The tower was lit in the black, yellow and red of the Belgian flag at the request of Paris' Mayor Anne Hidalgo, according to a statement on the monument’s official website Tuesday.
Ebola flare-up over says WHO, as virus no longer spreading in West Africa
The latest flare-up of Ebola in Sierra Leone has ended, leaving no confirmed cases of the virus in West Africa
Donald Trump crushes Kasich despite big win in Ohio
Donald Trump won the Republican presidential primaries in Florida, North Carolina and Illinois on Tuesday
Showing posts with label terrorism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label terrorism. Show all posts
Tuesday, 22 March 2016
Eiffel Tower To Light Up In Belgian Flag's Colors following terror attacks in Brussels
The tower was lit in the black, yellow and red of the Belgian flag at the request of Paris' Mayor Anne Hidalgo, according to a statement on the monument’s official website Tuesday.
ISIS admits responsibility for Brussels attacks
The blown out facade of the terminal is seen at Zaventem airport, one of the sites of two deadly attacks in Brussels, Belgium, Tuesday, March 22, 2016. Authorities in Europe have tightened security at airports, on subways, at the borders and on city streets after the attacks Tuesday on the Brussels airport and its subway system.
Sunday, 20 March 2016
2 Americans dead in Istanbul suicide bombing attack
The White House says two Americans were among those killed in a suicide attack in Istanbul. An Israeli diplomat in Istanbul says they held dual Israeli citizenship.
Israeli media named one of the victims as 60-year-old Simha Dimri, a mother of four. Her husband was wounded in the attack, according to reports.
Ned Price, a spokesman for the National Security Council, in a statement Saturday condemned the "heinous attack" and said the U.S. remains steadfast in support of Turkey, its NATO ally.
He says the U.S. remains in close touch with Turkish authorities. He offered thoughts and prayers to the families of those who were killed or wounded.
Price says these repeated acts of terrorism in Turkey must come to an end.
An Iranian citizen was also killed in Saturday's attack on Istanbul's main pedestrian shopping street that killed at least five people, including the suicide bomber.
It was the sixth suicide bombing in Turkey in the past year.
Israeli media named one of the victims as 60-year-old Simha Dimri, a mother of four. Her husband was wounded in the attack, according to reports.
Ned Price, a spokesman for the National Security Council, in a statement Saturday condemned the "heinous attack" and said the U.S. remains steadfast in support of Turkey, its NATO ally.
He says the U.S. remains in close touch with Turkish authorities. He offered thoughts and prayers to the families of those who were killed or wounded.
Price says these repeated acts of terrorism in Turkey must come to an end.
An Iranian citizen was also killed in Saturday's attack on Istanbul's main pedestrian shopping street that killed at least five people, including the suicide bomber.
It was the sixth suicide bombing in Turkey in the past year.
Saturday, 19 March 2016
5 dead including Israeli in suicide car bombing in Istanbul
Four people were killed in a suicide bombing attack on Istanbul's main pedestrian shopping street Saturday-- the sixth suicide bombing in Turkey in the past year.
Several foreigners were among 36 people wounded, according to the health ministry.
The attacker was deterred from an initial target by police and detonated the bomb "out of fear", an official said, according to Sky News.
Several foreigners were among 36 people wounded, according to the health ministry.
The attacker was deterred from an initial target by police and detonated the bomb "out of fear", an official said, according to Sky News.
Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam to oppose extradition to France
Salah Abdeslam, the last surviving terrorist believed responsible for
the November 13, 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris, is said to be
cooperating with police in Belgium, and his legal team is opposing his
extradition to France, Yahoo News is reporting.
On Friday, the 26-year-old Abdeslam, along with other accomplices, were arrested in a bloody gun battle with Belgian police, according to Fox News.
Belgian police, following up on information from tips and earlier raids, caught up with Abdeslam in the Brussels neighborhood of Molenbeek. Abdeslam was shot in the leg but will recover from his wounds.
On Friday, the 26-year-old Abdeslam, along with other accomplices, were arrested in a bloody gun battle with Belgian police, according to Fox News.
Belgian police, following up on information from tips and earlier raids, caught up with Abdeslam in the Brussels neighborhood of Molenbeek. Abdeslam was shot in the leg but will recover from his wounds.
North Korean recent missile tests condemned Tokyo
Two suspected North Korean missile launches drew Japanese condemnation on Friday, just days after the isolated country’s defiant leader Kim Jong Un threatened to carry out a series of nuclear warhead tests and missile launches.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said North Korea shot off a medium-range ballistic missile at around 5:54 a.m. from the western part of Sukchon. It flew about 800 km and fell into the Sea of Japan about 650 km east of the Korean Peninsula. Suga said Tokyo lodged protest with North Korea through the embassy in Beijing, and that there is no report of damages caused to Japanese ships by the launch.
The U.S. officials said the second missile, fired about 20 minutes later, disappeared from radar in the early stage of its flight. Yonhap News reported that it may have exploded before reaching its target area, citing South Korean defense officials.
Both U.S. and South Korean defense officials believe the missiles were probably Nodongs fired from mobile launch vehicles.
Tokyo has yet to confirm details on the second missile or what type may be involved, but Defense Minister Gen Nakatani did tell reporters he has not ruled out the possibility they were Nodong missiles, which have a maximum range of 1,300 km and are capable of striking Japan. Kyodo News reported that Nakatani issued an order to destroy the missiles should they threaten Japanese territory, citing government sources.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe denounced the North’s lates tprovocation, calling it a clear violation of the U.S. Security Council resolutions.
“We demand that North Korea refrain (from any provocative actions), and we are bracing for any contingency,” Abe said during the Upper House budgetary committee session.
Tensions have been simmering since Pyongyang carried out its fourth nuclear test on Jan. 6, followed by the launch of a long-range rocket that was seen as cover for another long-range ballistic missile test.
Friday’s launch is widely believed to be a blatant protest against the biggest joint military drills held by the United States and South Korea. The drills, underway since March 7, are often criticized by Pyongyang as a provocative rehearsal for invasion.
On March 10, the North fired two short-range missiles into the Sea of Japan. It also launched a Nodong missile in March 2014, while the U.S. and South Korea were staging joint drills.
Pyongyang’s continuous provocations come amid mounting international pressure against it. Japan and South Korea have already adopted their own sanctions and the U.N. Security Council earlier this month unanimously adopted a resolution that imposes the most stringent sanctions ever on the North. U.S. President Barack Obama on Thursday also signed an executive order implementing tough sanctions based on the resolution, further isolating a country that is already known as the hermit kingdom.
The newly imposed sanctions are aimed at weakening Pyongyang’s ability to further develop nuclear weapons. Pyongyang is believed to already have a small stockpile of nuclear weapons, though its ability to accurately strike targets has been questioned. Among the North’s ambitions is to develop a usable inter-continental ballistic missile that can strike the North America. Yet experts say it will take years for North Korea to develop that capability.
To diffuse such skepticism, the North has been flaunting its technological development.
The state-run Korean Central News Agency earlier this month reported that the country has succeeded in miniaturizing nuclear warheads to fit in ballistic missiles.
The state media on Tuesday also reported that North Korea successfully conducted a simulation of the atmospheric re-entry of a warhead. The technology, if actually developed, would give the North the ability to not only launch a long-range missile, but also guide it through re-entry and to a target, including the United States.
South Korea’s defense ministry said that Pyongyang is yet to acquire such technology. Yet experts say that the North could soon be testing an ICBM, which could further destabilize the security landscape of the Korean Peninsula and escalate military tensions.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said North Korea shot off a medium-range ballistic missile at around 5:54 a.m. from the western part of Sukchon. It flew about 800 km and fell into the Sea of Japan about 650 km east of the Korean Peninsula. Suga said Tokyo lodged protest with North Korea through the embassy in Beijing, and that there is no report of damages caused to Japanese ships by the launch.
The U.S. officials said the second missile, fired about 20 minutes later, disappeared from radar in the early stage of its flight. Yonhap News reported that it may have exploded before reaching its target area, citing South Korean defense officials.
Both U.S. and South Korean defense officials believe the missiles were probably Nodongs fired from mobile launch vehicles.
Tokyo has yet to confirm details on the second missile or what type may be involved, but Defense Minister Gen Nakatani did tell reporters he has not ruled out the possibility they were Nodong missiles, which have a maximum range of 1,300 km and are capable of striking Japan. Kyodo News reported that Nakatani issued an order to destroy the missiles should they threaten Japanese territory, citing government sources.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe denounced the North’s lates tprovocation, calling it a clear violation of the U.S. Security Council resolutions.
“We demand that North Korea refrain (from any provocative actions), and we are bracing for any contingency,” Abe said during the Upper House budgetary committee session.
Tensions have been simmering since Pyongyang carried out its fourth nuclear test on Jan. 6, followed by the launch of a long-range rocket that was seen as cover for another long-range ballistic missile test.
Friday’s launch is widely believed to be a blatant protest against the biggest joint military drills held by the United States and South Korea. The drills, underway since March 7, are often criticized by Pyongyang as a provocative rehearsal for invasion.
On March 10, the North fired two short-range missiles into the Sea of Japan. It also launched a Nodong missile in March 2014, while the U.S. and South Korea were staging joint drills.
Pyongyang’s continuous provocations come amid mounting international pressure against it. Japan and South Korea have already adopted their own sanctions and the U.N. Security Council earlier this month unanimously adopted a resolution that imposes the most stringent sanctions ever on the North. U.S. President Barack Obama on Thursday also signed an executive order implementing tough sanctions based on the resolution, further isolating a country that is already known as the hermit kingdom.
The newly imposed sanctions are aimed at weakening Pyongyang’s ability to further develop nuclear weapons. Pyongyang is believed to already have a small stockpile of nuclear weapons, though its ability to accurately strike targets has been questioned. Among the North’s ambitions is to develop a usable inter-continental ballistic missile that can strike the North America. Yet experts say it will take years for North Korea to develop that capability.
To diffuse such skepticism, the North has been flaunting its technological development.
The state-run Korean Central News Agency earlier this month reported that the country has succeeded in miniaturizing nuclear warheads to fit in ballistic missiles.
The state media on Tuesday also reported that North Korea successfully conducted a simulation of the atmospheric re-entry of a warhead. The technology, if actually developed, would give the North the ability to not only launch a long-range missile, but also guide it through re-entry and to a target, including the United States.
South Korea’s defense ministry said that Pyongyang is yet to acquire such technology. Yet experts say that the North could soon be testing an ICBM, which could further destabilize the security landscape of the Korean Peninsula and escalate military tensions.
Friday, 18 March 2016
Salah Abdeslam the most-wanted fugitive from November's Paris attacks arrested in Brussels
The most-wanted fugitive from November's Paris attacks was wounded and caught in a shootout with police in Brussels on Friday, Belgian newspaper Derniere Heure and other media said.Other newspapers reported two people had been arrested, though there were conflicting accounts and French President Francois Hollande said there was no confirmation of the detention of Salah Abdeslam, the 26-year-old French suspect from Brussels.
Several exchanges of gun fire rang out in the city's Molenbeek area - the scene of past investigations - and police officers were seen surrounding an apartment block there.
AFP Photo/Vincent LEFAI, Laurence SAUBADU
Hollande and Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel left a meeting of EU leaders on the migration crisis going on at the same time in the Belgian capital and met to discuss the operation, officials said.
Television footage showed masked, black-clad security forces guarding a street. Reporters at the scene described white smoke rising from a rooftop and a helicopter hovering overhead.
A police spokeswoman said an operation was ongoing and could not give further details.
Belgian police had found fingerprints belonging to Abdeslam at the scene of an apartment raided on Tuesday, prosecutors said earlier.
The Belgian federal prosecutor's office also said an Algerian killed during that earlier operation was probably one of the people French and Belgian investigators were seeking in relation to the Islamic State attacks in Paris on November 13.
It later said in a separate statement that Mohamed Belkaid was probably the man who went under the name of Samir Bouzid and was killed on Tuesday.
Public broadcaster RTBF said it had information that Abdeslam, whose elder brother blew himself up in Paris, was "more than likely" one of two men who police have said evaded capture at the scene before a sniper shot dead 35-year-old Belkaid as he aimed a Kalashnikov.
Other Belgian media were more cautious, however, saying only there was evidence Abdeslam had been there.
A man named Samir Bouzid has been sought since December when police issued CCTV pictures of him wiring cash from Brussels two days after the Paris attacks to a woman who was then killed in a shootout with police in the Paris suburb of St. Denis.
She was a cousin of Abdelhamid Abbaoud, a Belgian who had fought in Syria and is suspected of being a prime organiser of the attacks in which 130 people were killed. Both died in the apartment in St. Denis on November 18.
France's BFM television said the fingerprints were found on a glass in the apartment, where four police officers, including a Frenchwoman, were wounded when a hail of automatic gunfire hit them through the front door as they arrived for what officials said they had expected to be a relatively routine search.
Belgian officials said earlier in the week that police had not expected to find armed suspects at the apartment and that the presence of French officers was not an indication the raid was of special importance to the investigation.
Abdeslam's elder brother was among the suicide bombers who killed themselves in Paris during a shooting rampage in which 130 people died. The younger Abdeslam was driven back to Brussels from Paris hours later.
Belgian authorities are holding 10 people suspected of involvement with him, but there has been no report of the fugitive himself being sighted. There has long been speculation in Belgium that he could have fled to Syria.
Investigators believe much of the planning and preparation for the November bombing and shooting rampage in Paris was conducted in Brussels by young French and Belgian nationals, some of whom fought in Syria for Islamic State.
The attack strained relations between Brussels and Paris, with French officials suggesting Belgium was lax in monitoring the activities of hundreds of militants returned from Syria.
Brussels, headquarters of the European Union as well as Western military alliance NATO, was entirely locked down for days shortly after the Paris attacks for fear of a major incident there. Brussels has maintained a high state of security alert since then, with military patrols a regular sight.
Statoil says a gas facility in Algeria hit by explosive
An Algerian gas plant owned by Norway's Statoil, BP and state firm Sonatrach was attacked on Friday, the company said.
"The In Salah Gas asset in Krechba was hit by explosive munitions fired from a distance," Statoil said in a statement.
"Statoil is working on getting an overview of the situation, but has so far no information about anybody being injured during the attack," it said.
"The In Salah Gas asset in Krechba was hit by explosive munitions fired from a distance," Statoil said in a statement.
"Statoil is working on getting an overview of the situation, but has so far no information about anybody being injured during the attack," it said.
