Iranian regime illicitly exporting oil disguised as Iraqi barrels ( Violates U.S Sanctions )

A shipping insurer has warned its member this week that that Iranian crude labelled as Iraqi oil was being transferred ship to ship by smugglers at oil cargoes at a port in the United Arab Emirates.

Insurer West of England has said the cargos may contain Iranian crude disguised as Iraqi barrels, and that it cannot insure these volumes as they are in breach of U.S. sanctions on Tehran.

The ship to ship (STS) transfer by smugglers has been taking place at the Khor Fakkan port in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The insurer said in a statement published on its website on Jan. 13: "It appears that such oil may routinely be described as being of Iraqi origin and as having been loaded on board the transferring vessel at Basra some time before the proposed STS operation."

The insurer said it "cannot provide insurance to vessels which load Iranian cargo in such circumstances and cover will cease in its entirety if such cargo is loaded".

The insurer company said that documentation of barrels labelled as originating from Basra in Iraq, and which stopped over at Khor Fakkan, should not be taken at face value.

“There is evidence of a sophisticated smuggling operation and those responsible may go to considerable lengths to disguise the true origin of the cargo. Cargo documentation is likely to appear credible and there may be no evidence of any designated parties being involved. “

“Members are therefore advised to exercise extreme caution when engaging in STS operations in the Arabian Gulf. In particular it is recommended that Members check with port agents to ensure that vessels providing cargo by means of an STS transfer in the region loaded the cargo at the port stated in the cargo documentation before any cargo is received. “

The insurer said that Iranian vessels loaded with crude had shuttled across the Strait of Hormuz to supply ships with oil labelled as originating from Iraq and destined for countries that do not benefit from a waiver of U.S. sanctions legislation.

The insurer warned its members that transport of Iranian oil without a waiver under U.S. law "may trigger enforcement action against the vessel, its owners and related parties by the U.S. authorities".

Frenchman detained in Bulgaria denies Islamist militant links: lawyer

(Reuters) - A French citizen arrested in Bulgaria for alleged links to the gunmen who attacked the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, denies being part of an Islamist group and is ready to be extradited to prove his innocence, his lawyer said on Friday.

Fritz-Joly Joachin was detained by Bulgarian police at a border checkpoint as he tried to cross into Turkey in the early hours of Jan. 1 under a European arrest warrant that alleged he had abducted his three-year-old son - an accusation he denies.

A second European arrest warrant alleged he had participated in a criminal group that plotted acts of terrorism, for which he could face 10 years in prison.

Joachin was brought into a provincial court in the city of Haskovo near the Turkish border on Friday. A construction worker without any previous criminal convictions, Joachin told the court he expected a fair hearing and at one point objected to having a female translator.

"He has told me that he has no links to Al Qaeda or any other terrorist group," Radi Radev, Joachin's lawyer, told reporters. 

Iran: Regime bans female singer from stage ( First banned from certain events )

A female singer has been banned from performing with her group at a concert in Tehran.

Iranian authorities said the show would only be allowed to go ahead if Azerbaijani singer Fargana Qasimov watched her band perform from the sidelines.

The organizers of the January 13 concert at Tehran's Vahdat amphitheater had called for the ruling to be overturned, forcing spectators to wait for hours in the street before the concert began.

Once the show started, the conductor told the audience: "Nowhere else in the world are women artists treated in this way."

Asked if she had faced similar humiliation at any other concerts, Mrs Qasimov replied: "Not at all, this is the first time that I have faced this situation. I am not feeling good about it but I have to support my father when he performs," according to a report.

Iranian officials also banned photographers from the concert and has not allowed any pictures of show to appear in the media.

Iran - Iran to open " Dating marriage website "

TEHRAN: Iran has announced plans to combat what it says are “immoral” online dating websites by launching an official site for young people seeking marriage.
Local media quoted officials as saying the site would launch in the next few days and promote long-term marriages among the under-30s.
There are strict prohibitions on sexual contact before marriage in the country, but that can be circumvented under the Shiite system of “sigheh,” or temporary marriage, under which a couple can contract matrimony for as little as an hour.
The government is seeking to discourage the practice and the deputy minister for youth and sport, Mahmoud Gholrazi, said there are as many as 300 websites deemed “illegal and immoral” that often encourage sigheh. Gholrazi did not say whether the site would be similar to traditional ones, where members post photos on a profile describing themselves, their interests and what they are seeking, but he did say “counselors and psychologists” would work with it.
Noting that Iran has a marriageable population of around 11 million, he said that, “with the help of this site, we could have 100,000 marriages with a correct method, and the problem of marriage for young people would be partly solved.”
Not only is the government attempting to encourage marriage, it is also seeking to reduce a record divorce rate which has reached 22 percent. In big cities such as Tehran, an estimated one in three couples divorce.

Tucson Home invasion suspects wanted - Phoenix suspects wanted ?

TUCSON- The Tucson Police Department is asking for the public's help identifying a suspect in connection to a home invasion Monday afternoon.

According to TPD, a female was returning to her house near North 1st Avenue and East Fort Lowell around 3:45 p.m., when a man forced her inside at gunpoint.

PHOENIX -- Phoenix police are asking the public to help identify two suspects in a residential burglary.

Read more: http://www.azfamily.com/news/Phoenix-police-need-help-identifying-burglary-suspects-288745641.html#ixzz3OwCoTxFl

Phoenix suspects wanted burglary ?

The30-year-old woman was bound, while the suspect stole items from her purse, TPD said.

"There were threats to my life, he said he would kill me, he would kill my dogs," said the victim." "Yeah, multiple threats during that time."

TPD detectives learned the suspect attempted to use the woman's stolen credit card an hour after the home invasion at the Fry's Supermarket at 555 E. Grant Road.

Police say the suspect is a Hispanic male between 25 to 35 years old, with short brown hair. He is 5-foot-9-inches tall and between 190 and 200 pounds.

The man was last seen wearing a red, long-sleeve hooded shirt with an unknown woman.

Anyone with information is asked to call 911 or 88-CRIME.

Ex-Chief of Dominican Drug Squad Charged in Theft of Cocaine

SANTO DOMINGO – The Dominican Republic’s former top counter-narcotics official and 24 other people were arrested Tuesday in connection with the theft of more than a ton of cocaine from a police storeroom, Attorney General Francisco Dominguez Brito said.

Facing charges along with the erstwhile chief of the DICAN agency, Carlos Fernandez Valerio, are 20 police officers, three prosecutors and a civilian, Dominquez Brito told a press conference.

The group is accused of stealing cocaine confiscated in a DICAN operation and then selling the drugs back to the traffickers who were the target of the original raid.

Investigators found that Fernandez Valerio and DICAN’s then-head of operations, Felix Humberto Lopez Paulino, distributed large sums in cash to the other suspects, who subsequently confessed to their part in the crime, the attorney general said.

“About this matter there is a very clear message: we can never allow he who is called upon to pursue crime, to combat crime, to seek peace in society, to ally himself with crime,” Dominguez Brito said.

Mexico - Former Iguala mayor formally charged with the kidnapping of 43 students

by Lucio for Borderland Beat

There has been a formal arrest warrant issued for former Iguala, Guerrero mayor, Jose Luis Abarca, along with 44 others for charges of kidnapping of 43 kidnapped and missing normalistas (students) on September 26th 2014.

This was announced by Tomas Zeron, of the federal general attorney’s office.  He did not state when the warrant was issued.  

Although Abarca was charged with crimes connected with organized crime activities, these are the first charges that are directly related to the September Iguala attacks, and kidnapping of the 43 students.

It is suspected that .Abarca directed the municipal police, in conjunction with the organized crime group Guerreros Unidos,  to attack and kidnap the students.  

There is no mention of the other deaths in the attacks of the night of September 26th.
   

Those attacks resulted in the deaths of 8-9 people, one being a young 15 year old soccer player who was  traveling on the team bus.

Another normalista, Julio Mondragon was taken, murdered,  his face flayed, and his corpse dumped in the street close to the location of the second attack.  

He is not counted with the  43.

It is peculiar that with the world wide publicity and attention of the Iguala 43, almost zero has been paid to the others that were killed and injured in the same attacks.  

As for Abarca’s wife, Maria de los Angeles Pineda, on Monday, the federal courts spokesman said a judge had ruled Abarca's wife will stand trial for links to organized crime. 

In evidence are records of bank deposits into her account originating from Guerreros Unidos.

There are doubts that she will be charged with the attacks and kidnapping of the normalistas, and there have been no announcement either way as of yet.