UKraine Crisis: Deadly Attack On Tram Stop

Father Overwhelmed By Japanese Hostage 'Death'

Written By Unknown on Minggu, 25 Januari 2015 | 16.15

The father of the Japanese hostage apparently killed by Islamic State has said he is overwhelmed by grief.

Shoichi Yukawa said he still had hope "deep in my heart that this is not true" and added that if he were reunited with his son he would give him a "big hug".

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe slammed "an outrageous and unforgivable act" after a video reportedly showing an image of captive Kenji Goto holding a picture of a beheaded Haruna Yukawa was posted online.

The clip also purportedly contained the voice of journalist Mr Goto, 47, claiming the 42-year-old private military company operator had been killed.

Mr Abe said the video, which also includes a demand for a prisoner exchange for Mr Goto, appears to be authentic.

The jihadist group Islamic State (IS) had threatened to kill the captives unless a $200m (£133m) ransom was paid to secure their release.

The 72-hour deadline set by the Islamist militants expired on Friday.

However, in the new video they have called for the release of Sajida al Risahwi, an Iraqi woman sentenced to death in Jordan for her part in the Amman bombings in 2005 that killed 60 people.

Mr Abe insisted Tokyo would not bow to terrorism and said his government would spare no effort to secure the release of the remaining captive.

But he reiterated that Japan would not give in to terrorism.

Barack Obama condemned the "brutal murder" and said the United states would stand "shoulder to shoulder" with Japan.

He called Mr Abe to offer his condolences and called for the immediate release of Mr Goto.

In the video, Mr Goto spoke in English, blaming Mr Abe for Mr Yukawa's death, and told his wife and family not to give up on him.

A Japanese news agency reported the video of Mr Goto had also been emailed to the wife of one of the hostages.

The hostages had appeared in videos wearing the same orange jumpsuits as those worn by captives in previous IS videos.

The mother of Mr Goto has pleaded with militants to spare her son's life.

Junko Ishido said he is a friend of Islam who devoted his life to helping children in war zones.

Mr Yukawa was seized by militants in August, after he went to Syria in what he described as a plan to launch a security company.

Mr Goto, a veteran war correspondent, went into Syria in late October seeking to secure Mr Yukawa's release, according to friends and business associates.

16.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

Greece's Snap Election: Voters Go To The Polls

By Tom Rayner, Sky News Reporter, in Athens

Voting is under way in a Greek election likely to send shockwaves through Europe and global markets.

Polling suggests the leftist Syriza party is set to sweep to victory on its anti-austerity platform, setting the stage for a clash with European creditors.

Syriza's 40-year-old leader, Alexis Tspiras, is adamant he will renegotiate the repayment terms of Greece's €318bn debt and restore the country's "dignity" by tackling the soaring unemployment and mass wage cuts that followed the country's international bailout.

Opinion polls give Syriza at least a four point lead over the New Democracy party, led by incumbent Prime Minister Antonis Samaras.

But Syriza's refusal to continue meeting the austerity demands placed on Greece by its creditors has sparked fears the country may be unable to repay its debts, which could force the country's exit from the Eurozone.

Mr Samaras has insisted voters would be making a huge mistake to elect Syriza at a time when painful fiscal reforms may be about to pay-off.

"Syriza will turn all of Europe against Greece... They don't understand Europe, they don't believe in Europe," he said.

The Greek government was forced to undertake deep budget cuts and fiscal reforms as a condition for a €240bn euro bailout in 2010 from the so-called "Troika" - the group of creditors made up of the European Union, the International Monetary Fund and European Central Bank.

Many in Greece feel the slashed public spending has hit the vulnerable hardest, while leaving the tax evasion and corruption of the elites untouched.

Alexis Tsipras has said he wants to introduce measures to shrink the size of the government, slashing advisor positions and some ministries, while also forcing the wealthy to pay their share of taxes.

But he is also committed to working with the ECB to renegotiate the terms of the bailout - the deadline for such a move being July, the month at which Greece will no longer be able to pay its debts without a further injection of funds.

So far the ECB and IMF have said the regime of demands around growth targets and deficit reduction, must remain in place, meaning a stand-off with Syriza may become inevitable should it win the election.

However, Syriza's hand will be determined by the final outcome of the vote, due to Greece's system of proportional representation.

If the party can achieve a simple majority of more than 150 of the 300 parliamentary seats, analysts believe it will be able to take a tougher stance in its negotiations.

But much will be determined by how many smaller parties are able to pass the threshold of 3% of the overall vote necessary to take a parliamentary seat.

On the final day of campaigning, Mr Samaras was keen to point out up to 14% of voters remained undecided, suggesting Syriza may in the end be forced to form a coalition government which could constrain its options.

16.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

Barack Obama Lands In India For Visit

US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle have arrived in New Delhi at the start of a three-day visit to India.

Mr Obama, who landed in the capital at around 9.40am local time, was given a red carpet welcome and received a hug from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his arrival.

It is the second time the president has travelled to India while in office.

The two leaders are due to hold detailed talks later today on a range of issues including climate change, defence co-operation, intelligence sharing and a civil nuclear power agreement.

Analysts say it appears unlikely that their discussions will result in major policy breakthroughs, but the mere fact that they're talking is a sign of progress given recent tensions that have marred relations between the US and India.

Their relationship hit rock bottom in late 2013 when Indian Deputy Consul General Devyani Khobragade was arrested and strip-searched in New York over allegations she lied on visa forms to bring her maid to the US while paying her a pittance.

The diplomatic row saw the Stars and Stripes torched on the streets of New Delhi.

But ties between the two countries have been steadily improving since Mr Modi took office last May.

He and Mr Obama met for the first time late last year in Washington, and officials from both countries say they quickly developed an "easy chemistry".

In an interview ahead of his arrival, Mr Obama hailed the "remarkable" rise of the 64-year-old Mr Modi, the son of a tea-seller who was elected the leader last year of the world's largest democracy.

He told India Today magazine: "When I addressed the Indian Parliament on my last visit (in 2010), I outlined my vision for how we could become global partners meeting global challenges.

"I'd like to think that the stars are aligned to finally realise the vision I outlined."

Mr Obama will be the chief guest at Monday's Republic Day parade in the capital.

He had been due to visit the Taj Mahal in the city of Agra on Tuesday, but he has scrapped that leg of his trip in order to attend the funeral of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz in Saudi Arabia.

16.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

King Abdullah: A Legacy Of Contradictions

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 24 Januari 2015 | 16.15

By Sherine Tadros, Middle East Correspondent, and Zein Ja'Far

He has been called a "reformist" ruler, steadily driving Saudi Arabia towards modernisation.

World leaders past and present hailed him as a man "committed to peace" and a "powerful voice for tolerance".

King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz firmly placed Saudi Arabia at the centre of regional events and, for better or worse, his policies have had a profound impact on countries beyond the kingdom's borders.

But for all the talk of reform, Saudi Arabia stands out as the Middle East's most conservative state.

In the past year activists have spoken of increased influence by the country's clerical establishment and severe punishments for anyone calling for change.

Since the start of this year, Saudi Arabia has carried out 10 executions, jailed a human rights lawyer for 15 years and sentenced a liberal blogger to 1,000 lashes.

Two women who dared get behind the wheel of their car are now facing time behind bars on terror charges.

The country's vast oil reserves provided King Abdullah with currency and clout and he used it to spread Saudi influence throughout the Middle East; from neighbouring Yemen to Iraq, Syria and Lebanon.

When Bahrain's monarchy was facing popular protests in 2011 he sent Saudi troops to brutally crush them.

At the forefront of his regional strategy was always the question of how to deal with Iran.

His attempts to counter Iranian involvement in the region would ultimately define the final 18 months of his reign and created a major fault line in the Middle East.

Saudi's ruling establishment were furious when they learnt the US - for decades their closest international ally - was negotiating with their Shi'a adversary over the latter's nuclear programme.

Adding to the strain in relations was Saudi's deep frustration at the perceived lack of support to opposition fighters battling President Assad in Syria.

They believed it was a lost opportunity to tip the balance of power away from Iran and in their favour.

Many have spoken of King Abdullah's "mixed legacy", in fact it's a legacy full of contradictions.

Saudi Arabia stands alongside Britain and America in the fight against the extremists of Islamic State while it pushes its own ultra-conservative interpretation of Islam around the globe.

Millions of dollars have been spent building schools and mosques espousing its Wahhabi doctrine – the same doctrine that's often been blamed for giving rise to and nurturing extremists.

Thousands of Saudi citizens fight abroad with militant groups in Iraq, Syria and elsewhere.

It's an issue that's leading more people to question whether Saudi Arabia is part of the problem rather than the solution.

But as long as the country remains the world's largest oil producer, western allies will likely continue to turn a blind eye to the glaring contradictions in Saudi foreign policy as well as their dismal human rights record.

16.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

Greek Poll: PM Warns Of Election 'Catastrophe'

By Robert Nisbet, Europe Correspondent

The Greek prime minister has urged voters not to take the country to the "brink of catastrophe" in this weekend's general election.

Antonis Samaras told the final campaign rally of his centre-right New Democracy party that he had little choice to enforce austerity because the "ship was sinking".

Starting in 2010, Greece agreed to make drastic cuts to public spending and increase taxes in order to unlock two successive bailouts, totalling €240bn (£179bn).

As the Greek electorate enters a "day of reflection" to consider the wide array of parties on offer, the front-runner, the radical left group called Syriza, has extended its lead in the polls.

Forty-year-old leader Alexis Tsipras has said he wants to end the tough bailout conditions, which he argues have locked the country into a straitjacket of debt, unemployment and stagnation.

His opponents counter by saying the policies have spurred the country to a primary budget surplus and a slow return to growth.

It's still difficult convincing many Greeks though, as youth unemployment is running at almost 60%, with general unemployment over 27%.

The election has wide-ranging implications for the rest of the Eurozone.

If Mr Tsipras is able to win a simple majority he will be able to take a much stronger stand with Greece's creditors.

That would be tempered if he had to govern in a coalition with more centrist, pro-European parties.

He has said he wants to stay within the Euro, but his critics warn that if he's too tough in his negotiation, the so-called troika of the European Central Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the European Union may withdraw their support.

That could lead to a debt default and a so-called "Grexit", or departure from the single currency.

Syriza's hand will be determined by the dynamics of the electoral system.

The 300 seats in the Greek parliament are handed out according to proportional representation, with the most popular party securing a 50 seat bonus.

To enter the chamber, parties have to achieve a 3% share of the total vote. Polls suggest seven parties may achieve that on Sunday.

The more support that goes to the smaller parties the more Syriza's chance of an overall majority are diminished.

That's an outcome which will be watched with interest across Europe and by those with their hands on the levers of the world's economy.

16.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

PM To Pay Tribute To Saudi King Amid Flag Row

Prime Minister David Cameron and The Prince of Wales, representing the Queen, are flying to Saudi Arabia today following the death of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz.

They will join a host of international dignitaries in Riyadh to pay their respects to the Saudi royal family.

King Abdullah, 90, died on Thursday evening after almost two decades leading the world's biggest oil exporter.

Both Mr Cameron and the Queen said they were "saddened" by his death.

Their decision to fly to Saudi comes amid sharp criticism over a decision to lower flags at Whitehall and across England a mark of respect for the late monarch.

Downing Street and Whitehall buildings, including Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace, were instructed by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on Friday to lower the Union Flag for 12 hours in tribute.

But some politicians and human rights campaigners have slammed the tributes to Abdullah who presided over a country where a woman was recently beheaded in public, a blogger was sentenced to receive 1,000 lashes for 'insulting Islam' and where women have been banned from driving.

Ruth Davidson, leader of the Scottish Conservatives, dismissed the flag tribute as "a steaming pile of nonsense", adding that it was "a stupid act on its own and a stupid precedent to set".

Former Conservative MP for Corby, Louise Mensch, took to twitter to vent her anger: "It is so unacceptable to offer deep condolences for a man who flogged women, didn't let them drive, saw guardian laws passed and starves them."

She even tweeted "F*** YOU" in reply to a tweet from the British Embassy in Riyadh which quoted the Prime Minister's sorrow at the king's death.

The head of Amnesty International implored the world not to forget the country's human rights abuses amidst the tributes to the dead king.

Salil Shetty said: "The Saudi regime seems insensitive to human rights and human dignity and unfortunately they are also protected by many Western countries because they have oil and because they are seen as allies in the fight against terrorism."

But Westminster Abbey argued refusing to lower its flag would not have helped the "desperately oppressed Christian communities of the Middle East".

"For us not to fly at half-mast would be to make a noticeably aggressive comment on the death of the king of a country to which the UK is allied in the fight against Islamic terrorism," a spokesman said.

A spokesman for UKIP leader Nigel Farage said lowering the flags showed "respect for an ally in the war against terror" and that the issue of human rights should be taken up with the new king.

But one of his MPs, Douglas Carswell, disagreed, saying officials had seriously blundered and showed "immoral" values far from those of the British public.

Referencing the civil service mandarin from television series Yes Minister, he said: "Sir Humphrey's values need to be aligned more closely to people in this country rather than being quite so immoral.

"Saudi Arabia is a country that doesn't let women drive and publicly executes people."

Archbishop of Canterbury The Most Rev Justin Welby told Sky News: 'Freedom of religion is essential and freedom to express Christian faith in Saudi Arabia is something that should happen.

"A few weeks ago there was a group of migrant workers arrested for holding a private service in a flat. That's not right.

"But I know that King Abdullah himself - it's a complicated place Saudi Arabia, like all countries - King Abdullah himself is someone who has worked very very hard on these issues and has contributed much and I think it's right that the prime minister should send condolences and should recognise what he's done over the years."

King Abdullah had run the country as de facto leader since the mid-1990s after his predecessor King Fahd suffered a debilitating stroke.

He was admitted to hospital on 31 December suffering pneumonia and the royal court announced that he was breathing with the aid of a tube.

He has been succeeded by his 79-year-old half-brother, Salman.

16.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

Kurds: Give Us More Help Or IS Threat Will Grow

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 22 Januari 2015 | 16.15

By Alistair Bunkall, Defence Correspondent

The Islamic State terror threat to the West will increase if the Kurdish Peshmerga are not given more help fighting the Islamist militants, their commander has warned.

Speaking exclusively to Sky News on the eve of a major conference, Lieutenant General Jabar Manda delivered a message to the 21 foreign ministers gathering in London.

"We need more equipment, we need new weapons and we need the air strikes," he said.

"We need the continuous support and training. We are in need of ammunition. We need new weapons to win this war."

He thanked the British military for their help training his troops and said it has helped the Peshmerga push IS fighters back.

Despite this, 800 Kurdish soldiers have been killed and 4,000 wounded because of insufficient protection and Lt Gen Manda said armoured cars are needed to stop so many soldiers being killed.

He also said that stores of ammunition are decreasing after an early rush of donors.

"IS is an international terrorist group threatening all over the world just like we saw in France. They are threatening America and Britain and other countries," he said.

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Gallery: Kurdish Forces Battle IS Militants In Iraq

Smoke rises during clashes between Kurdish Peshmerga fighters and Islamic State (IS) militants on the outskirts of the Iraqi city of Mosul

Kurdish forces in northern Iraq said they had cleared Islamic State insurgents from nearly 500 square kilometres of territory

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Video: Police Shoot Black Man As He Surrenders

Newly released footage has revealed the moment a man was shot dead during a police traffic stop in New Jersey as he got out of a car with his hands raised.

The footage, captured by a police dashboard camera, shows officers making a traffic stop in Bridgeton, New Jersey, on 30 December.

But the situation becomes increasingly tense as one officer warns his partner that he has seen a gun in the glove compartment of the Jaguar car.

Officer Braheme Days repeatedly shouts at the passenger "show me your hands!" while warning him not to "reach for something" inside the vehicle.

He then appears to reach into the car and remove a gun, but the passenger, Jerame Reid, gets out of the vehicle and is shot several times.

Officer Days and his partner have been placed on leave pending a Cumberland County prosecutor's office investigation.

The shooting has sparked protests in Bridgeton and comes after months of demonstrations over the killings of unarmed black men by white police officers in New York and Ferguson, Missouri.

In the footage, the officers pull over the Jaguar for going through a stop sign.

Officer Days steps back, pulls out his gun and tells the men inside the car to "show me your hands".

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Gallery: Archive: Protests After Eric Garner Grand Jury Decision

Protesters took to the streets after a grand jury decided not to charge a white policeman over the chokehold death of an unarmed black man

Father-of-six Eric Garner, 43, died after he was restrained by police

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UKraine Crisis: Deadly Attack On Tram Stop

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At least 13 people have been killed after a tram stop was hit by shelling in the eastern Ukraine city of Donetsk, say reports.

The deadly artillery attack in the rebel stronghold came as talks on the country's crisis led to an agreement to pull back heavy weaponry from a demarcation line defined in last year's Minsk agreement.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier brokered the deal with his counterparts from France, Russia and Ukraine during talks in Berlin.

"A lot depends on the question if that what we have agreed on will not only remain printed paper, but will also change the situation on the ground," Mr Steinmeier said.

In a joint statement released by the German foreign ministry, the ministers noted "with serious concern" that fighting in eastern Ukraine had severely escalated, causing the loss of many human lives.

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Gallery: Fierce Fighting Continues On Front Line In Ukraine

A Ukrainian serviceman fires a weapon during fighting with pro-Russian separatists in Pesky village near Donetsk

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko accused Russia on Wednesday of sending 9,000 troops to back separatist rebels in the east of his country, something Russia strongly denied

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Local residents remove debris at a house damaged by recent shelling in Donetsk. IMF chief Christine Lagarde said she backed extra financial help for Kiev as the conflict inflicts severe economic damage

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A Ukrainian armoured vehicle during fighting with pro-Russian separatists in Pesky

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An overnight blast destroyed a railway bridge in the eastern Ukrainian region of Zaporozhye, cutting a railway link between the city of Mariupol and Ukraine's west

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"This must stop immediately and the regime of quiet must be restored," the statement said.

They called on signatories of the Minsk peace plan to meet in the coming days to implement the ceasefire and withdrawal of heavy weapons.

Kiev and Moscow blame each other for failing to implement a ceasefire agreed in Minsk last September to end the conflict in eastern Ukraine, where more than 4,700 have died in fighting between the Ukrainian army and pro-Russian rebels.

The development comes after the Ukrainian President claimed more than 9,000 Russian soldiers are currently backing up pro-Moscow fighters in the separatist east of the country.

In a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Petro Poroshenko said Russian troops were backed by a range of heavy weapons including tanks and artillery systems.

"We have more than 9,000 troops of the Russian Federation on my territory, including more than 500 tanks and heavy artillery and armed personnel carriers," he said.

"If this is not aggression, what is aggression?"

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov challenged Kiev to "present the proof".

US officials later cranked up the diplomatic pressure on Russia with Secretary of State John Kerry calling Russia's actions "a blatant land grab".

:: BAFTA-winning filmmaker Ross Kemp has witnessed Ukraine's bloody conflict against pro-Russian separatists.

In the first instalment of Extreme World 4, showing on Sky1 HD tonight at 9pm, he looks at the country's fight against the rapid rise of far right groups.

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Written By Unknown on Selasa, 20 Januari 2015 | 16.15

The following is an excerpt from Mohamedou Ould Slahi's newly released Guantanamo Diary.

"Stop the f*** praying! You're having sex with American [redacted] and you're praying? What a hypocrite you are!" said [redacted] angrily, entering the room.

I refused to stop speaking my prayers, and after that, I was forbidden to perform my ritual prayers for about one year to come.

I also was forbidden to fast during the sacred month of Ramadan October 2003, and fed by force.

During this session I also refused to eat or to drink, although they offered me water every once in a while.

"We must give you food and water; if you don't eat it's fine."

They also offered me the nastiest MRE (meal ready to eat) they had in the camp. We detainees knew that [redacted] gathered Intels about what food a detainee likes or dislikes, when he prays, and many other things that are just ridiculous.

I was just wishing to pass out so I didn't have to suffer, and that was really the main reason for my hunger strike; I knew people like these don't get impressed by hunger strikes. Of course they didn't want me to die, but they understand there are many steps before one dies.

"You're not gonna die, we're gonna feed you up your a**," said [redacted].

16.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

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Popular Posts Today

Father Overwhelmed By Japanese Hostage 'Death'

Written By Unknown on Minggu, 25 Januari 2015 | 16.15

Greece's Snap Election: Voters Go To The Polls

Barack Obama Lands In India For Visit

King Abdullah: A Legacy Of Contradictions

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 24 Januari 2015 | 16.15

Greek Poll: PM Warns Of Election 'Catastrophe'

PM To Pay Tribute To Saudi King Amid Flag Row

Kurds: Give Us More Help Or IS Threat Will Grow

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 22 Januari 2015 | 16.15

Video: Police Shoot Black Man As He Surrenders

UKraine Crisis: Deadly Attack On Tram Stop

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Written By Unknown on Selasa, 20 Januari 2015 | 16.15

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