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Showing posts from December 3, 2017

Isis terrorist threat to New Zealand remains unchanged

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Supplied Kiwi jihadi Mark Taylor who is also known as the bumbling jihadi.  Islamic State remains a major terrorist threat to New Zealand, as spy agencies reveal the number of people with links to the extremist group remain unchanged. A New Zealand Security Intelligence Service (SIS) watch list of as many as 40 people in New Zealand with links to Islamic State was first revealed three years ago, when the Government announced legislation targeting so-called "foreign fighters" who are either already fighting alongside , or are trying to. Others on the watch list include those who are regularly reading its violent propaganda. READ MORE: *  The new terror threat *  'Bumbling' Kiwi jihadist claims to be teaching kids English in Syria    The ousting of Isis from its strongholds in Syria and Iraq has not lessened the threat, with many countries fearing a rise in home grown terrorism as a result of "foreign fighters" returning home. One of on

Insuring Against Terror: Some Common Coverage Blind Spots

In her speech at Mansion House in July earlier this year, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick said that the occurrence of terror attacks in the United Kingdom is a case of "when not if". She was speaking in response to a series of high-profile acts of terrorism which had taken place in the first half of 2017, which, combined, resulted in the deaths of 36 people. It is therefore timely that Pool Re, the UK Government-backed terrorism reinsurer, has published its third Terrorism Threat and Mitigation Report. The Report analyses trends in global terrorism and identifies prevailing difficulties in the terrorism-related insurance market. The Pool Re Report notes that current levels of terrorism in the UK are unprecedented with four attacks in a 17 week window earlier in 2017. The methods deployed by terror groups continue to evolve and respond to counter-terrorism efforts but the "fundamental principles" remain the same: to kill and cause damage for pu

Chinese Hacker Groups to Shift Focus to India in 2018: Cyber Security Firm

Enterprise cybersecurity company FireEye said unorganised 'hacktivism' attacks as a response to political tensions within and against India, South Korea, Japan, the Philippines, Vietnam and other South-east Asian countries is expected to continue and possibly rise throughout the new year as China and neighbouring countries are still continuing political disputes in the Asia-Pacific region. New Delhi : Chinese advanced persistent threat (APT) groups that have allegedly been creating cyber havoc internationally will shift their focus in 2018 to countries like India and Hong Kong and groups seen as a threat to Beijing's influence over global markets, enterprise cybersecurity company FireEye said on Thursday. Hacker groups backed by nation-states are termed as APTs. The changing geopolitical situation in the Asia-Pacific region will give way to such threats.  "For Indian enterprises, one of the most important security questions is, do you know who is targeting you and h

US Issues New Travel Warning for Pakistan, Says Terror Groups Still Active

The warning comes in the wake of increasing terrorist violence, including sectarian attacks, in Pakistan. Washington:  The United States on Friday advised its citizens to defer all non-essential travel to Pakistan, saying that foreign and indigenous terrorist groups continue to pose a threat to them throughout the country. The warning comes in the wake of increasing terrorist violence, including sectarian attacks, in Pakistan. In a travel warning - issued after a gap of seven months - the State Department warned the US citizens against all non-essential travel to the South Asian country. The fresh travel warning replaces earlier warning, issued on May 22. Pakistan continues to experience significant terrorist violence, including sectarian attacks, the State Department said, adding that targeted attacks against government officials, humanitarian and non-governmental organisation (NGO) employees, tribal elders, and law enforcement personnel were common in the country. It said foreign

Germany to surveil far-right doomsday 'prepper scene'

Germany is to begin surveillance of a growing subculture with some far-right affiliations known as the "prepper scene." The network collects weapons and other supplies in case of natural disasters or social collapse. Germany's federal and state interior ministers have decided to keep the country's growing "prepper" scene under surveillance, according to a report by the RND media group. The issue was raised at the interior ministers' conference in Leipzig, where both governing parties, the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), were understood to support the measure. The "prepper scene" refers to a loose network of people collecting firearms and other supplies in preparation for a collapse of state power. There are thought to be well over 100,000 preppers in Germany, and there are suspicions that some members have connection to the far-right, though few details are publicly known.

Stay indoors: China warns its citizens in Pak amid threat of Taliban attacks

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 The Chinese embassy in Islamabad said on its website on Friday it had information about a ‘series of terror attacks’ planned against Chinese organizations and personnel, without giving details. (Photo: AP/Representational) Beijing :  China has warned its citizens in Pakistan to be on alert after receiving intelligence reports about possible attacks targeting Chinese. The Chinese embassy in Islamabad said on its website on Friday it had information about a "series of terror attacks" planned against Chinese organizations and personnel, without giving details. It urged its citizens to stay inside and avoid crowded places. China's exposure to terror attacks has risen in recent years as its overseas footprint expands. The Islamic State group said in June it kidnapped and killed two Chinese teachers in Quetta. China has invested heavily in Pakistan, where thousands of Chinese workers are employed in USD 60 billion worth of infrastructure projects under Beijing&#

Israeli air strikes kill 2, wound scores of Palestinians; US isolates in UN

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 Whether violence would further spiral in the Palestinian territories and elsewhere was being closely watched, with Friday marking a second day of unrest. (Photo: AFP) Jerusalem/Gaza:  Clashes, Palestinian rocket fire and Israeli air strikes killed at least two people and wounded dozens of others on Friday in violence linked to US President Donald Trump’s declaration of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. In the latest diplomatic fallout, the United States stood alone as, one after another, fellow UN Security Council members criticised Trump’s decision in an emergency meeting of the world body. After a day of protests and clashes in Jerusalem and the Palestinian territories, at least three rockets were fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip, including one shot down by Israel’s Iron Dome anti-missile system, the army said. Another appeared to have fallen in wasteland but the third landed in the southern Israeli city of Sderot. There was no immediate report of casualties. Follow

US Issues New Travel Warning for Pakistan, Says Terror Groups Still Active

The warning comes in the wake of increasing terrorist violence, including sectarian attacks, in Pakistan. Washington:  The United States on Friday advised its citizens to defer all non-essential travel to Pakistan, saying that foreign and indigenous terrorist groups continue to pose a threat to them throughout the country. The warning comes in the wake of increasing terrorist violence, including sectarian attacks, in Pakistan. In a travel warning - issued after a gap of seven months - the State Department warned the US citizens against all non-essential travel to the South Asian country. The fresh travel warning replaces earlier warning, issued on May 22. Pakistan continues to experience significant terrorist violence, including sectarian attacks, the State Department said, adding that targeted attacks against government officials, humanitarian and non-governmental organisation (NGO) employees, tribal elders, and law enforcement personnel were common in the country. It said foreign

15 UN peacekeepers killed, over 50 hurt in Congo attack

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — In the deadliest single attack on a United Nations peacekeeping mission in nearly 25 years, rebels in eastern Congo killed 15 peacekeepers and wounded over 50 others in an assault on their base that was launched at nightfall and went on for hours. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed "outrage and utter heartbreak" and called the attack a war crime, urging Congolese authorities to swiftly investigate. The State Department's Bureau of African Affairs said it was "horrified." U.N. peacekeeping spokesman Nick Birnback said it was the deadliest attack on a U.N. peacekeeping mission since June 1993, when 22 Pakistani soldiers were killed in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu. The peacekeepers killed Thursday were from Tanzania. Tanzanian President John Magufuli expressed his shock and prayers for the wounded, three of whom are in critical condition. At least five Congolese soldiers also were killed in the attack Thursday eveni

How can journalists responsibly cover neo-Nazis? A media scholar gives his advice.

After the New York Times published an article depicting the life of an Ohioan neo-Nazi on Saturday, the newspaper was met with public outrage. The piece, originally called “The Neo-Nazi Next Door” and later changed to “A Voice of Hate in America’s Homeland,” faced criticism for its gentle portrayal of neo-Nazi Tony Hovater. Journalist Richard Fausset included details of Hovater’s love of  Seinfeld , his favored household appliances on his wedding registry, and what he buys at the supermarket.  In response, critics and journalists cast the article as normalizing members of a fast-growing movement that promotes hate. Others argued that the media has provided too much coverage of the growing neo-Nazi movement instead of focusing on its victims or other fringe ideological groups in the country. In response to the uproar, the Times felt the need to explain why it published the piece. “The point of the story was not to normalize anything but to describe the degree to which hate and ext

Hundreds of neo-Nazis on the run in Germany, report says

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A supporter of Germany's far-right National Democratic Party (NPD) at a Berlin rally. Amid the neo-Nazi presence and far-right extremism in the country, hundreds of neo-Nazis are wanted for committing hate crimes in Germany, according to an Interior Ministry report Hundreds of neo-Nazis facing arrest warrants are on the run in Germany, the government revealed Thursday. Out of 501 right-wing extremists, 108 face charges of "politically motivated crimes," the Interior Ministry said in response to a parliamentary question, as reported by DPA. Another 114 are sought on suspicion of violent crimes. Germany sees regular protests by neo-Nazi groups, but the country has strict laws governing the glorification of the country's Nazi past. The German government earlier announced steps to choke off state campaign financing for the far-right National Democratic Party (NPD) after a failed court bid to outlaw the xenophobic fringe group. The initiative aims to depriv

Outlawed Scottish neo-Nazi group Scottish Dawn still online

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Home Secretary Amber Rudd had previously described the group as vile.(Photo by Jack Taylor/Getty Images) Campaigners have criticised the world’s most popular blogging platform for continuing to host a banned Scottish neo-Nazi group.   Scottish Dawn was added to a list of proscribed organisations earlier this year after being identified as an alias of the far-right National Action, a group described as “vile” by Home Secretary Amber Rudd. The Counter Extremism Project (CEP), an international not-for-profit group, said it was “deeply troubling” that WordPress, owned by San Francisco-based Automattic, continued to provide an online platform for the group. Automattic said it took the issue of such content “very seriously” and was working to address extremist and terrorist propaganda. An order laid before parliament in September stopped National Action operating under the names Scottish Dawn or NS131. It means anyone found to be a member of the organisations is co

Name confusion brings anger over neo-Nazi allegations to other OG’s, including a pot shop in Eugene

Consumer anger over allegations that two owners of a Eugene marijuana lab sympathize with neo-Nazi views has caused unwelcome fallout at two unaffiliated but similarly named pot businesses. OG Analytical’s owners were the subject of a scathing series of allegations by the group Eugene Antifa. The antifacist activists said Bethany Sherman, the company’s majority owner, supported white pride events and that her life partner, Matthew Combs, organized neo-Nazi groups. Combs has a 10 percent stake in the company. But Eugene OG on Franklin Boulevard and Salem-based OG Collective, which has three shops in Oregon’s capital city, were bearing some of the anger Thursday about the Nazi allegations. The only thing connecting the companies is having OG in their names. Consumers and others appear to have mixed up OG Analytical with Eugene OG and OG Collective. “I came into the shop this morning, and the first thing I did was answer the phone and immediately got death threats on my mother, on