[AA.TR] The first batch of people imprisoned on suspicion of using the encrypted ByLock mobile app linked to the group behind last year’s coup attempt were released Thursday.
Their release follows an announcement Wednesday that some alleged ByLock users had been unwittingly "directed" to the app.
Among the 28 freed from jail was Mustafa Yaman, the lawyer for the Felicity Party, who was sentenced to 7 years, 6 months over his purported use of ByLock.
Investigators have discovered that 11,480 smartphone users were directed to ByLock app without their knowledge, an official said on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media.
They have been removed from an updated list of ByLock users passed to prosecutors across The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... and courts have been told to reexamine cases.
ByLock was widely used by supporters of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) that orchestrated the July 15 coup attempt, which left 250 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.
[AnNahar] President Sultan Recep Tayyip Erdogan the First ... Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him. It's a sin, a shame, and a felony to insult the president of Turkey... has expressed hope for a better relationship with Germany and the EU after a fractious 2017, saying Ankara needs to reduce its enemies and increase its friends, in an interview published Thursday.
The past year has seen The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...just another cheapjack Moslem dictatorship, brought to you by the Moslem Brüderbund.... 's long-running bid to join the EU grind to a virtual halt and a crisis in relations with Germany over the crackdown that followed the failed July 15, 2016 coup.
"Of course, we want to have good relations with the EU and with EU countries," Erdogan told Ottoman Turkish journalists on his presidential plane while on a visit to Africa.
"I always say this. We must reduce the number of enemies and increase the number of friends," he said, in comments published in Ottoman Turkish newspapers including the Hurriyet daily.
He said there was "no reason" why he should not make trips to Germany and the Netherlands, two key EU members with whom Ankara had intense rows as they prepared for general elections in 2017.
Erdogan applauded Germany's leadership for "being on the same line" as Ankara by strongly condemning U.S. President's Donald Trump ...New York real estate developer, described by Dems as illiterate, racist, misogynistic, and what ever other unpleasant descriptions they can think of, elected by the rest of us as 45th President of the United States... 's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
"All this is very gratifying," Erdogan said.
Berlin was particularly incensed by the holding of several German nationals in a crackdown after the coup bid, although tensions have eased slightly following several releases in recent months.
Most recently, German pilgrim David Britsch and German journalist Mesale Tolu were set free by Turkey in developments welcomed by Berlin.
However the correspondent of the Die Welt daily newspaper, Deniz Yucel, a German-Ottoman Turkish dual national who was tossed in the calaboose Book 'im, Mahmoud! in February, remains behind bars and not even a date for his trial has been set.
Erdogan indicated that the EU's support for his stance over Jerusalem, a cause he rapidly championed following Trump's bitterly-contested move, could be helpful in creating better relations.
He said he may visit La Belle France, without giving a time. "They (Gay Paree) did not leave us by ourselves on this issue (Jerusalem)," he said.
Erdogan said a visit may also be on the cards to the Vatican to meet Pope Francis, who was also strongly supportive of his stance.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
12/29/2017 00:00 ||
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#1
Erdogan said a visit may also be on the cards to the Vatican to meet Pope Francis
[IsraelTimes] Ankara's embassy in Washington announces it will reciprocate move, following end to US suspension triggered by arrest of staff member
US consular missions in The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... are set to resume full visa services following a suspension triggered by the arrest of a staff member, the American embassy in Ankara said Thursday, leading Turkey to announce it will also resume full services.
Turkey had "adhered to high level assurances" made to the United States and, as a result, the US State Department "is confident that the security posture has improved sufficiently to allow for the full resumption of visa services in Turkey," the embassy said in a statement.
It did not give a date for when this would take effect.
Shortly after the US announcement, Ankara’s embassy in Washington announced that Ottoman Turkish missions in the United States will also resume full visa services for US citizens matching the American move.
"Within the framework of the principle of reciprocity, the restrictions placed from our side on the visa regime for US citizens are being lifted simultaneously," it said in a statement.
The US decision to stop handing out visas was implemented from October and was followed by the tit-for-tat move by Turkey to stop giving Ottoman Turkish visas to Americans.
The US in November said it has resumed limited visa services, a move matched by Turkey’s missions in the US.
But the services were so limited that the first interview appointments for Turks seeking most types of US visa were only available from January 2019, causing uproar on social media.
The crisis was triggered when US consulate staffer Metin Topuz was formally charged with espionage and seeking to overthrow the Ottoman Turkish government last month, accusations the US embassy in Ankara said at the time were "wholly without merit."
US authorities then sought assurances from top Ottoman Turkish officials that no further staff members would be placed under investigation.
The US said it had won assurances from Ankara that there are "no additional local employees of our mission in Turkey under investigation."
But the Ottoman Turkish embassy statement took issue with this, saying that "Turkey is a state of law" and "no such assurances have been given regarding cases pending in the courts."
"We do not find it right to misinform the Ottoman Turkish and American publics by saying that assurances have been given," it said.
Ottoman Turkish authorities will also inform the US "in advance" if they intend to arrest any local staff member in the future.
The US statement added: "We continue to have serious concerns about the existing allegations against tossed in the calaboose Into the paddy wagon wit' yez! local employees of our mission in Turkey."
In March, a Ottoman Turkish employee at the US consulate in the southern city of Adana was also arrested on charges of supporting the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
Posted by: trailing wife ||
12/29/2017 00:00 ||
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Taqqiya. I do hope someone is keeping an eye on the membership.
[IsraelTimes] A Houston imam walks back a sermon in which he called for Moslems to kill Jews, without specifically apologizing for his comments.
Imam Raed Saleh al-Rousan of Houston’s Tajweed Institute earlier this month delivered what he called an "impassioned sermon," according to a statement about the speech.
"I unequivocally affirm and uphold the dignity, sanctity and value of all human life, including ‐ of course ‐ people of the Jewish faith," al-Rousan says in the statement. "I must also state in no uncertain terms that I am absolutely and completely opposed to and disgusted by all forms of terrorism, all terrorists, and I oppose anyone who would commit, call for, or threaten violence against civilians. This is why as a person of faith and a religious leader, that I am mortified that an impassioned sermon I gave in light of President Trump’s Jerusalem declaration is being seen as a call for the very things I despise."
Al-Rousan had delivered his inflammatory speech on December 8, two days after President Donald Trump ...New York real estate developer, described by Dems as illiterate, racist, misogynistic, and what ever other unpleasant descriptions they can think of, elected by the rest of us as 45th President of the United States... announced the United States’ recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
"Judgment Day will not come until the Moslems fight the Jews. The Moslems will kill the Jews," al-Rousan said.
The imam also asserted in his speech that Jews "killed the Prophets and the Messengers of Allah." He accused Britannia of bringing Jews to Paleostine, adding "So do not tell me that Paleostine is the country of the Jewish people. No!"
#2
so Iman Saleh would like to dialogue with local Jewish leaders
sadly, I'm sure he'll find plenty of useful idiots who will hold his hand and smile with him as he pretends that his sermon didn't mean what it obviously did mean
Posted by: lord garth ||
12/29/2017 0:46 Comments ||
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#3
Of the psychopaths, by the psychopaths, for the psychopaths...
#8
Notice his statement doesn't include an admission he was wrong or an apology -- instead it says he's sorry his words "are understood" to be a call for violence. Also the favorite Muslim weasel word "civilian".
And, guys, Tolkien's orcs didn't have the free will to choose not to serve evil.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
12/29/2017 6:08 Comments ||
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#9
... without specifically apologizing for his comments.
[IsraelTimes] 'Dramatic understandings' were agreed at the White House on December 12, and deal signed by the two countries' national security chiefs, Channel 10 says
Israel and the United States have secretly signed a far-reaching joint memorandum of understanding providing for full cooperation to deal with Iran’s nuclear drive, its missile programs and its other threatening activities, an Israeli TV report said.
The document was signed on December 12 at the White House, culminating intensive talks between representatives of the major Israeli and American intelligence and defense hierarchies, headed by the US and Israeli national security advisers, H. R. McMaster and Meir Ben-Shabbat, respectively, the Channel 10 report said Thursday.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: trailing wife ||
12/29/2017 00:00 ||
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#1
I'd assume between men like Trump and Bibi a handshake would be enough?
Erbil (IraqiNews.com) Iraqi Kurdistan Region’s premier, Nechirvan Barzani, said Thursday his government was ready to discuss the issue of Kurdish airports control as Baghdad denied a renewal of an air embargo on the autonomous region.
Speaking in a presser following a cabinet meeting, Barzani said "we are ready to act according to the constitution in relation to airports and border crossings".
He reiterated his government’s readiness to discuss all pending issues with Baghdad "with utmost transparency".
Barzani’s announcement came as Alsumaria News quoted Salem al-Sudani, a spokesperson of the Iraqi transport ministry, as denying reports that Baghdad extended a flight embargo on Kurdistan airports by two months
"Airspaces at the two airports are closed until a further notice", Sudani said, referring to Kurdistan’s Erbil and Sulaimaniya airports.
Sudani said that the decision of whether to reopen the airspaces or not is "up to the government".
Baghdad had imposed a flight embargo on Kurdish airports following a referendum the region held in September, in which more than 70 percent voted for independence from Iraq, a step Baghdad deemed unconstitutional.
Following the poll, Baghdad responded with taking control over Kurdistan’s border crossings an areas where illusory sovereignty is disputed by both governments.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
12/29/2017 00:00 ||
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It sounds like the Iraqi unions are more upset about this than the Palestinians are, and possibly a tad more stupid.
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) Iraqi trade unions are considering penal measures against the United States in response to the U.S. Administration’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
Shafaw News quoted the head of the General Federation of Iraqi Trade Unions, Sattar Danbous Barrak, saying Thursday that the organization has decided to "take penal measures" to counter President Donald Trump ...New York real estate developer, described by Dems as illiterate, racist, misogynistic, and what ever other unpleasant descriptions they can think of, elected by the rest of us as 45th President of the United States... ’s decision on Jerusalem, which he signed last month.
According to Barrak, "the measures include abstention from downloading cargo from U.S. ships, and an invitation to cancel contracts with U.S. companies in Iraq, replacing them by others with friendly countries".
Getting awfully mouthy, now that ISIS has been defeated.
Barrak’s statements came during a meeting with Paleostinian ambassador to Iraq, Ahmed Aql, at the embassy.
President Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, and to plan for relocating the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to there, was met with an Arab and a wide-scale international rejection as a violation of U.N. resolutions on the city.
While Paleostinians claim eastern Jerusalem as their capital, and urge Israel to withdraw behind the territories it occupied in 1967, Israelis insist on the city as the unified capital of the Jewish state.
Assuming this is true, and assuming that the Israelis did it, that would be pretty good shooting.
[IsraelTimes] Paleostinian medical records in the Gazoo Strip show that a man, whose two legs had been amputated, who died during a violent protest along the border with Israel earlier this month was killed by a bullet that struck him in the head.
The records, obtained by The News Agency that Dare Not be Named on Thursday, shed new light on a case that has become a rallying cry among Paleostinians since US President Donald Trump ...New York real estate developer, described by Dems as illiterate, racist, misogynistic, and what ever other unpleasant descriptions they can think of, elected by the rest of us as 45th President of the United States... recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
Ibrahim Abu Thurayeh was killed on December 15 in festivities that broke out along the Israeli border. A military investigation found no "moral or professional failures" by troops.
The medical records say Abu Thurayeh died of severe bleeding after a single bullet entered his head over his left eye.
[IsraelTimes] Charges say assailant acted out of anger at Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital; victim, Asher Elmaliach, shows slight improvement, remains in intensive care
A Paleostinian terrorist was indicted in a Jerusalem court on Thursday for stabbing a security guard outside the capital’s central bus station earlier this month.
He was charged with "a terrorist act of attempted murder" and entering Israel illegally.
According to the charge sheet, on the morning of December 10, 24-year-old Yasin Abu al-Qar’a "said goodbye to his loved ones on the phone," purchased a knife and illegally traveled to Israel in order to carry out a terror attack in response to US President Donald Trump ...New York real estate developer, described by Dems as illiterate, racist, misogynistic, and what ever other unpleasant descriptions they can think of, elected by the rest of us as 45th President of the United States... ’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the Israel of capital.
After hearing the announcement, "the defendant planned to stab as many Jews as possible until he was killed and turned into a martyr," the indictment read.
The Shin Bet security service blamed "the incitement on the internet following the recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital," saying it contributing to al-Qar’a’s decision to carry out the attack.
The night beforehand, he posted on Facebook: "In your path, O homeland, O Jerusalem, O Al Aqsa, our blood is cheap."
Al-Qar’a, from Wadi al-Fara, outside Nablus, bought the knife in another town in the northern West Bank, hiding it in his coat, and made his way to the city of Hadera, taking advantage of a permit that allowed him to enter the "seam zone" along the border of the West Bank, but not Israel proper.
Concerned about traveling on a public bus without a legitimate permit allowing him to be in Israel, al-Qar’a paid NIS 500 ($140) for a cab ride from Hadera to Jerusalem.
During the ride, he wrote a will on his phone, based on what he’d been taught in Paleostinian Authority schools, according to the indictment.
"Brother, oh brother, you are commanded by father and mother, and woe to you, sister, if you worry about me. For the homeland I have sacrificed my blood, everything for you, Paleostine," al-Qar’a wrote.
"In his interrogation by the Shin Bet and the police, the suspect said that he wrote the will before carrying out the attack with the deaders’ quote found in the textbooks of Paleostinian Authority textbooks," the Shin Bet said Thursday.
Once he reached Jerusalem, a little after 2 p.m., al-Qar’a approached the central bus station.
He was stopped at the door by a security guard, Asher Elmaliach, who asked him to go through a metal detector before entering. The detector went off repeatedly, as al-Qar’a had the knife hidden in his coat.
At that point, al-Qar’a determined that Elmaliach, 46, was Jewish and "decided to stab him to death," according to the charge sheet.
Graphic video footage from the scene showed Abu al-Qar’a slowly handing his belongings to Elmaliach, before suddenly taking out a knife and plunging it into the guard’s chest.
The knife pierced the right ventricle of Elmaliach’s heart, and he suffered considerable internal bleeding. An off-duty medic who was standing nearby rushed to help him.
Al-Qar’a tried to run from the scene, but he was quickly tackled to the ground by bystanders and coppers who saw the attack.
The Shin Bet determined that al-Qar’a acted entirely alone. He did not have a known history of involvement in terrorist activities. Two of his brothers were members of the PA security services, Hadashot news reported.
Elmaliach remains in intensive care in Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center, under sedation and breathing through a ventilator, as of Thursday. But doctors said his condition has slightly improved.
Last weekend, he was taken off an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation machine, known as an ECMO, which takes strain off the heart and lungs by performing some of their functions, namely removing carbon dioxide from the blood and resupplying it with oxygen, a spokesperson for the hospital said.
A top cleric in Iran's second largest city of Mashhad called for tough action by security forces after hundreds of people took to the streets to protest against high prices and shouted anti-government slogans, state news agency IRNA said on Friday.
Police arrested 52 people in Thursday's protests, the semi-official Fars news agency quoted a judicial official as saying in Mashhad, one of the holiest places in Shi'ite Islam.
Political protests are rare in Iran. But demonstrations are often held by workers over layoffs or non-payment of salaries and people who hold deposits in non-regulated bankrupt financial institutions.
"If the security and law enforcement agencies leave the rioters to themselves, enemies will publish films and pictures in their media and say that the Islamic Republic system has lost its revolutionary base in Mashhad," IRNA quoted prominent conservative cleric Ayatollah Ahmad Alamolhoda as saying.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru ||
12/29/2017 16:23 ||
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#1
They'd better. 0bumhole won't be there to bail them out again.
[AlAhram] The US-led coalition fighting the IS group in Syria and Iraq acknowledged Thursday the deaths of 16 more civilians in air strikes, increasing the toll of civilians killed in three years to at last 817.
The coalition said in a statement that it had completed a review in November of 101 reports of potential civilian casualties, of which 92 were deemed non-credible.
The remaining nine, relating to strikes between March 20 and October 17, were considered credible and resulted in 11 civilian casualties.
The coalition also added another five civilian casualties to its count, based on previous reports of attacks it had earlier said it was not responsible for.
"To date, based on the information available, (the coalition) assesses at least 817 civilians have been unintentionally killed by Coalition strikes" since the beginning of the campaign against the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... (IS) Islamist group in August 2014, the statement said.
As of the end of November, 603 reports were still being examined.
Coalition forces have conducted 28,562 strikes against IS targets in three years, resulting in 1,799 reports of potential civilian casualties of which only 208 were deemed credible, the statement read.
According to a recent New York Times
...which still proudly displays Walter Duranty's Pulitzer prize... survey in Iraq, 20 percent of coalition air strikes have resulted in civilian casualties, a much higher proportion than the coalition's claimed 0.36 percent.
Monitoring group Airwars insists that the number of civilian deaths acknowledged by the US-led coalition is well below the true civilian toll of the bombing campaign, estimating that almost 6,000 innocent lives have been lost.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
12/29/2017 00:00 ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
... Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him. It's a sin, a shame, and a felony to insult the president of Turkey...
