American photojournalist Luke Somers was killed during a failed rescue attempt

American photojournalist Luke Somers was killed during a failed rescue attempt in Yemen, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Saturday.

Somers had been held by al-Qaeda militants following his abduction in Yemen's capital of Sanaa in September 2013.

Hagel, speaking from Kabul where he made a surprise visit Saturday, confirmed the British-born hostage's death following an unsuccessful raid to free him by U.S. and Yemeni special forces.

"There were compelling reasons to believe Mr. Somers' life was in imminent danger," Hagel said in a statement, describing Somers' death as murder at the hands of terrorists.

Lucy Somers said she learned of her brother's death from the FBI.

"We ask that all of Luke's family members be allowed to mourn in peace," she told the Associated Press.

A second hostage, South African Pierre Korkie, a teacher abducted in Yemen in May 2013 with his wife, was also killed in the failed raid. Yolande Korkie had previously been released by Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula militants.

During the rescue operation, helicopters swept in and dropped U.S. commandos about a mile from the village where Somers was being held hostage, according to a senior Defense Department official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly.

U.S. warplanes flew overhead for protection but did not fire weapons. The commandos, from teams based in the Middle East, killed all of the al-Qaeda-linked terrorists. No U.S. forces were wounded, the official said.

President Obama said he authorized the rescue attempt because of information the U.S. had that Somers' life was in immediate danger, including a video released by his terrorist captors earlier this week that announced the journalist would be killed within 72 hours.

Iran: Police raids a family party in Isfahan (2014)

NCRI – Iranian police raided a family party in city of Isfahan checking identifications of every participant. The Iranian regime has stepped up suppression of people under various pretexts in Iran as it fears public expression of anger against the regime. This video shows the Iranian police has setup a check point after the raid.

Dozens of Chinese Citizens Detained in Kenya for Cyber Espionage, Fraud

NAIROBI – Kenyan police have arrested 77 Chinese nationals accused of running a cybercrime ring and high-tech spy center in the African country’s capital, local media reported on Thursday.

Those arrested were “hacking the country’s communication systems” and were in possession of equipment capable of infiltrating Kenyan bank accounts and cash, police sources said.

The head of the Criminal Investigation Department, Ndegwa Muhoro, said that the preliminary investigation shows that the alleged cybercriminals were involved in money laundering and website hacking.

The arrests began last Sunday after the group was discovered, when a server they were using caught fire and killed a member of the ring, Muhoro explained to the local newspaper, The Standard.

The Chinese ambassador to Kenya, Liu Xian Fa, has been summoned to explain whether his government was aware of this group’s activities.

Meanwhile, the Kenyan Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amina Mohamed, insisted that the Chinese government must fully cooperate with the investigation.

Putin Lashes Out at West, Admits That Sanctions Hurt Russia

MOSCOW – Russian President Vladimir Putin lashed out Thursday at what he described as Western attempts to contain Russia, while he acknowledged that sanctions have hurt his country and announced plans to strengthen ties with Latin America.

“Talking to Russia from a position of strength is senseless,” Putin said during a speech on the state of the nation before the Federal Assembly.

“The policy of deterrence was not invented yesterday. It has been always directed towards our country, for decades, if not centuries,” he added.

Putin acknowledged that international sanctions are “harmful” for Russia, but said he was convinced that even without the annexation of Crimea and the crisis in Ukraine, the West would have found another pretext to impose them.

The Russian leader dedicated the first part of his speech to defending Russia’s position on the conflict in eastern Ukraine, which triggered the current Western sanctions against Russia.

The Kremlin chief criticized the West for supporting the Ukrainian army in its “repression” of the pro-Russian population, such as the incident in Odessa, an important Black Sea port, last May, when “people were burned alive.”

Putin stressed that Moscow respects Ukraine’s sovereignty, but criticized the absence of dialogue over the association agreement between Ukraine and the EU, an issue that triggered anti-government protests in Kiev.

Moreover, he criticized the policy of Western containment and declared that “no one can achieve military superiority over Russia.”

The Russian president assured the lawmakers that his country has no intention of involving itself in a long-term arms race, but will guarantee sufficient military capabilities in light of the global situation.

He also criticized the United States for moving forward with strategic plans to deploy elements of its anti-missile shield in Europe.

Putin clarified that he is not considering, under any circumstances, suspending relations with Europe or the United States.

Turning to other matters, the Russian leader revealed his intention to restore and expand traditional ties with the South American continent, in addition to continuing cooperation with Africa and the Middle East.

Five Alleged Kidnappers Die in Clash with Police in Eastern Mexico

VERACRUZ, Mexico – Five alleged kidnappers died Thursday in a shootout with police in the city of Poza Rica, in the eastern Mexican state of Veracruz.

Police rescued two kidnap victims, authorities said.

The shootout began when the kidnappers opened fire on police with the elite Public Safety Secretariat at a house in Poza Rica, the state government said in a communique.

During the shootout, five of the alleged kidnappers were killed and the two victims were rescued by police.

The police seized assorted rifles, which are reserved for use by the army, an undetermined amount of ammunition and communications equipment, according to the statement.

In another operation in the town of Perote, in the western part of the state, police broke up a cell of eight presumed members of an organized criminal group specializing in kidnapping.

Besides capturing the members of the group, police seized several rifles, grenades, ammunition and ammunition clips, all of which are normally used only by the Mexican armed forces, as well as military-style clothing and vehicles. 

Amnesty condemns world’s ‘pitiful response’ to Syria refugee crisis

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Amnesty International has criticised the world's 'pitiful response' to the Syrian refugee crisis by failing to offer protection to millions of the most vulnerable victims of the conflict.

While 3.8 million refugees from are being hosted by neighbours Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Egypt, only 1.7 per cent of this number have been offered sanctuary by the rest of the world, the human rights group said.

The wealthy Gulf states, Russia and China have not offered a resettlement place, and the European Union, apart from Germany, has pledged to resettle a 'paltry' 0.17 per cent of refugees, Amnesty said.

And the total number of Syrians who have applied for asylum in the EU in the past three years was approximately 150,000 - roughly the same as the number of people who flooded into Turkey in the space of just one week in September 2015, the group stressed.

Amnesty's head of Refugee and Migrants’ Rights Sherif Elsayed-Ali said: "The shortfall in the number of resettlement places for refugees offered by the international community is truly shocking. Nearly 380,000 people have been identified as in need of resettlement by the UN refugee agency, yet just a tiny fraction of these people have been offered sanctuary abroad.

"If a tiny country with a weak economy and huge debt like Lebanon can accommodate an increase of a quarter of its population others can certainly be doing more to help.

"The World Food Programme announcement earlier this week that is has been forced to suspend food aid to 1.7 million refugees due to a funding crisis underscores the abysmal response of the international community.

"The complete absence of resettlement pledges from the Gulf is particularly shameful. Linguistic and religious ties should place the Gulf states at the forefront of those offering safe shelter to refugees fleeing persecution and war crimes in Syria."

The lack of international support is now having disastrous consequences with the five main host countries, who are struggling to cope, Amnesty said.

It is calling for at least five per cent of Syria’s refugees to be resettled by the end of 2015 with a further five per cent resettled by 2016.

Mr Elsayed-Ali added: "Next week’s pledging conference must be used to turn the tide around. It is time for world governments to take the courageous steps needed to share the responsibility for this crisis and help avert further suffering.

"While some of the world’s wealthier countries including the USA, the UK and Kuwait have made generous contributions to the UN humanitarian response this alone is not enough.

"Countries cannot ease their consciences with cash pay-outs then simply wash their hands of the matter.

"With no end in sight to the conflict in Syria and little prospect of refugees being able to return home in the near future, resettlement is essential to help the most vulnerable and ease the burden on host countries in the region.

"The apathy we have witnessed from some of the world’s wealthiest countries has been exacerbated by scare-mongering over rising immigration levels across Europe. Those with the economic means to do so must play a greater role."

United Arab Emirates- Murder suspect arrested in killing of teacher

A woman suspected of stabbing an American teacher to death in an upscale Abu Dhabi mall has been arrested during a dramatic night-time raid.

The 'face covered' suspect is an Emirati national in her late 30s, said Sheikh Saif Bin Zayed al Nahyan, the minister of the interior for the United Arab Emirates, at a press conference on Thursday. Her name was not released.

The woman was wearing a burka when she allegedly stabbed 47-year-old mother-of-two Ibolya Ryan, who once lived in Colorado, in a mall restroom on Reem Island on Monday.

An hour after the stabbing, the suspect then planted a home-made bomb outside the house of a Muslim Egyptian-American doctor, Sheikh Saif said. But the device, which was made of small gas cylinders, a lighter, glue and nails, was successfully dismantled after one of the man's sons found it.

Sheikh Saif added that the woman targeted her victims based solely on their nationality and did not know either of them. He said she 'aimed to create chaos, shake the security in the country and terrorize people in the UAE' - although investigations are still continuing into her exact motive.

UAE police have also told ABC News that the suspect was 'not lone wolf' and her house was 'a base of operations'. 

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Caught: Footage released by the Abu Dhabi Police on Thursday shows them arresting a woman suspected on stabbing an American mother to death inside a mall restroom on Monday

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2860702/Police-arrest-killer-burqaPICTURED-American-woman-stabbed-death-burqa-attacker-Abu-Dhabi-named-47-year-old-mom-Colorado-emerges-teachers-warned-Jihadi-targets.html#ixzz3KyaMT266
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