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MEAN STREETS MEDIA
Sunday, May 31, 2015
Saturday, May 30, 2015
Netanyahu Rejoices Palestinian Failure to Oust Israel from FIFA
JERUSALEM – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed on Friday the “failure” of the Palestinian authority to suspend Israel’s FIFA membership during Friday’s Congress, stressing that the only way to achieve peace would be through negotiations.“Our international effort has proven itself and led to the failure of the Palestinian authority attempt to oust us from FIFA,” Netanyahu said in a statement, extending thanks to all parties that partook in the international efforts, and the Israeli delegation in Switzerland led by Ofer Eini, chairman of the Israel soccer association, or IFA.
“The state of Israel is interested in a peace that will ensure security for its citizens but this will not be achieved through coercion and distorting the truth. The only way to achieve peace is to begin negotiations between the sides,” the Israeli prime minister added.
The Palestinian soccer association, or PFA, had previously planned to propose a vote during Friday’s meeting on the possible suspension of the Israel soccer association, as Israel has refused to ban five teams from illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories that play in the Israeli Premier League.
However, the Palestinian delegation withdrew its request to put the suspension to a vote, as PFA president Jibril Rajoub explained that he had agreed with his colleagues’ counsel to avoid bad blood in the governing body, but added that he would not give up on the cause to oblige Israel to respect FIFA regulations.
While the FIFA Congress did not vote on Israel’s FIFA status, it did approve the creation of a mechanism to verify if Israel poses obstacles to Palestinian soccer, while it will also devote time to the issue of teams from illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories that play in the Israeli Premier League.
Israeli President Reuven Rivlin also congratulated Eini on the Palestinian’s failure to achieve the suspension.
“In sport, victory is only achieved on the pitch. The result at FIFA demonstrates that such attempts to harm Israel have failed and will always fail,” Rivlin said.
Three Dutch Deputies Banned from Entering Russia
BRUSSELS – Russia decided to ban three Dutch deputies from entering the country, the Dutch Foreign Ministry announced on Friday.The three parliamentarians were included on a list of European Union citizens who are forbidden from traveling to the Russian federation.
Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders told ANP news agency that the Russian blacklist, which was delivered to the Dutch embassy in Moscow in Thursday, has no basis in international law, and lacks transparency.
The Netherlands understood the travel ban as retaliation to EU sanctions imposed on Russia after it annexed Crimea and its continued involvement with the conflict in eastern Ukraine, according to the online edition of the Dutch AD newspaper.
The Dutch Foreign Ministry has informed the three deputies of Russia’s decision.
Argentine President Receives another Threat from Islamic State
BUENOS AIRES – Argentine police and prosecutors are investigating a threatening email sent to Argentine President Cristina Fernandez allegedly from jihadist group Islamic State, Clarin reported Sunday.
The message, received on April 26, also mentions Chilean President Michelle Bachelet and Argentine Police Chief Roman Di Santo, according to official sources cited by the daily.
“Satan KFK (Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner), Roman Di Santo, and now Bachelet in place of Alberto Nisman, are our targets in countries that clash with our aims. Di Santo has been in danger on two occasions, though he has yet to pay the highest price,” says the main paragraph of the email.
During an official visit to the Vatican in September last year, Fernandez revealed she had received threatening messages from the Islamic State, allegedly because of her friendship with Pope Francis and Argentina’s recognition of both Israel and Palestine.
Subsequent local media reports said intelligence agencies were investigating a Tunisian businessman for his contacts with the Islamic State.
However, Fernandez denied the veracity of these reports and asked media to refrain from playing up the issue of threats against her.
IS bombs second Saudi Shiite mosque, killing 3
An Islamic State jihadist killed three people Friday when he blew himself up in a car outside a Shiite mosque in Saudi Arabia, the second such attack in a week.
The bombing, again coinciding with weekly Friday prayers, took place in the oil-rich Eastern Province where most of the predominantly Sunni kingdom’s Shiites live.
It killed three people and wounded four, the interior ministry said.
The suicide bomber -- disguised in women’s clothing -- detonated his device at the entrance to the mosque, said the official Saudi Press Agency, citing a ministry spokesman.
'Authorities have managed to foil a terrorist crime targeting people performing the Friday prayers at Al-Anoud mosque in Dammam,' the provincial capital, he said.
The bomber 'detonated the explosive belt he was wearing at the mosque entrance as security officials were on their way to inspect him', he said, citing preliminary results of the investigation.
The explosion happened just as the attacker’s vehicle stopped at a car park near the mosque, the spokesman said.
Friday’s blast came exactly seven days after the jihadist group sent a suicide bomber into another Shiite mosque in Eastern Province, an attack which cost 21 lives.
After the May 22 attack, residents had set up security committees to search those entering mosques during prayers, witnesses said.
The bombing, again coinciding with weekly Friday prayers, took place in the oil-rich Eastern Province where most of the predominantly Sunni kingdom’s Shiites live.
It killed three people and wounded four, the interior ministry said.
The suicide bomber -- disguised in women’s clothing -- detonated his device at the entrance to the mosque, said the official Saudi Press Agency, citing a ministry spokesman.
'Authorities have managed to foil a terrorist crime targeting people performing the Friday prayers at Al-Anoud mosque in Dammam,' the provincial capital, he said.
The bomber 'detonated the explosive belt he was wearing at the mosque entrance as security officials were on their way to inspect him', he said, citing preliminary results of the investigation.
The explosion happened just as the attacker’s vehicle stopped at a car park near the mosque, the spokesman said.
Friday’s blast came exactly seven days after the jihadist group sent a suicide bomber into another Shiite mosque in Eastern Province, an attack which cost 21 lives.
After the May 22 attack, residents had set up security committees to search those entering mosques during prayers, witnesses said.
Friday, May 29, 2015
UN Nuke agency report: Iran probe essentially stalled
Amid nuclear negociations between the six world powers and the Iranian regime, the U.N. atomic agency on Friday reported that work on a key element — an assessment of allegations that Tehran worked on atomic arms — remains essentially stalled, The Associated Press reported from Vienna.
The report from the International Atomic Energy Agency also reiterated that more cooperation is needed by Tehran for full clarity on its present activities.
Without it, the IAEA said it cannot "conclude that all nuclear material in Iran is in peaceful activities."
Without it, the IAEA said it cannot "conclude that all nuclear material in Iran is in peaceful activities."
Diplomats in Vienna view Iran's reluctance to open up to investigators from the International Atomic Energy Agency as a sign of its reluctance to cooperate fully until punitive sanctions imposed on it are lifted as part of any settlement with the powers, Reuters reported.
The IAEA is focused on 12 activities that point to clerical regime’s attempts to make nuclear weapons, including activities related to work on the development on a nuclear payload for missiles.
The IAEA relaunched its probe two years ago by asking for information on less sensitive work related to nuclear arms that may have been carried out by Tehran, with hopes of moving to larger issues later.
Since August, "Iran has yet to propose any new practical measures" to bring the investigation forward, said the report.
The IAEA report, issued to the agency's 35-nation board and the U.N. Security Council, said it remains "concerned about the possible existence in Iran of undisclosed nuclear-related activities involving military-related organizations, including activities related to the development of a nuclear payload for missiles."
"Iran is required to cooperate fully with the Agency on all outstanding issues."
The Vienna-based IAEA also said it remained vital that Iran respond to the agency's questions on and access to the Parchin military base, where Western officials suspect Tehran conducted explosives tests relevant to nuclear bombs.
"The (IAEA) remains ready to accelerate the resolution of all outstanding issues under the Framework for Cooperation. This can be realised by increased cooperation by Iran and by the timely provision of access to all relevant information, documentation, sites, material and personnel in Iran as requested by the agency," the report said.
A tentative agreement was reached between the Iranian regime, the United States, France, Britain, Germany, Russia and China on April 2.
But pivotal issues remain unresolved, including the pace of easing Western sanctions and the extent of monitoring and verification measures to ensure Tehran honours any agreement.
The Iranian regime has ruled out any nuclear inspector access to its military bases, a position rejected by the Western powers.
#Iran #IranTalks #Irandeal #Nuclear
Thursday, May 28, 2015
IS Executes 20 Men in Palmyra’s Roman Amphitheater
BEIRUT – Islamic State on Wednesday executed 20 accused supporters of the Bashar Assad government in the Roman amphitheater of Syria’s ancient city of Palmyra, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.The men were shot in front of a crowd of residents, the observatory said, citing sources in the area.
Wednesday’s killings brought to 237 the number of people executed by IS since May 16 in the course of an offensive in the eastern part of the central Syrian province of Homs, according to data from the observatory, which is based in Britain.
That figure includes 67 civilians – 14 of them children – who were accused of collaborating with the regime and hiding pro-government fighters in their homes.
Syrian authorities said IS has beheaded at least 400 people, mostly women, children and the elderly, in Palmyra since seizing control of the city on May 20.
Palmyra, an oasis in the Syrian desert, was a leading cultural center in the 1st and 2nd centuries A.D. and later became an important stop for Silk Road caravans.
Prior to the start of Syria’s civil war, in March 2011, the Palmyra ruins were one of the country’s foremost tourist attractions. The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization has designated the ruins as a World Heritage Site.
Soldiers Kill 5 Gunmen in Shootout in Northeastern Mexico
MEXICO CITY – Five suspected gunmen died in a shootout with soldiers in Rio Bravo, a city in the northeastern Mexican state of Tamaulipas, officials told Efe.The shootout occurred on Tuesday at the Rio Bravo-Nuevo Progreso crossroads and involved army troops on a routine patrol, a Tamaulipas Attorney General’s office agent said.
The gunmen fired at the soldiers, who returned fire, killing all five of the subjects.
Several firearms, tactical gear and an SUV that had been reported stolen were seized.
Tamaulipas has been a battleground between the Gulf and Los Zetas drug cartels for years, and the state is regularly among those with the highest number of homicides.
President Enrique Peña Nieto sent additional Federal Police and military personnel to Tamaulipas in May 2014 and ordered a thorough vetting of the state and municipal police forces to root out corrupt officers.
Iran: 4000 truck drivers go on strike
About 4000 truck drivers in Bandar Abbas protested on May 27, 2015 against the rise diesel fuel prices.
The drivers at Babagholam Terminal in Bandar Abbas disconnect the speakers in the terminal and broke the glasses of the cargo building to voice their protest.
This strike began on the evening of Tuesday May 26, 2015 and continued untill Wednesday afternoon, May 27, 2015.
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
Sunday, May 24, 2015
Over 700 Tunisian Women Joined IS in Syria and Iraq
TUNIS – More than 700 Tunisian women have been recruited by Islamic State, as revealed on Friday by Badra Galul, the president of the Tunisian Center for Strategic and International Studies.In a press conference, Galul stressed that more than 105 Tunisian women are currently serving prison sentences for crimes linked to terrorism, adding that Tunisian security forces have prevented 1,200 others from leaving the country to join IS.
The expert explained that the women who joined IS engage in tasks such as sexual jihad (offering sexual services to fighters in a temporary marriage), nursing, education and coordination between terrorists.
Medical sources confirmed to Efe that more than 50 Tunisian women who had joined IS in Iraq and Syria were reported to have returned back home pregnant after engaging in sexual jihad.
Tunisian health authorities take care of the babies once they are born at care centers in the capital, as families of young women tend not to welcome them back when they return with children.
The Tunisian government believes that this is the most effective way to reintegrate these young women into society and prevent their children from becoming future combatants.
Until now, it has been reported that Tunisia, with more than 3,000 volunteers, is the leading exporter of jihadists to the ranks of IS in Syria, Iraq and Libya; the latter where Tunisians hold leadership positions.
Police Officer Killed in Grenade Attack in Colombia
CALI, Colombia – A police officer was killed and two others were wounded in a grenade attack in Tumaco, a city in the southwestern Colombian province of Nariño, the National Police said Sunday.The officers were attacked while patrolling Tumaco’s La Exportadora neighborhood in a police SUV on Saturday night.
Patrolman Iber Fernando Narvaez was unable to get out of the burning vehicle, while officers Jairo Andres Solarte and Alexis David Ramos Rodriguez escaped.
The Daniel Aldana column of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, may have been behind the attack, officials said.
The FARC said Friday it was ending its months-old unilateral cease-fire.
The guerrilla group’s move was in response to the killings of 27 of its members last Thursday in an airstrike in a rural area outside Guapi, a city in Cauca province.
If the FARC staged the grenade attack, it would be the first attack by the rebel group since ending the cease-fire.
Shots Fired at Members of Mexican Gubernatorial Candidate’s Campaign Team
MEXICO CITY – Members of the campaign team of the conservative PAN’s candidate for governor of the southern Mexican state of Guerrero, Jorge Camacho, came under fire while riding in a vehicle near the town of Petatlan.The campaign SUV was targeted Friday night after it was used to drive former Government Secretary Santiago Creel to the Zihuatanejo airport following his participation in an event in support of Camacho, the candidate told a local television station on Saturday.
“We divided into two groups. I returned to Acapulco and the SUV took Santiago Creel to Zihuatanejo. When it returned by way of Petatlan, it came under attack by unknown assailants,” Camacho said, adding that the vehicle was hit 20 times but “fortunately” it was armor-plated and no bullets struck anyone inside.
Two members of Camacho’s campaign team, neither of whom was harmed despite being forced out of the vehicle, were traveling in the SUV.
After the pair identified themselves as members of the politician’s team, the assailants fled, Camacho said, adding that they reported the crime Saturday morning.
Guerrero has been racked by violence ahead of Mexico’s June 7 midterm elections, when 1,996 public offices, including 500 seats in the lower house of Congress and nine governorships, including that of Guerrero, will be up for grabs.
Ulises Fabian Quiroz, the candidate for mayor of the town of Chilapa de Alvarez of the ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, was killed on May 1, while Aide Nava, a candidate for mayor of the town of Ahuacuotzingo of the leftist PRD party, was slain in March.
Saturday, May 23, 2015
Iran - A female activist was given her day in court !
Posted on: 23rd May, 2015
HRANA News Agency – The trial of Atena Farghdani, painter and civil activist, was held on 19th May.
According to the report of Human Rights Activists News Agency in Iran (HRANA), in the morning of Tuesday 19th May, Farghdani’s trial was held in Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court, presided by judge Salvati, with presence of this civil activist’s solicitor.
Mr. Mohammad Moghimi, solicitor of Athena Farghdani, in an interview with the HRANA‘s reporter, evaluated the overall atmosphere of the trial as “good and positive”. About the trial, Ms. Farghdani’s solicitor said: “The court went well and smooth, I presented my evidence as the lawyer and Ms. Farghdani, herself gave her own defense statement and now we have to wait for the court decision.”
Mr. Moghimi described his client’s condition as “good and hopeful” and stated that the court has not given a specific time for the court verdict to be issued, but normally, this time can be at least one week, or more.
The charges against Ms. Farghadani in the court, were announced as; propaganda against the regime, gathering and collusion with the aim of acting against national security, insulting the Supreme Leader, insulting the president and insulting the MPs.
Atena Farghdani, painter and civil activist, was arrested on 23rdAugust last year by the security forces. After two months and a half he was released on a bail of 500 million Tomans, but after releasing a video clip in which she had talked about her problems during detention, she was summoned to the Revolutionary Court was sent to prison.
IRAN: Senior Cleric Urges more " Hand's to be cut off ", for punishment !
NCRI - A high ranking Iranian cleric who is the representative of the Iranian regime’s Supreme Leader in a Hormozgan province (southern Iran) has called for more inhumane punishment of hand amputations to be carried out.
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Ghulam Ali Naeem Abadi, who regularly speaks at the state-organized weekly Friday Prayers sermon in the city of Bandar Abbas, said on Wednesday in city of Mashhad: “If the hands of a few of those who commit thievery in the society be cut off, they would set as examples for the others and security will be restored.”
“When the security would be restored in the society with amputating a few finger, why such punishments are not being implemented?” he asked.
Naeem Abadi who is also a member of powerful Assembly of Experts urged the authorities in the province to carry out the inhuman amputation and do not pay attention to the international criticism of the regime. “Our government is based on implementation of Islamic laws,” he said.
Naeem Abadi was referring to the inhuman laws sanctioning the gouging out of many eyes, the amputation of many hands, fingers and legs, and the execution of many juvenile offenders, which the regime officials have described as ‘a unique particularity’ of the clerical dictatorship ruling in regime.
Last year, in a debate at the United Nations, Mohammad Javad Larijani, the Secretary General of the clerical regime’s so-called High Council for Human Rights defended the inhuman laws and urged the Western countries “to look into” it
Friday, May 22, 2015
Iran denies protestors were detained in Mahabad riots
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region— Security officials in Iran deny that any protesters were detained in connection with the demonstrations in Mahabad in early May over the death of a Kurdish hotel maid, Farinaz Khosrawani, who officials said died after falling from a hotel balcony.
Ali Radfar, the deputy governor of Iran’s Western Azerbaijan province, told reporters on May 8 that 25 people were injured during the riots, including seven policemen, but rebuffed accusations that any of the demonstrators were detained. Radfar also categorically denied reports that security personnel had used live ammunition against demonstrators.
Meanwhile, Iran’s deputy police chief, Said Montazar, told reporters on May 9 that “individuals who are believed to have masterminded the riot” were arrested following the riots. Montazr did not give details about the number or whereabouts of the detainees.
In amateur videos obtained by Rudaw, sporadic gunshots are heard followed by what appears to be groups of protesters carrying wounded demonstrators to safety.
Kurdish activists told Rudaw at least 50 demonstrators were wounded and more than 70 others were arrested by police forces.
“Many of the wounded did not seek medical treatment for fear of police investigations,” an activist who wished to remain anonymous told Rudaw. “Most of the detainees are between 18 and 30 years of age.”
Akam Tallaj, 25, was critically wounded and is being treated in Urumiyeh state hospital for injuries he received during the riots.
Hospital sources told Rudaw Tallaj was shot at close range by a Winchester rifle.
“After three operations, his condition is still unstable,” the source from Imam Khomeini hospital told Rudaw on condition of anonymity.
Angry protesters stormed a hotel in Mahabad on May 8 after reports Khosrawani fell from the hotel balcony as she tried to escape an attempted sexual assault by a security agent.
Thousands of Kurds across the world took to social media to show solidarity with the ill-fated Khosrawani and condemned the official response in Iran.
Mahabad was the capital of the first and only Kurdish republic established in the aftermath of World War II in 1946.
One man, who is an employee of a governmental tourist office, was arrested as the only suspect of the incident.
The owner of the hotel has rejected allegations that his staff was involved “in any ways” in the incident that led to Khosrawani’s death.
“There is no trust in the judiciary system in Iran,” Dr Khalid Tawakoli, a Kurdish activist and researcher, told Rudaw. “The political and civil rights of the Kurdish people have been ignored for too long.”
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is expected to visit the province in the coming days after a number of Kurdish activists wrote an open letter to the moderate president urging him to release the Kurdish detainees.
Relatives of detained Kurdish activist Armin Housseinpoor told Rudaw officials it has not been disclosed where the 19-year-old activist who took part in the protests is being held.
“Armin was a student and a breadwinner for his family,” one relative who wished not to be named told Rudaw.
A video image circulated on social media in recent days apparently showing Khosrawani “willingly” entering a hotel rum.
Activists say the publication of the video was to discredit the young Kurdish woman and has already discouraged protesters.
“The riot was provoked by the patriarchal mentality in the country and was ended by the same world view,” said Tahir Khadio, a political researcher in the city of Mahabad.
But the leader of a Kurdish political party says the riots were both “political and legitimate.”
“Iran’s officials are terrified of the nationalist sentiments in Kurdish regions of the country,” said Khalid Aziz, who is the leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party-Iran (KDPI).
“Officials wanted to show an aggressive image of the Kurdish people who set fire on hotel buildings,” Azizi said.
“They prevented the protests from spreading to other Kurdish cities by labeling them as a violent, aggressive riot, which in fact it was not.”
Ali Radfar, the deputy governor of Iran’s Western Azerbaijan province, told reporters on May 8 that 25 people were injured during the riots, including seven policemen, but rebuffed accusations that any of the demonstrators were detained. Radfar also categorically denied reports that security personnel had used live ammunition against demonstrators.
Meanwhile, Iran’s deputy police chief, Said Montazar, told reporters on May 9 that “individuals who are believed to have masterminded the riot” were arrested following the riots. Montazr did not give details about the number or whereabouts of the detainees.
In amateur videos obtained by Rudaw, sporadic gunshots are heard followed by what appears to be groups of protesters carrying wounded demonstrators to safety.
Kurdish activists told Rudaw at least 50 demonstrators were wounded and more than 70 others were arrested by police forces.
“Many of the wounded did not seek medical treatment for fear of police investigations,” an activist who wished to remain anonymous told Rudaw. “Most of the detainees are between 18 and 30 years of age.”
Akam Tallaj, 25, was critically wounded and is being treated in Urumiyeh state hospital for injuries he received during the riots.
Hospital sources told Rudaw Tallaj was shot at close range by a Winchester rifle.
“After three operations, his condition is still unstable,” the source from Imam Khomeini hospital told Rudaw on condition of anonymity.
Angry protesters stormed a hotel in Mahabad on May 8 after reports Khosrawani fell from the hotel balcony as she tried to escape an attempted sexual assault by a security agent.
Thousands of Kurds across the world took to social media to show solidarity with the ill-fated Khosrawani and condemned the official response in Iran.
Mahabad was the capital of the first and only Kurdish republic established in the aftermath of World War II in 1946.
One man, who is an employee of a governmental tourist office, was arrested as the only suspect of the incident.
The owner of the hotel has rejected allegations that his staff was involved “in any ways” in the incident that led to Khosrawani’s death.
“There is no trust in the judiciary system in Iran,” Dr Khalid Tawakoli, a Kurdish activist and researcher, told Rudaw. “The political and civil rights of the Kurdish people have been ignored for too long.”
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is expected to visit the province in the coming days after a number of Kurdish activists wrote an open letter to the moderate president urging him to release the Kurdish detainees.
Relatives of detained Kurdish activist Armin Housseinpoor told Rudaw officials it has not been disclosed where the 19-year-old activist who took part in the protests is being held.
“Armin was a student and a breadwinner for his family,” one relative who wished not to be named told Rudaw.
A video image circulated on social media in recent days apparently showing Khosrawani “willingly” entering a hotel rum.
Activists say the publication of the video was to discredit the young Kurdish woman and has already discouraged protesters.
“The riot was provoked by the patriarchal mentality in the country and was ended by the same world view,” said Tahir Khadio, a political researcher in the city of Mahabad.
But the leader of a Kurdish political party says the riots were both “political and legitimate.”
“Iran’s officials are terrified of the nationalist sentiments in Kurdish regions of the country,” said Khalid Aziz, who is the leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party-Iran (KDPI).
“Officials wanted to show an aggressive image of the Kurdish people who set fire on hotel buildings,” Azizi said.
“They prevented the protests from spreading to other Kurdish cities by labeling them as a violent, aggressive riot, which in fact it was not.”
Iraq - US gives anti-tanks guns to stop ISIS car bombs
Erbil, Kurdistan Region - The United States will deliver 1,000 anti-tanks weapons to Baghdad next month so Iraqi forces can use the guns against deadly ISIS vehicle-borne suicide attacks, a US official said on Thursday.
“ISIS militants launched nearly 30 suicide car bombings on the Iraqi forces when they took control of Ramadi,” the official told Rudaw on condition of anonymity.
The source said the weapons deal was agreed upon during Iraqi Prime Minister’s Haidar al-Abadi vist to Washington earlier this year. He said the anti-tank guns will arrive in June.
ISIS took control of Ramadi, capital of Anbar province, on May 17. The quick retreat of the Iraqi Army has led many experts to question both Baghdad and Washington's policies for containing the extremists.
“ISIS militants launched nearly 30 suicide car bombings on the Iraqi forces when they took control of Ramadi,” the official told Rudaw on condition of anonymity.
The source said the weapons deal was agreed upon during Iraqi Prime Minister’s Haidar al-Abadi vist to Washington earlier this year. He said the anti-tank guns will arrive in June.
ISIS took control of Ramadi, capital of Anbar province, on May 17. The quick retreat of the Iraqi Army has led many experts to question both Baghdad and Washington's policies for containing the extremists.
Russian Woman Shoots Herself in Head Taking Selfie with Pellet Gun
MOSCOW – A 21-year-old Russian woman shot herself in the head on Thursday when she tried to take a selfie with a pellet gun pointed at her temple, Moscow police reported on Friday.
When trying to take the selfie in her office, she pulled the trigger of an air gun left behind by a security guard.
She survived the accident, but was hospitalized by the rubber bullet.
Incidentally, on Thursday, another Russian man nearly lost his life while trying to take a selfie when climbing an arched bridge in central Moscow.
The man fell, plunged to the ground and hit the asphalt, but also managed to survive despite having suffered several injuries, for which he was also hospitalized.
The self-portrait photo taken with a mobile phone or webcam known as a selfie has led to numerous accidents, some with tragic results.
On Monday, a ninth grader died in the Russian city of St. Petersburg after falling from a fifth-floor fire escape, which he had climbed to take a selfie.
Explosion Hits Shiite Mosque in Eastern Saudi Arabia
RIYADH – Several people were killed and many others were wounded on Friday when an explosion went off at a mosque in the town of al-Qudayh in the eastern Saudi Arabian, Shiite-majority province of al-Qatif, according to the Saudi Interior Ministry.
An Interior Ministry spokesman, quoted but the Saudi Press Agency, or SPA, said that security authorities responded to reports of an explosion in a mosque in al-Qudayh after Friday prayers, and added that more information would be announced later, however other media outlets have indicated that it was a suicide bombing.
Photos released on social networks depicted the mangled body of the suspected suicide bomber, as well as traces of blood on the floor, and ambulances evacuating victims.
Last November, a recording was released in which Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi called for jihad in Saudi Arabia.
Al-Baghdadi urged Saudis to revolt against the Shiites in their country, but also the ruling Sunni al-Saud family and the Saudi army.
Also in November, a number of unidentified assailants attacked a Shiite mosque in the town of al-Daluh, in the eastern Saudi province of al-Ahsa, which resulted in the death of eight people, and the subsequent arrest of 77 people allegedly involved in the attack, apparently on the orders of IS.
Saudi Arabia’s Shiite community accounts for about 10 percent of the predominantly population, while many of them live in the eastern part of the Sunni kingdom
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
Judge Demands New Plan for Releasing Hillary Clinton Emails
WASHINGTON – A federal judge on Tuesday rejected the State Department’s plan to publish next January the emails of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.Judge Rudolph Contreras said Tuesday that he will ask that the emails not be released en masse but gradually and he will require that the State Department establish a schedule for making them public.
In question are some 55,000 pages of emails from the 2009-2012 period.
Clinton turned over those files to the State Department after controversy arose over the fact that during those four years she always used a personal email account and a private server for her communications.
The department’s target date for publishing the emails is Jan. 15, 2016, just two weeks before the Iowa caucuses, the first important milestone of Clinton’s battle for the Democratic presidential nomination.
The future publication of these documents comes as a result of a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by Vice News.
After the judge’s ruling, Clinton said Tuesday that she wants the emails to be released “as quickly as they possibly can” be.
Clinton noted that she has said repeatedly that she wants the emails to be published, although she said that the State Department has its own procedures whereby the process could be delayed.
The former secretary of state urged her former colleagues to review the communications as soon as possible and emphasized that she is certain that they will only serve to prove “the hard work” she did while heading the department.
Clinton acknowledged in March that it would have been “smarter” to use an official email account, and she added that she only erased messages that contained personal communications and not ones related to her work as secretary of state.
Mexican Congressional Candidate Halts Campaign amid Threats
CULIACAN, Mexico – Gerardo Brambila Rojo suspended his campaign for a seat in the Mexican Congress representing the western state of Sinaloa after receiving threats from an armed group, officials of the Citizens Movement party said.
Two armed men went to Brambila’s home and asked him to halt his campaign, state party chairman Mario Imaz Lopez told Efe.
The Citizens Movement reported the threat to the No. 2 official in the Sinaloa state government, Gerardo Vargas Landeros, who ordered protection for Brambila.
“He is the only candidate from the Sinaloa de Leyva municipality, he was president of an irrigation project, president of the Farmers’ Association, he is a good candidate with an excellent profile, a record of social service among the people, he is very well known and enjoys widespread support in the region,” Imaz Lopez said.
The party leader said Brambila was alarmed by the threat and has remained holed up in his home, waiting until he feels confident enough to resume his campaign.
On Tuesday, Sinaloa state legislators from Mexico’s three largest parties demanded that authorities take steps to ensure candidates’ safety.
Sinaloa, the birthplace of Mexico’s first major drug cartels, is one of the most violent regions in the country thanks to frequent armed confrontations among rival criminal organizations.
More than 83 million Mexicans are eligible to cast ballots June 7 to choose 500 federal legislators, nine state governors and hundreds of regional and local officeholders.
Violence has marred the 2015 campaign, with two candidates slain on a single day last week.
Tuesday, May 19, 2015
Wanted: Saudi Arabia seeks eight executioners as beheadings soar
The job may also involve amputations for those convicted of lesser offences, the advert said, and no special qualifications are needed.
According to Saudi Arabia’s official press agency, the country beheaded its 85th victim on Sunday. This compares with more than 90 for the whole of last year, according to an Amnesty International report on the death penalty in 2014.
Most were executed for murder but 38 had committed drug offences. Half were from Saudi Arabia and the others were from Pakistan, Yemen, Syria, Jordan, India, Indonesia, Burma, Chad, Eritrea, the Philippines and Sudan.
Diplomats have put the increase in the number of executions down to more judges being appointed, allowing for a backlog of appeal cases to be heard.
A downloadable PDF form for the job says the successful applicants would be paid at the lower end of the civil service pay scale.
30 People Missing in Mexico’s Chilapa Municipality
MEXICO CITY – At least 30 people disappeared during an armed siege of Chilapa de Alvarez, in southern Mexico’s Guerrero state, local residents informed the state’s Human Rights Commission.
Authorities were previously aware of the disappearances of only 16 of the 30, as the families of another 14 had been intimidated into staying quiet, according to local media.
Locals blame the disappearances on the armed group.
Around 300 armed civilians took control of the city on May 9, demanding a stop to spiraling violence in the region in the run up to elections on June 7, when 1,996 representatives, at local, state and federal levels, are due to be elected.
On May 1, a candidate for the position of mayor the city, Ulises Fabian Quiroz, was murdered near Atzacoaloya.
The self-styled “community police” withdrew five days later after reaching an agreement with state and federal authorities
Monday, May 18, 2015
Singapore slams Iran regime for firing warning shots at commercial ship
Singapore on Monday condemned the Iranian forces for firing warning shots in the Persian Gulf at a commercial ship registered in the Asian city-state, calling it a "serious violation of international law".
The Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) also urged Tehran to investigate Thursday's incident involving the Singapore-flagged Alpine Eternity which it said was in international waters, AFP reported
"With regard to the reported shooting incident on 14 May 2015, involving a Singapore-registered tanker 'Alpine Eternity' that took place in international waters, Singapore is deeply concerned with such actions," the MPA said in a statement.
The statement added: "Such interference with navigational rights is a serious violation of international law,"
"The freedom of navigation and free flow of commerce are of critical importance to Singapore and other maritime and trading nations," it added.
In the incident, the Iranian regime’s Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) fired warning shots across the bow of the Singapore-flagged tanker before vessels from the United Arab Emirates came to the ship's aid, according to US officials.
Sunday, May 17, 2015
Photo shows four IRGC top commanders killed in Syria
Four commanders of Iran's Revolutionary Guards have been killed by fighters of the Free Syrian Army, which is waging civil war against the regime of dictator Bashar al-Assad.
They were all member of the IRGC’s Qods Force, which Iran has sent to fight alongside Assad forces in Syria.
The photo from left to right shows: Ali Soltan Moradi, a member of Basij that was killed on February 12, 2015 in Dera’a, southern Syria; Abbas Abdollahi, commander of the Saberin Battalion of the 31st IRGC Division (Ashura) who was also killed on the same day; Alireza Tavas’solei, an Afghan living in Iran who was killed in Dera’a on February 28; Commander Hossein Badpa from 41st IRGC Division (Sarallah of Kerman) killed on April 20 near Basir al-Harir in Dera’a.
In late April, the Iranian regime's media reported on the burial ceremonies in Iran of another four commanders and dozens of IRGC forces together with dozens of Afghans and five Pakistanis.
After the uprising of the Syrian people, Iran formed groups called Fatemioun and Zainabiyoun on the pretext of defending the holy shrines in Syria, but they are known to have been extremist groups in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq and Hezbollah who had been organized by the Iranian regime to massacre the Syrian people.
It was revealed last week that Iran has also been sending Afghan immigrants to fight in Syria
The Afghans are mostly Shiite Muslims from the Hazara ethnic group who were living as illegal immigrants in Iran until they were rounded up by the regime's Revolutionary Guard.
They were given the choice of either fighting in Syria or going to jail, according to German magazine Der Spiegel.
The magazine has estimated that at least 700 Afghans have now been killed in fighting around Aleppo and Damascus alone.
This reliance upon Afghan fighters is part of Iran's strategy of support for the Assad regime, which is coming under increasing pressure from opposition fighters.
It also advances Iran's larger strategy in the Middle East, according to researcher Philip Smyth, who noted in a report how Tehran is coordinating a 'Shi'ite jihad' in Syria, using its militant proxies in Iraq and Lebanon to portray the defense of the Assad regime as a religious obligation.
Saturday, May 16, 2015
Iran - 6 drug dealers were Hanged in Uremia Prison
Posted on: 16th May, 2015
HRANA News Agency – The death sentences of six prisoners with drug related charges were executed in Uremia prison.
According to the report of Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), six prisoners with the names of Shahin Salehi, Haji Abbasi, Ahmad Shiri, Latif Alizadeh, Abdulaziz Fouladi and Hossain Bina who were charged with drug related crimes, have been executed in central prison of Uremia on Thursday May 6.
Judicial officials have not published any information regarding the cases and the process of detention, trial and finally execution of these prisoners
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