Emwazi Was Peculiar And Violent, Says Ex-Pupil

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 28 Februari 2015 | 22.57

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Mohammed Emwazi - the Londoner unmasked as Islamic State militant "Jihadi John" - seemed peculiar and violent as a youngster, says an ex-pupil who was at school with him.

The man, who does not want to be named, also told Sky News that Emwazi "got into some fights", smoked but there was nothing in his secondary school that could have left him radicalised.

However, he said there was potential for him to be groomed because he kept himself to himself and did not make eye contact.

There has been widespread shock at Quintin Kynaston academy following Emwazi's apparent involvement in a series of IS videos which show the gruesome beheadings of Western aid workers and journalists.

The former pupil said there was nothing to suggest Emwazi was religious during his teenage years. He was also quiet and always wore a baseball cap.

"There was something peculiar about him in that he was violent but he wasn't someone who was loud who talked in a provocative way," the ex-classmate said. "There were others who were going around bullying."

The fellow pupil at the north-west London academy believes the IS militant's education beyond secondary school may be responsible for his transformation into a cold-blooded killer.

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Gallery: Jihadi John's University Academic Record

Mohammed Emwazi, aka Jihadi John, studied a computing course at university. Sky News has exclusively obtained his student record

His file shows mostly middling academic grades for his course modules. He graduated with a lower second (2.2) degree

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Emwazi is believed to be the British-accented man who has appeared in Islamic State beheading videos

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Pictures have also emerged of Emwazi from his school yearbook in 1996

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The 27-year-old went to St Mary Magdalene Church of England school in Maida Vale, west London

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"It wasn't like university where you'd have speakers coming over from certain societies to give talks," said the former schoolmate, who was two years older than Emwazi.

"I suppose there was potential for him to be groomed, that is a possibility. But at the time, at secondary school, he was like any of us."

Emwazi, 26, went on to study at the University of Westminster between 2006 and 2009 - finishing his computer programming degree.

In the same year, he was reportedly questioned by an MI5 officer in Amsterdam, accused of attempting to travel to Somalia to join a terror group.

It comes as a former reviewer of UK terrorism legislation suggested on Sky News that Emwazi might have been prevented from joining up with IS had restrictions on suspects not been relaxed.

Lib Dem peer Lord Carlile said: "Had control orders been in place, in my review there is a realistic prospect that Mohammed Emwazi and at least two of his associates would have been the subject of control orders with a compulsory relocation.

"If that had been the case he would not have done what he has done in recent times."

And Tory former shadow home secretary David Davis said the revelation that Emwazi had been on the authorities' radar showed the approach of MI5 was "ineffective".

But current Home Secretary Theresa May has rallied to the defence of the UK's security and intelligence services, calling them "true heroes",

The unnamed classmate, who has watched some of the videos, continued: "Something has gone wrong somewhere - whether in the UK, or when he went abroad.

"It's a shame that we, or the Government, weren't able to stop it, or to even notice it.

"I presume he's got some anger to vent out, or he's enjoying the fame. He seems to be confident in what he is doing - it's not like what I saw when he was younger."

Since his identity was revealed, Quintin Kynaston has released a statement saying it was "shocked and sickened" that one of their alumni has become involved in terrorism.

MI5 has reportedly questioned Emwazi's former teachers following on from his identification.

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Written By Unknown on Jumat, 27 Februari 2015 | 22.57

Protesters have clashed with riot police in Greece in the first display of anti-government sentiment since the leftist Syriza party took power a month ago.

Around 450 people took to the streets of Athens to demonstrate against the newly elected left-right coalition government of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, which agreed a deal with EU partners last week to extend an EU aid programme to Athens.

The four-month bailout extension, which was formally ratified by the German Parliament on Friday, has triggered dissent within Mr Tsipras' own party and accusations by some on the hard left that the government is going back on pre-election promises.

After the march, around 50 activists in hooded tops hurled petrol bombs and stones at police in the city's Exarchia district.

A small number of shop windows and bus stops were also smashed or damaged during the violence.

The leftist government was elected on 25 January on a promise to write off a chunk of the country's debt and end tough austerity measures which are blamed for pushing one in four Greeks out of work.

The bailout extension was overwhelmingly supported in the German Parliament after a large majority of lawmakers in Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative bloc signalled their backing.

It was passed by 542 votes to 32 - the deal seen as a continuation of the tough restrictions placed on Greece despite the Syriza government's declaration that it amounted to a "victory" for its anti-austerity agenda.

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Teen Held On Schoolboy 'Decapitation' Attempt

A teenager has been arrested in Japan after the body of a schoolboy was found dumped on a riverbank with multiple stab wounds to the neck.

Police discovered the naked body of 13-year-old Ryota Uemura in undergrowth near the Tama River in Kawasaki last Friday.

The boy's neck had been hacked at repeatedly. A blood-soaked knife was found nearby.

The weekly magazine Shukan Shincho reported that the wounds indicated the killer, or killers, may have been trying to decapitate the boy.

His death follows the recent beheading by IS extremists of Japanese journalist Kenji Goto.

"Some investigators suspect (the criminals) watched internet videos showing the execution of hostages by Islamic State fighters and sought to mimic them," the magazine said, quoting an unnamed source close to police.

Public broadcaster NHK reported that an 18-year-old boy has been arrested by Kanagawa Police on suspicion of murder.

The teenager's name has not been released because he is legally a minor.

Police have also obtained arrest warrants for two other teenagers.

Local media reports suggest Ryota knew the suspects and had been attacked by them in the past.

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Naming Of 'Jihadi John' Splits Victims' Families

The family of Steven Sotloff, the US journalist beheaded in an Islamic State video, have said they have "full faith" that his alleged killer "Jihadi John" will be brought to justice - a day after he was identified as a Londoner called Mohammed Emwazi.

Speaking to Sky News, the family's spokesman Barak Barfi said: "They hope that he will be caught by American intelligence officials, brought to trial in the United States, and convicted for the crime of beheading their son.

"There's going to be no closure until these people are brought to justice. This is just one step in a long path. The Taliban were toppled in Afghanistan, al Qaeda was eradicated in Afghanistan, and we believe that one day, Islamic State's end will come.

"When that comes, people like Jihadi John will have nowhere to run."

Since the 27-year-old was unmasked as the frontman of IS, reaction from the families of the Western hostages killed in cold blood has been mixed.

The mother of James Foley, the first US journalist murdered by the militant group, has said she forgives "Jihadi John" - and described Emwazi's apparent involvement with the terror organisation as "an ongoing tragedy".

Diane Foley told The Times: "It saddens me, his continued hatred. He felt wronged, now we hate him - now that just prolongs the hatred. We need to end it."

Loved ones of David Haines, the British aid worker believed to have died at the hands of Emwazi, are also divided on what would bring closure to victims' families.

Whereas his wife, Dragana, told the BBC that Emwazi's death was "the last thing I would want for someone like him", Mr Haines' daughter, Bethany, told ITV News that she would only feel closure "once there's a bullet between his eyes".

Scrutiny is mounting over claims that Emwazi, a graduate from the University of Westminster, was already known to MI5 before he joined the ranks of IS in 2013.

But Mr Barfi, speaking to Sky News on behalf of the Sotloffs, rejected claims that British intelligence services had "dropped the ball".

He added: "The British have long been vigilant and have stopped a number of plans. This is not a replay of the Kouachi brothers, who were responsible for the Charlie Hebdo attacks.

"This is a completely different situation, and British intelligence has done as much as it could have, given the constraints of the democratic environment it works in."

Sir Menzies Campbell has said the Intelligence and Security Committee will likely seek answers about what information had been held on Emwazi - but this process will not take place until after the General Election.

According to Asim Qureshi, a director of the CAGE campaign group, Emwazi had been continually harassed by security agencies before he joined IS - and described the now-infamous militant as "extremely kind and gentle" and "the most beautiful young man".

Both Scotland Yard and Downing Street have refused to confirm reports of Emwazi's identity.

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Secular US Blogger Killed In Machete Attack

By Sky News US Team

Machete-wielding assailants have hacked to death a prominent Bangladeshi-American blogger known for speaking out against religious extremism.

Avijit Roy, a Bangladeshi-born US citizen, was attacked as he walked through Bangladesh's capital of Dhaka with his wife, police said.

Mr Roy's wife, Rafida Ahmed, who is also a blogger, was seriously injured. It was the latest in a series of attacks on secular writers in Bangladesh in recent years.

Police retrieved two blood-stained machetes from the site.

The militant group Ansar Bangla 7 claimed responsibility for the attack, police said.

Mr Roy "was the target because of his crime against Islam", the group said on Twitter.

Mr Roy was a prominent voice against religious intolerance, and his family and friends say he had been threatened for his writings.

"Islamist radicals are behind my son's murder," Ajay Roy told reporters on Friday.

Mr Roy had founded a popular Bengali-language blog, Mukto-mona, or Free Mind, which featured articles on scientific reasoning and religion.

"We mourn but we are not out," read a black banner on the site.

He defended atheism in a January posting on Facebook, calling it "a rational concept to oppose any unscientific and irrational belief".

Islamic extremism has made few inroads in Bangladesh, a Muslim-majority nation of 160 million people, but there have been a series of similar attacks in recent years blamed on militants, and the government has ordered a crackdown.

Blogger Ahmed Rajib Haider was killed in 2013 in a similar attack near his home in Dhaka after he led a protest demanding capital punishment for Islamist leaders convicted of war crimes during Bangladesh's war for independence.

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Eight People Shot Dead In Missouri Gun Spree

By Sky News US Team

Eight people are dead after a gun spree in a small community in the US state of Missouri.

Those killed in the attack early on Friday in Tyrone include the apparent shooter.

He is a 36-year-old man who had a self-inflicted gunshot wound, said Texas County Sheriff's Sgt Jeff Kinder.

Police found two people dead after responding to an emergency call from a girl at a home in Tyrone.

Investigators discovered five other victims killed and one wounded in three other homes in the community.

Police found an elderly female dead of natural causes at another home.

The suspected gunman was found dead in a vehicle in Shannon County.

Authorities have not named the victims or the gunman.

The Missouri Highway Patrol is due to hold a news conference shortly.

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Dead Fish Swamp Rio Olympic Sailing Venue

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 26 Februari 2015 | 22.57

Thousands of dead fish have been found floating in the sailing venue for next year's Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

The carcasses of twaite shad - small silver fish belonging to the herring family - have filled huge swathes of water in Guanabara Bay, and were even found washing up on the coastline outside Rio's international airport.

They were discovered by inspectors testing pollution in the bay, which has consistently high levels of garbage and untreated sewage in the water.

The city's environmental agency says it has launched an investigation, with results expected in a week's time. Officials say it is likely the fish fell victim to the intense drought.

The promise to clean up the notoriously filthy Guanabara Bay was part of Rio's Olympic bid.

This week, the International Olympic Committee said the city was making "solid progress" in its preparations for the 2016 Games, following a visit on Monday.

But last month, the Government admitted it would miss its target of reducing water pollution by 80% by the start of the Olympics next August.

State governor Luiz Fernando Pezao admitted that cleaning up the area has not been easy. "Every time we have a negotiation, the bidding process [for the project] slows and postpones things," he said.

For years, sewage has flowed into the bay from the surrounding urban sprawl. Fifteen cities share its shoreline. That means more than eight million residents, producing over 18,000 litres of sewage per second.

Mass fish deaths are common in waterways across Rio. The local O Globo newspaper reported this week that 60 tonnes of dead fish were collected in November alone.

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Surgeon Plans First Human Head Transplant

The first human head transplant could take place in just two years, according to a radical proposal by an Italian surgeon.

Sergio Canavero, from the Turin Advanced Neuromodulation Group, wants the surgery to be used to help extend the lives of people who have suffered degeneration of the muscles and nerves or those who have advanced cancer.

The surgeon plans to announce the project at the American Academy of Neurological and Orthopaedic Surgeons (AANOS) conference in Annapolis, Maryland, in June, the New Scientist reported.

Mr Canavero published a paper on the technique he would use in the Surgical Neurology International journal this month.

The recipient's head and the donor body would be cooled at the start of the procedure to extend the time that cells can survive without oxygen.

Tissue around the neck would be dissected and major blood vessels would be joined using tiny tubes.

The spinal cords would then be cut and the recipient's head moved on to the donor body. The ends of the spinal cord would be fused together using a chemical called polyethylene glycol, which encourages fat within cell membranes to mesh.

After this, the person would be put into a coma for around four weeks to prevent them moving while they heal.

Mr Canavero said he would expect the patient to be able to move and feel their face when they awoke, they would speak with the same voice and they should be able to walk within a year.

He first proposed the idea of the surgery in 2013.

He told the New Scientist: "If society doesn't want it, I won't do it. But if people don't want it, in the US or Europe, that doesn't mean it won't be done somewhere else.

"I'm trying to go about this the right way, but before going to the moon, you want to make sure people will follow you."

The first successful head transplant - involving moving the head of one monkey on to another - was carried out in 1970 at the Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, US.

The monkey lived for nine days, but its immune system rejected the head.

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Pasco Killing: Mexican Shot 17 Times By Police

By Sky News US Team

Police who killed a Mexican man in Washington state after he pelted the officers with rocks fired 17 shots at him, officials said.

Antonio Zambrano-Montes, a 35-year-old unemployed farm worker, was struck five or six times, said a police task force investigating the case. None of the bullets hit him in the back.

The 10 February shooting of Mr Zambrano-Montes in Pasco, a small town in Washington state's agricultural heartland, has sparked protests in the Hispanic community.

The Mexican government has condemned the shooting.

Police said officers responding to a report of a man throwing rocks at passing cars shot Mr Zambrano-Montes after he began pelting them with rocks and ignored commands to surrender.

They said a stun gun had also failed to subdue him.

Video taken by a witness shows Mr Zambrano-Montes running from officers. As the officers draw closer, he stops, turns and faces them. Multiple "pops" are heard, and then he falls to the ground.

Police Sergeant Ken Lattin, a spokesman for the task force, said a rock was found next to Mr Zambrano-Montes' body, but no gun or knife.

He promised the investigation would be thorough and fair.

"We're not here to cover up for anybody," he said.

"Did he have some sort of injury? Did he have some mental health situations that he was dealing with in the days and hours (before the incident)? Or was he under the influence of drugs? We need to know," Sgt Lattin said.

He said autopsy results were pending.

The report from the task force came shortly after about 100 mourners gathered at St Patrick's Catholic Church in Pasco for Mr Zambrano-Montes' funeral Mass.

His body was to be returned to his small hometown in a rural part of Michoacan, Mexico.

A lawyer representing the victim's estranged wife and two teenage daughters said it is difficult for police officers to investigate their colleagues.

"I do not think these authorities can conduct a truly impartial investigation of their brother officers," Charles Herrmann said.

He said the widow, Teresa De Jesus Meraz-Ruiz, who lives in California, was "devastated" by the shooting.

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Behind The Twisted Appeal Of Jihadi John

He has been Islamic State's poster boy of horror.

Once dubbed 'Jihadi John', Mohammed Emwazi, a Kuwaiti-born Briton from northwest London, has been named by friends and associates allegedly as the death cult's best known murderer.

Sadly, and dangerously, such notoriety serves the purpose of the movement he has joined - demonstrating a sense of invincibility as a purging 'saint' for the cause.

Emwazi, if he is ever formally identified as the infamous killer, appears to closely fit and serves the psychological profile which has driven much of Islamic State's appeal.

Experts speak of three important characteristics which drive the appeal of IS.

There is the notion of "cognitive closure". Islamic State's uncompromising theologically driven world perspective in a world of "unsettling, anxiety inducing uncertainties" offers men and women, especially those in the West who are from immigrant backgrounds and may feel alienated, an end to the "cravings for coherence and closure", according to Professor Arie Kruglanski, from the University of Maryland.

Writing on the E-International Relations website Prof Kruglanski, a leading authority on the minds of terrorists, observed that fundamentalism offers people a "world of good versus evil, saints versus sinners, order versus chaos; a pure universe in black and white admitting no shades of grey. A fundamentalist ideology… offers a future that is predictable and controllable.

"Such a perspective holds particular fascination for confused youths in transitional stages of their lives, who drift like rudderless ships and find themselves torn by conflicting cultural demands."

Emwazi, a computer science graduate from Westminster University, appears to have been restless.

He is reported to have been arrested in Tanzania on suspicion of links to al Shabab in Somalia nine years ago. He complained of being interviewed and "threatened" by MI5.

He sought work in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia but grew up in the gang-blighted parts of Queen's Park in northwest London.

Jihadi ideology removes uncertainty and provides a sense of superiority - so much so that those who do not share its tenets are deemed worthy only of obliteration.

Another appeal of IS is that it offers followers a chance at being significant.

Emzawi, or Jihadi John, is seen as a hero by himself, his comrades and internet groupies attracted to his brand of bullying machismo.

The message from him is "you too can be a world player, bring war and bloodshed in return for worldly recognition, and end to the 'humiliation' and rewards in heaven following 'martyrdom'.

This "denotes the supreme importance to humans of being noticed, mattering, and deserving honour and esteem", Prof Kruglanski writes.

In recent months, the base instincts of young men and women are also forming part of the IS appeal.

Sex is selling their agenda. Young fighters are promised a bride, sex slaves or captured women, while their groupies are lured to Syria by internet images of handsome armed men and the promise of an Islamic life in the arms of a hero.

IS has seen recruitment leap from 10,000 to more than 40,000, with 12,000 foreign fighters of whom at least 3,000 hail from Europe.

Emwazi is a magnet for IS recruits.

His appeal will only end, says Prof Kruglanski, with "ignominy, an unglamorous death in the desert with no one to care".

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Reports Identify IS Militant 'Jihadi John'

The Islamic State militant known as "Jihadi John" has been identified as a Londoner called Mohammed Emwazi.

Emwazi was born in Kuwait and comes from a well-to-do family, according to the Washington Post.

He grew up in northwest London and graduated from the University of Westminster with a degree in computer programming.

Aged 27, he is believed to have travelled to Syria in 2012 and to have joined Islamic State (IS) later.

A close friend of Emwazi told the newspaper: "I have no doubt that Mohammed is Jihadi John. He was like a brother to me... I am sure it is him."

A representative of the British advocacy group CAGE who had been in contact with Emwazi before he left for Syria also said he believed he was "Jihadi John".

"There was an extremely strong resemblance," research director Asim Qureshi said after watching a video of him beheading a hostage.

He later described Emwazi as "extremely kind, extremely gentle... and the most humble young person that I ever knew".

Emwazi rose to notoriety last August in an IS video in which he killed American journalist James Foley.

Since then he has appeared in a series of videos documenting the gruesome murders of other hostages, including British aid workers Alan Henning and David Haines.

In each, he taunts audiences and is dressed all in black, with a balaclava covering his face. He wears a holster under his left arm.

The Washington Post claims Emwazi started to radicalise after a planned safari in Tanzania following his graduation was brought to an abrupt end when he was detained on arrival in Dar es Salaam and deported.

He is said to have told friends he was flown to Amsterdam where an officer from MI5 accused him of trying to reach Somalia, where the militant group al Shabab operates.

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Gallery: Profile Of Alan Henning

Alan Henning, 47, was born in Salford, Greater Manchester. Friends gave him the nickname "gadget" due to his love of technology. The British aid worker was murdered by Islamic State militants in Syria.

He was married for 23 years and he had a teenage son and daughter

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Polanski In Court Over US Extradition Request

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 25 Februari 2015 | 22.57

Film director Roman Polanski has testified at a court in Poland over a US request for his extradition for a child sex crime conviction.

Polanski, wearing a dark suit, arrived for the hearing in Krakow with his two lawyers.

The media were barred from the court.

Presiding judge Dariusz Mazur said a ruling would not be made at the hearing as the court still had to consider additional documents submitted by Polanski's lawyers.

The judge said the papers related to unsuccessful extradition proceedings against Polanski in Switzerland in 2010.

Another court hearing is reported to have been scheduled for April.

Under Polish law, if the court rules in favour of the extradition request, it will be passed on to the country's justice minister who will make the final decision on whether to allow Polanski to be taken to the US.

The Oscar-winning filmmaker pleaded guilty in 1977 to having unlawful sex with 13-year-old Samantha Geimer during a photoshoot in Los Angeles fuelled by champagne and drugs.

He served 42 days in jail as part of a 90-day plea bargain.

However, he fled the US the following year, believing the judge hearing his case could overrule the deal and put him in prison for years.

In 2009, Polanski was arrested in the Swiss city of Zurich on the US warrant and placed under house arrest.

He was freed in 2010 after Swiss authorities decided not to extradite him.

Now 81, he is viewed by many Poles as one of their greatest living cultural figures.

Internationally renowned for such films as Chinatown and The Pianist, Polanski has been in the country to make a film about the Dreyfus affair, a political scandal that shook France more than a century ago.

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Iran Stages Attack On Mock US Warship In Gulf

Iran has staged a series of military drills, including a simulated attack on a US aircraft carrier, on one of the most strategic stretches of water in the Gulf.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard launched the display of naval and air exercises near the Strait of Hormuz, through which one fifth of the world's oil supply passes.

Video on Iranian TV showed the deployment of fast boats and missiles against a replica of an American carrier - something not seen before in military drills.

Other exercises included the shooting down of a drone and planting undersea mines.

The unit's navy chief Admiral Ali Fadavi said: "American aircraft carriers are very big ammunition depots," explaining that a direct hit could create huge secondary explosions.

Chief Commander General Mohammed Ali Jafari explained that the exercise - dubbed Great Prophet 9 - sent a "message" to "extraterritorial enemies", in reference to the United States.

The television footage also panned across a banner showing the words: "If the Americans are ready to be buried at the bottom of the waters of the Persian Gulf, so be it."

But a spokesman for the US Navy's 5th Fleet in Bahrain downplayed the threat, saying he was "confident of our naval forces' ability to defend themselves".

Commander Kevin Stephens added: "It seems they've attempted to destroy the equivalent of a Hollywood movie set."

The US is currently in negotiations with Iran over a potential nuclear deal, alongside Britain, France, China, Russia and Germany.

Tehran has always denied Western claims that it intends to develop atomic bombs.

Talks are due to resume in Geneva next week after a meeting between Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Sarif and the US Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday.

A framework agreement between the two sides is hoped for before the end of March with all eyes on a final deal by 30 June.

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Foreign IS Recruits Using Fake Syrian Passports

By Tom Rayner, Middle East Reporter, Turkey-Syria border

Foreign fighters seeking to join Islamic State are using black-market Syrian passports to enter through Turkish border checkpoints, according to smugglers operating in the area.

It comes as UK police say they now believe three London schoolgirls, who arrived in Turkey over a week ago, have crossed into Syria.

Since last summer, Turkish authorities have banned anyone but Syrian citizens from using official crossings, but Sky News has found that fake documents can be easily purchased from smugglers within hours.

The passports can be made to carry any name or photograph the buyer wishes to use.

The ready availability of such documents, which cost around £500 per passport, underlines the extreme difficulties faced by the Turkish authorities in identifying the true nationality of those entering Syria.

The border crossing at Akcakale, in south eastern Turkey leads to the Syrian town of Tel Abiad, which is under the control of Islamic State.

The area has become a key strategic smuggling route for Islamic State, given its position just 60 miles north of the group's main stronghold in the town of Raqqa.

Two smugglers who make their living bringing people in and out of Syria told Sky News the use of black-market passports was seen as an alternative to cross-border smuggling.

"It helps if they want to go - they have a whole new identity, which can get them across to the other side," one of the men said.

The price for more traditional people-smuggling has recently gone up, due to growing danger posed by coalition airstrikes and the presence of other Syrian rebel groups on the outskirts of the area.

"Before it was 5,000 Syrian pounds (£17), now it's 10,000 (£34] or 15,000 (£51)," he said.

"Before it was possible to cross in one day, now they have to wait two or three days in Turkey, sometimes we stay three days with the people."

But they have also noticed a change in recent months, with more Syrians attempting to leave - claiming they are "afraid" of Islamic State.

Among them are some former IS fighters, who risk being killed if caught trying to defect.

Sky News spoke to a 27-year-old former fighter, who claims he escaped the group before Christmas after being appalled at the beheading of a 14 year-old boy in Raqqah, who was accused of cursing God.

"The brutality was against Muslims," he said.

"I don't disagree they should take harsh measures against non-believers, but now they are behaving with brutality towards fellow Muslims."

He said there was growing division and resentment inside Islamic State between Syrians like himself and the foreign fighters.

"The foreign fighters are given everything - cars, help with marriage, lots of money, but Syrian fighters get very little."

Asked if he had a message for young Muslims in Britain, thinking of following in the footsteps of the three London schoolgirls by heading to Syria, he said: "Go to your homes and stay in your homes. If you want to support the Syrian people, do it with prayer."

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Venezuela Unrest: Teen's Killing Fuels Tensions

The killing of a 14-year-old by police at an anti-government protest in Venezuela has been condemned by a state watchdog as a "vile assassination".

The shooting, during clashes in the western city of San Cristobal, is set to further fuel tensions amid an economic crisis and a crackdown on the political opposition.

A photo and video of the student, named as Kluiver Roa, lying in a pool of blood as a man frantically tried to save him while people screamed in horror, was rapidly circulated on social media.

Prosecutors say a police officer, Javier Mora, 23, is to be charged after he confessed to shooting the teenager with a shotgun which fires rubber bullets.

The city was at the centre of deadly mass protests last year and is now braced for further unrest.

Government opponents have called for a demonstration in the capital Caracas.

An opposition leader, Maria Corina Machado, said: "There are no words to transmit my pain and indignation.

"They've killed a 14-year-old child. A kid protesting with his classmates."

And in a strongly worded statement, state ombudsman Tarek Saab - charged with defending human rights - branded the teen's death a "vile assassination".

Socialist President Nicolas Maduro said in a national television address that masked protesters had attacked police, but he also condemned the killing.

"I want to offer my condolences to the parents of this young man who was murdered in an act of violence," he said.

Last month, the government issued a policy change to allow security forces to open fire and use deadly force to control protests.

At the time, human rights groups had criticised the new regulation as dangerously vague.

The clashes come as law makers from Venezuela's ruling socialist party moved to strip an opposition congressman of his seat.

Julio Borges is on a list of high-profile opposition leaders recently accused of plotting to overthrow the government.

He could be prosecuted if he loses his seat, as he would be stripped of his legislative immunity.

Last week, the opposition mayor of Caracas was arrested.

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FIFA: No Compensation For Winter World Cup

Football's world governing body FIFA has announced that clubs will not receive any compensation if the 2022 World Cup in Qatar is held in winter.

The organisation's secretary general Jerome Valcke was speaking a day after a FIFA task force recommended a November/December tournament.

He told reporters no payments would be made as a result of clubs losing players and playing schedules being disrupted.

"There will be no compensation. I mean, they have seven years to reorganise football around the world for this World Cup," he said.

"It's not perfect, we know that, but why are we talking about compensation? It's happening once, we're not destroying football.

"Why should we apologise to the clubs? We have had an agreement with the clubs that they are part of the beneficiaries. It was $40m (£25.8m) in 2010 and $70m (£45m) in 2014."

FIFA wants to move the 2022 World Cup because of the scorching summer temperatures in Qatar.

Its task force has suggested holding it in November and December as the temperatures then will be around 25C.

The proposed new dates for the event are set to be ratified by FIFA's executive committee next month.

To minimise the disruption, Mr Valcke said the tournament could be reduced from 32 to 28 days, meaning more games will be played per day.

"We are talking about a reduction of the competition in terms of the number of competition days. We are talking about 28 days and not anymore 32 days," he said after meeting Qatar's 2022 organising committee.

"It is a very special World Cup to organise because we would describe Qatar 2022 as a compact World Cup," he added. "Normally we are looking at 10 (stadiums) but it could be eight."

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Eight Dead After Czech Restaurant Shooting

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 24 Februari 2015 | 22.57

At least eight people have been killed after a gunman opened fire in a restaurant in the eastern Czech town of Uhersky Brod, officials say.

According to the town's mayor, Patrick Kuncar, the shooter is among the dead.

The suspect, aged around 60, is believed to have been mentally unstable, Mr Kuncar said.

Local television reports suggest several others were injured in the attack.

Interior minister Milan Chovanec is currently en route to the town.

He is expected to hold a press conference once he arrives.

Police in Uhersky Brod, roughly 300 km (180 miles) southeast of Prague, have declined to comment on the number of victims.

The motive for the attack remains unclear.

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Islamic State Kidnaps 90 Christians In Syria

Islamic State militants have kidnapped dozens of people from Christian villages in Syria, a human rights watchdog has said.

The militants stormed at least two villages inhabited by ancient Assyrian Christians, taking some 90 civilians captive, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Nuri Kino, the head of the activist group A Demand For Action, quoted villagers who fled the attacks as saying between 70 and 100 people are being held.

A number of children are understood to be among those taken captive.

The raids took place outside the town of Tel Hmar in Hasaka province, a region divided between IS and Kurdish control.

They follow heavy fighting in the area close to the Turkish and Iraqi border.

Syria's SANA state news agency said IS overran seven villages on Monday, forcing hundreds to flee.

Kurdish troops have proved to be effective in the fight against IS, which seized large swathes of Syria and Iraq last year.

They have been backed by US-led airstrikes, which in the last few days have targeted militants in Hasaka.

The abductions come just over a week after IS published a video purporting to show the beheadings of 21 Egyptian Christians in Libya.

It was the latest of several videos released by IS showing the execution of hostages, including foreign aid workers and journalists.

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Greek Bailout On As Economic Reforms Approved

Greece is on course to secure its four-month bailout extension, with its economic reform plan being cautiously accepted by creditors.

The list of measures was submitted just ahead of a midnight deadline last night to Eurogroup president Jeroen Dijsselbloem and representatives of the European Commission, the European Central Bank (ECB) and International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The plans include a crackdown on smuggling, tax evasion and corruption.

Proposals to tackle what is described as the country's "humanitarian crisis" were also put forward alongside commitments they would not hurt its budget.

The document contained a list of promises but offered little in terms of financial figures, prompting IMF chief Christine Lagarde to criticise it as "not very specific" though she said the Greek plan was sufficient to receive the aid programme.

She said: "In quite a few areas including perhaps the most important ones, the letter is not conveying clear assurances
that the government intends to undertake the reforms envisaged."

Among other areas of concern, she cited pensions and value-added tax policy as well as labour market reforms.

The Slovakian finance minister tweeted: "Eurozone deal with #Greece reached on Fri holds.

"Greeks have lots of heavy-lifting to do until end-April. We all want to see numbers now."

A Eurogroup statement said: "We call on the Greek authorities to further develop and broaden the list of reform measures, based on the current arrangement, in close coordination with the institutions in order to allow for a speedy and successful conclusion of the review."

With the bailout extension being approved in principle by finance ministers, the ECB and IMF the only remaining hurdle is a rubber-stamping exercise in the national parliaments of the 19-nation single currency area.

It is understood the Greek anti-austerity government, led by Alexis Tsipras, took its time to compile the list of commitments as it was anxious to be seen to be delivering its promises to the Greek people on tackling poverty following six years of recession, while also securing support from creditors.

Reports suggested members of his Syriza party felt the balance had been tipped too far towards the demands of the lenders.

On Friday, Mr Tsipras declared victory in the country's battle to secure new financial support though critics suggested the deal amounted to a new bailout in all but name.

Germany's finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, who was the most vocal critic of Greece's efforts to seek a new loan without strict bailout conditions attached, has paved the way for a possible German parliamentary vote this week.

The move, reported by the Handelsblatt newspaper and expected on Friday, is dependent on the reform proposals from Greece being accepted by the ECB, European Commission and IMF.

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American Missionary Kidnapped In Nigeria

By Sky News US Team

A US missionary has been kidnapped in Nigeria, her church has said.

A statement posted on the Free Methodist Church's website said the woman, identified as the Reverend Phyllis Sortor, had been abducted in Kogi state, in central Nigeria.

"The US Embassy has been notified, and the State Department and the FBI are working with local authorities to find and rescue her," it added.

According to the AFP news agency, masked gunmen came into a school where Rev Sortor was working and took her hostage.

The kidnappers "came into the school premises shooting sporadically to scare away people before taking (the hostage) away into the bush", Kogi state police spokesman Sola Collins Adebayo told the agency.

Nigeria is one of the world's worst countries for kidnapping.

Criminal gangs have kidnapped scores of expatriates in southern and central Nigeria over the years. Central Kogi state has also had some low-level activity by Islamist militants linked to insurgent group Boko Haram.

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Dozens Hurt In Los Angeles Commuter Train Crash

By Sky News US Team

Dozens of passengers have been injured after a Southern California commuter train collided with a truck.

Three cars on the Metrolink train derailed and overturned after the collision just before 6am local time.

Fire and rescue crews converged on the crash site in Ventura County, about 65 miles (104km) northwest of Los Angeles.

At least 30 people were being treated, according to local media reports.

The severity of their injuries was not immediately known.

Aerial footage from local television stations showed paramedics treating passengers on tarps that had been laid out on a nearby road.

Oxnard police Sergeant Denise Shadinger said the struck vehicle was engulfed in flames when first responders arrived.

The train was bound for Los Angeles from Ventura County, according to Metrolink's website.

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Kim Jong-Un: North Korea Must Be Combat Ready

Written By Unknown on Senin, 23 Februari 2015 | 22.57

The North Korean leader, Kim Jong-Un, has urged his army to be combat ready ahead of a joint United States-South Korea military exercise.

In a speech to his party's Central Military Commission, the enigmatic leader said forces should be "fully ready to react to any form of war to be ignited by the enemy," according to state media.

The official KCNA news agency reported the Commission had also discussed a "radical turn" in national defence operations, but did not give further details.

It follows a North Korean military drill – which was personally overseen by Mr Kim – which simulated an attack on a South Korean island.

Seoul has said it will "keep a close watch" on its neighbour.

A spokesman said: "North Korea should stop taking issue with the joint military exercises, which are defensive and held annually in a transparent way."

The United States and South Korea are due to carry out their drills next month.

Operation Key Resolve is a computer-simulated exercise which plays out war-time scenarios that could result from a North Korean invasion of the South, while Operation Foal Eagle is a two-month air, sea and land field-training drill.

Seoul and Washington maintain they are defensive, but Pyongyang has condemned them in the past as rehearsals for an invasion.

North Korea has conducted three nuclear tests in the last seven years, and has recently threatened a fourth over tensions caused by new US sanctions.

Since Kim Jong-Un took power of the insular nation in 2011, he has filled the top ranks of the military with officers loyal to his leadership.

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Brazil Violence: Four Police Die In 24 Hours

Four Brazilian police officers have been killed in a 24-hour period as security forces battle to wrestle back control of the city's crime-ridden favelas ahead of next year's Olympics.

The latest slayings come as the authorities continue a long-running fight against the drug gangs in Rio de Janeiro's violent slums.

An officer from a special battalion responsible for security at major events such as the the 2014 World Cup and upcoming Olympics, died after being shot seven times late on Sunday, according to local media.

Around 24 hours earlier, a civil police inspector was killed in the city's northern suburb of Baixada Fluminense.

Another officer was killed in the nearby town of Niteroi, while a fourth died in a gun battle following a robbery in the suburb of Nova Iguacu.

Despite the launch of Rio's so-called pacification programme in 2008, aimed at restoring order to 253 favelas across the city ahead of the World Cup and 2016 Olympic Games, the deadly violence has continued.

There were riots in the run up to the 2014 football tournament as the army seized control of some of the larger favelas in a crackdown on criminal gangs.

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Gallery: March, 2014: Army Enters Rio Slum

Hundreds of troops and police were sent into the Mare slum

The vast Mare favela which is seen as a drug-trafficking stronghold

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Mall Of America Security Beefed Up After Threat

By Sky News US Team

Security has been beefed up at the Mall of America in Minnesota after a video purported to be by extremist group al Shabaab called for an attack on shopping malls in Western countries.

The threat by the Somali group, affiliated to al Qaeda, urged Muslims to attack shopping malls in the US, Canada, Britain and other countries. It singled out the Mall of America, in the Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington, among others.

US authorities said there was no credible evidence suggesting a mall attack was in the works.

"We are not aware of any specific, credible plot against the Mall of America or any other domestic commercial shopping centre," a Homeland Security Department spokeswoman said in a statement.

However, top officials also called for vigilance, and the Bloomington Police Department said additional security measures had been put in place at the mall, one of the country's largest.

Mall of America said it was "aware of a threatening video which includes a mention and images of the mall".

Earlier on Sunday, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson called the video "the new phase" of the global terrorist threat and warned the public to be vigilant.

"These groups are relying more and more on independent actors to become inspired, drawn to the cause and they'll attack on their own," Mr Johnson said, speaking on CNN's State Of The Union.

"I am very concerned about serious potential threats of independent actors here in the United States. We've seen this now in Europe, we've seen this in Canada."

Asked about the specific threat against the Mall of America, Mr Johnson said: "Any time a terrorist organization calls for an attack on a specific place we've got to take that seriously.

"What we're telling the public is you've got to be vigilant. There will be enhanced security there that will be apparent, but public vigilance, public awareness and public caution in situations like this is particularly important."

Shoppers seemed undeterred on Sunday by the threat.

David Modrynski said he talked with his wife and son about whether to visit the mall after hearing about the video. "But we can't stop living our lives because somebody says they're going to do something."

Another shopper, Mary Lamminen, said: "I'm more afraid of the cold today than any terrorists."

Al Shabaab was behind a 2013 attack on the high-end Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi, Kenya that killed 67 people, raising fears about mall safety around the world.

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Greece Submits Economic Reform Plans To EU

Greece is set to submit a list of economic reforms demanded by its creditors to extend the country's bailout programme.

The proposals had to be handed in by late Monday night as a condition of the support from the European Union (EU), the European Central Bank (ECB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The four-month loan extension is subject to the list of reforms gaining approval.

The deal was announced on Friday evening following often hostile negotiations in Brussels.

It was painted by the country's prime minister Alexis Tsipras as a victory for the Greek people though it does little to reduce its financial obligations.

The list is understood to contain pledges to raise more in tax from the country's top earners and from a crackdown on smuggling.

The German tabloid Bild reported that the Greek government hoped to take €2.5bn (£1.8bn) more from powerful Greek tycoons, citing sources close to the hard-left government.

A similar amount would be drawn from back taxes owed to the state by individuals and businesses, Bild said.

However, the document is also said to include commitments on raising the minimum wage and protecting pensions.

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Gallery: Art War On The Streets Of Athens

Athens has become a Mecca for street artists as anger grows over the impact of Greece's bailout deal with Europe

Wall paintings have sprung up all over the city reflecting the general frustration at rising unemployment and falling living standards

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Terminally Ill Police Dog Given Hero's Farewell

By Sky News US Team

A police dog has been given a hero's farewell - with scores of policemen giving him the salute - before being put down.

Some 30 policemen lined the street outside a hospital in New Jersey to bid farewell. About a dozen fellow law enforcement canines were also in attendance.

Judge, a nine-year-old German Shepherd, was a retired police dog at West Deptford Township.

He had to retire in August 2013 due to physical ailments, including issues with his teeth, according to a local report in gloucestercountyonline.com.

Judge had started his career in law enforcement in 2007 and had been deployed about 280 times, the report said.

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Gallery: Police Dog Given Hero's Farewell

Police dog Judge, a 9-year-old German Shepherd, is given a hero's farewell before being put down. Continue through for more images. Pic: Jim Six/Gloucestercountyonline.com

Pic: Jim Six/Gloucestercountyonline.com

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UK 'Exporting Terror' With Homegrown IS Recruits

Written By Unknown on Minggu, 22 Februari 2015 | 22.57

UK 'Exporting Terror' With Homegrown IS Recruits

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British authorities are not doing enough to alert parents when their children are at risk of being radicalised online, a lawyer for the family of a young woman who joined Islamic State has said.

Aamer Anwar told Sky News security authorities are not passing on intelligence which could allow families to prevent their children from travelling to Syria or Iraq.

These failings, he said, mean the UK is "exporting terror" abroad.

His comments came as former Faith Minister Baroness Warsi warned that Islamic State's increasing drive to recruit young people online means security services are "fighting an ever losing battle".

"It is becoming more and more apparent that people are not being radicalised in places of worship but in their bedrooms by being on the internet," she told Sky News' Murnaghan Programme.

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Gallery: Final Pictures Of Missing London Schoolgirls

These pictures were taken from Kadiza Sultana (l) and Shamima Begum's (r) twitter accounts

Kadiza and Shamima are feared to be on their way to Syria with a third girl, 15-year-old Amira Abase

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Scotland Yard is urgently trying to trace three teenage girls who are from the same East London school

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CCTV captured images of the girls at Gatwick Airport before boarding a flight to Turkey

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CCTV captured images of the girls at Gatwick Airport before boarding a flight to Turkey. Kadiza Sultana is pictured here

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Mr Anwar was speaking on behalf of the family of 20-year-old Aqsa Mahmood who fled her family home in Glasgow in November 2013 to marry an Islamic State fighter.

She is accused of being among a number of young women now encouraging others back home to follow in their footsteps, something her family has condemned as a "disgrace".

One of three teenagers, feared to be one their way to Syria after boarding a flight to Turkey on Tuesday, is known to have contacted Ms Mahmood on Twitter.

The message - which was sent on 15 February, two days before the schoolgirls left London said: "Follow me so I can dm (direct message) you back".

"There must be an inquiry as to what exactly the intelligence services are doing with the intelligence they are gathering," Mr Anwar said.

"If the intelligence services have this information, surely they should not just be sharing it with Turkey but they should be sharing it with the families so that they can nip this in the bud.

"There is no point in declaring war in ISIS in Syria but doing very little to stop young people actually getting on the flights and getting across the border into Syria.

"This could happen to any other family across the country," he warned.

He said serious questions also need to be asked about how the three young women, Shamima Begum, 15, Kadiza Sultana, 16, and Amira Abase, 15, were able to board the flight unimpeded and without their parents.

It has been revealed that all three girls were interviewed by police two months ago after one of their classmates, 15, also travelled to Syria.

According to The Sunday Times two other girls attempted to join her but were apprehended.

Meanwhile the families of the three missing girls have all issued urgent appeals for them to come home.

"You belong at home with us. Syria is a dangerous place and we don't want you to go there," Shamima Begum's older sister Aklima told the newspaper.

"Mum needs you home."

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