4-year-old boy sentenced to life imprisonment for committing 'four murders'

 

Other charges that have been levelled on the kid are of attempt to murder, vandalising of property and threatening police officers.

As per a Pradesh18 report, Ahmed Mansour Karni, the boy was not in court on Tuesday when he was being convicted for offences that happened in 2014.

Convicted along with 115 defendants, Ahmed was listed as 'wanted' for murder, damaging state property and disturbing peace and order.

However, it was later found that sentence was pronounced due to some error.

Ahmed's birth certificate was presented after state security forces added his name to the list of accused, but then the case was transferred to the military court and the child was sentenced in absentia in an ensuing court hearing, which proves that the judge did not read the case, the boy's defence attorney, Faisal al-Sayd was quoted in Pradesh18 report.

'The Islamic rape of Europe': Polish magazine sparks worldwide outrage

 

The cover of the news weekly "wSieci" (In the net) showed a posed photo of a blue-eyed blonde woman, wrapped in an EU flag, looking terrified as she is groped by hairy-armed men.

The magazine said the cover referred to a rash of sexual assaults against hundreds of women, allegedly by men of North African and Arab origin, during New Year's Eve celebrations in the German city of Cologne.

But the publication drew fierce criticism on Twitter, with one user comparing it to what they described as a World War II-era Italian fascist propaganda poster vilifying Africans.

Another Twitter user said the "sick cover" was fear-mongering.

"'Islamic rape of Europe', screams Polish magazine. They obviously forget Nazi depictions of Poles in the 1930s," said one Twitter user.

"w Sieci" makes no secret of its support for the Poland's new right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) government.”

At the end of 2015, it had a circulation of 76,000, a decline of 1.16 percent over 2014, according to the specialist website press.pl.

In the category of news weeklies, it lay a distant third, with the top-selling title, Newsweek Polska, selling 120,000.

The populist PiS won an unprecedented majority in October's General Election campaigning, among others, on an anti-migrant platform.

Party leader and ex-premier Jaroslaw Kaczynski played up migrant fears before election day by claiming refugees were bringing "cholera to the Greek islands, dysentery to Vienna, various types of parasites" in comments that critics said recalled the Nazi era.

The PiS government been among the staunchest opponents of an European Union quota plan to distribute refugees across the bloc.

Surveys show a majority of Poles share this view.

Fugitive underworld don and LTTE sympathiser Kumar Pillai held in Singapore

 

According to a report in the Indian Express, Pillai of the notorious Kumar Pillai gang was taken into custody after a Red Corner Notice was issued by Interpol.

The Mumbai Police is currently trying to ascertain identity of the person arrested by Singapore authorities. Once it is confirmed that the arrested person is Kumar Pillai, the process for his extradition will be initiated, a senior police officer was quoted as saying.

According to some other source, Pillai, who was living under a false identity, was arrested at the airport.

Pillai’s stronghold used to be Vikhroli, where he mostly operated in the construction industry.

Pillai also had a very close link with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).  

Up till now, the investigators believed Pillai to be holed up in the UK, Tamil Nadu, Sri Lanka or Singapore, which have a sizeable Tamil population.

At least 18 killed in Ankara car bomb attack targeting military

The bloodshed came on the heels of a string of attacks in Turkey, blamed on jihadists but also on Kurdish rebels. 

The bomb aimed at a convoy of military service vehicles, Ankara governor Mehmet Kiliclar said, quoted by the CNN-Turk and NTV channels.

Plumes of smoke rose from the scene, close to the headquarters of the Turkish military and the parliament.

The powerful blast was heard all over the city, sending residents to their balconies in panic, an AFP correspondent said.

The army said the attack took place at 1631 GMT and had targeted "service vehicles carrying army personnel". It did not give a toll.

"The terror attack was carried out when the vehicles were waiting for traffic lights at a road junction," it added.Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu cancelled a planned visit to Brussels on Thursday after being briefed, his office said.

Ambulances and fire engines were sent to the scene, which is near the Turkish military headquarters and the parliament. Wounded victims were seen being taken away on stretchers.

NTV television said the explosion happened near a residential block for top-level military staff.

Images from the scene showed fire-fighters trying to overcome a fierce blaze from wrecked service buses.

The spokesman for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), Omer Celik, said on Twitter he strongly condemned the "act of terror".

"But our determination to fight (terror) will become even greater," he added.

Turkish police threw a security cordon around the area. A second blast later rocked the area, the AFP correspondent said, but media said this was police detonating a suspicious package.There was no immediate indication about who carried out the attack.

The Islamic State group has been blamed for a string of bombings in the country since the middle of last year but the outlawed Kurdistan Workers` Party (PKK) has also killed dozens of soldiers in attacks mainly in the southeast of the country.

The capital was already on alert after 103 people were killed on October 10 when two suicide bombers blew themselves up in a crowd of peace activists in Ankara, the bloodiest attack in the country`s modern history.

Eleven people, all German tourists, were also killed on January 16 when a suicide bomber blew himself up in the tourist heart of Istanbul.

Those attacks were blamed on IS jihadists, as were two other deadly bombings in the country`s Kurdish-dominated southeast earlier in the year.

Turkish authorities have in recent weeks detained several suspected IS members, with officials saying they were planning attacks in Istanbul and Ankara.

But Turkey is also waging an all-out assault on the outlawed PKK which has repeatedly attacked members of the security forces with roadside bombings on their convoys in the southeast.

The PKK launched an insurgency against the Turkish state in 1984, initially fighting for Kurdish independence although now more for greater autonomy and rights for the country`s largest ethnic minority.

The conflict, which has left tens of thousands of people dead, looked like it could be nearing a resolution until an uneasy truce was shattered in July.

Turkish artillery in southern Turkey shelled positions of Kurdish fighters in Syria for the fifth day in the row on Wednesday in an escalating standoff, reports said.

Turkey says the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its People`s Protection Units (YPG) are merely the Syrian branch of the PKK and themselves terror groups.

Meanwhile the banned ultra-left Revolutionary People`s Liberation Party-Front (DHKP-C) has also staged a string of usually small-scale attacks in Istanbul over the last few months.

Paris attack victims' testify to 'atrocious lack of preparation'

"We have a thousand questions and we expect answers," said Georges Salines, head of one of several victims' associations represented yesterday at the first of a series of hearings to be held over coming weeks.

Salines, a doctor, said he learned of his daughter's death at the Bataclan concert hall the day after the massacre there of 90 people at the hands of jihadist gunmen.

Recounting how he had heard of the death only indirectly through Twitter, he denounced an "atrocious lack of preparation" in terms of information-sharing on the bloody night itself and over the following days.

The commission of enquiry was set up at the request of the conservative opposition Republican party to look into the Socialist government's efforts to counter the terror threat since the previous set of attacks to rock France -- the assault in January 2015 that began with the killings at the Charlie Hebdo satirical weekly and ended with 17 dead over three days.

The total number of victims from the November attacks, including those left with emotional scars, is estimated at 4,000, according to the commission.

"We are not prosecutors or judges but rather investigators (seeking) transparency... Truth... And solutions," said commission president Georges Fenech.

Many told how they had learned of the death of a loved one only three days later, while others complained of saturated phone lines and employees' "shameful" behaviour at the main Paris morgue, which was overwhelmed.

Sophie Dias recalled that she was told when she came to identify her father at the morgue: "Don't worry, if you don't see the head you'll see a foot."
 Still others questioned French intelligence services.

"How could a terrorist who was barred from France and Europe manage to direct an attack of such magnitude?" asked Mohamed Zenak, the treasurer of another victims' association. He was referring to the suspected ringleader of the attacks, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, who was killed in a police raid on November 18.

The Belgian of Moroccan descent had been presumed to be in Syria when he was convicted and sentenced in absentia in July 2015 to 20 years in jail for helping to recruit foreign fighters for Syria. Zenak, whose daughter was injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up at a bar in eastern Paris, pointed to security failures.

Turkey set to meet on Thursday on migration crisis

An assault by Russian-backed Syrian government forces around the city of Aleppo has sent more than 30,000 people to the Turkish border and officials say tens of thousands more could be on the move, hoping eventually to reach Europe.

"The pre-summit-meeting will take place in the Austrian EU embassy this Thursday at midday," said an EU diplomat, adding that around 11 countries including France and Germany would meet Turkey`s Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.

A second diplomat confirmed the meeting and that France would likely be present.

All 28 EU leaders are scheduled to discuss their latest response to the migration crisis at the summit on Thursday and Friday in Brussels.

In a first, Chandigarh-born man to be next US Supreme Court Justice? Obama may nominate him

 

Chandigarh-born Srikanth 'Sri' Srinivasan, 48, tops the list of prospective justice to the country's highest judicial body as US President Barack Obama said he plans to fulfill his "constitutional responsibilities to nominate a successor" to Scalia.

In all likelihood, this Indian-American judge may be nominated to the US Supreme Court which would make him the first from the community to achieve the feat.

Sri Srinivasan could become the first Indian-American to be on the bench of the US Supreme Court after conservative icon Justice Antonin Scalia's sudden death gave rise to speculation that Obama may nominate the judge who enjoys impeccable bipartisan support.

After Justice Antonin Scalia, the longest-serving justice on the high court, passed away, speculation has been rife that the 'moderate' judge might be nominated by US President Barack Obama.

Srinivasan, whom Obama had first nominated to the post in 2012, was a high school basketball star in Kansas before attending Stanford University, which he graduated from in 1989.

Unbelievable! ISIS militants try to flee Ramadi by shaving beards, dressing up as women!

 

Faced with an onslaught from the Iraqi army in the city of Ramadi, a group of ISIS jihadists tried to flee the fallen city after shaving their beards and dressing up in women's outfits.

That, however, could not save them and the terrorists were arrested by the Iraqi army.

"The terrorists had shaved their beards and dressed as women in a bid to fool our forces and escape the liberated city of Ramadi. However, they were all arrested before escaping the city," the Iraqi security command was quoted as saying by ARA News.

Ramadi was retaken from the ISIS by the Iraqi army on Tuesday – it is the capital of Anbar province.

"Our forces have pushed Daesh (ISIS) militants out of the city's outskirts. Ramadi is now under the full control of the army," Iraqi central command said.

"The militants who remained in the city are now trying to escape at any cost in order to avoid falling in the hands of the government forces," a source said.

"At least nine ISIS jihadis were detained on Wednesday while trying to flee the security checkpoints of the Iraqi forces in Ramadi suburb. They were all dressed as women," the source added.

Dozens of newly released Hillary Clinton emails released, 84 marked classified

The former top diplomat, a top White House candidate in the 2016 race, has been dogged by allegations that her use of a private email server while in office, rather than a secure government system, had put US secrets at risk.

The State Department has so far released nearly 46,000 pages of emails out of a total 55,000 pages, all of which are expected to be published by the end of the month.

Saturday's release totals 1,012 partially redacted pages of documents sent to or from her private server.

The emails include 81 that were reclassified as "confidential," the lowest level of classification. Three were upgraded to "secret," a State Department official said.

"The information we upgraded today was not marked classified at the time the emails were sent."

In January, the State Department said 22 of the documents found on the private server contained material considered "top secret" and would not be released publicly.

The FBI is investigating Clinton's use of a private email server.

Clinton has repeatedly denied doing anything wrong but the issue has been a major source of controversy in her presidential campaign.

Angela Merkel isolated as EU partners slam door on refugees

Merkel is battling for a deal that will see refugees more evenly spread around the European Union after Germany welcomed 1.1 million asylum seekers last year.

But instead, eastern European countries are planning new razor wire fences, and even Paris -- traditionally Berlin`s closest EU ally -- has shown little enthusiasm for Merkel`s welcome policy.

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said Saturday that the mood in France was "not favourable" to Merkel`s call for a permanent quota system.

"Europe cannot take in all the migrants from Syria, Iraq or Africa," Valls told German media. "It has to regain control over its borders, over its migration or asylum policies."

US Secretary of State John Kerry praised Merkel for showing "great courage in helping so many who need so much" amid "the gravest humanitarian crisis in Europe since World War II".

But he also told the Munich Security Conference that the mass influx spells a "near existential... threat to the politics and fabric of life in Europe".Another guest in Munich, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, took a far darker view, charging that "it`s quite simply stupid to open Europe`s doors wide and invite in everyone who wants to come to your country".

"European migration policy is a total failure, all that is absolutely frightening," he told the Handelsblatt daily.

A number of EU nations that were once in Russia`s Cold War orbit seem to agree.

Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia plan to meet Monday to discuss how to close down the main refugee route through the Balkans, reported Germany`s Spiegel news weekly.

"As long as there is no common European strategy, it is legitimate that the nations along the Balkans route protect their borders," Slovak Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak told the magazine.

He also opposed Merkel`s plan for an EU quota system, saying "quotas only increase the incentives for migration".

At the other end of the route, Austria`s foreign minister warned Macedonia on Friday that it should be ready to close its border to migrants coming up from Greece.

Vienna also plans to impose a cap on refugees and may start turning them away in the coming months.Merkel, long dubbed the "Queen of Europe", has seen poll numbers drop at home, coalition members rebel and EU allies duck away as the refugee crisis has sparked deep discord and threatened the bloc`s system of open borders.

She has pledged to reduce arrivals by more quickly turning away "economic refugees" and combating traffickers, including through a new NATO surveillance mission in the Aegean Sea.

Meanwhile, her government has urged fellow Europeans to remember their core humanitarian values.

"How can a continent of 500 million citizens see its foundations shaken... by 1.5 million or 2 million refugees?" said Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen in Munich.

Merkel said Friday there was "a group of countries" that may voluntarily accept more refugees in exchange for redoubled efforts from Turkey to tackle illegal immigration.

She did not name the members, but at a EU summit in December, Germany gathered officials from Austria, Belgium, Finland, Greece, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Sweden.

Merkel is planning to bring together what the media have dubbed a "coalition of the willing" on the margins of a two-day EU summit in Brussels starting Thursday.She suggested its members could help Turkey`s refugee effort beyond the three billion euros ($3.3 billion) already committed by the EU.

Turkey, which is hosting over 2.7 million mostly Syrian refugees, has voiced deep frustration with the EU as a fresh wave of Syrian refugees mass on its border.

Angry over calls that Turkey should do more, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said last week that his nation could throw out its existing refugees, threatening to fly and bus them to Europe.

"We do not have the word `idiot` written on our foreheads," he said.

"We will be patient, but we will do what we have to. Don`t think that the planes and the buses are there for nothing."

Donald Trump under pressure to show more presidential side at debate

With a week to go until South Carolina`s Republican primary vote on Feb. 20, the 9 pm. EST debate comes at a time of high anxiety for Trump`s opponents.

Trump, who won New Hampshire handily on Tuesday after placing second in Iowa on Feb. 1, has a big lead in the polls in South Carolina. Unless he is slowed down, he could be in position to roll to his party`s presidential nomination for the Nov. 8 election.

That means it is in the interests of Texas Senator Ted Cruz, Florida Senator Marco Rubio and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush to try to raise questions about the New York billionaire before it is too late.

Those three candidates, along with Ohio Governor John Kasich, are competing to emerge as the top alternative to Trump for mainstream Republicans.

"My sense is this is going to be a melee," said Republican strategist Doug Heye.

Attempts to knock down Trump at previous debates have rarely been successful, as the former reality TV star has been quick on his feet and mercilessly dismissive of rivals.

Trump`s use of vulgar language during the New Hampshire primary campaign, repeating a comment from someone at one of his rallies who said Cruz is a "pussy," may raise eyebrows in South Carolina, where evangelicals form an important voting bloc.

At a candidates` forum at evangelical Bob Jones University on Friday, Bush told the crowd: "Is anybody worried about the front-running candidate shouting out obscenities at children?"

Trump was not at the event, sending instead a surrogate to speak for him, Pastor Mark Burns. When Burns told the crowd that Trump is "pro-faith," someone shouted out from the audience "Trump is profane."

`EACH HAS SOME IMAGE ISSUE`

All Trump`s rivals have something to prove at the CBS-hosted, two-hour debate, particularly Rubio, who needs to show he can rebound from a disastrous debate performance a week ago in New Hampshire.

Kasich must try to generate more momentum after a second-place finish in New Hampshire, Cruz must solidify his position with evangelical voters and Bush needs upward movement anywhere he can get it.

Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, whose campaign has turned anemic, has to show he is still in the race.

"Each has got some image issue they need to fix," said David Yepsen, director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University.

"Can Trump start acting more presidential without losing what makes him so appealing? Can Jeb continue the flicker of momentum he has coming out of New Hampshire? Have Rubio`s bruises healed? Can Carson show something that puts a spark back into his campaign? Has Kasich got more than his New Hampshire game?"

Heading into the debate, Trump was taking swipes at Cruz and Bush, who finished third and fourth in the New Hampshire primary.

Responding to an attack ad run by the Cruz campaign against him, Trump tweeted that he might sue Cruz to try to settle any remaining questions about whether the Texan can legally run for president since he was born in Canada.

Cruz and many legal experts say Cruz meets the constitutional requirements because he was born to an American mother and grew up in the United States.

But Trump, who famously questioned President Barack Obama`s citizenship, fired off a tweet against Cruz.

"If @TedCruz doesn`t clean up his act, stop cheating, & doing negative ads, I have standing to sue him for not being a natural born citizen," Trump said.

The Cruz campaign dismissed the blast with spokesman Rick Tyler saying Trump was demonstrating a "Trumper-tantrum."