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ISIS
fighters taking bank loans to fund ‘one way trip’ to martyrdom
Malaysian
wannabe-IS members have been applying for loans in banks, as well as
getting rid of most of their property, in order to fund what they
believe to be a one way road to martyrdom, the New Straits Times
citing investigation papers on five cases.
Sources
close to the police investigation told the publication that many of
the suspects have taken out the loans with no intention of ever
paying them back as they believe they are on a one way road to
martyrdom. This practice had been going for some time and sources
said there were many Malaysian fighters in Iraq and Syria who had got
there with bank loans.
One
woman who was arrested as she was trying to leave Malaysia for Syria
had got a loan for RM100,000 ($28,695).
Another
30-year old former National Service trainer, who was arrested at
Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Wednesday, had taken out a
RM20,000 ($5,739) loan.....
Cuba
to stand by its communist principles, Castro says
Cuban
leader Raul Castro said the country would not give up its political
values for which it has fought. Calling for mutual respect in the new
development of relations with the US, Castro stated Cuba would
continue its socialist route.
"In
the same way that we have never demanded that the United States
change its political system, we will demand respect for ours,"
Castro told Cuba's National Assembly in a session on Saturday.
Having
expressed gratitude to Barack Obama for his initiative to open a "new
chapter" in the two countries' history by making a decision to
lift the blockade, Castro stressed that the US president's move would
in no way make Cuba abandon the ideas it has struggled for over half
a century.
"Cuba
is a sovereign country, with its people having determined its path to
socialism and its political system by expression of will," Raul
Castro said, adding that blood has also been shed to stand for the
national ideas.
Cuba's
communist rule must be respected by US, while the two countries work
on advancing their relations, the leader said, adding that his state
was ready for the dialogue on a wide range of issues, on terms of
"mutual respect."
North Korea offers US joint investigation of Sony cyberattack
North
Korea has proposed a joint investigation with the United States into
the hack attack against Sony Pictures, according to the state news
agency, KCNA.
The
offer comes as the FBI formally accused Pyongyang of the attack on
Friday and US President Barack Obama promised to “respond
proportionally”
to the online breach.
North
Korea says it can prove it has nothing to do with the cyberattack on
Sony, the KCNA news release said.
Islamic State Executes 100 Fighters Who Wanted to Flee Raqqa: Report
The
Islamic State has executed at least 100 foreign militants, fighting
for the radical Sunni group, for trying to leave the Syrian city of
Raqqa, at a time when IS has lost momentum on the battlefield.
The
Islamic State has executed at least 100 foreign militants, fighting
for the radical Sunni group, for trying to leave the Syrian city of
Raqqa, the IS stronghold, the Financial Times reports, citing an
activist.
The
activist, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told the newspaper he
had "verified 100 executions" of foreign IS militants.
30 Spanish Cities Protest Against New Public Security Law
Numerous
protests against the so-called "gag law" took place in
Spain on Saturday, in response to legislation, recently approved by
the country's parliament, which according to the opposition, violates
human rights to freedom of assembly and speech, and also infringes
the rights of immigrants.
The
country's Congress on December 11 adopted a Law on Public Safety,
which significantly strengthened the penalties for violations during
protests.
The
law has raised outrage across the country and was dubbed the "gag
law" by the media. The penalties are for crimes during protests,
such as the distribution of photographs of police officers that could
to endanger them or their operations or participating in
demonstrations outside parliament buildings or key installations and
can result in fines from 30 000 to 600 000 euro.
US
Congress passes bill increasing weapons in Israel by $200 million
The
US Senate has unanimously passed a bill supplying Israel with
military equipment that would enable it to execute an air strike on
Iran. The bill, titled the US-Israel Strategic Partnership Act,
includes the sale of advanced aerial refueling tankers, which refuel
fighter jets in midflight – necessary for Israeli fighter jets to
reach targets in Iran. This is particularly noteworthy since the Bush
administration had refused to provide Israel with refueling tankers.
The
sale of the refueling tankers follows a 2013 arms sale to Israel that
included V-22 Ospreys. Kenneth Pollack of the Brookings Institution
stated shortly after the sale that Ospreys are "the ideal
platform for sending Israeli special forces into Iran."
The
bill, which was also passed in the House earlier this year, expands
the US weapons stockpile in Israel by a value of $200 million, to a
total of $1.8 billion. Israel used weapons from this stockpile during
its most recent military operation against Gaza, "Operation
Protective Edge." Israel also used the stockpile during its 2006
invasion of Lebanon.
The
last piece is propaganda, not news
Australian air strikes against Isis are working, says military
Australian
defence officials are claiming success in the air campaign against
Islamic State in Iraq and say it has helped check the group’s
advances – however the assessment comes amid renewed warnings about
the scale of the humanitarian crisis within Iraq and Syria.
The
UN has launched an appeal for aid to help the more than 2.1 million
people displaced across the country and 5.2 million in need of
humanitarian aid – of whom 2.2 million are in areas under the
control of Islamic State.
In
Syria, the UN now estimates that 12.2 million people require
humanitarian assistance.
Australian
air force F/A-18 Super Hornets are flying as part of the air campaign
against Islamic State militants.
RAAF
pilots have contributed more than 180 sorties since operations began
in October. More than 100 bombs and missiles have been fired at 44
targets by Super Hornet pilots, destroying 36 and damaging a further
six.
Australian
special forces are on the ground training Iraqi soldiers in
counter-terrorist tactics, co-ordinating air strikes and dealing with
improvised explosive devices.
Vice
Admiral David Johnston, the chief of joint operations, says Islamic
State fighters are coming under immense pressure.
“The
militants’ momentum has been checked since the air campaign
commenced,” he said
The
update from the Australian Defence Force follows a US assessment that
Islamic State extremists have lost momentum in both Iraq and Syria
and have been demoralised by heavy casualties inflicted by American
air strikes.
US
officials say that since the western air strikes began in
mid-November senior and mid-level leaders as well as about 1,000
fighters have been killed, particularly around the fiercely contested
Kurdish town of Kobani on the Syrian-Turkish border.
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