Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia |
Ukrainian Perspective: Invasion of Ukraine: April 15, 2025 |
2025-04-16 |
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title. [Korrespondent] 22.25 The White House praised the visit of Donald Trump's special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. This is stated in a statement by White House press secretary Caroline Levitt. ![]() 21.39 The Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence will consider on April 16 the Russian attack on the center of Sumy on Palm Sunday, which took the lives of 35 people. This was reported by the representative of this committee, People's Deputy Fedir Venislavsky. 21.22 The protection of the skies over Odessa from Russian attacks will be strengthened because the city was better protected before. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced this today at a meeting with business representatives of the Odessa region. 20.49 President Volodymyr Zelensky held a coordination meeting in Odessa on air defense, the regional economy, and the situation with displaced persons. Commanders and officials reported on air defense, grain exports, and regional security. 18:57 NATO will not comment on the intermediate stages of the US-Russia negotiations on "inclusion of five Ukrainian territories into the Russian Federation". The discussion was about the scandalous statement by US President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff. 18.46 The occupiers accused a resident of Energodar, an employee of Zaporizhzhya NPP, of so-called "treason". The woman was sentenced to 14 years in prison. This was reported by the mayor of Energodar, Dmitry Orlov, on his Telegram channel. 18.28 Ukraine is a sovereign state, and only the Ukrainian people can speak about its territory. This was stated by President Volodymyr Zelensky at a press conference in Odessa. In this way, he hinted that the US President's special envoy Steve Witkoff is discussing the issue beyond his competence. 18.09 In Sumy, the number of people killed due to Russia's missile strike on the city center on April 13 has risen to 36. This was reported by the Sumy City Council. "The condition of 10 victims is serious (two children and eight adults). Another 35 people are in moderate condition, the rest have minor injuries. Unfortunately, one person died in hospital," the statement said. In total, 127 people have sought medical help to date: 109 of them, including 18 children. There are 44 patients in hospital, including ten children. 17.43 Ukraine has completed the 2024/2025 heating season despite nine massive attacks by Russia on the energy system, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said. 17.14 The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine has put on the wanted list a suspect in the large-scale theft of funds for food for the Armed Forces of Ukraine - entrepreneur Tatyana Glinyanaya. 16.36 The first region to reduce payments for contracts with the Russian Defense Ministry was the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug. From April 15, Russian so-called "volunteers" will receive 1.9 million instead of 3.1 million rubles. 16:09 Additional restrictions and security measures will be in effect in the Kyiv region on Easter. Main restrictions and recommendations: The curfew remains unchanged - being on the streets at night is prohibited; 14:55 On April 15, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a law allowing military personnel to receive a 50% discount on fines for failure to update data from the TCC. According to the new law, if a military personnel fails to update their data in the TCC, Administrative Service Center or via an electronic account within 60 days after the entry into force of the mobilization decree, this is considered an administrative offense. 14:38 The Cabinet of Ministers has updated the rules for booking military personnel by amending Resolution No. 76 of January 27, 2023, "Some issues of implementing the provisions of the Law of Ukraine "On mobilization preparation and mobilization." This was announced by the permanent representative of the government in the Verkhovna Rada Taras Melnychuk. The booking procedure, as well as the criteria and procedures by which enterprises, institutions and organizations that are critical for the functioning of the economy, life support of the population and the needs of the Armed Forces during a special period are determined have been updated. Now the procedure does not apply to military personnel registered with the SBU and intelligence agencies. Adjustments have also been made to the Criteria in accordance with the provisions of the Law of Ukraine "On Military Duty and Military Service" regarding intelligence agencies. In addition, a separate procedure has been approved for booking persons registered with the Security Service of Ukraine and intelligence agencies for the period of mobilization and wartime. 13:55 A 20-year-old volunteer from Finland has died in the war in Ukraine, Yle reports. It is noted that the resident of the city of Turku left Finland several months ago to join the Ukrainian troops. 12:37 A drone hit an ammunition depot in Kursk, Russia. This was stated by Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Center for Countering Disinformation of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC). 12:29 The source of the baseless statements about the alleged 4.8 thousand servicemen from other countries killed during the military operation in the Kursk region, Russia, are Russian propagandists. This was reported by the Center for Countering Disinformation of the NSDC. "The propagandists claim that since the summer of 2024, 4,781 servicemen from Poland, Georgia, Colombia, France, Germany, Great Britain, the USA, Australia and Japan have died in the Kursk region. It is emphasized that among the "dead" foreigners, the largest number are citizens of Poland," the report noted. The CCD emphasized that the purpose of such fakes is to justify armed aggression against Ukraine and promote the narrative that "the whole world is fighting against Russia." 12:13 During the so-called "energy ceasefire," the Russian army killed almost 2.5 times more Ukrainians than during the same period before it was declared. This was reported by the CPD. Thus, from March 25 to April 15, Russian troops carried out eight massive attacks on Ukrainian cities, resulting in the deaths of 72 people, including 11 children. 11:30 In Ukraine, from May 1, basic general military training (BGMT) will become simpler and shorter for those "of limited fitness." This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It is noted that the updated BGMT program will reduce the workload of military personnel fit for service in support units; security units; territorial recruitment and social support centers (TRSC and SP); higher military educational institutions; training centers; institutions; medical units; logistics units; communications and security. 10:59 As of April 15, 149,987 criminal proceedings have been initiated on the facts of crimes committed on the territory of the country by servicemen of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and their accomplices since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. This was reported by the National Police. It is noted that 133 thousand 779 proceedings were initiated on the facts of war crimes. Another 9 thousand 335 proceedings were initiated on the facts of encroachment on the territorial integrity and inviolability of Ukraine, 4 thousand 398 on the facts of collaboration activities and 317 on the facts of treason. This is almost 28 thousand crimes more than on July 14, 2024, including almost 27 thousand more war crimes. 10:23 Three agents of the Russian military intelligence (better known as the GRU) who were preparing to blow up a Ukrainian Armed Forces vehicle and a police administration building in Vinnytsia have been detained. This was reported by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on April 15. 9:50 Fires broke out in several residential buildings in Kursk on the night of April 15 after a massive drone attack. This was reported by the BBC Russian Service, citing the operational headquarters of the Kursk region. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, air defense systems allegedly shot down 115 drones over different regions at night. Most of the drones were allegedly shot down over the Kursk region (109 UAVs), three UAVs - over the territory of the Voronezh region, and one drone each over the territories of the Moscow region, Bryansk and Oryol regions. 8.54 Over the past 24 hours, 99 combat clashes between the Ukrainian Defense Forces and the Russian invaders have been recorded at the front. This was reported by the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces on April 15. Aviation, missile troops and artillery of the Defense Forces hit five areas of concentration of personnel, weapons and military equipment, two air defense systems, four command posts, eight artillery systems, three radars/electronic warfare stations and two other important enemy facilities. 8:15 During the day, Russian troops attacked the Nikopol district of the Dnipropetrovsk region with kamikaze drones, there is damage, a woman was injured. This was reported on April 15 by the head of the Dnipropetrovsk OVA Serhiy Lysak. 7:50 In one day, the Ukrainian Armed Forces destroyed 1,180 Russian invaders. The total combat losses of Russian troops since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, from February 24, 2022 to April 15, 2025, amount to about 935 thousand 160 people. This was reported by the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces on April 15. 7:23 Operators of the 413th battalion of the Raid Forces of Unmanned Systems, in cooperation with the combined detachment of the BPS Dzhmil 78th Airborne Assault Regiment, destroyed a Russian Strela-10 anti-aircraft missile system in the Kursk region. This was reported by the press service of the Unmanned Systems Forces, publishing a video . 05:29 The ruling Liberal Party of Canada assured that if it wins the elections, it will provide comprehensive support to Ukraine. In particular, Canada plans to "continue macroeconomic, humanitarian and other support to help Ukraine provide essential services and facilitate its long-term recovery." 03:11 Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi reported that since the beginning of the year, the Ukrainian Defense Forces have destroyed 11,583 units of enemy vehicles and special equipment. 02:14 In the US Congress, representatives of the Democratic Party introduced a bill designed to strengthen support for Ukraine in the war with Russia, as well as introduce tough sanctions against Moscow. It provides for multi-level assistance to Ukraine - from financing needs and post-war reconstruction to enhanced sanctions against Russia. According to the draft, the first section confirms support for Ukraine and NATO, and also proposes the creation of the position of a special coordinator for the restoration of Ukraine. The second chapter concerns security assistance, in particular direct loans and military financing. 01:10 Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico did not say that Russia was to blame for the attack on Sumy when he commented on the April 13 missile attack. Fico had not previously commented on the Russian attack, and when journalists asked him about the strike during a press conference on April 14, the prime minister replied: "I condemn the murder. I condemn all murders, I have always condemned them and I will do so. But I do not have enough information to say anything right now." |
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Europe |
37 Kurds run for Finnish local elections |
2025-04-14 |
Interesting that the quoted speakers all appear to be of the Left. Where are the Moslem colonists among the Kurds — are they more interested in jihad than caucusing? [Rudaw] Thirty-seven candidates of Kurdish background are running in Finland's county and municipal elections on Sunday, with over 20,000 Kurds expected to cast their votes."Voting is not just a right; it is also a social duty," Welat Nehri, former president of the Federation of Kurdish Associations in Finland, told Rudaw’s Diaspora program during a debate on Friday. The Kurdish candidates span the center-to-left political spectrum in Finland: 18 are running on a Social Democratic Party ticket, six with the National Coalition Party, five with the Left Alliance, three with the Swedish People’s Party, two with the Green Party, one with the Christian Democrats ![]() white people, white supremacy, whiteanything but paint, you're listening to a Democrat. Ask him/her/it to reimagine something for you; they do that a lot, though not well. They can hear a dog whistle a mile or two away. They invented the spoils system and Tammany Hall, and inspired the addition of the word (Thomas) Nastyto the English language. They want to stop continental drift and repeal the law of unintended side effects... , and two with the Centre Party. Among the candidates, 22 are men and 15 are women. Nehri stated that Kurds in Finland are considered an "active and successful community." "But we must do even more to secure our future," he added. Key campaign themes include cultural recognition, political participation, expanded local welfare services, and the promotion of social justice. "When we become a political force - when we have political capital within this country and among the ranks of political parties - we will be taken into account at decision-making levels," said Majid Haqqi, an expert on elections and the Kurdish diaspora in Finland. Haqqi warned that abstention could lead to gains for far-right parties. "Silence helps those who want to exclude us," he said. "The far-right wants im Shahen Zada Ahmed, a Social Democratic candidate in the southwestern city of Turku, echoed Haqqi’s sentiments. "The left has always stood with oppressed nations. As Kurds, we naturally align with parties that fight for justice," she said, adding that "this election is not just a competition, but a revolution in Kurdish political engagement." "If you don’t like my program, vote for another Kurdish candidate - but don’t waste your vote. Participation is power," she added. But a native Finnish candidate is not to be thought of? Also speaking during the debate, Shina Rezavi, a specialist in refugee affairs and human rightsOne man's rights are another man's existential threat. , emphasized the importance of representation. "When Kurds enter decision-making spaces, our community’s struggles are heard. Representation changes everything." Candidates also highlighted their stances on human rights and equality. "Women’s rights are human rights. The Kurdish women’s struggle inspires me to fight for equality here in Finland," said Shayda Sohrabi, who is running with the National Coalition Party. "Many victims of human trafficking don’t know their rights because of language barriers. We need services in their mother tongues," Rezavi added. "When a refugee is exploited at work, it’s not just their problem—it weakens labor rights for all Finns." Panelists also discussed the importance of local-level social services. "Kurdish mothers who can’t speak Finnish still understand when their children’s schools are underfunded. That’s why local elections matter," said Haqqi. "Local elections shape daily life—schools, healthcare, jobs. Kurds must engage at every level of politics," he added. Meanwhile, ...back at the shootout, another bullet hole appeared in Butch's hat...... Nehri noted that "our children must understand: voting isn't just about today, it's about securing their future in this country." The candidates also spoke about integration, noting that Kurds have successfully converged into Finnish culture. "When I walk through Helsinki's streets campaigning, I don't see just Kurds or Finns - I see neighbors who all deserve dignity," Sohrbai noted, explaining that she sees herself as a "proud Kurd and a proud Finn" at the same time. "We don’t have to choose - we can be both," she added. Meanwhile, ...back at the shootout, another bullet hole appeared in Butch's hat...... Zada Ahmed stressed that multiculturalism "is not Finland’s weakness but its superpower in the 21st century." According to a March 25 blurb from the Finnish Ministry of Justice, voters in the county elections will choose councillors responsible for organizing health, social, and rescue services in the wellbeing services counties. In the municipal elections, they will elect councillors to manage the activities and finances of their municipalities. |
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Europe |
Ankara slams arrest of two Turkish journalists in Frankfurt |
2023-05-18 |
[Rudaw] ...the decaying remnant of the Ottoman Empire... ’s foreign ministry on Wednesday condemned the arrest of two journalists working for a The English edition of Sabah reported on Wednesday that the newspaper’s German representative Ismail Erel and European edition’s chief editor Cemil Albay were briefly arrested by Frankfurt police earlier in the day. "Police also searched the Sabah offices in Frankfurt and seized Erel and Albay’s computers and mobile phones," added the news outlet. The "We consider the outright detention of these press members by the German authorities without even requesting their statements as a deliberate act right after the successfully held first round of the Presidential Elections and the 28th Term Parliamentary Elections," read the statement, referring to Sunday’s vote in which the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and its nationalist allies secured a parliamentary majority but President His Enormity, Sultan Recep Tayyip Erdogan the First ![]() failed to win over 50 percent of the votes. The second round of the presidential polls will take place on May 28. German Ambassador to Ankara Jurgen Schulz was summoned by Turkey’s foreign ministry before the journalists were released, according to state media. Sabah claimed that the journalists were arrested after two alleged members of the Fethullah Gülen ... a Turkish preacher living in Pennsylvania whom the current govt of Turkey considers responsible for all the ills afflicting Turkey and possibly the entire world. Gülen and Erdogan used to be really good friends, but only one of them could be sultan, and Gülen lost... Movement, which is accused by Ankara of orchestrating the 2016 failed coup attempt against Erdogan, filed a lawsuit against them. Sabah is affiliated to the pro-Erdogan Turkuvaz Media Group which includes dozens of TV channels, radios and newspapers. Berlin has yet to comment on the arrests. "German authorities could have invited journalists and directed their questions about this complaint. Instead of this, they arrested them and seized their mobile phones and laptops," Fatih Zingal, a lawyer representing Sabah, told Diplomatic tensions between Ankara and Berlin over freedom of speech are not new. Germany in 2019 slammed Turkey for rejecting to issue accreditations to two German journalists. Turkey has been widely criticized for crackdowns on Kurdish journalist at home, accusing them of having ties to the Kurdish rebels. Turkey is among the Committee to Protect Journalists’ (CPJ) list of top five jailers of journalists for the year 2022. |
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Europe | ||
Appeals trial for Liberia war crimes opens in Finland | ||
2023-01-11 | ||
Suspected warlord Gibril Massaquoi appeared Tuesday in a Finnish appeals court accused of atrocities in Liberia’s civil war following his acquittal last year in a lower court. The trial was taking place in the Finnish city of Turku, about 170 kilometers (106 miles) west of Helsinki. Massaquoi, who moved to Finland in 2008,
The first day of the trial was to include decisions on witness confidentiality and the presentation of the case by both the prosecutor and Massaquoi’s defense. The trial will subsequently move to Liberia and Sierra Leone to hear witness testimony before returning to Finland. The main trial will start in Turku in January 2023 and will continue in Liberia for about two months from the beginning of February," the Turku Court of Appeal said. A Finnish district court acquitted Massaquoi in April 2022. It ruled that the prosecution had "not proven with sufficient certainty" that he had been involved in the crimes, which occurred in the later years of Liberia’s second civil war. The impoverished West African state was plunged into a first war which ran from 1989 to 1998, followed by a second, from 1999 to 2003. As many as a quarter of a million people died, according to some estimates. Massaquoi was arrested in Finland in 2020 after a rights group investigated his war record, and was held in jug for around two years pending the trial. The district court ordered his release in February pending the April verdict, when he was acquitted. Finnish prosecutors appealed the verdict. Massaquoi was formerly a senior commander of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF),
He denies all the charges, arguing that he was not in Liberia when the alleged offences took place. The Turku appeals court said it would hear from witnesses in Liberia in February and in May from witnesses in Sierra Leone, before returning to Finland by June 5. Related: Liberia: 2022-11-18 Nigerian Immigration Intercepts Four Liberia-bound Female Teenagers, Driver Allegedly Trafficked Liberia: 2022-11-18 Officials: Drone that hit Israeli-owned tanker near Oman was launched from IRGC base Liberia: 2022-11-17 Israeli billionaire’s oil tanker hit by bomb-carrying drone off Oman; Iran blamed | ||
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Europe | |
Police across Europe have arrested about 130 people suspected of involvement in human trafficking | |
2022-07-06 | |
[PUBLISH.TWITTER]
Police across Europa ![]() have arrested about 130 people suspected of involvement in human trafficking in a joint operation carried out by 22 countries, the international police agency Europol said on Tuesday. The police actions, which took place in the week up to June 13, also led to more than 100 possible victims of human trafficking being identified, Europol said. During the operation, coordinated by the EU border agency Frontex, checks on almost 1 million persons and 200,000 vehicles were carried out at sea, land and air borders, mainly on heavily utilized routes into Europe. Fifteen countries from across the EU participated in the actions, alongside Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Ukraine, Britannia and Liechtenstein. About 22,500 law enforcement officers took part. Police bust scheme to smuggle ‘thousands’ to UK in boats
Officers staged dawn raids in Belgium, Britannia, La Belle France, the Netherlands and Germany, said police in the northwestern German city of Osnabrueck, considered a hub for the traffickers. Britannia’s National Crime Agency said the sting was "believed to be the biggest ever international operation targeting criminal networks suspected of using small boats to smuggle thousands of people into the UK". Officers made six arrests in the Docklands and Catford areas of London, the NCA said. In Germany, some 900 police carried out searches of 36 sites and arrested 18 suspects in an operation coordinated by Europol and European Union ![]() judicial agency Eurojust, they said in a statement. | |
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The Grand Turk |
The Turkish predicament |
2021-05-10 |
[NPASYRIA] ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire... lost its role as the southeastern wing of NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Originally it was a mutual defense pact directed against an expansionist Soviet Union. In later years it evolved into a mechanism for picking the American pocket while criticizing the cut of the American pants... against the Soviet Union with the end of the Cold War. |
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Europe |
Finnish Police Bust Huge Sex Trafficking Ring Led by Migrants |
2020-10-12 |
Investigators arrested five men and one woman in Finland this week in connection to the sex trafficking network and another man has been held in custody in Romania. Several hundred thousand euros have also been seized as part of the operation and police are investigating possible money laundering operations as well. According to a report from Finnish broadcaster Yle, the network operated in Helsinki, Turku, Espoo, Tampere, Oulu, and many other major cities across the country. The victims are all said to ber Romanian citizens lured to Finland by fake job offers, although the broadcaster claims some of the victims knew what sort of work they would be engaging in when they reached Finland. |
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-Signs, Portents, and the Weather- |
Finnish Scientists: Effect of human activity on climate change insignificant |
2019-08-10 |
Jyrki Kauppinen and Pekka Malmi, from the Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Turku, in their paper published on 29th June 2019 claim to prove that the "GCM-models used in IPCC report AR5 fail to calculate the influences of the low cloud cover changes on the global temperature. That is why those models give a very small natural temperature change leaving a very large change for the contribution of the green house gases in the observed temperature." Thus, in order to come to the results matching the actual climate change the IPCC has to "use a very large sensitivity to compensate a too small natural component. Further they have to leave out the strong negative feedback due to the clouds in order to magnify the sensitivity." In addition, Kauppinen and Malmi claim that their paper proves that "the changes in the low cloud cover fraction practically control the global temperature." |
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Europe | |||
Europe | |||
2018-02-18 | |||
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17 February [Ynet] Italian police have clashed with hundreds of anti-fascist demonstrators in Bologna who were trying to disrupt a planned campaign appearance by the head of the neo-fascist Forza Nuova. The news agency ANSA said six demonstrators and one police officer were injured. Police used tear gas, water cannons and batons on demonstrators who tried to breach cordons to reach a square where the far-right campaign
17 February Three Syrian migrants are currently on trial in Hamburg for being members of a terrorist cell and one of the men has admitted that the Islamic State terror organisation sent him to Germany telling him to disguise himself as a refugee. Lesbian Couple Attacked in Paris No-Go Suburb 17 February A lesbian couple was attacked in the Paris suburb of Val-d’Oise over the weekend after a group of young men shouted slurs at them calling them “lesbian whores”. New Austrian Foreign Minister Slams Merkel for Migrant Crisis, Demands Orban-Style Border Protection 16 February Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl slammed German Chancellor Angela Merkel for her decision in 2015 to welcome migrants, saying it was a “pull factor”, and praised Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán for working to secure the European border. Terror Trial Suspects Radicalised at Same Mosque Attended by Berlin Terrorist 16 February Four alleged Islamic State supporters on trial for terror offences are said to have been radicalised at the same mosque that was frequented by Berlin terror attacker Anis Amri. French Government Accused of Following Islamic Law When Calculating Housing Benefits for Muslims 16 February The French government has been accused of following Islamic law, specifically one which designates guardianship of children, to determine housing benefits for Muslims. Failed Asylum Seeker with 19 Fake Identities Who Eluded Deportation Four Times Arrested 15 February A 43-year-old Tunisian failed asylum seeker who has used 19 separate fake identities could finally be facing deportation after having escaped four separate attempts to deport him from Germany. Number of Illegal Migrants Crossing Sea to Italy DOUBLES in One Month 14 February The EU Border Agency (Frontex) says the number of illegal migrants crossing the Mediterranean to Italy has doubled in the space of a month. Swedish Whistleblower Cop Put on Notice for Claiming Gang Rape ‘Cultural Phenomenon’ Linked to Mass Migration 14 February Swedish police officer Peter Springare has been reported to police and will likely be investigated after he said the country’s gang rape problem is linked to migration and was a “cultural phenomenon”. Greek Migrant Camps Becoming ‘No-Go Areas’ for Children and Women at Night 13 February A new report from the United Nations refugee agency, the UNHCR, has claimed that conditions in the Greek island migrant camps have become incredibly dangerous for women and children who face the threat of sexual violence. Stockholm Attack Terror Trial of Uzbek Migrant Who Killed Five With Truck Opens 13 February The trial of an Uzbek man who has confessed to ramming a stolen truck into a crowd in downtown Stockholm last year, killing five and injuring 14, started Tuesday under heavy security. Rakhmat Akilov appeared before the EU Commissioner: Spend Hundreds of Millions on Migrant ‘Ghettos’ or Face ‘Nuclear Bomb’ of Unrest 13 February The European Union (EU) has allocated £310 billion to spend by 2020 in a bid to help avoid migrant “ghettos” becoming “a nuclear bomb in the future”, a Commissioner has said. 30 Per Cent of Young Girls in Paris’s Troubled Suburbs Face FGM Threat 13 February The threat of female genital mutilation (FGM) in the heavily migrant-populated Seine-Saint-Denis area in the suburbs of Paris could affect as many as 30 per cent of the children in the area, according to a French sociologist. Expert: Sweden Has Become a ‘Base’ for International Radical Islamic Extremist Networks 13 February Swedish researcher Peder Hyllengren of the Swedish Defence College has claimed that Sweden has become a hub of international Islamic extremism and that hundreds of Swedes have built up a vast network of jihadi contacts. German Catholic Archbishop Condemns Migrant Violence Toward Christians 11 February German Roman Catholic Archbishop Ludwig Schick has condemned the violence of Islamic extremist migrants toward Christians and Christian converts, saying that the “highest alertness” is required. Finnish Police Confirm 2017 Terror Attacker Was Islamic State Supporter 9 February Finnish investigators have confirmed that the 18-year-old Moroccan asylum seeker who killed two and injured seven others in the city of Turku last August was a supporter of Islamic State. Islamic State Flag, Drugs Found at Residences of €140,000 Fake Identity Benefit Fraud Migrants 9 February An Islamic State flag and drugs were found at several residences after German police cracked down on a ring of young migrants who had used fake identities to defraud German taxpayers. Thousands of Migrants Pour Across The Alps Headed for France and Germany 9 February Thousands of migrants are attempting to traverse the Alps to get out of Italy to their preferred destinations of Germany and other Northern European countries. Teachers Seek Help to Cope with Rising Islamic Extremism in the Classroom 9 February Rising fundamentalism amongst Muslim youths in Germany is sparking alarm in the nation’s schools, with more and more teachers seeking help in dealing with radicalised pupils. Africa Expert Warns Western Aid May Have Contributed to Next Migrant Crisis 8 February Africa specialist Stephen Smith has warned that the next migrant crisis is on the horizon as Africa’s population continues to boom and that Western aid, particularly education, may contribute to Africans seeking a better life in Europe. Vast Majority of Under-35 Italians Now Oppose Mass Migration 8 February A poll has revealed that 65 per cent of Italians under the age of 35 are against mass migration with some wanting to limit the number of migrants flowing into the country while others want the rate reduced to zero. Islamic Extremist Numbers More than Triple in German Region 8 February The German region of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern has seen a dramatic increase in the number of radical Islamic extremists over the last year with some being described as particularly violent. Berlin New Year’s Eve Sex Assault Numbers Three Times Those Previously Reported 8 February New information has revealed that the actual number of sex assault cases that took place over New Year’s Eve was nearly three times the figure previously given out by police. Record Support for Conservative, Pro-Sovereignty Governments in Hungary, Poland 7 February Recent polls show that the conservative, anti-mass migration governing parties of Hungary and Poland are receiving record support as EU unity on immigration continues to crumble. Danish Left Unveils ‘Ambitious Plan’ to Slash Third World Migration 7 February Presenting an ambitious plan to slash migration from outside the West, Denmark’s Social Democrats said the country lacks the capacity to integrate further flows of third world migrants. Germany Sees Record Rise in Weapons Permit Holders 7 February More and more German citizens are choosing to arm themselves as the number of weapons permits for firearms saw a record increase in 2017 going up nationwide by 85 per cent. Pope Francis: Human Trafficking Is Fueled by Lack of ‘Regular Channels’ for Migration 7 February Many migrants wind up as slaves to human traffickers, thanks to a lack of “regular channels” of migration, Pope Francis said Wednesday Denmark to Become Latest European Nation to Ban the Burqa 7 February The Danish Ministry of Justice has put out a press release indicating that the government is looking to place a ban on full-face Islamic veils and levy a fine on violators. Over 2,000 Germans March Against Mass Migration in City Experiencing Wave of Migrant Crime 7 February Around 2,000 demonstrators gathered in the German city of Cottbus over the weekend to protest mass migration after the city had seen a rise in violence that often involved migrants. Italian Confesses to Shooting Rampage After African Immigrant Dismembers 18-Year-Old Woman 6 February An Italian man confessed Tuesday to going a 90-minute shooting spree on Saturday morning, wounding six persons in an act of vengeance against migrants following the gruesome murder of a young Italian woman last week. Police Officer Working to Deport Illegals Threatened at Home by Muslim Extremists 6 February A pair of Islamic extremists confronted a police officer in the German region of North Rhine-Westphalia in front of his apartment to intimidate him because he is involved in deportations. The unnamed officer is said to be a member of the Italy Elections: Berlusconi Declares He Will Deport 600,000 ‘Time Bomb’ Illegal Migrants 6 February Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has upped the ante on his coalition partner populist Lega leader Matteo Salvini saying that he will deport 100,000 more migrants, referring to them as “criminals”. Hungarian Prime Minister: UN Migration Compact ‘Looks Like It Was Copied from the Soros Plan’ for Mass Migration 6 February Hungary’s Viktor Orbán has blasted the “dangerous” new United Nations Global Compact on Migration, saying it bears the fingerprints of billionaire open borders campaigner George Soros. German Politicians ‘Alarmed’ at Scale of Anti-Christian Hate Attacks 5 February Hate crime figures leaked by police in Germany have caused alarm, as they revealed murder, assault, and arson numbering among almost 100 attacks which targeted Christians in 2017. Man Who Shot Migrants After Italian Teen’s Murder Unrepentant, Say Police 4 February A right-wing extremist suspected in the shooting rampage that wounded six Africans in central Italy was “lucid and determined, aware of what he had done” and exhibited no remorse for his actions, an Italian law enforcement official said Sunday. Father of 11-Year-Old Terror Victim Ebba Akerlund to Sue Swedish Government 4 February The father of 11-year-old Ebba Akerlund, who was horribly killed during the Stockholm terror attack last year, has announced he will be looking to sue the Swedish government or the city of Stockholm for not doing enough to prevent the attack. Mediterranean Migrant Route Numbers Rapidly Increasing 3 February Since last summer the number of migrants crossing from Libya has greatly declined, but new figures show that the number is rising once again as Libya becomes increasingly unstable. Belgian Senator: Multiculturalist Elites Manipulated Stats to Transform Society with Mass Migration 3 February Elites brought about a “profound transformation” of Belgian society without any public debate by manipulating immigration figures as more than one million migrants poured in, a liberal senator has alleged. Sex Offender Migrant Arrested for Raping a 13-Year-Old Girl a Month After Prison Release 3 February An 18-year-old Afghan asylum seeker has been arrested in the German city of Esslingen for the alleged rape of a 13-year-old girl only a month after he was released from prison following a sex offence conviction. Migrants Engage in Violent Riots in Calais as Truck Companies Warn Drivers to Stay Away 3 February Over a hundred migrants in Calais took part in a series of violent attacks this week leading to several hospitalised from gunshot wounds as Belgian truck companies warn drivers to avoid motorways around the city. | |||
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Europe | |||
Finnish knife attacker who killed two identified with IS, police say | |||
2018-02-08 | |||
[IsraelTimes] Asylum seeker Abderrahman Bouanane, who last year went on stabbing rampage in Turku, said to have acted alone, reacted to Syria bombardments. Finnish police say the Moroccan asylum-seeker who killed two people and maimed eight others in last year’s stabbing attack in southwestern Finland identified strongly with 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 Allaharound with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not reallyMoslems.... group and was motivated largely by hatred after heavy bombardments by the Western-led coalition in the Syrian city of Raqqa.
"We don’t think any group is being involved in this," Toyras said, although adding that the suspect’s phone and computer contained IS-related photos and material. "He has seen himself as a fighter, a soldier, a man of IS. He would have liked IS to have taken credit for the attack." On the day of the attack, Bouanane had bicycled from Turku’s outskirts to the city center, bringing along two kitchen knives he had taken from a friend’s home. He attended prayer at a local mosque before he started a stabbing rampage in Turku’s main market square that lasted some three minutes and left two women dead and eight others ‐ six women and two men ‐ maimed. Toyras said Bouanane, born in 1994,
Toyras said Bouanane had keenly followed earlier terror incidents in Belgium and La Belle France, was willing to die for "a martyr cause" and was waiting to be rubbed out by the Finnish police. The suspect came to Finland in 2016 and saw later his asylum application rejected. But police said that was not considered the main motive. Following the attack, police discovered a manifesto posted online by Bouanane that was strongly influenced by Moslem and IS world views and contained disparaging references to Western religions. The case is being investigated as two counts of terror-related murder and eight counts of attempted murder with a terror-related motive. State prosecutors are expected to file official charges by the end of February. | |||
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Finnish police release one more held over Aug 18 knife attack | |
2017-09-02 | |
[Ynet] Finnish police on Friday released another of the men suspected of involvement in fatal stabbings in the city of Turku on Aug. 18, leaving just one suspect in jug. Officers jugged Drop the heater, Studs, or you're hist'try! seven people after the attack and have now released six of them without charge. Two women died and eight people were maimed in the mid-August knife attack, which police are investigating as Finland's first terrorism-related assault. The main suspect, who is in pre-trial detention pending an investigation, has been named as Abderrahman Bouanane, a 22-year-old Moroccan asylum seeker.
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Finland stabbing suspect 'lied about his name, age' | ||
2017-08-28 | ||
[DW] Finnish police have released new information on the young Moroccan who allegedly killed two women in a Turku stabbing rampage. The man had been falsely identified as 18-year-old Abderrahman Mechkah.
"His identity has now been confirmed, so we know who we are dealing with," Detective Chief Inspector Crista Granroth of the National Bureau of Investigation told the Rooters news agency. Previously, German authorities said that the suspect used multiple identities while living in Germany between late 2015 and early 2016. | ||
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