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Showing posts from October 2, 2016

Iranian writer given long jail term for story about stoning

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A writer and human rights activist has been sentenced to six years' imprisonment in Iran for penning a story about stoning. Golrokh Ebrahimi Iraee faces years behind bars even though her writing has not been published. She was convicted of "insulting Islamic sanctities" and "spreading propaganda against the system". Amnesty International called the conviction "ludicrous" and the trial "farcical". Victims of stoning are executed by having rocks thrown at them until they are dead. In Iran, most are women accused of adultery. Ms Ebrahimi Iraee's work describes the emotional reaction of a young woman who watches the film The Stoning of Soraya M - which tells the true story of a young woman stoned to death - and is so enraged that she burns a copy of the Koran. The Iranian authorities found the piece on 6 September 2014, when the writer and her activist husband Arash Sadeghi were arrested by men believed to be members of the

Return of al Shabaab should end the prattle about ‘isolated’ attacks

For a while there, it actually seemed as though the threat of the terrorist group, al Shabaab, could be tossed into the dustbin of history. It had after all been many months since Kenyans learned with horror of yet another terrorist attack against one target or another. But with the attack in Mandera on Thursday, specifically targeting a building whose tenants were mostly non-locals, and in which six people were killed, we now know that we are not so lucky. The terrorist attacks are yet with us. Although the Northeastern regional coordinator, Mohamud Saleh, has assured the residents of that region that this was just an isolated incident and that they should not worry about the security situation, there can be no consolation at this time. The trend in the past has been that the al Shabaab militia initially start with relatively isolated targets, and then move on to ever bolder attacks - always choosing civilian targets, and seeking to cause the maximum

Grief as families identify bodies of terror victims

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Families of six people killed in a suspected Al-Shabaab raid in Mandera Town were on Thursday inundated with grief as they identified the bodies of their loved ones. A sombre mood engulfed Chiromo Mortuary in Nairobi as the families identified bodies with the help of teams from the Kenya Red Cross and National Disaster Management Unit. The dead were three quarry workers, two employees of Islamic Relief Kenya, a humanitarian organisation in northern Kenya, and a barber. Mr David Munene, Mr Duncan Ndegwa and Mr John Ndegwa were quarry workers, Mr David Chege worked as a barber in Mandera, while Mr Evans Araka and Mr Levis Mwalimu were employees of Islamic Relief Kenya. Those who spoke to the Nation recounted their last moments with their loved ones while others were too distraught to speak. Ms Rebecca Otiende, Mr Araka’s widow, said her husband was not his usual self the last time they were together as they planned their wedding. “We were with Evans days befo

Pakistani markings on grenades seized from terrorists in Naugam, says Indian Army

Four terrorists were killed in a gun battle with the Army in Naugam sector on Thursday while they were trying to sneak into the Valley from Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir The Army Friday said Pakistani markings were found on grenades seized from four slain terrorists in Naugam sector of  Kashmir  on Thursday, confirming the complicity of the neighbouring country in abetting terrorism. “Pakistan Ordinance Factory markings on hand grenades (ARGES 84) and UBGL grenades seized from the terrorists confirms Pakistan’s complicity in abetting terrorism,” an Army spokesman said. “Pakistani markings are also seen on medicines and eatable items seized by the force,” he said. Four terrorists were killed in a gun battle with the Army in Naugam sector on Thursday while they were trying to sneak into the Valley from Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir. He said highly inflammable material, including six plastic explosive slabs, six bottles of petroleum jelly, six bottles of inflammable liquid and six light

Bay Area Sikh man attacked as group urges hate crime charge for suspects

RICHMOND (KTVU) -- A national group is urging that authorities pursue hate charges for two men who allegedly attacked a Richmond man apparently because of his religious beliefs. The Sikh Coalition, a national group, sent a letter Friday to the Richmond police chief and the Contra Costa District Attorney, urging them to investigate the attack last month on Maan Singh Khalsa. Khalsa, 41, is a member of the Sikh Center in El Sobrante and a U.S. citizen who works for the Social Security Agency.  Harsimran Kaur, the Sikh Coalition legal director, said Maan Singh Khalsa was attacked near the Hilltop Mall at Blume and Hilltop Drive about 9 p.m. on Sunday Sept. 25. He told police that a white Ford F-150 with as many as six men pulled up and someone threw a beer can at him. When he turned toward Interstate 80 and stopped at a light, he said the suspects approached the car and grabbed him through the window. Authorities said Chase Little, 31, of Beaumont, Texas, and Dustin 

US accuses Russia of cyber attacks

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US officials have formally accused Russia of cyber attacks against political organisations in order "to interfere with the US election". Recent hacked emails are "consistent with the methods and motivation of Russia-directed efforts", the Department of Homeland Security said. Data revealing discussions within the Democratic Party was hacked earlier this year. Some states reported "probing" attempts made on "election-related" systems. However, officials said those attempts could not be directly linked to the Russian government. Russian officials told Interfax news agency the claims it was involved in the cyber attacks were "nonsense". But a joint statement from the Department of Homeland Security and the Director of National Intelligence on Election Security said high-ranking officials at the Kremlin were almost certainly involved in the successful attacks. "We believe, based on the scope and sensitivity of these

11 suspected Islamist militants killed in Bangladesh raids

NEW DELHI (AP) — Security forces in Bangladesh killed at least 11 suspected militants in three separate raids Saturday in an ongoing crackdown against Islamic extremism in the South Asian nation, a top government official said. The suspects were members of the banned group Jumatul Mujahedeen Bangladesh, or JMB, which the government has blamed for a deadly attack in July at a restaurant in Dhaka, the capital, said Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan. The men were killed in operations in the Dhaka suburb of Gazipur and the central district of Tangail, Khan said. Officials said the raids began Saturday morning based on information that the militants were in the area. Some firearms, bullets and meat cleavers were found during the raids, said Mufti Mahmud Khan, a spokesman for the Rapid Action Battalion, which was involved in the raids. Bangladesh has recently been hit by Islamist extremists, with the July 1 restaurant attack leaving 20 hostages dead, including 17 foreigners. Since t

German town in lockdown over suspected bomb attack plan

BERLIN (Reuters) - German police said they were evacuating a building in the eastern city of Chemnitz on Saturday on suspicion that a bomb attack was being planned, and told residents in the affected district to stay at home. Police appeared to use force to enter the building, and said on Twitter: "The explosion heard was an access measure by the police. A relevant person could not be found. "Please remain in your apartments within the cordoned off area and follow the instructions of the police here and on site," Saxony state police added on twitter. Police said they had undertaken a large deployment in the Fritz-Heckert-Gebiet neighbourhood of Chemnitz. A spokeswoman declined to give further details. Source:  https://in.news.yahoo.com/german-police-investigate-suspected-planned-bomb-attack-111830863.html

Malindi doctor in hiding arrested over ISIS links, 2 months after two interns at the same hospital taken into custody

Security personnel in Malindi yesterday arrested a doctor suspected to have links with international terror group ISIS. He was arrested at his home in Sea Breeze, opposite the subcounty hospital mortuary. The multi-agency officers recovered unspecified evidence in the 2am raid. Kilifi county acting police boss Matawa Muchangi yesterday said the suspect has been in hiding since August. “He was found inside his home with family members,” he said. Muchangi said he would give further details once investigations are complete. He did not disclose where the suspect was being held or when he would be charged. In August, two medical interns were arrested at the Malindi Subcounty Hospital for allegedly being part of the terrorist group. Muchangi said they are monitoring everybody working in county and national government institutions and will arrest anyone linked to terror activities. Security agents are working round the clock in the air, in the sea and on the gr

Vietnam declares US-based activist group is a terrorist organization

The Viet Tan is accused of training operatives and the government says the California-based organization instigates violence Vietnam has declared a US-based activist group a terrorist organisation and warned that any Vietnamese found to be involved with the group would be regarded as co-conspirators and punished. The government said the California-based Viet Tan , or Vietnam Reform Party, had recruited and trained operatives to use weapons and explosives. Vietnam has long been sensitive to the activities of Viet Tan, calling the group “reactionaries”, but the announcement carried on state television was the first time it had designated it a terrorist organisation. The police-run ministry of public security said Viet Tan had trained members in militant activities, kidnaps and murders and arranged for operatives to sneak into Vietnam to organise protests and instigate violence. Viet Tan has long been an annoyance for the Communist party that has ruled since the

No extrajudicial killings and no torture in Kenya, says CS Amina

Reports of extrajudicial killings, torture and harassment by Kenya’s security forces are false, Foreign Affairs CS Amina Mohamed has said. She dismissed reports by Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and the US State Department raising concerns about abuses. “They’re making it up. That’s all false,” Mohamed said yesterday. “Interview them. Honestly they haven’t talked to me. I haven’t seen the report. They haven’t spoken to anybody.” Speaking on Al Jazeera TV’s “UpFront” programme, the CS defended police, the military and government security agencies against allegations of harassing Somalis in Kenya and violating rights of refugees. “We are not violating any obligations. If we were, the whole world would have come down like a tonne of bricks right on our heads,” she told host Mehdi Hassan. Mohamed said the ongoing repatriation formula for Somali refugees is within the tripartite agreement signed between Kenya, Somalia and the UN refugee agen

Baloch Liberation Army accepts attack on Rawalpindi bound Pakistan train in Mach

At least five people were killed and 28 others injured when two improvised bombs hit Rawalpindi bound Pakistan rail in Bolan area of Mach. At least five people were killed and 28 others injured when two improvised bombs hit Rawalpindi bound Pakistan rail in Bolan area of Mach. Speaking from an undisclosed place, the spokesperson of BLA, Jeeyand Baloch sent an email to media and told that his organisation has accepted the responsibility of attacking the Jaffar Express train. He said, "Such attacks will continue to take place in Balochistan until Balochistan is liberated from foreign occupation. We have every right to attack all those institutions and installations which belong to occupier because over the last several decades we are at war with occupying state, Pakistan." He said Pakistani state aggression is based on indiscriminate barbarity in every section of Baloch society. He said that it is BLA's national duty to defend Baloch homeland and publi

Saudi Arabia says missile fired from Yemen causes no damage

The Saudi military says the missile fired Friday night apparently targeted the southwestern city of Khamis Mushait. Saudi Arabia says a ballistic missile fired from Yemen landed in an uninhabited desert and caused no injuries, the latest missile fired by rebels to target the kingdom. The Saudi military says the missile fired Friday night apparently targeted the southwestern city of Khamis Mushait. It says the Saudi air force then targeted the area inside Yemen from where the missile was fired. A Saudi-led coalition backing Yemen’s internationally recognized government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi has been fighting against the country’s Shiite rebels known as Houthis and their allies, including former President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s loyalists. The rebels routinely fire ballistic missiles and mortars at Saudi Arabia. The rebels, who control Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, are known to have a stockpile of Soviet-era Scud missiles and locally designed variants. Source: ht

Islamic State terrorist who had returned home planned lone wolf strikes in India

NEW DELHI: If 31-year-old Subahani Haja Moideen, trained by IS's military wing for three months, had his way, he would have been the first "lone wolf" attacker in India.  Prior to Moideen's arrest, West Bengal-based Mohammad Masiuddin, alias Abu Musa, was the only would-be "lone wolf" arrested by Indian agencies. Musa had tried to carry out solo attacks in Srinagar and Kolkata but failed.  According to top sources in intelligence agencies, Moideen, arrested by the NIA on Wednesday from Tamil Nadu, had been a lone operator since his return to India last September and was in regular touch with his Islamic State handlers, discussing over the Internet what kind of attack he should carry out.  "He followed all ISIS activities around the world and would study the modus operandi of other lone wolf attackers. He remained unnoticed for a long time because he was operating alone. It's only a few months ago that his activities came on our radar. He could have

Two suicide bombers killed in Turkey

Two suicide bombers have blown themselves up near the Turkish capital, Ankara, after they were approached by police. The militants, believed to be a male and female, were suspected of planning to carry out a car bomb attack, the state-run Anadolu news agency reports. They detonated the devices after they were asked to surrender their weapons. Police had been acting on a tip-off, Ankara's governor said, suggesting a link to Kurdish separatists. How dangerous is Turkey's instability? Timeline: Key events in Turkey Erkan Topaca said police had found the pair hiding at a horse farm in the district of Haymana, just outside the capital. He said: "The organisation they are connected to is not clear yet but according to information we have received it is highly likely that [the man] is linked to the PKK ( Kurdistan Workers Party )." The BBC's Mark Lowen in Ankara says the pair were said to be flying a Turkish flag from their car as cover and a third pe

Thousands march for peace in Bogotá and throughout Colombia

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Last night, thousands of Colombians took to the streets of Bogotá to promote peace. They brought candles, lanterns, and torches. Most wore white. A march of silence thought up by university students ended up as a gathering of so many different people, from kids to seniors, from those who voted “Yes” on the Final Accord last week to those who voted “No.” There was no political party involved in the march, just citizens using their voice to push for peace in Colombia. For at least one night, a divided nation came together in the capital, and similar marches took place in other cities, including Cartagena, Cali, Barranquilla, and Neiva. Small marches were even seen in New York, Paris, and London. Initially, the march was supposed to go from the Planetarium of Bogotá in the Centro neighborhood to Plaza of Bolivar in the historic center of the city. But so many people turned up that the start of the procession needed around three kilometers of additional space, stretching al

Juan Manuel Santos wins Nobel peace prize despite rejection of Farc peace deal

Colombian president awarded honour days after country thrown into turmoil over rejection of peace deal in referendum The Colombian president, Juan Manuel Santos , has won the Nobel peace prize for his work on a peace deal that was voted down in a referendum this week. Santos and the leader of the Farc rebel group, Rodrigo Londoño, known as Timochenko, were both considered leading contenders for the prize after signing the peace deal last month to end 52 years of war. But their chances seemed to have been dealt a fatal blow by the referendum last Sunday in which a narrow majority of 50.2% to 49.8% – a difference of fewer than 54,000 votes out of almost 13m cast – rejected the plan . The Norwegian Nobel committee said it hoped the prize would encourage all parties to continue working towards peace. “There is a real danger that the peace process will come to a halt and that civil war will flare up again. This makes it even more important that the parties, headed by Pr

Nobel peace prize 2016: committee say award is 'tribute to the Colombian people'

Award comes despite peace deal being voted down in a referendum Nobel committee says prize not disrespectful to Colombian voters That's a wrap! Well, that it’s for our live coverage of the Nobel peace prize. To recap, the award was given to the Colombian president, Juan Manuel Santos , for his efforts to negotiate peace in his country with the Farc guerrillas. It was a surprise win, given the peace deal he struck with Farc leader Timochenko was rejected by the Colombian people in a referendum less than a week ago. Santos said he was deeply honoured by the prize and accepted the prize on behalf of the Colombian people and in particular of the victims of the decades-long conflict. Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2016/oct/07/nobel-peace-prize-2016-announcement-live

'Reckless' computer users give up on cybersecurity amid relentless torrent of hack warnings

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Computer users are becoming deaf to the endless stream of cybersecurity warnings they receive on a weekly - if not daily - basis, according to new research. Many now ignore warnings to update software and change passwords due to so-called "security fatigue", a study by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has revealed. The study questioned people ranging in age from their 20s to their 60s, from a wide range of backgrounds, and focused on the subjects' work and home computer use - including online shopping and banking, computer security, security terminology, and security icons and tools. It found that the majority of computer users felt overwhelmed and bombarded, and were tired of being on constant alert, adopting safe behaviour, and trying to understand the nuances of online security issues. Getty As a result they were avoiding making decisions, choosing the easiest option among alternatives, behaving impulsively, and faili

How Sweden became an exporter of jihad ?!

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Sweden is a peaceful democratic state that has long been a safe haven for those fleeing conflict. Yet many young people whose families took refuge there are now turning their back on the country. More than 300 people have gone to fight in Syria and Iraq, making Sweden per capita one of the biggest exporters of jihadists in Europe. I meet 23-year-old Sara in the basement of a building in Gothenburg, Sweden's second city. She seems like any other young Western woman, wearing tight clothing and make-up and displaying a number of tattoos on her arms and neck. But she has recently returned from Raqqa in Syria, where her husband died fighting for the so-called Islamic State (IS). She recalls some of the horrors she had witnessed. The sound of Yazidi women being raped in the room next to hers; offenders being lashed and executed; the constant bombardment and airstrikes - all part of the daily life of a jihadi bride. To begin with, it had seemed more appealing -

Hack warnings prompt cyber 'security fatigue'

Relentless cybersecurity warnings have given people "security fatigue" that stops them keeping themselves safe, suggests a study. Many ignored warnings they received, found the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Others were worn out by software updates and by the number of passwords they had to remember, NIST found. This "risky behaviour" might make people more susceptible to attack, it warned. Inevitable attack "We weren't even looking for fatigue in our interviews, but we got this overwhelming feeling of weariness throughout all of the data," said computer scientist Mary Theofanos, one of the experts who co-ordinated the study. Responses from subjects revealed that many felt "overwhelmed" by having to be alert for digital threats at all times, remembering to act safely online and by the different security and privacy policies on the sites they used. Others were worn down by the number of passwords,

Demise of the “Caliphate”: ISIS-held territory shrinks and becomes a big pocket

The glorious days for the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) are just a memory of the past. Now, the “caliphate” project seems to be approaching to its ultimate demise, as most of its rivals forces are advancing on the ground, shrinking its territory and cutting their last supply lines. At the height of its expansion by mid-2014, ISIS-held territory compromise large swaths of Syrian and Iraqi territory, extending from Mosul and even reaching the outskirts of Baghdad in the East, to Raqqa and the Syrian-Turkish border in the West. The fall of Palmyra in May 2015 was their last great conquest, threatening to advance even more, towards major Syrian cities. ISIS' unstoppable advances emboldened Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi to claim “Constantinople (Istanbul) and Rome” as the final objectives of their conquest enterprise. Al-Baghdadi and his cohorts built a “proto-state”, setting governance and administrative institutions and running a lucrative oil-smuggling business th

Syrian children soldiers paid $100 monthly salary to fight Syrian Army

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Since the Al-Qaeda franchise in Syria, Jabhet al-Nusra, established itself in Syria in January 2012, child recruitment has become more widely practiced, and even got wider and more organized with the emergence of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in 2013. The two ultraconservative groups created training camps for children where they are brainwashed and instilled with Takfiri ideology to become jihadi fighters and suicide bombers. The process significantly increased with the Nusra-led Jaish al-Fateh taking over the northwestern province of Idlib in May 2015. Analysts identify the notorious Saudi cleric Abdullah al-Muhesini as the godfather of recruiting children soldiers in rebel-held territories, especially Idlib. In 2013, al-Muhesini launched his wide-scale recruiting campaign in Idlib (which later expanded to the northern countryside of Aleppo), and set up a boot camp dubbed (Callers of Jihad). Propaganda leaflets and stickers that promote 'fight