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Showing posts from June 10, 2018

Wilders’ Mohammed cartoon contest gets green light from Dutch counter-terror agency

Dutch anti-Islam firebrand Geert Wilders has confirmed that a Prophet Mohammed cartoon contest will be held in his party’s secure offices in Dutch parliament, after receiving approval for the event from security officials. The divisive right-wing politician and leader of the country’s largest opposition party, the Freedom Party,  took  to Twitter on Tuesday to announce the news. “Dutch Counter-terrorism Agency NCTV gives green light to Muhammad cartoon contest in secured PVV quarters of Dutch Parliament later this year,”  Wilders tweeted, along with a Mohammed cartoon.  “So that’s what we’re going to do and organize! With cartoonist/ex-Muslim Bosch Fawstin! Freedom of speech is most important of all!!”  he wrote source  https://www.rt.com/news/429524-geert-wilders-cartoon-competition-islam/

Torture, starvation, executions: Eastern Ghouta civilians talk of life under terrorist rule

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Last week I wrote about what civilians from Ghouta told me regarding unverified claims of the Syrian Army attacking them with chemicals, but they also talked about crimes committed by terrorists and the White Helmets’ role. Although benignly   dubbed    “rebels”  by corporate media, the Salafist terrorist group Jaysh al-Islam are not fighting for freedom or human rights in Syria, nor are the other terrorist groups who formerly ruled in eastern Ghouta. READ MORE: Syrian civilians from ground zero expose chemical hoax It was Jaysh al-Islam which imprisoned Syrian civilians in cages, using them as human shields against potential bombing, and Jaysh al-Islam was among the terrorist groups firing missiles and mortars onto civilians in Damascus,  killing  over 10,000. They, Faylaq al-Rahman, and the other terrorist factions occupying the region reigned with terror, beheading men and women and starving the people. Hellish rule of Jaysh al-Islam: Starvation and executions by sword

Berlin talks bid to revive stalled Ukraine peace process

Berlin, Germany, Jun 11 –  Ukraine and Russia’s foreign ministers meet their German and French counterparts on Monday in a renewed bid to resolve the smouldering civil war as Moscow seeks to shed Western sanctions. The Ukraine conflict, half-forgotten by the West amid other crises and its own divisions, has claimed over 10,000 lives and still sees daily clashes between pro-Russian and Ukrainian forces. President Vladimir Putin last Thursday warned that any military “provocations” while Russia hosts the football World Cup would have “very severe consequences for Ukraine as a state”. The UN Security Council condemned “continuous violations of the ceasefire” and “the tragic humanitarian situation” on the frontline, and called for an immediate withdrawal of heavy weapons. The UN resolution last week was written by France with support from Germany — the core EU powers that brokered the poorly observed 2015 Minsk peace agreement — and was adopted unanimously, including by Russia.

Machar commits to peace in South Sudan following meeting with Raila Odinga

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South Sudan South Sudan’s rebel leader, Riek Machar has committed to the ongoing peace process that seeks to organise a face-to-face meeting with his nemesis, president Salva Kiir. Following a meeting with veteran Kenyan politician, Raila Odinga, Machar tweeted saying ‘something will change’ and emphasising that he has been ‘advocating for this peaceful resolution of the conflict’. ‘‘I have had a fruitful discussion with Hon Raila Odinga in the quest for peace in our country. IO and myself have been advocating for this peaceful resolution of the conflict. The status quo shouldn’t stand. Something will change,’‘ Machar tweeted. I have had a fruitful discussion with Hon Raila Odinga in the quest for peace in our country. IO and myself have been advocating for this peaceful resolution of the conflict. source  http://www.africanews.com/2018/06/11/machar-commits-to-peace-in-south-sudan-following-meeting-with-raila-odinga/

Erekat responds: US ‘killing peace process,’ not my doing

Erekat charged that the Trump administration, “peddling Israeli extremism,” was “killing the peace process,” and not he, as Greenblatt had charged.  By: World Israel News Staff Jason Greenblatt, Special Representative for International Negotiations to US President Donald Trump, and chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat continued to exchange diplomatic barbs on Sunday in the  Ha’aretz daily, as Erekat swiftly responded to an  op-ed by Greenblatt published earlier in the day. Erekat rebuked Trump’s special envoy over his negotiation efforts, charging that Greenblatt’s discourse was similar to that of “Israeli extremism.” “It is not the rhetoric of a US official tasked with supporting the interests of peace in the region,” he wrote. “In dozens of meetings we had with Mr. Greenblatt he refused to discuss substance: no borders, no settlements, and no two-state solution. Today, his role is nothing less than peddling Israeli policies to a skeptical international community, and

Turkey removing PKK threat from Qandil Mountains, Erdoğan says

Turkey started operations in Qandil Mountains, the PKK terror group's headquarters in northern Iraq, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Monday. "We have neutralized thousands of terrorists both at home and abroad, and now we are removing Qandil as a threat and source of terrorism for our country and nation," Erdoğan said during a campaign rally in the central Turkish city of Niğde. According to the president, in an operation with the participation of 20 Turkish warplanes, 14 PKK targets in Qandil Mountains were destroyed. "Our goal is to drain the biggest of the swamps," Erdoğan said. The Qandil Mountains, located roughly 40 kilometers southeast of the Turkish border in Iraq's Irbil province, are being used as the headquarters of the PKK and its Iranian affiliate, the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK), although the area is under de jure control of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). The area has frequently been hit by the Turkish Armed Forc

Can Afghan Armistice Open Door for Peace Talks?

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Hopes for direct peace talks are high in Afghanistan after the Taliban agreed to a unilateral cease-fire from the Afghan government. A former high-ranking Taliban official said the temporary peace deal could be extended and efforts for direct peace talks could be made. "It is even possible the talks to be held with Americans, Afghanistan [the Afghan government] and Taliban. It is much easier than shed blood in the battlefield, kill and spread hatred," Mullah Abdul Salam Zaeef, Taliban's former ambassador to Pakistan, told VOA. "The people of Afghanistan should take advantage of the opportunity and talk to both sides to extend the cease-fire for three months, it is our and people's wish," he added. In a televised address Thursday, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani announced the unilateral weeklong cease-fire with the Taliban, from June 12-20. FILE - Afghan President Ashraf Ghani speaks during during a peace and security cooperation conference in K

Colombia's elections are about more than the FARC peace process

On June 17, Colombia will hold second-round presidential elections, after Iván Duque took a  commanding lead  over the  leftist Gustavo Petro  in the May 27 first round . According to  surveys today , it looks like a runaway victory for Duque, who based his campaign largely on opposing the peace plan with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrilla group, negotiated by current President Juan Manuel Santos.  Yes, but:  To boil the election down to an  up-or-down vote  on Santos’ peace deal that ended a 50-year civil war is a mistake. First, the peace deal that Santos obsessively sought is likely a fait accompli, even with a Duque victory. And second, support for the top 3 first-round candidates suggests that  voters have prioritized   better services and more public transparency. Duque is the protégé of former president Álvaro Uribe, who reinserted himself into politics after stepping down in 2010. Termed out under the constitution, Uribe supported Santos, his f

Turkey condemns suicide bombing in Afghan capital

Turkey on Monday condemned a suicide attack in Afghanistan's capital that left at least 12 people dead. More than 30 others were wounded in the attack at the entrance to the rural rehabilitation and development ministry in Kabul on Monday.  "We learned with sorrow that a terrorist attack perpetrated today at the gate of the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development in Kabul resulted in loss of lives of many and left many others wounded," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. "We condemn this heinous terrorist attack and wish Allah’s mercy upon those who lost their lives, speedy recovery to the wounded and convey our condolences to the friendly Government and the brotherly people of Afghanistan," read the statement. The attack -- whose responsibility has not yet been claimed by any group -- came after the Afghan government last week announced a temporary cease-fire against the Taliban starting from 27th of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Peace talks resuming with CPP, NPA

MUCH as we share in the administration’s new hopes for a resumption of peace talks with the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its New People’s Army (NPA), we have to face the harsh realities of the present. The President has been able to make peace with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) by granting them a Bangsamoro autonomous region, one of several such regions possible in a federal system of government. He has thus pushed for approval by Congress of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) bill, to be followed later by a new Constitution providing for several federal states. That will satisfy the demands of the Moro people’s leaders. But the CPP’s demands cannot be similarly met by a federal system of government. It seeks basic changes in the national government – economic, social, legal, political. Some of these changes were agreed upon in the series of meetings these last few months. But final agreement eluded the negotiators.  Last November, 2017, when talks broke

143 per cent increase in surrenders of Left Wing Extremists, how security forces are breaking backs of naxals

The surrender of naxalites has been a major feature and this has led to a considerable dip in the number of incidents where Left Wing Extremism is concerned. The surrenders by naxalites has increased by 143 per cent. The data provided by the Union Home Ministry shows that between 2016 and 2018, 4,123 naxalites have been arrested. In the year 2016, the number of arrests carried out stood at 1,840 while in 2017 it was 1,888. The figures till March 15 2018 suggests that the number of arrests made stood at 395. In the month of March 2018 there were two major incidents reported from Odisha and the Chattisgarh-Telangana border. While three women cadres of the naxals were killed in the Odisha encounter, the one on the Telangana border on March 1 2018 saw the killing of six women naxalites. One Greyhound constable was however martyred in the attack. In February the security forces managed to kill four naxalites- Rakesh Bhuiyan, Lallu Yadav, Rinki and Ruby. The encounter took place at J

How Christian missionaries are funding naxals, their urban friends to ‘BREAK INDIA’

It is often said that the West has four wings of the armed forces-The Army, Airforce, Navy and the Church. Several security analysts and officials say that the problem being posed by the Christian missionaries is immense. Like Islamic terrorism which is a more open threat, the threat posed by a large section of missionaries is veiled, but extremely dangerous. The book Breaking India, by Rajiv Malhotra, an NRI from the US explores this issue in detail. The book written after 5 years of extensive research speaks about a Western project to break India into small independent Christian countries. Officials say that the missionaries are bound to get even more desperate now. The crackdown on foreign funding has hit them hard and they are rattled. Former officer with the Research and Analysis Wing, Amar Bhushan tells Oneindia that the missionaries are rattled as the funding is squeezed. This has resulted in a no-show where conversions and stage managed protests are concerned. Break-Ind

Iraqi security forces strike Daesh militant positions in Diyala

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Iraqi security forces have launched a clean-up operation against the sleeper cells of the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group in the country’s eastern province of Diyala as government troopers and allied fighters from Popular Mobilization Units are trying to flush the extremists out of the war-ravaged Arab country. Captain Habib al-Shammari said the offensive targeted Daesh terrorists in al-Mukhisa area, and three terrorists were arrested during the operation. “Daesh terrorist cells have recently become active in carrying out attacks against security personnel in deserted roads and areas,” Shammari said.    Over the past few months, Daesh militant attacks against Iraqi security forces, pro-government volunteer fighters – better known by the Arabic word Hashd al-Sha’abi – and civilians have been on the rise in areas northeast of Diyala province. Civilian bodies found in mass grave in Iraq’s Kirkuk Meanwhile, Iraqi security forces have found a mass grave in the northern province of

Spain's Basques form 202-kilometer human chain to call for independence vote

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Tens of thousands of people from Spain's Basque Country joined hands to form a human chain running some 202 kilometers (125 miles) on Sunday to call for the right to hold a regional independence vote. Spain's Constitution, created in 1978 after the end of dictator Francisco Franco's regime, states that the country is indivisible and last-year's attempt by Catalonia to hold a secession referendum was met with a harsh legal crackdown. Former Prime Minister with the conservative People's Party (PP) Mariano Rajoy, who has been roundly criticized for his handling of the Catalan crisis, was ousted by Socialist leader Pedro Sanchez in a no confidence vote June 1. Sanchez, who now heads the government following the vote, has called for renewed talks with the Catalan leadership. While most from the Basque Country, which already has a high level of self-determination and, like Catalonia, has its own language and culture, do not support independence, many believe the