BOGOTA ( Colombian Judges Suspect They’re Being Spied On )

BOGOTA – The president of Colombia’s highest administrative court said on Friday that an investigation is under way to determine whether the tribunal has been a victim of cyber-espionage.

“We suspect what has been called a ‘grab,’ or a leak of inappropriate information, so we request the support of the Attorney General’s Office,” the head of the Council of State, Maria Claudia Rojas, told RCN La Radio.

“We hope for results in the shortest possible time because this is very serious,” she said.

Concerns about spying arose after the publication of reports that appeared to have been stolen from the computer of council magistrate Gustavo Gomez, whose portfolio includes the controversial case of Bogota Mayor Gustavo Petro.

The mayor, a leftist former guerrilla, was reinstated in April after a court found that his March 19 ouster contravened Colombia’s obligation to honor formal requests from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.

Petro turned to the commission, a body of the Organization of American States, after losing a battle in Colombian courts against a decision by the Inspector General’s Office to remove him from office for alleged mismanagement.

The IG’s office ruling would also bar the 53-year-old Petro from holding any public post for 15 years.

In the wake of Petro’s reinstatement, the IG’s office asked the Council of State to overturn the April ruling in the mayor’s favor.

Gomez is reviewing the brief from the IG’s office.

BAGHDAD ( Iraqi Army Says It Has Full Control of Key Refinery )

BAGHDAD – The Iraqi army said on Thursday it had taken full control of the Baiji refinery, Iraq’s largest petroleum refining complex, and released videos of the facility’s interior.

Army spokesman Maj. Gen. Qassim Atta showed images from the refinery during a press conference carried by the official Al Iraqiya television network.

The Baiji refinery, located north of Baghdad in Saladin province, is being protected by a special anti-terrorist unit, army troops, police and armed volunteers, Atta said.

Army troops killed three Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) leaders near the refinery and destroyed 50 vehicles and five tanks belonging to the insurgents, Atta said.

An activist, however, said the refinery may not be completely under army control.

Nuaman Yasem, an activist who lives in Baiji, told Efe by telephone that the complex was large and different sections were under government and rebel control.

Government forces and ISIS members have been fighting for control of the refinery since mid-June, with both the army and the Sunni insurgents claiming in recent days that the complex was under their control.

The images broadcast by government forces are of the section of the refinery under their control, Yasem said.

AZ ( Puppy thrown from car " On freeway lives " and gets a new home )

Dog Beater wanted ( Look at photo - sick )

3 sentenced to death for joining terror group and targeting banks

Three people have been sentenced to death by a special court in Jeddah after being found guilty of joining Al-Qaeda’s intelligence unit and plotting to target Saudi banks.
One defendant was sentenced to 14 years in prison after being convicted of providing another defendant with a sketch of several locations around the US Embassy in Jeddah and mixing with Westerners and Americans with the eventual aim of abducting them.
He was also accused of receiving espionage training from the other defendant, harboring the cell leader and adopting a deviant ideology.
The second defendant was accused of fighting in Afghanistan without the permission of his guardian, in addition to receiving training at one of Al-Qaeda’s training camps.
He was also found guilty of establishing sleeper cells outside of Afghanistan and preparing to carry out terrorist operations in Lebanon and Yemen. He was also convicted of establishing and leading an Al-Qaeda cell in the country.
Another defendant, meanwhile, was accused of taking part in the theft of several cars at gunpoint for the purpose of robbing Saudi banks.
The money would be used to support the terrorist cell. He was also found guilty of aiding the two other defendants in using explosives and blowing up a bank car park. The lawyer objected to the sentence and asked for a copy of the verdict, the court said.

TIJUANA, Mexico ( Tijuana Cartel’s Leader Arrested in Mexico )

TIJUANA, Mexico – The suspected leader of the Tijuana drug cartel was arrested in northwestern Mexico, media reports said Tuesday.

Fernando Sanchez Arellano was captured on Monday in Tijuana, a border city located near San Diego, California.

Sanchez Arellano, known as “El Ingeniero” (The Engineer), was detained while watching the Mexico-Croatia World Cup match in Tijuana’s La Mesa district, Mexican media reported, citing state and federal officials.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration identified Fernando Sanchez Arellano in 2009 as a member of a “new generation” of bosses of the Arellano Felix criminal organization.

He is the nephew of Benjamin, Eduardo, Francisco Javier, Francisco Rafael and Ramon Arellano Felix, all of whom have been arrested or killed in recent years.

Benjamin Arellano was arrested in 2002 in Mexico and extradited nine years later to the United States, where he was wanted on drug charges.

The leadership of the cartel, which enjoyed a monopoly over the smuggling of drugs through Tijuana for more than 20 years, began to fall apart following the killing of Ramon Arellano Felix, the criminal organization’s top enforcer, in a shootout in Sinaloa state.

Francisco Javier Arellano Felix, one of the cartel’s other bosses, is serving a life sentence after being captured by the U.S. Coast Guard while fishing in 2006.

Eduardo Arellano Felix was arrested in October 2008 after a shootout with Tijuana police and extradited to the United States.

Francisco Rafael Arellano Felix, who was arrested in Mexico in 1993 and extradited to the United States, was released from prison in 2008.

He was gunned down last October at a party in the resort city of Los Cabos.

Fernando Sanchez Arellano’s arrest comes amid a wave of violence in Tijuana, which is in the northwestern state of Baja California.

Sudanese authorities re-arrested a Sudanese woman on Tuesday

KHARTOUM: Sudanese authorities re-arrested a Sudanese woman on Tuesday hours after she was freed from death row, and detained her and her family as they tried to board a plane in Khartoum, a security source and her lawyer said.
Mariam Yahya Ibrahim, 27, sentenced to death last month for converting to Christianity from Islam, was released on Monday after what the government said was unprecedented international pressure.
The security official said he did know the reason for the re-arrest. One of Ibrahim’s lawyers said she was being held at a security building outside the airport with her husband and two children.
After the verdict, she was then sent to a secret location for her protection after her family reported receiving threats.