SYDNEY - Possible hostages taken by people with " Arabic flag "

SYDNEY - A major police operation was underway in downtown Sydney on Monday, where several people inside a chocolate shop and cafe could be seen through the windows with their hands held in the air.

New South Wales state police would not say what was happening inside the Lindt Chocolat Cafe or whether hostages were being held. But television footage shot through the cafe's windows showed several people with their arms in the air and hands pressed against the glass.

The footage showed two people inside the cafe holding up what appeared to be a black flag with white Arabic writing on it. It was not immediately clear what the flag said. Heavily-armed officers were lined up outside the cafe.

A police spokeswoman said no injuries had been reported from the incident.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott said the National Security Committee of Cabinet met to be briefed on the situation.

"This is obviously a deeply concerning incident but all Australians should be reassured that our law enforcement and security agencies are well trained and equipped and are responding in a thorough and professional manner," Abbott said in a statement.

The cafe is located in Martin Place, a plaza in the heart of the city's financial and shopping district that is packed with holiday shoppers this time of year. It is home to the state premier's office, the Reserve Bank of Australia, and the headquarters of two of the nation's largest banks. The state parliament house is a few blocks away.

Streets in the area were closed, offices evacuated and the public told to stay away.

UN calls for "swift and transparent investigation" into death of Palestinian minister

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 Sunday, 14 December 2014 15:27

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Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas (right) stands by the coffin during the funeral of Ziad Abu Ein in Ramallah on December 11, 2014

The UN Security Council has called for a "swift and transparent investigation" into the death of a Palestinian minister during a confrontation with Israeli soldiers.

The Palestinian leadership blamed Israel for the "killing" of 55-year-old Ziad Abu Ein, after an Israeli border policeman shoved and grabbed him by the throat during a protest in the occupied West Bank.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas condemned “the brutal assault that led to the martyrdom” of Abu Ein, calling it “a barbaric act that cannot be tolerated or accepted," Abbas said as he announced a three-day mourning period.

A statement issued by the Security Council on Friday "encouraged the parties to ensure that a swift and transparent investigation is undertaken" into the incident.

"The members of the Security Council called on all sides to exercise maximum restraint and to refrain from steps that could further destabilise the situation."

The top United Nations human rights official also expressed his ‘deepest condolences to Ziad Abu Ein’s family and to the people of Palestine' and said the incidents that preceded the Minister’s death are disturbing and must be carefully investigated.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said in a statement. ‘I express my deepest condolences to Ziad Abu Ein’s family and to the people of Palestine. It is a terrible and deeply tragic irony that he should die in this way after taking part in a peaceful protest against illegal settlements, centred around the planting of olive trees, on Human Rights Day.’

The Minister's death came on the same day when a Palestinian boy was shot in the head by Israeli officials in the Jalazone refugee camp in the West Bank.

“This continuous stream of fatal incidents underscores the need for effective accountability measures,” said Zeid.

On Friday, during a phone call with President Abbas, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry expressed his condolences for the death of [senior Palestinian official] Ziad Abu Ein and stressed the importance of continuing peace efforts," Palestine's state-run WAFA news agency reported.

1,000-pound cow escapes slaughterhouse - Cops chase him

POCATELLO, ID - A 1,000-pound cow being prepared for slaughter jumped a 6-foot fence and bolted through the streets of Pocatello before police shot and killed it following a lengthy pursuit.

Pocatello Police Chief Scott Marchand tells the Idaho State Journal that his officers fired two shots at the heifer because it posed a safety risk.

The cow had escaped from Anderson Custom Pack, a meat processing business, on Friday afternoon.

Early in the chase, an officer shot the cow in the head but the wounded animal kept running.

The cow led police and animal control officers on a chase on foot and in vehicles through the city's north side. It rammed an animal control truck and two police cars.

The animal was eventually cornered in a residential backyard about 3 miles away, and was shot and killed by a police officer.

Killing of U.S. woman stirs niqab debate in UAE

Thursday, 4 December 2014

Some local newspapers in the UAE are pondering whether a ban on the Islamic face veil would enhance security after the stabbing of an American woman by a burqa-clad suspect seen on surveillance camera.

On Wednesday, an English-language newspaper, Gulf News, asked: “Should niqab not be worn for security reasons?”

The paper said “the stabbing death of an American school teacher by a niqab-clad assailant in a women’s restroom at an Abu Dhabi mall is drawing mixed reactions across the country as to whether or not the niqab should be worn for security reasons.”

“The niqab crime, and the niqab is a crime,” read one title by columnist Ali bin Tamim on 24.ae website, saying it is time the issue is placed on the negotiations table to discuss its validity, citing “horrendous” crime that happened in Abu Dhabi.

Also read: 

Killing of U.S. woman stirs niqab debate in UAE

Another columnist, Sami al-Riyami for Emarat Alyoum, wrote an article titled “Niqab and extremism or security and moderation.”

Riyami urged the security forces to cover this “void” in the security situation. He said crimes perpetrated by niqab-protected criminals are not only seen in the UAE but in other Muslims countries because of culprits being able to keep their identity withheld.

Three Youths Found Executed in Chihuahua ( one a student )

Three youths were found dead in Chihuahua, which caused great social indignation when it was found out that one of the victims was a student.

The youths were kidnapped last Saturday by an armed group according to reports by authorities of the state.  They were found Thursday morning wrapped up in blankets and with a coup de grâce.

Élmer García was executed along with his brother Edgar Iván García Archuleta and his cousin Gabriel Gándara Archuleta.  The three were from Valle de Juárez.

Élmer García was a student studying psychology at the Autonomous University of Ciudad Juárez, and was just days from graduating.  He was greatly recognized by his peers for his leadership by having participated in the Network of Youth Groups, participating as an activist and speaker at various forums addressing insecurity issues.

The death of these young people had a great impact on the university community.

Gabriel Gándara was the brother of Érica Gándara, a police officer who was abducted in 2010 and later murdered, being the only woman in the corporation after 24 police officers were killed during 2008-2010.

Source:El Sol De Nayarit

IS Beheads Syrian Accused of Killing 196 People

BEIRUT – Islamic State jihadists on Friday executed a man in the north Syrian town of Al-Bab for allegedly collaborating with Assad regime forces by using an electronic device allowing rockets from regime warplanes to home in on their targets.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the man was beheaded after Friday prayers in Al-Bab.

Other sources indicated he had been declared guilty of causing the deaths of 196 people who were killed in airstrikes carried out by forces loyal to Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.

In an internet forum, the jihadists published footage of the man taken before his death as he holds up a microchip that supposedly guided the aircraft to targets in the area.

He appeared in another photo with a license, issued by the Syrian military, for possessing a weapon.

The jihadists described their victim as one of the “Shabiha,” a term coined to refer to groups of armed militia supporting Syria’s secular Ba’ath Party government.

Meanwhile, at least nine IS members were killed in Deir al-Zour province in northeastern Syria, when they attacked a military airport controlled by regime forces.

The Observatory said that two Tunisians and a Moroccan were among the fighters killed in the attack on the airport that IS had attempted to overrun a week ago but was turned back by government troops.

In late June, the IS proclaimed an “Islamic caliphate” in the territories that have fallen under its control in Iraq and Syria.

UK to send hundreds of troops to Iraq

13 December 2014

Britain will send hundreds of troops to train Iraqi and Kurdish forces in Iraq, Defence Secretary Michael Fallon told The Daily Telegraph newspaper on Saturday, in a bid to step up the battle against Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) fighters.

U.S President Barack Obama has already authorized the deployment of over 3,000 troops to the country and the top U.S
commander guiding the coalition effort said earlier this week that allies would send about 1,500 additional troops.

Fallon said troops in the “very low hundreds” would be sent next month.

He said that following air strikes by U.S.-led forces including Britain, ISIS had changed its methods, moving away from use of large formations in open space.

“They are increasingly tucked away in towns and villages.  That means they have got to be rooted out by ground troops.

“This has to be done by an own-grown army, not by western groups.”

Continued gains

On Saturday, ISIS fighters killed at least 19 policemen in a town in Western Iraq, as the group continues to seize territory in the region, despite aerial strikes.

Fallon told the newspaper that the exact number of Britons to be sent had not been finalised but that one of four teams would provide training in a Kurdish area and the remaining three in locations nearer to Baghdad.

“A key skill we are going to be helping with is counter-IED (improvised explosive devices), particularly vehicle explosive 
devices which the Iraqi army hasn't come across for some time,” Fallon was quoted as saying.