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Showing posts from March 18, 2018

Malaysia arrests seven men with Islamic State links over attacks plot

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysian police have arrested seven men with links to the Islamic State militant group who were planning attacks on non-Muslim places of worship and other targets, authorities said on Saturday. The Muslim-majority country has been on high alert since gunmen allied with Islamic State (IS) carried out a series of attacks in Jakarta, the capital of neighbouring Indonesia, in January 2016. Six Malaysians were arrested in Johor state, north of Singapore, while a seventh, a Filipino member of the IS-linked Abu Sayyaf group, was detained in the eastern state of Sabah, in multiple operations between Feb. 27 and Mar. 15, Inspector-General of Police Mohamad Fuzi Harun said in a statement. He said the six detained in Johor were members of an IS cell and included a 37-year-old technician who recruited new militants and was believed to be the mastermind of planned attacks on non-Muslim places of worship in the state's capital. A second suspect was a securit

Catalonia's parliament suspends vote on jailed candidate

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Roger Torrent, speaker of Catalan Parliament, right, oversees a parliamentary session but without an expected vote to elect jailed former Catalan government minister Jordi Turull as Catalan president at the Catalan parliament in Barcelona, Spain Saturday March 24, 2018. A Spanish Supreme Court judge charged 13 Catalan separatist politicians with rebellion Friday for their attempts to make the region independent of Spain, dealing a heavy blow to the secessionist movement with an indictment that could put its political elite behind bars for decades. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez) BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — The speaker of Catalonia's parliament on Saturday suspended a scheduled vote to elect a jailed separatist leader as the new regional president of the restive northeastern corner of Spain. Speaker Roger Torrent communicated his decision to the heads of the different parties moments before he announced to the chamber that there would be no vote on the candidacy of Jordi Turull,

2 Militants Killed In Encounter In Anantnag

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Srinagar(PTI): Two militants were killed in an encounter with security forces today in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district, police said. Acting on specific information about the presence of militants in Shistragam village in Dooru area of Anantnag, security forces launched a search and cordon operation in the area late last night, a police official said. He said while there was some exchange of fire after the cordon was established, the operation was halted for the night. The encounter resumed this morning and two militants were killed, the official said. He said the identity and group affiliation of the slain militants is being ascertained. The official said the encounter is over and arms and ammunition have been recovered from the site. Source:  http://odishasamaya.com/india/2-militants-killed-in-encounter-in-anantnag/101201/

Policeman dead in pre-election bombing in Egypt's Alexandria

ALEXANDRIA: A policeman was killed in a bomb attack Saturday targeting the security chief of the city of Alexandria, two days before the start of Egypt's presidential election, officials said. The bomb, which exploded in a car near a convoy transporting the security chief through a residential area of the Mediterranean city, also wounded four others, the government press office said. General Mostafa el-Nemr, Alexandria's security chief, was not among the casualties of the "terrorist bombing that targeted the convoy", his office said, quoted by state-owned newspaper Al-Ahram. Health ministry spokesman Khaled Megahed said the casualties were taken to a military hospital. Photographs posted online showed black smoke rising above the site of the attack on Al-Moaskar Al-Romani street, near a police station. An AFP correspondent at the scene said security and military units had cordoned off the area of the attack, which left several burnt-out cars. The bombing

Thousands expected to leave second pocket in Syria's Ghouta

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This photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, shows bulldozers removing barriers from a road in the town of Harasta, east of the capital Damascus, Syria, Saturday, March. 24, 2018, where thousands of opposition fighters and members of their families are expected to use to head to northern Syria. The planned departure toward northern Syria comes a day after an agreement was reached between Faylaq al-Rahman and the Russians to evacuate the second of three pockets held by opposition fighters in eastern Ghouta. (SANA via AP)  BEIRUT (AP) -- Some 7,000 members of a rebel group and their relatives were preparing to leave eastern Ghouta to opposition-held areas north of the country Saturday as part of an agreement to evacuate the second of three pockets held by opposition fighters east of the capital Damascus, Syria's state media reported. The expected departure comes a day after an agreement was reached between Faylaq al-Rahman, the second most powerful rebel

Kashmir: New Hurriyat chief Mohammad Ashraf Sehrai's son joins Hizbul; image of him holding AK-47 goes viral

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Srinagar:  The son of Mohammad Ashraf Sehrai, the newly-elected chairman of Tehreek-e-Hurriyat, has joined the Hizbul Mujahideen militant group in Kashmir, top sources said. A photo of Junaid Ashraf Khan, 28, brandishing an AK-47 rifle went viral on social media on Saturday. This is the first time that the son of a senior separatist leader of the stature of Sehrai has joined the militancy in Kashmir. Undated image of Junaid Ashraf Khan being circulated on WhatsApp. According to a complaint filed by Sehrai in Saddar police station in Srinagar, his son, Junaid, has been missing from his residence for the past 24 hours. This prompted rumours that Junaid may have joined Hizbul Mujahideen. The militant outfit headed by Syed Salahuddin draws its cadre mostly from the disaffected Jamaat-I-Islami group in Kashmir. Junaid, who has an MBA from Kashmir University, hails from Tikipora village in Kupwara, which is also the village of Mannan Wani, an AMU Ph.D student who recently joined

Islamic State operative and terror recruiter Yasmeen Zahid sent to 7 years in jail by NIA court

Kochi, March 24: Islamic State woman operative and terror recruiter Yasmeen Mohammed Zahid has been sent to seven years rigorous imprisonment in connection with Kerala Islamic State recruitment case by the NIA Court. Special Judge S Santhosh Kumar awarded the sentence after convicting her under various sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and Indian Penal Code.  Zahid, who hails from Bihar is the second accused in the case investigated by the NIA. The NIA special court in Ernakulam also imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 on her. Zahid was intercepted while trying to take a flight to Kabul to join the Islamic State in Afghanistan. Court has awarded sentence of 7 yrs under Section 125 & 7 years under section 38, 39 & 40 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), also imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 on accused: Arjun, Public prosecutor after NIA court sentenced ISIS recruiter YM Zahid to 7 yrs in prison There are 15 accused in the case. The NIA had chargeshee

Naxalism has entered its 'last leg' and Maoists are resorting to coward ambushes, says Rajnath

Gurugram, March 24:  Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh Saturday said that "Maoism has become a serious challenge...but because of the gallant and determined action of the CRPF and other forces, these incidents have come down drastically." On the occasion of 79th Raising Day of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) the Home Minister said that the “serious” challenge of Naxalism in the country has entered its “last leg” and Maoists are now resorting to coward ambushes against security forces as they are unable to undertake a direct fight. Addressing troops of the country’s lead anti-Naxal operations force CRPF on the occasion of their 79th Raising Day, the home minister said due to operational efforts of these forces incidents of Left Wing Extremism (LWE) have “drastically” come down in the recent past and the casualty rate of extremists has gone up. “Maoism has become a serious challenge…but because of the gallant and determined action of the CRPF and other forces, the

Catalan separatists face rebellion charge as another key figure flees abroad

Among those prosecuted are Catalonia's sacked president Carles Puigdemont and his designated successor, Jordi Turull.  If found guilty, they face up to 30 years in prison.     Judge Pablo Llarena accused Puigdemont -- currently in self-imposed exile in Belgium -- of organising the independence referendum in October last year despite a ban from Madrid and "grave risk of violent incidents".    Turull, a former government spokesman, is already under investigation over Catalonia's secession drive but so far remains free under bail. He was due to appear in court Friday along with several other leading separatists.    But one of them, Marta Rovira, ignored the summons and instead announced she was taking "the road to exile".    Rovira is deputy leader of the leftwing separatist ERC party, whose chief is currently in jail. She was placed under judicial control in February, but the judge stopped short of putting her behind bars for the duratio

Germany's immigrant community calls for better state support

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The recent spate of mosque attacks and a rise in hate crime has immigrants in Germany sounding the alarm. Community leaders are calling for more support and understanding from state authorities, including the police. "I'm really concerned," said Raed Saleh, parliamentary leader for Berlin's Social Democratic Party. "I can see how Islamophobia is being stirred up, to a degree that I never would have thought possible 10 years ago." Saleh is a practicing Muslim. He's also a role model when it comes to interfaith dialogue. Together with Berlin's Jewish community, he wants to  rebuild a synagogue that was destroyed by the Nazis  80 years ago, on the border between the city districts of Kreuzberg and Neukölln. The  recent attacks on mosques , and the anti-Islam comments  made by Germany's new interior minister, Horst Seehofer , show how painstaking this dialogue is. "The attacks on the mosques are unacceptable. An attack on a mosque,

Germany: Horst Seehofer lays down 'zero tolerance' policy

In his first speech in parliament, Germany's new interior minister said the country needs a 'strong state' to protect its citizens. He reiterated his call for tighter internal border controls. Horst Seehofer on Friday laid out his vision for a "strong state" with "zero tolerance" toward criminals during his maiden speech as Germany's interior minister in Bundestag, the lower house of the German parliament. Seehofer underscored controlled and limited immigration and the promotion of social cohesion as his other priorities, just a week after he kicked off a debate by saying: "Islam is not part of Germany." Read more :  Opinion: The eternal dispute between politics and religion Seehofer's speech: Key points The security situation, in view of the Islamic terrorism, continues to be "very threatening," Seehofer said. He also reaffirmed his intention to maintain controls at the German borders as long as the EU did not

Turkey targets 155 people over suspected Gulen links

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Riot police detain a protester during the trial of two Turkish teachers who went on a hunger strike over their dismissal under a government decree following the failed coup of 2016, outside of a courthouse in Ankara, Turkey, September 14, 2017. (Photo by Reuters) Turkey has launched new operations to arrest 155 suspected followers of Fethullah Gulen, a US-based cleric whom Ankara blames for the failed 2016 coup. Turkey witnessed a coup attempt on July 15, 2016, when a faction of the military declared that the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was no more in charge of the country. However, over the course of some two days, the putsch was suppressed. Almost 250 people were killed and nearly 2,200 others wounded in the abortive coup. Gulen has denied charges of having masterminded the coup. According to Istanbul police, arrest warrants were issued on Friday for 55 employees of Isik Publications, a publishing company that printed Gulen's books, in 13 provinces. Mean

A timeline of extremist attacks in France in recent years

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In this image taken from La Depeche Du Midi, police attend an incident in Trebes, southern France, Friday March 23, 2018. French counterterrorism prosecutors are taking charge of the investigation into the shooting of a police officer in southern France that has led to an apparent hostage-taking at a supermarket. (La Depeche Du Midi via AP) PARIS (AP) — Southern France has faced another terror attack, as an armed man opened fire on police officers Friday and took hostages in a supermarket before being shot dead by police. The attacks in a region around Toulouse follow a string of other extremist violence in France in recent years. Here is a look at some of the recent attacks in France: — Aug. 9, 2017: A driver of a BMW slams the car into a group of soldiers in a Paris suburb, injuring six of them. — June 1, 2017: An Algerian doctoral student wielding a hammer attacks police officers patrolling in front of Notre Dame Cathedral. He had declared his allegiance to the Islam

Censorship : Communist Party will regulate China's media, film industry

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In this Saturday, March 17, 2018, photo, Chinese journalists film Chinese President Xi Jinping casts his ballot during a plenary session of China's National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. The Chinese Communist Party's move to exert direct control over state broadcasters and regulators of everything from movies and TV to books and radio programs shows the party's drive to use the media for ideological efforts at home and to improve its image overseas, analysts say. The move is part of a push by Xi to tighten party supervision over much of Chinese public life as he renews his uncontested rule free of constitutional limits on his terms in office. (AP Photo/Andy Wong) BEIJING (AP) — Chinese state media will be getting more propaganda now that the Communist Party has announced it will be in direct control of broadcasters and the regulators of everything from movies and TV to books and radio programs. The move is part of a push by Pr