in Syria since attacks in Paris late last month left some 130 people dead and hundreds more wounded. ISIS claimed responsibility for those attacks, and videos emerged of ISIS fighters smiling and handing out candy in celebration.
The attacker Thursday was believed to have cried out, “Allahu Akbar,” before carrying out the attack. The term means
“God is great” in Arabic[ Allah is the greatest ]
, and has become a routine cry for Muslim extremists before staging attacks. The phrase, however, is commonly used by Muslims worldwide, and not an indicator of extremism.Thursday marked the anniversary of the Charlie Hebdo attacks, when gunmen killed 17 people at the satirist magazine office and a Jewish supermarket. The apparent attack Thursday occurred around the same time 12 months after those attacks . French President François Hollande paid tribute to France’s emergency services shortly before Thursday’s attack.
“You protect the French people, you also protect their way of life, their freedom,” Hollande said, according to the Washington Post. “This way of life, that’s what the terrorists wanted to attack. Because joy, sharing, culture inspire hatred in them. Never, undoubtedly for decades, has your mission been more necessary.”
http://www.ibtimes.com/who-sallah-ali-paris-suspect-killed-police-charlie-hebdo-anniversary-was-morocco-2255301
C N N :
[ identified but not named etc French citizen ? from St- Maxime in southern France ? ]
After the events in Cologne , Slovakia will not take any migrants – we do not want our women being harassed in public space
Slovak leader says migrants can’t be integrated
Slovakia has a tiny Muslim community of several thousand.
Fico’s government filed a legal challenge last month to a mandatory plan by the European Union to distribute migrants among members of the bloc.
Fico said Thursday his government sees what he calls a “clear link” between the waves of refugees and the Paris attacks and the sexual assaults and robberies during the New Year’s Eve festivities in Germany.
He says: “We don’t want what happened in Germany to happen here.”
Fico says “the idea of multicultural Europe has failed” and that “the migrants cannot be integrated, it’s simply impossible.”
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/ap/article-3388441/The-Latest-Norway-received-31-000-asylum-seekers-2015.html
In Slovak :
http://www.parlamentnilisty.cz/arena/monitor/Po-utocich-na-nemecke-zeny-zahrmelo-na-Slovensku-Robert-Fico-vzkazuje-uprchlikum-416192
Tajik, Uzbek, Turkmen inducted into Taliban Leadership Council (khaama, Jan 7, 2016)
http://www.khaama.com/taliban-bring-tajik-uzbek-turkmen-into-leadership-council-4471
“Leadership council of Taliban, which is also known as Quetta Shura, was reportedly comprised of Pashtoons only but the group has now included members of Tajik, Uzbek and Turkmen tribes into it.
According to Pakistan’s The Express Tribune news agency, a news source of Taliban, the new leader of Taliban Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansour has almost completed re-organisation of the Taliban movement after the death of Mullah Mohammad Omar and at least three non-Pashtoons have been inducted into the leadership council to quash the impression that the Taliban only represent ethnic Pashtoons.
The report which is published today states that Maulvi Abdul Rehman, an ethnic Uzbek, and Sheikh Sharif, an ethnic Tajik, have been inducted into the council. A Turkmen has also been given a berth in the new council, it adds.
It cites unnamed Taliban as saying that this is the first time non-Pahstoon have been given a place in the council.
The report further states that Mullah Omar’s son Mullah Yaqoob is also inducted into the new leadership council and Mullah Omar’s brother, Mullah Abdul Manan into the political commission. The two had previously opposed Mullah Akhtar but later pledged allegiance to him.
The media outlet citing a top Taliban official as saying that two members of the leadership council ‘Quetta Shura’ have been expelled from the council for refusing to accept Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansour as their leader.
It states that Mullah Abdul Razzaq and Mullah Hasan Rehmani who were also involved in peace talks are no more members of Taliban leadership council.
They were among the Taliban leaders who had arrived in Islamabad for a second round of talks with Afghan government officials in July which was, however, cancelled over Mullah Omar’s death, the report states.”
Special force formed to counter ISIS in Afghanistan (khaama, Jan 7, 2016)
http://www.khaama.com/special-force-formed-to-counter-isis-in-afghanistan-1936
“Amid growing concerns regarding the expansion of terrorist activities by the loyalists of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defense of Afghanistan has announced that a new special force has been formed to counter the insurgency and threats posed by the terror group.
The acting Afghan Defense Minister, Masoom Stanikzai, has said the special force will mainly focus to counter the insurgency activities of ISIS loyalists in eastern parts of the country.
The loyalists of the terror group have recently increased their insurgency activities and anti-government propaganda besides terrorizing the residents of eastern parts of the country as they aim to establish a regional base in eastern Nangarhar province.
Stanikzai told the Afghan service of Voice of America (VOA) “The IS issue is the most important [issue], which should be hard hit. People are fed up with this group.”
He said the battalion consisting of 750 personnel of the Afghan army will continue to suppress the insurgency activities of the ISIS loyalists besides the ongoing airstrikes on ISIS targets.
The remarks by Stanikzai comes as the commander of the US and NATO forces in Afghanistan Gen. John Campbell said last year that the loyalists of the terror group are attempting to establish a regional base in Jalalabad, the capital city of eastern Nangarhar province.
Gen. Campbell further added 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.
Meanwhile, the US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter later said that the threat posed by the terror group is being tracked very closely as they have started creating ‘little nests’ in Afghanistan.”
Daesh judge among 18 killed in clash with Taliban in Nangarhar (khaama, Jan 7, 2016)
http://www.khaama.com/daesh-judge-among-18-killed-in-clash-with-taliban-in-nangarhar-4473
“18 militants belonging to Daesh group have been killed and a number of others wounded in a clash with Taliban in eastern Nangarhar province
Spokesperson for the police headquarters of Nangarhar told Khaama Press that the clash erupted in Farm-e-Chahar area of Bati Kot District on Wednesday.
According to Colonel Hazrat Hussain Mashriqiwal, those killed include the group’s so-called military commander and judge for Bati Kot District.
Col. Mashriqiwal identified the judge as Mawlawi Atiullah.
He said Taliban also lost one fighter in the same clash.
“Before police arrived they made their way out of the area leaving eight dead bodies behind,’ Col. Mashriqiwal added.
A photo of the dead bodies provided by Col. Mashriqiwal shows at least of them has been severely burnet.
However, it is unknown whether the person was burnt alive or after he died.
The clash erupts a day after they killed 31 of each other’s fighters in two clashes in Bati Kot and Achin districts.
Nangarhar has turned into a hotspot of fanatics of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) which also goes by its Arabic name Daesh. The group is trying to establish a regional command in Nangarhar.”
State-owned Indian firm commissions two 220/20kV substations in Afghanistan (khaama, Jan 7, 2016)
http://www.khaama.com/state-owned-indian-firm-commissions-two-22020kv-substations-in-afghanistan-1937
“A state-owned Indian firm has commission two 220/20kV substations in Charikar district of Parwan and Doshi district of northern Baghlan province.
The company – Bharat Heavy Exlectricals Limited (Bhel) said “Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (Bhel) has commissioned two 220/20kV substations in Afghanistan. The project has been executed by Bhel on EPC basis.”
The statement further added that the substations have been commissioned at Charikar, around 60 kms from Kabul and Doshi, around 150 kms from Kabul, it said.
“Both the substations are part of the 220 kV Pul-e-Khumri – Kabul transmission system and will provide power to Charikar and Doshi sites and their neighbouring areas,” it said.
The Chief Executive Officer of the government of national unity Dr. Abdullah Abdullah and Indian ambassador to Afghanistan Amar Sinha inaugurated the substation.
India has played a significant role in the reconstruction of Afghanistan following the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001 and since then has invested over $2 billion in various sectors.
This comes as the Indian cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the reconstruction and completion of Salma dam at a revised cost of INR 1,775.69 crore which is equivalent to around $268,050,296.
Built on Harirod river, the dam is expected to produce 42 megawatt of electricity and will irrigate around 75,000 hectares of agricultural land.”
Attack on Indian consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif was planned abroad (khaama, Jan 7, 2016)
http://www.khaama.com/attack-on-indian-consulate-in-mazar-e-sharif-was-planned-abroad-4474
“Attack on the Indian consulate in Mazar-e-Shari, capital of Afghanistan’s Balkh province, was planned by a foreign terrorist group which left a policeman martyred. It also left five policemen and four civilians wounded.
Deputy Police Chief of Balkh province told Azadi Radio that cell phones and other evidences obtained following the attack show who planned the attack but it is not the time to share further details with media.
Abdul Raza Qaderi said further information would be released to media upon conclusion of the investigation.
After the attack when security forces were conducting combing operation when they came across Urdu-language messages on walls of the building used by militants during the attack.
The messages believed to be written with blood stated that ‘Ek Shaheed 1,000 fedaye, Afzal Guru Ka entiqam’ which means ‘one martyr is replaced with 1,000 suicide attackers and that attack was revenge of Afzal Guru’.
Afzal Guru was hanged in 2013 in one of the Indian jails for his alleged role in attack on the Indian Parliament.”
23 arrested over celebratory gunfire in Kabul which left 3 wounded (khaama, Jan 7, 2016)
http://www.khaama.com/23-arrested-over-celebratory-gunfire-in-kabul-which-left-3-wounded-1940
“At least 23 people have been arrested over celebratory gunfire in Kabul which left at least three people wounded, the security officials announced Thursday.
Kabul city once again witnessed heavy aerial firing after the Afghanistan cricket team defeated Zimbabwe in the fifth and final match of a five-match One Day International Series late on Wednesday night.
Sediq Sediqi, spokesman for the Ministry of Interior (MoI), confirmed that 3 civilians were wounded in the aerial celebratory firing.
He said at least 23 people were arrested by police over celebratory firing which injured 3 civilians, however it is believed that a civilian was also killed in the firing.
The aerial celebratory firing was widely condemned by the citizens of Kabul city with majority of them wishing the defeat of the Afghan team, instead of witnessing chaos in the city.
This comes as Ministry of Interior (MoI) had earlier warned against celebratory gunfire following the likely victory of the Afghanistan football team in South Asia Football Federation (SAFF) championship.
MoI warned regarding the negative impacts of such aerial firings and urged the weapon carriers not to disrupt the comfort of the Afghan citizens, warning that the offenders would face legal actions.”
Afghan Ulemas urge Iran and Saudi to resolve tensions through negotiations (khaama, Jan 7, 2016)
http://www.khaama.com/afghan-ulemas-urge-iran-and-saudi-to-resolve-tensions-through-negotiations-1942
“The Afghanistan Ulema Council on Thursday issued a statement inviting Iran and Saudi Arabia to resolve tensions through negotiations, expressing concerns that the flaring tensions between the two major Islamic nations could have a negative impact on the Islamic world…”
Channel 4 -Cologne: debate about migration rages in German city
Turkey summons Iran envoy over media linking Saudi executions with Erdogan
ANKARA, Jan 7 (Reuters) – Turkey summoned Iran’s ambassador on Thursday to demand a halt to Iranian media reports linking the execution of a Shi’ite cleric by Saudi Arabia with last week’s visit to Riyadh by President Tayyip Erdogan.
“We strongly condemn the linking of our president’s recent visit to Saudi Arabia to the executions sentenced in the country in stories published on media outlets linked to Iranian official bodies,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
A row has been raging for days between Shi’ite Muslim power Iran and the conservative Sunni kingdom since Saudi Arabia executed cleric Nimr al-Nimr, an opponent of the ruling dynasty who had demanded greater rights for the Shi’ite minority. (Reporting by Ece Toksabay; editing by Andrew Roche)
http://www.trust.org/item/20160107222033-vk47u
Tehran holds ceremony to honor Sheikh Nimr
Iran stops doing business with Saudi Arabia as Nimr execution rankles (reuters, Jan 7, 2016)
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-iran-idUSKBN0UL22220160107
“Relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia deteriorated even further on Thursday as Tehran severed all commercial ties with Riyadh and accused Saudi jets of attacking its embassy in Yemen’s capital.
A row has been raging for days between Shi’ite Muslim power Iran and the conservative Sunni kingdom since Saudi Arabia executed cleric Nimr al-Nimr, an opponent of the ruling dynasty who demanded greater rights for the Shi’ite minority.
Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Sudan, Djibouti and Somalia have all broken off diplomatic ties with Iran this week, the United Arab Emirates downgraded its relations and Kuwait, Qatar and Comoros recalled their envoys after the Saudi embassy in Tehran was stormed by protesters following the execution of Nimr and 46 other men.
In a cabinet meeting chaired by Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani on Thursday, Tehran banned all imports from Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia had announced on Monday that Riyadh was halting trade links and air traffic with the Islamic Republic…”
Heaviest air strikes yet rock Yemeni capital Sanaa: residents (reuters, Jan 7, 2016)
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-idUSKBN0UL0OQ20160107
“Dozens of air strikes hit the Yemeni capital Sanaa on Thursday, in what residents described as the heaviest aerial attacks yet in nine months of war, days after a Saudi-led coalition trying to restore a Saudi-backed government ended a fragile ceasefire.
The strikes pounded the presidential palace and a mountain military base to the south of the city, causing children and teachers in several schools to flee for their lives…”
More Swedes than ever are moving abroad (thelocal, Jan 7, 2016)
http://www.thelocal.se/20160107/more-swedes-than-ever-are-moving-abroad
“Record numbers of Swedes are quitting their homeland, according to figures from the country’s number crunching agency Statistics Sweden.
More Swedish residents chose to leave the Nordic nation to live in other countries in 2015 than at any other time in the last 160 years, freshly released figures suggest…”
Threatened Swede talks on Paris anniversary (thelocal, Jan 7, 2016)
http://www.thelocal.se/20160107/threatened-swede-speaks-on-hebdo-anniversary
“Security was stepped up at an art school in central Sweden ahead of a high profile lecture by Swedish cartoonist and freedom of speech campaigner, Lars Vilks, a year after the attack on French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.
Lars Vilks, who was caught up in last year’s terror shootings in Copenhagen, arrived at the venue amid a strong police presence, with local officers from the Örebro region supported by a team from the neighbouring Värmland area.
“We have secured the premises both inside and outside,” Tommy Lindh, a spokesperson for Örebro police told the TT news agency.
Meanwhile the principal of Örebro Art School (Örebro Konstskola) school, Peter Ekström told Swedish newspaper Expressen that he had wanted to give the controversial cartoonist the chance to speak openly, despite the security risks.
“It is the first day of the semester, and our students get this as a great lecture. Lars Vilks has become a symbol of a threatened freedom of expression and a threatened artistic freedom,” he said…”
Sweden-Denmark border checks to be extended (thelocal, Jan 7, 2016)
http://www.thelocal.se/20160107/sweden-denmark-border-checks-to-be-extended
“Border controls will continue in Sweden until at least February 8th, the government has announced.
Swedish officials said on Thursday morning that temporary border controls introduced in southern Sweden would be extended until next month, as part of ongoing efforts to try and control the flow of refugees crossing into the Nordic country from Denmark.
Spot checks on some train and ferry passengers as well as car drivers were first brought in at the end of last year, after the government said that the surge in new arrivals had threatened public order. Controversial mandatory controls on all rail passengers using the region’s Öresund Bridge started on January 4th.
The initial checks, which came at the request of Sweden’s Migration Agency, began in mid-November and have since been extended in 14-day periods. From now on they will be renewed on a monthly basis, the government said…”
USA – TEXAS – Iraqi Refugee Arrested in Houston Terror Plot: Gov.
An Iraqi refugee has been arrested in Houston as part of an investigation into an alleged terrorist plot, the Texas governor’s office confirmed Thursday.
“I applaud the FBI for today’s arrest of this dangerous subject. However, this is precisely why I called for a halt to refugees entering the U.S. from countries substantially controlled by terrorists,” Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said. “I once again urge the President to halt the resettlement of these refugees in the United States until there is an effective vetting process that will ensure refugees do not compromise the safety of Americans and Texans.”
The man arrested has not been identified, but the governor’s office said the man had ties to ISIS.
http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Iraqi-Refugee-Arrested-in-Houston-Terror-Plot-364579891.html
GERMANY COLOGNE –
attack victims forced to sign NDA to receive hospital treatment.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CYJdTVFW8AE4ZnZ.jpg
Syrian Refugee in California Arrested on Terror Charges Identified
“Aws Mohammed Younis Al-Jayab allegedly traveled overseas to fight alongside terrorist organizations and lied to U.S. authorities about his activities,” said Assistant Attorney General Carlin. “The National Security Division’s highest priority is protecting the nation from terrorism, and we will continue to hold accountable those who seek to join or aid the cause of terrorism, whether at home or abroad.”
“According to the allegations in the complaint, the defendant traveled to Syria to take up arms with terrorist organizations and concealed that conduct from immigration authorities,” said U.S. Attorney Wagner.
According to the complaint, Al-Jayab is a Palestinian born in Iraq, who emigrated from Syria to the United States as a refugee in October 2012. Between October 2012 and November 2013, while living in Arizona and Wisconsin, he communicated over social media with numerous other individuals about his intent to return to Syria to fight for terrorist organizations. In those communications, according to the complaint, Al-Jayab discussed his previous experience with firearms and with fighting against the regime in Syria. On Nov. 9, 2013, he flew from Chicago to Turkey, and then traveled to Syria. Between November 2013 and January 2014, Al-Jayab allegedly reported on social media that he was in Syria fighting with various terrorist organizations, including Ansar al-Islam, a designated foreign terrorist organization since 2004. He returned to the United States on Jan. 23, 2014, and settled in Sacramento.
The complaint alleges that on October 6, 2014, Al-Jayab was interviewed by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and responded in the negative to numerous questions, including whether he had ever been a member of any rebel group or militia; whether he had ever provided material support for any person or group engaged in terrorist activity; and whether he had ever been a member of a group, or assisted in a group, which used or threatened the use of weapons against others. Al-Jayab also allegedly stated during the interview that he had traveled to Turkey in late 2013 and early 2014 to visit his grandmother. The complaint alleges that all of those answers were materially false.
If convicted, Al-Jayab faces a maximum statutory penalty of eight years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
http://breaking911.com/sacramento-man-arrested-for-terrorism-offense-isis-houston-terror-texas-isil/
Trudeau advised to deepen ties with Saudi Arabia
Federal officials have told Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that Canada’s strategic interest would be well served by strengthening economic ties with oil-rich Saudi Arabia because of its powerful position in the Persian Gulf.
That advice sheds light on why the Liberals are rejecting calls to cancel a $15-billion sale of armoured vehicles to Saudi Arabia following its execution last weekend of 47 people, including a prominent Shiite cleric.
Trudeau has also been advised to anticipate the easing of possible sanctions against Iran in the coming months if progress is made on implementing last year’s landmark nuclear agreement between Tehran and six countries, including the United States – a prospect that seemed imminent on Wednesday.
The assessments are contained in Trudeau’ s briefing book, a copy of which was obtained by The Canadian Press under Access to Information.
The execution of Sheik Nimr al-Nimr has sparked tension between mainly Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shiite Iran and heightened fears of direct conflict between the two countries.
Canada’s interests in the tumultuous region are spelled out in the briefings prepared for Trudeau, who faces calls to cancel the lucrative sale of light armoured vehicles by an Ontario company.
“Further deepening of strategic relations with the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) countries would serve Canadian commercial and possibly security interests,” the memo states, pointing to Saudi Arabia as the leading player in the six-country bloc that includes the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar.
“Current bilateral engagement includes a particular focus on Saudi Arabia and the UAE,” it says. “Saudi Arabia is a regional power, the only Arab country in the G20. It is a key contributor to global energy security and Canada’s largest trading partner in the region.”
The memo says there are trade and investment opportunities for Canada in the Gulf region because its economies are “diversifying into areas of Canadian strength, including financial, education, health care services, agriculture, as well as infrastructure.”
The censored version of the memo makes no mention of human rights, including the case of imprisoned Saudi blogger Raif Badawi, whose wife now lives in Quebec.
But a section on how Canada can support “gradual, consensual political and social reforms” in the region is almost entirely blacked out.
In December, Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion met his Saudi counterpart and urged clemency for Badawi, who has been sentenced to a thousand lashes and 10 years in jail for his criticism of Saudi clerics.
Days ago, Dion called on the Saudi Arabian government to “protect human rights, respect peaceful expressions of dissent and ensure fairness in judicial proceedings” following the 47 executions.
Alex Neve, the head of Amnesty International Canada, said Dion’s comment was, “a bit out of the ordinary in terms of how willing previous governments have been to speak out about human rights concerns in Saudi Arabia. Now what we need to see is that that be matched by some serious human rights focus to the arms deal.”
A spokesman for Dion said the arms deal between the Saudis and General Dynamics Land Systems Canada would not be cancelled because it has the proper export permit. Canada’s export-control regime is “carefully reviewed and that human rights considerations are seriously taken into account before a permit is issued,” said Adam Barratt.
During the recent federal election campaign, former prime minister Stephen Harper and Trudeau both backed the deal.
Dion also said last weekend that Canada is concerned the execution of Sheik al-Nimr could “further inflame” sectarian tensions in the region.
Fen Hampson, an international security expert with Canada’s Centre for International Governance Innovation, said the rupture of relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran, the two dominant Islamic powers in the region, could escalate to direct military confrontation beyond the current proxy wars they are fighting in Iraq, Syria and Yemen.
“It does not augur well for the region’s political stability, which has been exacerbated by deep-rooted Saudi concerns about the implementation of the nuclear agreement with Tehran,” he said.
On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Iran could be days away from fulfilling its end of that deal, which compels Tehran to scale back technology that could be used to make a nuclear weapon.
If that occurs, western countries, including Canada, would be compelled to lift United Nations sanctions against Iran.
“Canada will have to withdraw or modify the UN Iran Regulations … as early as winter 2016 and as late as summer 2016,” says Trudeau’s briefing book.
Trudeau has pledged to reopen Canada’s embassy in Iran and re-establish diplomatic relations, but has yet to formally announce that.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/trudeau-advised-to-deepen-ties-with-saudi-arabia/article28058715/
Trudeau Liberals refuse to review $15B arms sale to Saudi Arabia
Maple Leaf Foods (T.MFI) looks to replace temporary foreign workers with Syrian refugees
Maple Leaf Foods Inc. (TSX:MFI, Forum) has announced it will offer vacant jobs to Syrian refugees at its meat plants.
“We would be very pleased and honoured to be part of the solution in terms of helping find employment for the Syrian refugees,” Rory McAlpine, Senior VP at Maple Leaf told the Canadian Press. “We have jobs available.”
McAlpine says Maple Leaf has 25 positions available in Brandon, Manitoba and 10 in Lethbridge, Alberta.
“We already have some Muslims working in our pork plants, even though they do not consume pork. Similarly, Muslims may work in a chicken plant even if it is not producing halal chicken,” he said.
Federal Employment Minister MaryAnn Mihychuk told reporters, “We want to help refugees engage in the local workplace, […] under the refugee program we are working with immigration to ensure that some of those people are going to be placed in a community like Brandon.”
http://www.stockhouse.com/news/newswire/2016/01/07/maple-leaf-foods-t-mfi-looks-to-replace-temporary-foreign-workers-with-syrian