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PRINCE is all I have in my mind today.
The loss of an exceptional musical artist.
One can listen to his music but the videos explain it all.
RIP.
Now the Pentagon sends B52s in to fight ISIS for the first time: Heavy bombers obliterate terrorist weapon stash in new phase of war on terror movement
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3553210/Now-Pentagon-sends-B52s-fight-ISIS-time-Heavy-bombers-obliterate-terrorist-weapon-stash-new-phase-war-terror-movement.html#ixzz46XcsCrsc
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
Obama has depleted the arsenals of the rockets and bombs used by the other aircraft and is now trying to use up the ones for the B52s.
Turkey threatens to rip-up migrant deal with the EU unless they get visa-free travel telling officials: ‘You need us more than we need you’
Turkey has threatened to rip-up deal allowing migrants across its borders
It said it would no longer abide by the accord if visa-free travel pledge fails
The country wants residents to have visa-free travel implemented by June
Critics fear EU may be ready to give in to pressure laid on by Turkish PM
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3553145/Turkey-threatens-rip-migrant-deal-EU-unless-visa-free-travel-telling-officials-need-need-you.html#ixzz46Xee3esG
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
Well that’ll just flush north Africa into Europe, won’t it.
Students’ threat to leave union over new leader’s link to extremists: Oxford leading revolt against NUS president who supported a Taliban fighter and campaigned to scupper campus counter-terror measures
Malia Bouattia has been appointed National Union of Students president
She is behind campaign telling Muslim students if they are being spied on
Publicised event featuring family of Munir Farooqi, a former Taliban fighter
University students throughout country now considering leaving the group
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3552979/Students-threat-leave-union-new-leader-s-link-extremists-Oxford-leading-revolt-against-NUS-president-supported-Taliban-fighter-campaigned-scupper-campus-counter-terror-measures.html#ixzz46XhLMjGJ
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
Gang rape in Kent and a shocking conspiracy of silence
Scandalously, for reasons best known to Kent Police, this has only become public knowledge in the past 48 hours, after rumours reached the ears of journalists at Kent Online — six weeks after it is supposed to have happened
Here’s what we don’t know. No names or addresses of any of those arrested have been released.
Police refused to reveal the ethnic backgrounds of the men or say whether any or all of them are ‘migrants’, ‘asylum seekers’ or ‘refugees’ recently arrived in Britain.
Had the alleged attackers been members of a local rugby club, I’m sure we would have learned about it by now.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-3553000/RICHARD-LITTLEJOHN-Gang-rape-Kent-shocking-conspiracy-silence.html
China Flight Tests New Multiple-Warhead Missile
DF-41 launch comes amid heightened tensions over S. China Sea
China conducted another flight test of its newest and longest-range intercontinental ballistic missile last week amid growing tensions with the United States over the South China Sea.
Pentagon officials told the Free Beacon the flight test of the new road-mobile DF-41 missile took place Tuesday with two multiple, independently targetable reentry vehicles, or MIRVs, that were monitored in flight by U.S. military satellites and other regional sensors.
http://freebeacon.com/national-security/china-flight-tests-multiple-warhead-missile/
Greece says Turkish demands obstructing NATO mission in Aegean
ATHENS (Reuters) – Turkish demands are posing obstacles to a NATO mission in the Aegean Sea aimed at countering the smuggling of migrants and refugees into Europe, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said on Friday.
NATO sent its ships into Greek and Turkish waters in the Aegean in March. On Thursday, it said the number of migrants and refugees crossing the sea from Turkey was falling significantly, but smugglers can rapidly change routes and authorities must not reduce security efforts prematurely.
Speaking after a meeting with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in Athens, Tsipras said obstacles included not having full operational access in the region.
“Greece will undertake every effort so that NATO’s mission contributes to the solution of the crisis,” Tsipras said.
“Unfortunately it’s clear that the obstacles .. arise from Turkey’s unilateral demands and positions. Demands and positions which unfortunately are also expressed through a rise in activities which violate our airspace.”
http://www.oann.com/greece-says-turkish-demands-obstructing-nato-mission-in-aegean/
Kremlin denies reports on Russian forces’ fire on Israeli planes in Syria
MOSCOW (Reuters) – The Kremlin on Friday denied media reports that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had discussed alleged incidents involving Russian forces in Syria and Israeli military aircraft.
“In this case, Israeli press reports are far from reality,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a conference call with journalists.
http://www.oann.com/kremlin-denies-reports-on-russian-forces-fire-on-israeli-planes-in-syria/
Migrant flow from Turkey to Greece picking up again
GENEVA (Reuters) – The numbers of migrants landing in Greece from Turkey is starting to creep up again, showing efforts to close off the route are coming under strain, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Friday.
Around 150 people a day had arrived over the last three days, still way off the numbers seen a month ago, the organization added, but showing an increase since an EU deal with Turkey deal to stem the flow.
“The arrivals in Greece which were down to literally zero some days this month, are beginning to creep back up,” IOM spokesman Joel Millman told a Geneva news briefing.
“It could be the weather, it could be any number of things, it could be that smugglers are getting more creative.”
Europe signed an agreement with Turkey last month to close off the main route into Europe for more than a million people, most fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East, Asia and Africa.
NATO sent ships into Greek and Turkish waters in the Aegean in March, though Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said on Friday that Turkish demands were hampering the mission.
“It could be that there is just still a lot of demand in Turkey … people have already spent months to get to Turkey and where there is a will and where there is means, people will try to satisfy them,” Millman told the briefing.
“It still shows that hermetic sealing that seemed to be happening a month ago isn’t anymore.”
http://www.oann.com/migrant-flow-from-turkey-to-greece-picking-up-again-iom/
http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/662895/Hungary-threatens-REBELLION-against-Brussels-over-forced-migration
Hungary slams migrants who pass up multiple ‘safe countries’
Hungary’s top diplomat on Friday said it was “not a fundamental human right” for migrants to pick their destination, during a meeting of EU members concerned about the record refugee crisis.
Foreign ministers and senior officials from 11 European Union nations plus Iceland met at the Latvian resort town of Jurmala to discuss Europe’s worst refugee crisis since World War II, after a million migrants arrived on the continent’s shores last year.
Many of them are fleeing conflicts in the Middle East, but many are also economic migrants seeking a better life, drawing sharp opposition from Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto.
“Please forgive me, but I’m not quite sure whether to consider as a refugee someone who crosses six or seven safe countries to get somewhere,” Szijjarto told reporters in Jurmala.
“It’s a fundamental human right to have a safe life, but it’s not a fundamental human right to choose which country you want to live in.”
He added that “unfortunately those migrants who have marched through our country… have broken our regulations, not only national but European ones.”
Around 400,000 migrants and refugees passed through Hungary in 2015 before the right-wing government sealed off the southern borders with razor wire and fences in the autumn.
Budapest filed a legal challenge with the European Court of Justice late last year against mandatory resettlement quotas, and authorities also brought in tough new laws punishing illegal entry and vandalism of the fences.
Around 2,200 people have been charged with crimes under the new legislation, the vast majority of whom have been served with expulsion orders.
The other countries present at the Jurmala talks were the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Slovakia and Sweden.
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/9/204216/World/International/Hungary-slams-migrants-who-pass-up-multiple-safe-c.aspx
That is what freemen do to tyrants, rebellion and continue until the tyrants have been deposed.
Maryland Sheriff says Immigrants are Responsible for a Recent Spike in Violence!
Law enforcement officials in Maryland are growing concerned with a recent spike in gang violence in Frederick County just west of Baltimore and Washington, D.C. Sheriff Charles Jenkins recently appeared before the House Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security to speak about the situation and to explain its connection to illegal immigration and immigration reform.
The Sheriff told the House Subcommittee that “immigrants in the U.S. illegally are committing crimes in the county and recruiting in local schools.
“Some of the problems that have started in the communities with the gang presence is now spreading into our high schools — some of it into our middle schools. [At] one of the local high schools, routinely [there are] fights between rival gangs.”
http://eaglerising.com/32707/maryland-sheriff-says-immigrants-are-responsible-for-a-recent-spike-in-violence/
Islamic State Planning Summer Massacres in Europe’
Posing as refugees, terrorists are planning to infiltrate Europe and gain access to holiday locations in France, Spain and Italy.
The Islamic State is planning multiple attacks on tourists this summer at holiday locations in France, Spain and Italy, according to reports in a German newspaper. The reports, published in Bild, say the intelligence originated from a “credible source” in Africa who says “concrete plans” exist for the attacks.
Posing as refugees, terrorists are plotting to infiltrate Europe and gain access to holiday locations. From there, they plan to get jobs selling ice cream and T-Shirts. The source said suicide vests will be detonated, while bombs will be buried under lounge chairs on the beach.
The Bild reports also say the terrorists will attack beach crowds with automatic weapons. As one German official commented, “It could be a whole new dimension of terror. Holiday beaches cannot be protected.”
German refugees use advertising to target anti-immigration YouTube videos
German YouTube users searching for anti-immigration videos are being shown adverts of refugees talking about prejudices against them.
Clicking on the ads redirects users to a website with more information about the refugees’ stories.
The campaign uses YouTube’s advertising system to target search terms associated with far-right content and anti-immigration groups.
The organisation behind the initiative says the video clips cannot be skipped.
[…]The search terms targeted by the campaign include the name of the leader of Germany’s anti-Islamist Pegida movement, Lutz Bachmann, who has gone on trial on hate speech charges this week.
Other keywords are “Refugees out”, “Refugees terrorists” and “The truth about refugees”.[…]
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-36095659
In Norwegian :
Grov vold pa skole: Elev lokket med i garderobe og banket til blods
http://www.nrk.no/trondelag/grov-vold-pa-charlottenlund-videregaende-skole_-elev-lokket-med-i-garderobe-og-banket-til-blods-1.12910793
ISIS claims they downed a Syrian warplane near Damascus Syria
http://syria.liveuamap.com/en/2016/22-april-isis-claims-they-downed-a-syrian-warplane-near-damascus
=========================================================
Reuters reported the crash of a military aircraft near Damascus
A military plane crashed in Syria near Damascus. About it reports Reuters with reference to the London-based Syrian Observatory for human rights.
According to human rights activists, the plane crashed southwest of the airport of Damascus. It is not yet clear, the plane crashed as a result of attack or due to technical failure. The plane crashed after flying over territory controlled by “Islamic state” (organization banned in Russia), said the Observatory.
The fate of the pilot remains unknown.
Data about the air force of which country owned the plane, not given. Previously “Islamic state” stated that he had been shot down Syrian military aircraft. Confirm that there is no data, the Agency said.
In mid-April, Reuters also with reference to Syrian Observatory for human rights reported downed under Rachoy the plane of the Syrian air force.
http://freenews.xyz/2016/04/22/reuters-reported-the-crash-of-a-military-aircraft-near-damascus/
DAILY MAIL Migrants versus the MAFIA: Cosa Nostra ‘declares war’ on refugees as mayor says Sicily capital feels more like Istanbul or Beirut than Europe
Sicilian mafia declared ‘war on migrants’ after immigration levels soared
Innocent man shot in the head during a street altercation in Palermo
Cosa Nostra are fighting African gangs for supremacy on Sicily
Palermo mayor has described the Sicily’s capital as ‘no longer European’
Mafia bosses have ‘declared war’ against migrants on the holiday paradise of Sicily as one thousand new arrivals pour on to the island every day.
The feared Cosa Nostra are desperate to maintain supremacy after African crime gangs arrived with the migrants – and they are engaged in a deadly turf war.
An innocent Gambian man was shot through the head by an assassin in broad daylight sparking fears of a wider bloodbath.
Mayor Leoluca Orlando told MailOnline: ‘Palermo is no longer an Italian town. It is no longer European. You can walk in the city and feel like you’re in Istanbul or Beirut.’
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3546081/Mafia-declares-WAR-migrants-Sicilian-gangster-shoots-innocent-Gambian-head-amid-soaring-levels-migration-Italy-mayor-saying-Sicily-s-capital-no-longer-European.html
Brussels bomber identified as guard of foreign IS group hostages: Sources
Najim Laachraoui, one of the Brussels airport bombers, has been identified by several Frenchmen held hostage by Islamic State in Syria as one of their prison guards, sources close to the investigation said Friday.
According to one of the sources, four French journalists kidnapped and held in Syria from 2013 to 2014 had identified a guard known as “Abou Idriss”.
One of the journalists, Nicolas Henin, “has formally identified” Abou Idriss as being Najim Laachraoui, his lawyer Marie-Laure Ingouf said, confirming reports in French newspapers.
Belgian prosecutors have said Laachraoui travelled to Syria in February 2013 to join up with IS forces.
There was no further trace of the Belgian national until he was registered under a false name at the border between Austria and Hungary in September 2015.
Laachraoui, 24, was one of the two suicide bombers who struck Brussels airport on March 22, while a third attacker blew himself up at on a metro train, with the two attacks killing 31 people.
Prosecutors have also linked him to November’s attacks in Paris in which 130 people died, saying his DNA was found on a suicide vest and a piece of cloth at the Bataclan concert hall where 90 people were killed.
Police also found his DNA on explosives used at the Stade de France, leading investigators to believe he was the bomb maker in both the French and Belgian attacks.
The former French hostages have already identified two Frenchmen as being among their jailers when they were held in Syria.
One, Mehdi Nemmouche, is in custody accused of killing four people in an attack on the Jewish museum in Brussels in 2014.
The other is Salim Benghalem, who has been sentenced in absentia in France for recruiting for IS and is listed as a “foreign terrorist combatant” by the United States.
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/204201/World/Region/Brussels-bomber-identified-as-guard-of-foreign-IS-.aspx
Perhaps not an international news kind of an article, but those familiar with the attempts to shut down anti-Islam speech in Canada will be familiar with Dr. Baglow, aka Dr. Dawg.
(For those curious: his doctorate is in poetry)
John Baglow — a former vice-president of the Public Service Alliance of Canada — was taken to hospital on a stretcher Thursday afternoon from his Simcoe Street home with stab wounds to his hands and head. He was in stable condition.
Penni Richmond – who was in the home at the time — was slashed in the throat and was listed in critical condition. Richmond is the former national director of women’s and human rights at the Canadian Labour Congress.
Baglow’s stepson, Danny MacKinnon, who police allege attacked the pair, suffered self-inflicted stab wounds to his chest. MacKinnon was also in critical condition.
http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/ottawa-police-investigate-triple-stabbing-on-simcoe-street
Bergoglio : Migration is enriching
clap clap clap clap🙁BREAKING: Mass Shooting, Suspect At-Large
Police are searching for a shooter after seven people, including children, were found dead at three different scenes in Ohio Friday.
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation said “we are sending everybody” to an area near Pikeston, where seven have been found dead at three different scenes, WLWT reports. Police aren’t sure what happened and are still searching for a shooter. Authorities are still investigating and releasing details.
The Ohio Bureau sent agents to a home and has launched a massive effort to find the shooter, Fox 19 reports. – See more at: http://americanactionnews.com/articles/breaking-mass-shooting-subject-at-large#sthash.FkBgauho.dpuf
http://americanactionnews.com/articles/breaking-mass-shooting-subject-at-large
Is this terrorism or is there some other reason for the mass murder?
It is looking like this was some type of family fight.
Saudi Influence in Washington Must End
If we are going to have any hope of defeating the global jihad.
The 28 pages of a Congressional report detailing where the 9/11 hijackers got their financing have been classified for years, but what they contain is an open secret. Former Senator Bob Graham explained: “The 28 pages primarily relate to who financed 9/11, and they point a very strong finger at Saudi Arabia as being the principal financier.” So why keep this information secret? Because the Saudis wield undue influence in Washington, among both parties – an influence that has deformed our response to the global jihad threat, and continues to do so.
Responding to a bill that would allow 9/11 victims’ families to sue governments linked to terror attacks inside the U.S., the Saudis have acted like neither an ally nor an innocent party: they’ve threatened to sell $750 billion in U.S. asserts, vividly demonstrating why their influence in Washington is so detrimental.
Nonetheless, they still have a friend in Barack Obama, a man who has never hesitated to reach out in friendship to those who threaten the United States. Obama is trying to get Congress to reject the bill, and his solicitude for the Saudis is drawing criticism even from members of his own party. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) called on him to release the 28 pages: “If the president is going to meet with the Saudi Arabian leadership and the royal family, they think it would be appropriate that this document be released before the president makes that trip, so that they can talk about whatever issues are in that document.”
http://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/262598/saudi-influence-washington-must-end-robert-spencer
Nashville Cop of the Year Attacked by Mob at Housing Project [Video]
Blue Lives Matter – except to thugs.
April 22, 2016
Mark Tapson
15
A Nashville cop named Officer of the Year in 2015 found himself in a struggle last week not only with a suspect, but with the crowd that had gathered to watch.
Responding to a shots fired and domestic call last week, Officer Matthew Cammarn arrived at a housing project on South 7th Street where he witnessed 22-year-old Brian Shannon reportedly assaulting a female. Cammarn intervened but Shannon responded aggressively and refused to be taken into custody. He grabbed the officer and pulled him to the ground. Cammarn wrestled with Shannon while a crowd gathered and a group of men started hitting the officer over the head.
As the local Fox news outlet reported, and as can be seen in the cell phone video above, others in the crowd pushed and pulled Cammarn in an effort to help Shannon break free. Some even stood by and gleefully recorded the assault on their cell phones, because that is now what young people do when violence breaks out.
http://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/262600/nashville-cop-year-attacked-mob-housing-project-mark-tapson
https://youtu.be/R3jJEGIH55k
Obama Awards Big Bucks to Islamic Group Tied to Terror – See more at: http://www.teaparty.org/obama-awards-big-bucks-islamic-group-tied-terror-159591/?promocode=tpo-12411293&utm_source=newsemail&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=tpo-12411293#sthash.gVArDSsT.dpuf
‘A hub for donations from charities accused of links to al-Qaida’
(Free Beacon) – The Obama administration has awarded $270,000 to an Islamic charity that has been outlawed by some governments for its support of the terror group Hamas and other jihadist organizations, according to grant documents.
The Department of Health and Human Services has provided a $270,000 grant to Islamic Relief Worldwide, a charity that has repeatedly been linked to terrorism financing and support for Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood, according to recent grant information.
The grant was awarded as part of a larger project to provide health services in Nairobi, Kenya, through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to the grant.
Some terrorism experts have expressed concern that the administration is providing funds to Islamic Relief given its past ties to the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas, ties that have led some governments to outlaw the charity.
The United Arab Emirates and Israel both banned the charity in 2014 after investigations revealed that Islamic Relief had ties to Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood, and other entities engaged in terror financing, according to reports.
An investigation by the Israeli government led to accusations that the charity was providing material support to Hamas and its operatives.
The charity “provides support and assistance to Hamas’s infrastructure,” Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs determined in 2006. “The IRW’s activities in Judea, Samaria, and the Gaza Strip are carried out by social welfare organizations controlled and staffed by Hamas operatives.”
The charity further “appears to be a hub for donations from charities accused of links to al Qaeda and other terror groups,” according to an investigation conducted by the Gatestone Institute.
– See more at: http://www.teaparty.org/obama-awards-big-bucks-islamic-group-tied-terror-159591/?promocode=tpo-12411293&utm_source=newsemail&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=tpo-12411293#sthash.gVArDSsT.dpuf
Der Stern April 19
Causa Böhmermann
Merkel’s embarrassing Farce
The chancellor permits a Criminal procedure against Jahn böhmermann for lèse majesté, and wants to abolish the paragraph at the same time.
Therefore the causa Böhmermann is stone-dead before it was born.
A guest contribution by Joachim Steinhöfel
Angela Merkel gave in to the penal demand of the Turkish government regarding Jan Böhmermann. An embarrassing farce, argues stern guest contributor Joachim Nikolaus Steinhöfel.
Friday last week chancellor Merkel (CDU) made her much-discussed decision in the causa Böhmermann publicly known. At the end, Merkel suggested that “the Federal Government is of the opinion, that paragraph 103 of the criminal code, as a penal norm to the protection of the personal honour, is expendable for the future. Therefore, we will present a bill for its suspension. The bill shall be passed in this legislative period, and will become effective in 2018.”
A legislative procedure for the simple suspension of a regulation (here: Paragraph 103 StGB, vulgo: lèse majesté), takes six to nine months in a normal process. Early 2017 at the latest the regulation would be gone. Not only 2018 as Mrs. Merkel inexplicably said.
This has, especially as it was publically announced, considerable legal consequences. According to the code of criminal procedure (paragraph 206b StPO): if a criminal law, that applied at the time of offence, is being suspended before the court came to a decision, the court closes the proceedings by order. In other words: if the causa Böhmermann hasn’t become valid before the lèse majesté is suspended, there will be no sentence and no penalty.
Böhmermann’s attorney knows this of course. So he will do everything, to delay the lawsuit: procedural complaints, relocation requests, partiality applications, appeals.
Of course the prosecutor knows that too.
Obviously it is completely idiotic to waste the slightest energy in this lawsuit, when it is certain from the beginning that sooner or later it will be closed. Judiciary usually uses their resources more sensible and for more important criminal procedures.
And: why should a prosecutor, or a court, no matter how the decision will be (will the prosecutor press charges? Will the court accept the charge? Will the court convict or acquit?), make themselves subject of an already heated debate, when they don’t have to?
The file Böhmermann will go through the opposite of a summary proceedings.
The case was stone-dead before it was born.
Which brings us back to the chancellor, who now, after her serial breaches of law and breaches of constitution (energy turn, “Euro Rescue”, refugee crisis) pretends to have rediscovered the constitutional state. She, of course, knows too how the process against Bhmermann will end. It is her government that plans to have the “expendable” punitive norm suspended by the parliament.
Merkel is not the saviour of the constitutional state, as a few here and there, even though just a minority, celebrate her. She is the protagonist of a shameless farce, taking the German people, the German Justice, and ultimately the Turkish president, for idiots.
Joachim Nikolaus Steinhöfel, born 1964, is regarded one of Germany’s most renowned lawyers in the field of competition and media law.
http://www.stern.de/politik/deutschland/jan-boehmermann–angela-merkel-und-ihr-peinliches-possenspiel-6801950.html
Merkel has publicly apologised tonight for intervening, but stands by her decision.
Below a translation of the relevant paragraph:
[Quote:]
“I regret that on April 4 I said “”deliberately hurtful”, said Merkel. Government spokesman Stefen Seibert had declared on that day that in a phone call with the Turkish prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu, Merkel had described the poem by ZDF anchorman Jan Böhmermann on the Turkish president with these words.
“In hindsight, it was a mistake”, Merkel admitted. It had created the impression freedom of opinion and freedom of press weren’t important anymore to her as the chancellor. But those were important to her and will be important. “It guides me in all talks.”
The subject of human rights is going to be an issue also at the meeting with the Turkish Prime Minister on Saturday. But there always are two ways to address problems and criticism – publicly or internally. “But human rights, civil liberties, freedom of the press are essential goods,” she said. Therefore, it had been “erroneously” that a false impression arose.
Merkel also defended her decision of last Friday, when she had, against the vote of the SPD ministers, authorised investigations against the TV presenter. She still thinks it is right. “Because it allows German courts to decide with presumption of innocence.” The Turkish government had sought such authorisation because it intends to press charges against Böhmermann for libel. There has been massive criticism of this decision.
[End of quote]
http://www.stern.de/politik/deutschland/boehmermann-affaere–merkel-entschuldigt-sich-ueberraschend-6810046.html
Merkel admits ‘mistake’ in satire poem affair (thelocal, Apr 22, 2016)
http://www.thelocal.de/20160422/merkel-admits-mistake-over-comedian-bhmermann-turkey-affair
“Chancellor Angela Merkel admitted on Friday that she had made a “mistake” in her initial reaction to the poem, but held that the investigation against the comedian should still be allowed.
Merkel said on Friday that she had made a “mistake” when she initially called the poem by satirist Jan Böhmermann insulting Turkey’s President “deliberately hurtful”, broadcaster Ntv reported.
“In hindsight, that was a mistake,” she said.
Merkel explained that after a “personal reflection”, she saw that this statement may have implied that she did not value freedom of expression or of the press.
But the Chancellor said that she was “still right” to make her more controversial move of allowing a criminal investigation to go through against Böhmermann following a complaint by Turkey.
In response to Ankara getting upset over another programme’s song criticizing the Turkish leader, Böhmermann read a so-called “smear poem” on his public broadcast show, calling Recep Tayyip Erdogan a “goat fucker” who “watches child porn while kicking Kurds.”
Merkel had told Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu at the time that she found the poem “deliberately offensive”.
But the poem also turned out to violate a seldom used German law against insulting foreign heads of state, and when Turkey formally complained, the government had to decide whether to allow an investigation into Böhmermann to go through.
Merkel stirred up heated debate and criticism when she announced last week that she would allow the case to go ahead.
Critics have said the move undermines Germany’s principles of freedom of the press and of expression.”
Translation: She didn’t think there would be this big an uproar and is afraid for her political career.
Germany: Merkel admits to ‘mistake’ over satirical poem
German Chancellor Angela Merkel admitted to making a “mistake” in her initial reaction to a poem by a German satirist that insulted Turkey’s president, during a press conference in Berlin on Friday.
The mistake, Merkel said, was in calling the poem by Jan Boehmermann “deliberately hurtful.”
SOT, Angela Merkel, German Chancellor (German): “Of course, all questions will be voiced in discussions with the Turkish Prime Minister. And it is, perhaps, now, the impression is developing that they perhaps want to adjust things. Firstly, we have the question of whether the EU-Turkey agreement is correct. I say it is absolutely correct, and important and it helps us – along with our neighbours – to protect our own Schengen external borders. Second is the issue of the authorisation that, over the weekend, which was – in my opinion – correctly taken. Then, it enables German judges to decide while maintaining the presumption of innocence. They can then decide justly. When I, in the last few days, got irritated by something that concerns me personally, then I want to say that it irritates me that, on 4th April, I spoke from a wounded position and there I gave the impression that, in this, my personal evaluation apeared to be something. That was, in hindsight, a mistake.”
SOT, Angela Merkel, German Chancellor (German): “We have introduced the key points of an integration law. The states have taken note of this, quite coldly. But I believe, for the most part, there is still a basic agreement. For us, as a government, this is an important step. There has never been a national-level ‘Integration law’. We want to conclude the discussion on this law before the summer break – certainly, on the side of the national government. And then, of course, it will be possible to carry out consultation. We have dealt with the issue of the allocation of residences, and here, as well, the government will submit that it will discuss with the states and I believe that we have also achieved provisions here, whereby when there is an issue regarding the details there is a foundational agreement that offers sense regarding such allocation of residences, but it must still be discussed a great deal more here as well.”
Former German banker says refugees are too poorly educated to integrate (express, Apr 22, 2016)
http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/663342/German-banker-refugees-poorly-educated-Thilo-Sarrazin
“A FORMER top German banker has slammed Angela Merkel’s open-door migration policy, saying immigrants are too poorly educated to integrate and will take over the country.
Thilo Sarrazin, ex-director of the Bundesbank, makes the claims in his book, Wishful Thinking: Europe, Currency, Education, Immigration – Why Politics So Often Fails.
The best-selling author, 71, hit out at the Chancellor’s welcoming of “masses of uneducated immigrants”.
The Social Democratic Party politician claims some refugees have “lower cognitive skills” and that Mrs Merkel’s rallying of Germans in support of them was wrong, a PR exercise and did not tackle the real issues of the refugee crisis.
He says: “The question never was whether the daily flood could be registered quickly enough and given housing and medical assistance. The question was, in reality, that these people can never be integrated.”
He said refugees come from places with “low educational standards” and it was “highly likely” they would never be part of German society.
He called for tight border controls to protect the German identity.”
Its not poor education it is lack of desire, most people who immigrate want to become productive citizens of the nation they are moving to, the Moslems don’t want to change so they refuse to assimilate into the base population of the host nations.
British Jihadi dubbed ‘the Surgeon’ led gang plotting drive-by shootings of police officers and soldiers in the first terror plot to be funded and directed by ISIS from Syria (dailymail, Apr 22, 2016)
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3553717/Tarik-Hassane-Turnup-Terror-Squad-jailed-life.html
“Two home-grown terrorists have been given life sentences for plotting to kill soldiers, police officers and civilians in the first plot to be funded and directed by ISIS from Syria.
Tarik Hassane and Suhaib Majeed, both 22, got their hands on a gun and ammunition and were trying to buy an untraceable moped before police swooped in September 2014.
The terror group’s contact sent encrypted messages to Majeed while he was sitting in Regent’s Park, yards from the US Ambassador’s residence.
Hassane, notoriously known as The Surgeon, was studying medicine in Sudan when Majeed was arrested, but rushed back to London to carry on as a ‘lone wolf terrorist’.
He identified Shepherd’s Bush police station and the Parachute Regiment Territorial Army Barracks at White City as possible targets.
Majeed was found guilty of conspiracy to murder and preparation of terrorist acts after Hassane admitted the charges midway through a trial.
Mr Justice Wilkie jailed Hassane for a minimum of 21 years and Majeed for a minimum of 20 years at the Old Bailey today…”
IS has almost evicted Qaeda from Damascus camp: PLO (france24, Apr 22, 2016)
http://www.france24.com/en/20160422-has-almost-evicted-qaeda-damascus-camp-plo
“The Islamic State group has almost evicted rival Al-Qaeda jihadists from a Palestinian camp in southern Damascus after two weeks of clashes, a Palestinian official said on Friday.
“Daesh has chased Al-Nusra, its former ally in the Yarmuk camp, from 90 percent of the territory it controlled,” the Palestine Liberation Organisation chief in Damascus, Anwar Abdel Hadi, said, using an Arabic acronym for IS.
Fighting between IS and Al-Nusra over the past two weeks in the camp has also killed five civilians and wounded 20. Abdel Hadi said he did not have a toll for casualties among the fighters.
Once a thriving district that was home to some 160,000 Syrians and Palestinians, Yarmuk has been devastated since late 2012….”
Two killed in Turkey by rockets fired from Syria: report (france24, Apr 22, 2016)
http://www.france24.com/en/20160422-two-killed-turkey-rockets-fired-syria-report
“Three Katyusha rockets fired from neighbouring Syria landed in a Turkish border town Friday, leaving two people dead and four wounded, according to local media reports.
The rockets hit Kilis, which has come under repeated fire from areas controlled by the Islamic State (IS) group in recent weeks.
Six people were hurt in the attack, which happened at around 1600 GMT according to the Dogan news agency.
Two of those wounded later died in hospital, it said. A government official was not immediately available for comment.
Kilis is the only town in Turkey where refugees from the war in Syria now outnumber Turkish locals. On Monday, rockets killed four Syrians there, including three children.
Turkey’s top general Hulusi Akar and powerful intelligence chief Hakan Fidan made a rare public visit to the town last week while Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has also vowed to protect the town….”
How a tiny French town has infuriated Azerbaijan (thelocal, Apr 22, 2016)
http://www.thelocal.fr/20160422/french-village-at-heart-of-diplomatic-spat-with-azerbaijan
!A surprise visit from an Azerbaijani official has left a French town in the middle of an unusual political standoff.
Bourg-lès-Valence is a quiet town with a population of less than 20,000, located in the Drôme department in southeastern France.
It’s a picturesque town, known for the Saint-Pierre cathedral, its 600-seat theatre, and the Château des Confolens that dates back to 1091.
But on Thursday, trouble brewed in Bourg-lès-Valence with the surprise arrival of a court bailiff from Azerbaijan who was looking to have a few words with the mayor and to give her a summons.
The problem? Ever since 2014, Bourg-lès-Valence has been building up strong links with the town of Shusha of the de facto independent Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, part of Azerbaijan.
The two towns signed a friendship charter and aimed to build cultural links. The mayor of Boug-les-Valance Marlène Mourier has visited Shushu twice to meet local officials.
And Azerbaijain isn’t impressed with the connection. Indeed, the whole region of Nagorno-Karabakh has been a point of irritation for Azerbaijan ever since it came under the control of the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic in 1992.
The bailiff’s visit was an attempt to get the French town to cut ties with Shusha and to forbid French officials from ever visiting, reported the France Bleu newspaper.
The move, however, appears to have had the opposite effect.
Mayor Mourier dismissed “attempt at intimidation by a foreign state on French territory”.
She said: “We continue to have friendly relations with this city, and the friendship charter will be maintained. In fact, all this reinforces my determination,” she told the paper.
“This says a lot about the methods of a repressive regime that wants to stifle dissent. But here we are in France!” she told Le Figaro.
She later tweeted: “The dictator Aliev doesn’t intimidate me!” referring to Ilham Aliyev, who has been the President of Azerbaijan since 2003….”
Women targeted in anti Muslim attacks in Austria (thelocal, Apr 22, 2016)
http://www.thelocal.at/20160422/women-targeted-in-anti-muslim-assaults-in-austria
“There were 156 assaults against Muslims in Austria in 2015, with the vast majority of incidents targeting women, according to the first ever anti-Muslim racism report presented yesterday in Vienna.
Around 95 percent of the incidents were aimed at women, according to the report presented by the Documentation Office for Muslims in Austria in partnership with the Islamic Faith Community in Austria (IGGiÖ).
The organisation documented incidents from December 2014 up to the end of 2015 and said they expect the number of assaults to increase in the future.
Around 40 percent of the reports related to verbal attacks, 12 percent were physical attacks on people, five percent were related to discrimination and three percent graffiti. Further incidents involved hate crimes or hate speech, and a quarter of the documented Islamophobia was aimed at Muslim institutions….”
The vast majority were made up to make Austria look bad.
How the Green leaders have alienated almost everyone (thelocal, Apr 22, 2016)
http://www.thelocal.se/20160422/how-the-green-party-leaders-have-alienated-almost-everybody
“A miserable week for the Green Party was confirmed on Friday as support for its two figureheads sank like a stone.
Deputy Prime Minister Åsa Romson and Education Minister Gustav Fridolin have faced a barrage of criticism for their handling of a spate of scandals.
In a new Demoskop survey for the Expressen newspaper, a measly 6.3 percent of voters said they had confidence in Romson. Fridolin fared slightly better, with 15-percent support, but his was the steepest tumble of any party leader as his stock dropped 11 percentage points in less than two weeks.
The spokespersons, a term they prefer to leaders, have come under intense fire since it emerged last week that the then housing minister, Mehmet Kaplan, had kept company with Turkish extremists.
The leadership pair deflected the criticism, even when a clip showed up of Kaplan comparing Israel to Nazi Germany, and they continued to back the minister after he announced his resignation at a joint press conference with the prime minster, Stefan Löfven.
They weren’t helped much by party veteran Per Gahrton, who somehow managed to blame Israel for stirring the pot. …”
Spanish Judge Imprisons Moroccan for Plans to Carry Out Terrorist Attack (moroccoworldnews, Apr 22, 2016)
http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2016/04/184817/spanish-judge-imprisons-moroccan-for-plans-to-carry-out-terrorist-attacks/
“A Spanish judge imprisoned a Moroccan restaurant cook earlier this week as he had been preparing to carry out a terrorist attack in the European country, according to a report by the New York Times.
Local forces arrested the cook, Mohamed Harrak, on Tuesday and presented him to Judge Carmen Lamela Díaz of the Audiencia Nacional, or National Court, for questioning in Madrid on Thursday. The judge video conferenced with Harrak and subsequently published a report in which she stated several reasons to keep him in prison, including his plans to recruit fighters for the so-called “Islamic State” and attack civilian targets in Spain.
The report did not detail the alleged plot that the 26-year-old is suspected of planning and the judge did not set bail for the prisoner….”
Morocco-Belgium Sign Agreement on Security and information Sharing (moroccoworldnews, Apr 22, 2016)
http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2016/04/184819/morocco-belgium-sign-agreement-on-security-and-information-sharing/
“Morocco and Belgium signed on Friday in Brussels an agreement on security and information sharing, according to Maghreb Arab Press (MAP).
Moroccan and Belgian officials praised the great impetus given to cooperation between the two countries in the security field following the telephone conversation between King Mohammed VI and King Philippe of Belgium on November 23, 2015.
A joint statement issued at the end of a working visit by Interior Minister Mohammed Hassad and Director General of National Security and Territorial Surveillance Abdellatif hammouchi at the invitation of Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior and Security Jan Jambon said that both sides held a working meeting, which was attended by Belgian Justice Minister Koen Geens and Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration, Theo Francken….”
Egypt’s interior ministry files police complaint against Reuters over ‘unfounded’ report (ahram, Apr 22, 2016)
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/204223/Egypt/Politics-/Egypts-interior-ministry-files-police-complaint-ag.aspx
“Egypt’s ministry of interior filed a police complaint against Reuters’ Cairo bureau on Friday, accusing it of “publishing false news using anonymous sources” after a Thursday report by the agency that quoted unnamed security sources as saying that murdered student Giulio Regeni had been in police custody prior to his death.
In an official statement released on Thursday, the ministry’s spokesperson described the Reuters report as “unfounded.”
Reuters reported that several police and intelligence sources, who spoke to the agency on condition of anonymity, said that the PhD student had been detained by police on the 25 January at a police station near Ramsis Square in Cairo and had been held for thirty minutes before authorities transferred him to the headquarters of the interior ministry.
Regeni vanished from the streets of Cairo in the evening hours of 25 January, and his dead body was discovered in a ditch on the outskirts of the city nine days later, showing signs of extensive torture.
The Egyptian authorities have been conducting an investigation into the murder of the Italian student, but no suspects have so far been charged.”
Man cites ‘insult on president’ as cause for violence against woman (hurriyetdailynews, Apr 22, 2016)
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/man-cites-insult-on-president-as-cause-for-violence-against-woman.aspx?pageID=238&nID=98175&NewsCatID=509
“A Turkish man has alleged that an “insult on president [Recep Tayyip Erdo?an]” caused him to assault his fiancé, initiating a process whereby the woman had to testify on violating the controversial Article 299 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK) which foresees imprisonment for defamations against the president.
A Belgian woman of Turkish origin, Hülya B., began living with her fiancé, Kadir E., in Istanbul’s Küçükçekmece district some four months ago.
According to Hülya B.’s testimony, the man assaulted her on March 23 after the couple quarrelled.
“Kadir had previously threatened to make me blind, throw me out a window and kill me, and he beat me as well,” she said in her complaint against the man at a police station.
Kadir E. was detained by the police but denied all charges during his testimony.
Speaking to the police, the man referred to Article 299 of the TCK, which states that “A person who defames the president of the Republic [of Turkey] shall be imprisoned for a term of one to four years,” and alleged that the aforementioned fight broke out only because his fiancé had insulted Erdo?an.
Kadir E. claimed that the quarrel happened as they were watching news of an Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) attack in Belgium, when Kadir E. complained to Hülya B. that unlike the attack in Brussels, no one feels sorrow when attacks target Turkey.
“Hülya cursed and said, ‘These explosions happened because of Tayyip [Erdo?an]. My homeland is Belgium,’” the man explained, admitting that he “pushed” her in response.
After the man’s testimony, Hülya B. was called by police to testify about defaming the president, where she denied the allegation.
While Hülya B. was released, Kadir E. faces trial at the Third Penal Court of First Instance in Küçükçekmece for “deliberate assault.””
Dutch PM wants answers on Turkey’s ‘call to report insults’ (hurriyetdailynews, Apr 22, 2016)
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/dutch-pm-wants-answers-on-turkeys-call-to-report-insults-.aspx?PageID=238&NID=98169&NewsCatID=351
“Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said April 22 he will ask Ankara to clarify a call to Turks in the Netherlands to report individuals who insult the Turkey or its president.
Rutte said he was surprised by the apparent plea to Turks living in the country to report insulting or negative comments about President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an or Turkey to the country’s consulate in Rotterdam.
A political storm erupted on April 21 after several Dutch newspapers reported an email apparently sent by the consulate to Turkish organisations in the Netherlands, which asked people to forward disparaging emails and posts on social media such as Facebook and Twitter.
“I am surprised. It’s not clear what the Turkish government aims to achieve with this action,” Rutte told journalists during a joint press conference with visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel in the southern city of Eindhoven.
“Our ambassador in Ankara will ask for an explanation,” he said.
The Turkish consulate for its part said the note was sent by a consular official who used an “unfortunate choice of words” that was misinterpreted.
Dutch lawmakers were indignant following the reports, demanding a reaction from Rutte’s government on how it planned to deal with the issue.
It follows outrage in Germany after the government there gave a green-light for authorities to begin criminal proceedings against popular comic Jan Boehmermann for performing a satirical poem about Erdo?an on television.
German prosecutors have opened a preliminary investigation into Boehmermann and his so-called “Defamatory Poem.”
Boehmermann could be convicted under the rarely enforced section 103 of the criminal code — insulting representatives of foreign states.
The Netherlands has a similar law, but Dutch Justice Minister Ard van der Steur on April 20 told lawmakers that he wanted to scrap it.”
‘Long arm of Ankara’: Netherlands feeling ‘the pinch’ from Turkey
Turks living in the Netherlands have been urged by their consulate to report any insults directed at their country or their President, Tayyip Erdogan.
Police arrest alleged al Qaeda financier (tribune, Apr 22, 2016)
http://tribune.com.pk/story/1089881/police-arrest-alleged-al-qaeda-financier/
“Police on Friday said they had arrested an al Qaeda financier who has been on the United Nations security council sanction lists for four years.
Abdur Rehman alias Abdul Rehman Sindhi, who was arrested on Thursday in Karachi, was placed on the UN sanction list in 2012 for providing financial services to al Qaeda.
Individuals on the list are subject to a freeze on their assets, travel ban and arms embargo.
He was arrested during a joint operation of police and intelligence agencies in a congested residential quarter, Muqaddas Haider, a senior police officer told AFP.
Rehman is believed to have met al Qaeda founder Osama Bin Laden and his successor Ayman al-Zawahiri several times.
He also had close links with Saud Memon, a key suspect in the kidnap and murder of US journalist Daniel in 2002.
Rehman was a member of various militant organisations before joining al Qaeda.”
Afghan Air Force kill 25 militants in separate raids including ISIS loyalists (khaama, Apr 22, 2016)
http://www.khaama.com/afghan-air-force-kill-25-militants-in-separate-raids-including-isis-loyalists-0733
“The Afghan Air Force (AAF) pounded the militants in eastern Nangarhar and southeastern Paktia provinces in the past 24 hours, leaving at least 25 dead.
The Ministry of Defense (MoD) said at least 6 militants loyal to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group were among those killed.
A statement by MoD said the airstrikes were carried out in Achin, Mamand Dara and Ghani Khel districts of Nangarhar province and Zurmat district of Paktia province….”
Iraq: Nine killed in suicide bomb attack on Baghdad mosque
At least nine people were killed and 25 wounded in a suicide bomb attack at a mosque in Baghdad, Friday.
According to reports, a suicide bomb vest was detonated just after Friday Prayers. The self-proclaimed Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack.
UK: Obama warns UK would be ‘back of the queue’ if outside EU
US President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron held a joint press conference in London, Friday.
Responding to a question, Obama maintained that if the UK were to leave the EU, they would be at the “back of the queue” for any possible trade agreements with the United States.
Obama explained, “I think it’s fair to say that maybe at some point down the line there might be a UK-US trade agreement but it’s not going to happen any time soon because our focus is in negotiating with a big bloc, the European Union, to get a trade agreement done. And the UK is going to be in the back of the queue.”
ISIS bomb cache in Palmyra: Russian sappers unearth depot with 12,000 explosive devices (RT, Apr 22, 2016)
https://www.rt.com/news/340640-explosive-devises-cache-palmyra/
“Russian combat engineers, clearing the Syrian city of Palmyra of explosives left behind by Islamic State jihadists, have discovered and defused “one of the largest jihadist arsenals” of more than 12,000 explosive devices.
“The warehouse was well-disguised and discovered through the use of special equipment, brought by Russian engineers to Syria,” General Igor Konashenkov, Defense Ministry spokesman, told reporters. “They have removed more than 12,000 explosive objects, including large-caliber mortar mines, artillery shells, as well as anti-tank mines and anti-personnel landmines, from the terrorists’ cache.”
He stressed that this is “one of the largest ammunition depots from which improvised explosive devices and bombs were used by Islamic State [IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL] for terrorist attacks not only in the province of Homs but in other areas of Syria just as well.”…”
Iranian women call on Western tourists to violate hijab law to fight against oppression
As more and more Western tourists visit Iran, foreign women are being urged to break the country’s strict Islamic dress code to “make a stand” about the restrictive laws.
It is illegal for women to go out in public without wearing headscarf in the country, where thousands of undercover agents and “morality police” patrol the streets to check for violations.
Women found to have their hair or bodies inadequately covered can be publicly admonished, fined or even arrested.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/iranian-women-in-my-stealthy-freedom-campaign-call-on-western-tourists-to-violate-headscarf-law-to-a6996136.html
USA – More than 500 pounds of explosives stolen from train
Federal law enforcement investigators are searching in at least three states for more than 500 pounds of explosives stolen from a CSX train, CBS News has learned.
CBS News Justice Department and Homeland Security correspondent Jeff Pegues reported a law enforcement source says the amount stolen has authorities concerned that the explosives could fall into the wrong hands.
Sources say the theft was reported two days ago but the case has not yet gone public. The ATF is considering putting out an advisory and announcing an reward in the coming days.
The CSX train was traveling from Chicago through Ohio en route to Detroit. Somewhere along the way, investigators believe the explosives were stolen. According to a law enforcement source, when the train car of explosives arrived in Detroit, half of the shipment was gone.
A spokesman for the ATF in Detroit called this a very serious case. Technically the explosives are classified as fireworks but because they are commercial grade combined with the quantity makes them extremely dangerous. The ATF says they are a lot more volatile and typically only handled by professionals.
Investigators believe at least 32 cases of the explosives are missing. The ATF’s Detroit office is leading the investigation with assistance from Detroit Police. Investigators believe that several suspects are likely responsible for the theft.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/more-than-500-pounds-of-explosives-stolen-from-train/
Germany: Berlin Pirate Party leader arrested after quoting Erdogan poem
The chairperson of the Berlin Pirate Party Bruno Kramm was arrested in the German capital on Friday, after quoting a line from satirist Jan Boehmermann’s poem, in which he is accused of defaming Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Germany: AfD face off against counter protesters in Umma
Counter protesters disrupted an Alternative for Germany (AfD) rally in Umma on Friday. Some 150 AfD activists had gathered in the town, waving German flags and holding anti-government banners, the demonstration was confronted with a counter-protest of around 300 activists, who held a sit-in protest in an attempt to block the demonstration’s route.
Norway minister ridiculed online after floating in the Mediterranean to see what it’s like to be a refugee
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/04/22/norway-minister-ridiculed-online-after-floating-in-the-mediterra/
Norwegian minister ridiculed after plunging into Mediterranean to ‘see refugee’s perspective’
https://www.rt.com/news/340642-norway-minister-refugees-mediterranean/
Swiss army ready to act in worst case migrant scenario
Published: 21 Apr 2016 08:26 GMT+02:00
Switzerland has said it is ready to mobilize up to 2,000 soldiers at border crossings should migrants continue to arrive into the country.
Switzerland sees first quarter drop in asylum requests (14 Apr 16)
Geneva UN meet aims to tackle refugee crisis (30 Mar 16)
Swiss photographers help expelled refugee (04 Mar 16)
Swiss federal authorities said they have drawn up three separate scenarios ranging from 10,000 arrivals inside a month to a worst case of 30,000 inside a few days.
The latter “would necessitate army intervention,” the government said.
In a statement on Wednesday the government said it had tasked the defence ministry with putting 2,000 troops on standby for such an eventuality.
The plans, agreed last Thursday, aim to coordinate state, cantonal and communal response in the event of a large influx of people.
While the government noted that for the moment no such military intervention is necessary, it said it wanted to be able to react quickly.
http://www.thelocal.ch/20160421/swiss-army-ready-to-act-in-worst-case-migrant-scenario
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US Army captain foils Denmark school attack
Danish Chief of Defence Peter Bartram (left) presented Captain Bradley Grimm (centre) with a Danish Defense Medal. Also present was US Ambassador to Denmark Rufus Gifford (right). Photo: Sune Wadskjær
US Army captain foils Denmark school attack
Published: 21 Apr 2016 08:44 GMT+02:00
A US Army captain in Iraq helped crack a plot to bomb a Danish school after gleaning crucial details from documents recovered from extremists, the Pentagon said on Wednesday.
Denmark extends Isis fight into Syria (20 Apr 16)
Kerry: Denmark ‘front and centre’ in Isis fight (10 Mar 16)
Army Captain Bradley Grimm, who is based at Al-Asad airbase in Iraq’s Anbar province, had “helped develop a system to speed the flow of intelligence from here on the ground to various national capitals,” Baghdad-based spokesman Colonel Steve Warren said.
Grimm gleaned “actionable intelligence” from “captured documents” belonging
to foreign fighters with ties to Denmark, Warren said.
“Brad’s work likely saved the lives of Danish citizens,” Warren said, without providing additional details of the plot itself.
For his work, Denmark awarded Grimm the Danish Defense Medal for Special Meritorious Effort.
http://www.thelocal.dk/20160421/us-army-captain-foils-denmark-school-attack-plot
A 12-year-old Yazidi girl secretly slipped sleeping pills into her Islamic State captor’s tea to escape. The girl and her aunt were being held as slaves by the jihadist group west of Mosul, before they were able to escape to Kurdish-controlled areas.
The escape was confirmed by Vian Dakhil, a Kurdish Yazidi member of the Iraqi parliament, who told the Kurdish BasNews agency that a 12-year-old girl and her 17-year-old aunt had managed to escape from their Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) captives by spiking their captors tea with sleeping pills.
https://www.rt.com/news/340574-isis-sleeping-pills-yazidi/
Women and children are among eight Syrian refugees reportedly shot dead by Turkish border guards while trying to reach safety.
Footage obtained by The Times showed survivors of the alleged attack fleeing down a mountain path for treatment to their injuries.
One man was seen carrying his young son, who appeared to be bleeding heavily from gunshot wounds in both legs.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/turkish-border-guards-shoot-eight-syrian-refugees-dead-including-women-and-children-trying-to-reach-a6996696.html