Former Thai PM Faces Corruption Charges

Japanese Mock IS With 'Photoshop Grand Prix'

Written By Unknown on Jumat, 23 Januari 2015 | 20.18

Many Japanese have responded to the Islamic State's demand for a $200m ransom for two hostages with a meme mocking the Islamist group.

A hashtag, which translates as "ISIS crappy collage grand prix" or "photoshop grand prix", was created and users have been using it to post parodies of the hostage video.

The video released by the group on Tuesday shows a militant, dressed in black and brandishing a knife as he stands between Kenji Goto and Haruna Yukawa, who are both clad in orange jumpsuits.

This image has been photoshopped to make the British-accented jihadi a ninja and Dr Evil, while in others the two hostages appear as Japanese anime characters.

In another mocked-up image the North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un is seen laughing and pointing as the video plays on a screen.

The meme plays on the fact that the image of the two kneeled figures and their captor appears to have been photoshopped onto the desert background.

According to the social media analytics site, Topsy, the hashtag has been used more than 70,000 times since Tuesday as many use it to express their defiance.

djvjgrrl wrote on Twitter: "Tomorrow will be sad but it will pass and #ISIS will still be a big joke. You can't break our spirit."

But some people have criticised the posts for not taking the IS threat seriously.

JB~kun wrote: "So here I was checking this hashtag and apparently some of the Japanese tweets are making fun of the whole thing. Japan pls."

20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Former Thai PM Faces Corruption Charges

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Former Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra is to be put on trial in connection with a rice subsidy programme that lost the country billions of dollars.

The charge against the country's first female prime minister concerns her role in a scheme that paid farmers far above market prices for rice.

It also cost Thailand its place as the world's leading exporter.

If found guilty, she could face up to 10 years in prison. Her successful impeachment by parliament has already seen her banned from politics for five years.

The former PM was removed from office last May days before a military coup, amid allegations of abuse of power.

She later issued a statement on Facebook saying: "Democracy has died in Thailand today, along with the rule of law. That move to destroy me is still ongoing and I face it now."

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Gallery: Hunger Games Salute Is Thai Protest

People in Bangkok protesting against military rule hold their three middle fingers in the air during a brief demonstration at a shopping centre. The military has warned it will arrest anyone who uses the gesture, which is borrowed from the Hunger Games as a form of protest against the country's recent coup.

Thailand's military government sent thousands of troops and police into central Bangkok to prevent demonstrations against its seizure of power.

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The raised arm gesture has become a symbol of opposition to the military takeover on May 22 and a response to bans on political gatherings of more than five people. Click through for more pictures...

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The commission in July recommended criminal charges be filed against Ms Yingluck for the subsidy programme, which paid the farmers double the market price for rice.

The programme was a flagship electioneering policy, with Ms Yingluck saying the scheme would directly benefit Thai farmers and reduce the income equality gap in the country.

She won a landslide electoral victory in 2011 backed by the rural poor who benefited from the rice scheme.

Her supporters say the courts and ruling National Legislative Assembly (NLA) are biased and aligned with an establishment intent on blocking her powerful family from politics.

The decision to prosecute may renew tensions in the divided country, with Ms Yingluck's Red Shirt supporters seeing the move as part of an effort to deal a final blow to her party's political power after last year's coup.

The capital's streets were quiet on Friday, as residents obeyed the military junta's ban on public gatherings.

The government of coup leader and Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha has urged Ms Yingluck's supporters to stay out of Bangkok this week, although a repeat of the protests that have dogged the country in recent years is unlikely.

The impeachment is the latest chapter in 10 years of turbulent politics that have pitted Ms Yingluck and her brother Thaksin, himself a former prime minister, against the royalist-military establishment which sees the Shinawatras as a threat.

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Written By Unknown on Kamis, 22 Januari 2015 | 20.18

Deadly Shell Attack On Bus Stop In Ukraine

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

Ukraine's defence ministry blamed pro-Russian rebels, saying in a statement: "On Thursday, the terrorists shelled a trolleybus in Donetsk.

"The terrorists shelled the passenger transport from city residential areas controlled by the illegal militias."

But Moscow has blamed the attack on Ukrainian troops branding it as a "crime against humanity", aimed at undermining efforts to resolve the bloody conflict, which has claimed the lives of more than 5,000 people.

Following the deadly strike, separatists paraded around 20 captured Ukrainian soldiers through the streets of Donetsk as angry residents hurled pieces of glass and abuse at them.

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Gallery: Bus Hit By Shell In Donetsk

At least 13 people were killed when a shell or a mortar hit a trolleybus stop in the rebel-controlled city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine. Continue through for more images

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The 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 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 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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"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 fighting between the Ukrainian army and pro-Russian rebels.

The development comes after the Ukrainian President claimed more than 9,000 Russian soldiers equipped with heavy weapons, including tanks and artillery, 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: "If this is not aggression, what is aggression?"

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 Rabu, 21 Januari 2015 | 20.18

Four men have been charged with providing logistical support to the gunman who killed four people at a kosher supermarket in Paris.

They are suspected of obtaining "equipment" for Ahmed Coulibaly, who shot dead a policewoman on the outskirts of the French capital before taking hostages at the store a day later, prosecutor Francois Molins said.

Three of the men, who are all in their twenties, have criminal records and at least one met Coulibaly in prison, he added.

All four are being held in custody while further inquiries are carried out.

They have been named only as Willy P., Christophe R., Tonino G. and Mickael A.

Mr Molins said three are believed to have procured weapons and tactical material for Coulibaly, but are not accused of complicity in the supermarket attack.

The DNA of Mickael A. was found on a revolver in Coulibaly's apartment and on a glove he wore in the store. It is claimed Mickael A. had 18 phone contacts with Coulibaly on 6 January.

The lawyer for one of the suspects said his client was unaware of any terrorist plot and was afraid of Coulibaly, who "terrorised" him and intimidated him into helping.

Mr Molins said authorities in France are working with other countries to track down other possible accomplices

Police are also investigating who edited and released a video of Coulibaly on the internet several days after he and the two Charlie Hebdo gunmen were shot dead by officers.

In the video, Coulibaly pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, which has seized control of large areas of Syria and Iraq.

Mr Moulins said police believe the attacks on the supermarket and satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, carried out by brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi, were coordinated.

Security in France and other European countries including Belgium and the UK has been stepped up following the atrocities.

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls has announced an extra 2,600 intelligence staff are to be hired to combat the growing threat of jihadists, with almost 3,000 people now involved in "terrorist networks".

He said they would be taken on over the next three years at a cost of 425m euros (£325m).

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Gallery: Paris Hero Gets French Citizenship

The Malian who helped hostages at a Jewish supermarket to hide during the terror attacks in Paris has been granted French citizenship. Lassana Bathily (C) was praised for his "courage" and "heroism" during a ceremony in Paris

French interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve, pictured, said Mr Bathily's "act of humanity has become a symbol of an Islam of peace and tolerance"

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20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Obama Demands Action On Taxes and Terrorism

By Sky News US Team

President Barack Obama said it is time for the US to "turn the page" on years of hardship, as he urged Republicans to back tax increases on the rich to help struggling American families.

During his annual State of the Union speech in the House of Representatives, a bullish Mr Obama declared that "the shadow of crisis has passed" after two wars and a "vicious recession".

The President, whose approval ratings are on the up, appeared undaunted by Republicans who have just assumed control of both houses of Congress for the first time since he came to office.

He said: "Will we accept an economy where only a few of us do spectacularly well?

"Or will we commit ourselves to an economy that generates rising incomes and chances for everyone who makes the effort?"

He added: "So the verdict is clear. Middle-class economics works. Expanding opportunity works."

The Democratic President wants to increase the capital gains tax rate on couples making more than $500,000 (£330,000) per year, from 23.8% to 28%.

Republicans will not pass the increases, but he will place them in the tricky spot of blocking measures that could offer a lift to working families.

In his nationally televised, hour-long speech, he also called on lawmakers to pass a new authorisation of military force against Islamic State militants.

He said the US-led effort to stop the extremists from advancing in Iraq and Syria is working without sucking the US into another Middle East ground war.

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Gallery: Key Moments From State Of The Union

A bullish President Barack Obama has delivered his sixth State of the Union speech in the US House of Representatives

The main aisle of the chamber was thronged as usual with lawmakers eager to greet him as he arrived to give his address

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20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Israel: Nine People Wounded In Bus Attack

A Palestinian man has stabbed nine people on a commuter bus in central Tel Aviv before being shot in the leg by a prison officer as he ran off.

Police said the assailant stabbed the driver and passengers shortly after getting on the bus.

The victims were taken to Tel Aviv's Ichilov hospital, where seven were admitted for treatment. Four were said to be seriously hurt.

Tel Aviv police commander Bentzi Sau told reporters: "Shortly after he boarded the bus, the assailant stabbed the driver several times.

"But there was an excellent response from him as he resisted the attack and in this way the terrorist was stunned."

Commander Sau said prison officers in a passing van saw the incident and gave chase.

Speaking to army radio, one of the officers, identified only as Benny, said: "We saw the bus swerve to the side... then stop at a green light.

"Suddenly, we saw people running out of the bus and when we saw them shouting for help we jumped out, and I and three others started running after the terrorist.

"At first we fired in the air, then at his legs. The terrorist fell, we handcuffed him and turned him over to police."

Police said the suspect was a 23-year-old from the town of Tulkarm in the West Bank who was staying in Israel illegally.

The stabbings were the latest in a series of attacks in recent months amid growing tensions between Israelis and Palestinians.

The majority have been in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Last month a Palestinian woman was shot after knifing an Israeli in the southern West Bank.

In November three Americans, a Briton and an Israeli policeman were killed in an attack on a Jerusalem synagogue.

Last July a Palestinian teenager was burned to death by Jewish attackers, allegedly in revenge for the abduction and killing of three Jewish teenagers by Palestinian militants in the occupied West Bank.

20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Obama Pokes Fun As He Urges 'Better Politics'

"The shadow of crisis has passed. The State of the Union is strong."

Bold words for a President who has a habit of saying things that come back to haunt him, but with his approval ratings finally lifting and the economy improving Barack Obama is happy to sound confident again.

The crisis was the 2008 financial crash that caused the Great Recession and if Barack Obama is sounding optimistic he is not the only one. Many Americans seem to share his confidence that, as he put it, the page is finally being turned.

The President could walk into the lion's den of a Republican-controlled US Congress with a spring in his step, thanks to a resurgent US economy. If Republicans were expecting a more conciliatory tone, given the thumping they gave his party in last year's mid-term elections, they will have been sorely disappointed.

This year's State of the Union speech had a very different tone. He has tried pleading in the past, and occasionally preaching to persuade his Republican rivals to co-operate. This year he seemed done with all that.

He mocked them at times, knowing the television pictures would be in his favour. As he suggested opponents of a minimum wage tried living on an annual salary of $15,000 (£10,000) for a week, the pictures cut to rows of well-heeled-looking Republicans sitting glumly as Democrats applauded on their feet.

He listed the ways America is making progress economically and Republicans again did not join the standing ovations, making them look churlish. When he pointed out he had no more elections to win, they could not resist a mocking hand clap, but he had the last laugh with a presidential put down: "I should know. I won both of them," he said with a satisfied grin.

He talked of his yearning for a "better politics" and said he believed cynics were wrong to say gridlock and partisanship were inevitable in Washington.

"I still believe we are one people," he said. Americans, he added, "expect those of us who serve here to set a better example".

But at the same time he is promoting a tax agenda guaranteed to encourage more opposition from his opponents, and he knows it. His plans to pay for middle-class tax breaks with higher taxes for the very rich are a non-starter for Republicans. So why push them?

He may well believe they are the right thing to pursue, but it is also clever politics. Promoting them in a speech watched by 33 million Americans increases his leverage in negotiations with Congress to come.

And he is also hoping to frame the debate as the countdown to the 2016 presidential elections begins.

Income inequality is a big issue in the US and only likely to become more so in the next two years.

Republicans risk alienating voters if they appear to oppose efforts to tackle it. But they'll upset their wealthy patrons if they don't. They could be drawn onto politically treacherous ground.

20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Hole In Gum: Tiger Woods' Tooth Knocked Out

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 20 Januari 2015 | 20.18

By Sky News US Team

Tiger Woods has had a tooth knocked out after being hit in the face by a video camera while watching his girlfriend, skier Lindsey Vonn.

The former world number one golfer made a surprise visit to Italy on Monday to watch Vonn capture her record 63rd World Cup race.

"During a crush of photographers at the awards podium at the World Cup event in Italy, a media member with a shoulder-mounted video camera pushed and surged toward the stage, turned and hit Tiger Woods in the mouth," Mark Steinberg of Excel Sports said.

"Woods' tooth was knocked out by the incident."

The gap in Woods' teeth was captured on photographs, even as Woods wore a scarf over the lower part of his face.

Woods, who was limited to nine tournaments last year due to back problems, said earlier this month that he will make his season debut at the Waste Management Phoenix Open between 29 January and 1 February.

20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Catholics Don't Need To 'Breed Like Rabbits'

Pope Francis urged the world's 1.2 billion Catholics to practice "responsible parenting" as he upheld the Church's ban on contraception.

"Some think, and excuse the term, that to be good Catholics, they must be like rabbits," the Pontiff said to journalists on the flight home from the Philippines.

He said there were many "licit" forms of birth control, in an apparent reference to the Natural Family Planning method of monitoring a woman's cycle in an attempt to avoid pregnancy.

It follows a tour of Asia, where the Pope has showed his more conservative side by defending the church's stance on artificial contraception and gay marriage.

The Pontiff argued that no external organisation should enforce its views on family size, criticising the imposition of Western values on the developing world.

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Gallery: Pope Draws Huge Crowds In Manila

Huge crowds filled Manila's main park and surrounding areas for Pope Francis' last mass in the Philippines before his return to Rome

Air force pictures show a packed Rizal Park - the landmark and areas around it had an estimated six million people attending

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IS Demands $200m Ransom For Japan Hostages

Islamic State has issued a video threatening to kill two Japanese hostages unless a $200m (£133m) ransom is paid within 72 hours.

In the video, a black-clad militant brandishing a knife addresses the camera in English as he stands between two hostages wearing orange jumpsuits.

"You now have 72 hours to pressure your government into making a wise decision by paying the $200m to save the lives of your citizens," he says.

The footage, identified as being made by the militant group's al Furqan media arm and posted on militant websites, also sees the militant criticising the Japanese government's support for US-led airstrikes against IS.

But the Japanese government has said it will not bow to extremism.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told a news conference in Jerusalem: "I strongly demand they not be harmed and that they be immediately released.

"I am extremely indignant at such an act."

The militant who appears in the video is apparently the same man involved in the beheadings of other IS captives.

Speaking in a British accent, he says: "To the prime minister of Japan: Although you are more than 8,000 and 500 kilometres (5,280 miles) from the Islamic State, you willingly have volunteered to take part in this crusade.

"You have proudly donated $100m to kill our women and children, to destroy the homes of the Muslims."

The two hostages are identified as Kenji Goto Jogo and Haruna Yukawa.

In August, a Japanese citizen believed to be Mr Yukawa - a private military company operator - was kidnapped in Syria.

Mr Goto is a freelance journalist who went to report on Syria's civil war last year.

IS has seized swathes of territory across Iraq and Syria to form an Islamic Caliphate.

Videos featuring a British-accented jihadi were published showing the murders of US hostages James Foley and Steven Sotloff and British hostages David Haines and Alan Henning.

The Foreign Office said it was investigating the video and reports that the militant is British.

"We are aware of the video and we are studying the content," a spokeswoman said.

The Japanese Prime Minister is currently on a six-day visit to the Middle East.

Last week, he pledged around $200m in non-military assistance for countries battling IS.

Japan's foreign ministry said it was checking the video, but if it was genuine "such a threat by taking hostages is unacceptable and we are extremely resentful".

:: Ransom demands and the countries who pay up

20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ransom Demands And The Countries Who Pay Up

Britain and the US have stated that they do not pay ransoms for hostages, but extremist groups rely on countries which do as a source of income.

European nations, including France and Italy, are believed to have paid large sums for the safe release of kidnapped citizens.

The money is most commonly paid through a network of proxies in contact with extremist organisations, often disguised as development aid for a particular country.

A New York Times investigation last year found that al Qaeda and its affiliates have made at least $125m (£83m) from kidnappings since 2008 - including $66m (£44m) in 2013.

The US and UK insist that paying ransoms increases the likelihood that citizens will be taken hostage in future.

:: Italy - aid workers Greta Ramelli, 21, and Vanessa Marzullo, 20, were kidnapped on 31 July, 2014, in Syria.

Their release last week sparked speculation in Italy that the government had paid €15m (£11.5m) in ransom, although foreign minister Paolo Gentiloni denied the reports and told the Italian Parliament: "We are against paying ransom".

Italy is also believed to have paid $2m (£1.3m) to the Taliban in 2006 to release a kidnapped photographer in Afghanistan.

:: France - reportedly paid for four journalists - Nicolas Henin, Pierre Torres, Edouard Elias and Didier Francois to be released in Syria in 2014. Reports claimed the figure was $18m (£12m), but the French government denied it had paid a ransom.

:: Spain - paid £2m ransom to Somali pirates for the release of 36 crewmen on a Spanish trawler.

:: Austria - reportedly paid $3.2m (£2.1m) to al Qaeda for the release of two of its citizens in 2008.

:: Switzerland - $12.4m (£8.2m) reportedly paid to al Qaeda in 2009 for two Swiss hostages and one German.

:: Qatar - helped secure the release of US journalist Peter Curtis from al Qaeda.

:: Oman - has handed over more than $20m (£13.2m) to al Qaeda since 2013.

:: Israel - has often struck deals to secure the return of its citizens, including prisoner exchanges.

20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Boko Haram 'Abducts' 50 Children In Cameroon

Written By Unknown on Senin, 19 Januari 2015 | 20.18

Suspected Boko Haram fighters have abducted up to 80 people, many of them children, in a deadly assault on villages in northern Cameroon, officials say.

"According to our initial information, around 30 adults, most of them herders, and 50 young girls and boys aged between 10 and 15 years were abducted," a senior army officer deployed to northern Cameroon told news agency Reuters.

That would make it Boko Haram's largest abduction in Cameroon to date.

Government spokesman Issa Tchiroma Bakary confirmed that three people were killed in the attack on Sunday, which targeted the village of Mabass and several others along the Nigerian border.

He said soldiers had intervened and exchanged fire with the assailants for around two hours.

He added that up to 80 houses were destroyed.

The assault comes just days after Amnesty International released satellite images of "catastrophic" Boko Haram attacks on two towns in Nigeria.

It believes hundreds of people were killed and that over 3,700 structures were either damaged or destroyed in the attacks in Baga and neighbouring Doron Baga earlier this month.

The campaign group said the pictures, taken on 2 and 7 January, provided "indisputable and shocking evidence" of the scale of the assaults.

The Islamist organisation was also responsible for the kidnap of more than 200 teenage girls from a school in the northern Nigerian town of Chibok last April.

Boko Haram has been fighting a bloody six-year insurgency to create an Islamic state which has left thousands dead and forced hundreds of thousands to flee their homes.

Attacks are increasing in frequency as Boko Haram continues to seize territory in northern Nigeria, and expands its insurgency across the border.

Chadian troops began to arrive in Cameroon on Sunday in order to help repel the extremists' offensive.

20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Mastermind Of Jihadist Cell 'Still At Large'

The suspected mastermind of the jihadist cell dismantled in Belgium is still at large, a Belgian minister has said.

The comments from Justice Minister Koen Geens come amid reports the suspect is in Greece.

When asked if the ringleader remained on the run after four people were arrested in Athens on Saturday, Mr Geens told VRT television: "That is indeed the case."

He added: "Last night's arrests did not succeed in nabbing the right person. We are still actively looking for him and I presume we will succeed."

Belgian media have named the suspected leader of the cell uncovered by police in the eastern town of Verviers as Abdelhamid Abaaoud, a 27-year-old Belgian of Moroccan origin.

Two suspects were shot dead in a fierce gun battle with police during the raid, which smashed a cell plotting to kill Belgian officers on the street, local authorities said.

According to Belgian media, Abaaoud spent time fighting alongside Islamic State militants in Syria.

He was already known to security forces after appearing in an Islamic State video, at the wheel of a car transporting mutilated bodies to a mass grave.

Belgium's Flemish-language VTM channel said Abaaoud had made calls from Greece to the brother of one of the two heavily-armed suspects killed in Verviers.

A Greek police source said anti-terrorism investigators sent DNA samples and fingerprints to Belgium to establish whether Abaaoud was among the suspects arrested in Athens.

Initial reports had put the number of suspects in Greek custody at four but a police source said only two people were detained, at least one of whom was released without charge.

A spokesman for the Belgian federal prosecutor's office, Eric Van Der Sypt, said there was "no connection" between the suspects and their enquiry.

In Belgium, 13 people were arrested in connection with the probe. Five have been charged with "participating in the activities of a terrorist group."

Weapons, bomb-making materials, police uniforms and fake documents were found during searches of their homes.

Furthers searches were made Sunday in the Brussels district of Molenbeek where Abaaoud lived, media reports said.

Two fugitives who left Belgium immediately after the attack were arrested in France.

The Paris atrocities, in which 17 people were killed, have rekindled fears about young Europeans returning home after fighting alongside extremist groups in the Middle East.

Two of the three terrorists responsible for the attacks, brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi, were buried over the weekend in anonymous graves.

There has been no word on burial plans for the third gunman Amedy Coulibaly, who murdered five people before he was shot dead by police.

20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Forty-Five Churches Torched In Hebdo Protest

Forty-five churches have been torched in Niger over the use of a Prophet Mohammed cartoon on the cover of Charlie Hebdo magazine.

At least five people died and 128 were injured in the capital Niamey during protests against the image on the front of the satirical publication.

The controversial magazine ran a caricature showing the prophet under the headline "All is forgiven" just days after an Islamist attack on its offices in Paris that left 12 people dead.

The physical depiction of Mohammed is considered blasphemous by many Muslims.

Several hundred thousand people also protested in the Chechen capital Grozny at a state-organised rally.

The region's strongman leader Ramzan Kadyrov told the rally in the capital Grozny: "This is a protest against those who support the publication of caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed.

"This is a protest against those who insult the Muslim religion."

Demonstrators chanted "Allahu Akbar" (God is Greatest) and released balloons into the sky at the event which was described by observers as highly-choreographed.

Those who spoke to the crowd harangued Western governments for allowing publications to print caricatures of the prophet.

Russian TV showed live footage of people streaming into Grozny's main square shortly before the speech by Mr Kadyrov - a loyalist of President Vladimir Putin.

It came just over a week after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov took part in the march for unity in Paris following the end of the city's sieges.

Meanwhile, hundreds of people in Afghanistan demonstrated against the magazine's actions by burning a French flag and calling for the government to cut diplomatic relations with France.

At total of 17 people were killed in and around Paris over three days after the attack on the magazine office on January 5.

The attacks by brothers Cherif and Said Kouachi and Amedy Coulibaly shocked the country and sparked an outpouring of international support, with many newspapers and magazines around the world reprinting earlier Charlie Hebdo cartoons.

But the decision by the magazine to place a new cartoon on its front has resulted in outrage across the Muslim world.

Earlier protests left 10 dead in Niger and violent clashes also occurred between demonstrators and police in Pakistan, Jordan and Algeria.

More follows...

20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Eurostar Trains Halted By Fire Outside Paris

Eurostar services were stopped for a short time on Monday due to fire next to the track, as the train operator struggled to get back to normal after a weekend of disruptions.

A blaze close to the tracks in a Paris suburb forced firefighters to close the line, stopping all trains travelling into Paris' Gare Du Nord.

Services resumed after the fire was brought under control and passengers were allowed to board services for London.

Eurostar and Eurotunnel, which operates car transport and freight services, had hoped things would get back to something like normal on Monday after some final repairs on damage done in the north tunnel over the weekend.

Thousands of passengers on the services were left stranded on Saturday after a lorry fire stopped services.

Spokesman John O'Keefe said a "smouldering load" was found in the trailer of the lorry.

No one was injured but the incident led to long queues at London St Pancras station, as well as in Paris and Brussels.

Travel woes piled up on Sunday, with a separate electrical problem forcing the tunnel to shut for two hours.

Before the fire outside Paris, Eurotunnel said there were delays of about an hour on services from the UK and 30 minutes from France. Eurostar was warning trains could be delayed by up to an hour.

Up-to-the-minute updates can be found on the Eurostar and Eurotunnel Twitter accounts.

20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Record Six Million In Manila For Pope's Mass

Written By Unknown on Minggu, 18 Januari 2015 | 20.18

Record Six Million In Manila For Pope's Mass

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Record crowds have filled Manila's main park and surrounding areas for Pope Francis' last mass in the Philippines before he returns to Rome.

An estimated six million worshippers attended the event, making it the largest ever papal gathering, despite constant rain.

The turnout easily surpassed the previous record of five million for a mass by John Paul II at the same venue in 1995.

Francis arrived at Rizal Park in a 'popemobile' based on the design of a jeepney, a popular form of transport in the Philippines.

He was wearing the same plastic yellow rain poncho handed out to the masses during his visit to typhoon-hit Tacloban on Saturday.

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Gallery: Pope Draws Huge Crowds In Manila

Huge crowds filled Manila's main park and surrounding areas for Pope Francis' last mass in the Philippines before his return to Rome

Air force pictures show a packed Rizal Park - the landmark and areas around it had an estimated six million people attending

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It was a record attendance for a papal mass - surpassing the five million who attended a mass by John Paul II in Manila in 1995

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The 78-year-old Pontiff was mobbed as he arrived at the park

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People make their way through the streets to Rizal Park. Continue for more images

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The 78-year-old waved and smiled at the cheering crowds that lined the route taken by his motorcade to the park.

His vehicle stopped repeatedly so he could lean over barriers and kiss babies.

Philippine authorities mounted one of their biggest ever security operations, deploying some 40,000 soldiers and police.

"This is a sea of faith we are dealing with," acting national chief Leonardo Espina told reporters.

Earlier, Francis drew an estimated 200,000 people to Manila's Catholic university, where he came close to tears hearing two rescued street children speak of the hardship they had faced.

By the time the gates to Rizal Park opened, the roads leading to it were mostly closed.

Many people camped outside the entrance the night before to make sure they got in.

The government warned the elderly, pregnant women and children against attending.

The pope's five-day visit to the Philippines, which began on Thursday, followed two days in Sri Lanka.

His visit to Tacloban had to be cut short because of looming stormy weather, and there was drama at the airport when a plane carrying VIPs connected to the papal visit was blown off a runway as it prepared to take off shortly after the Pope's aircraft departed.

It is Francis' second trip to Asia in five months, reflecting its growing importance to the Catholic Church with support dwindling in Europe and the United States.

It is also the fourth papal visit to the Philippines, where four-fifths of the population are Catholics.

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