Briefsfromshittu

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

100,000 Sign 'Ban Trump From UK' Petition

It follows the Republican frontrunner's call for a "total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country's representatives can figure out what is going on".

Mr Trump's comments were designed to capitalise on a shooting by a radicalised couple in San Bernardino, California, that killed 14 people.

But they have drawn condemnation both at home and abroad.

In the UK, some people have signed a petition calling on MPs to impose a bar on Mr Trump, with the number of signatures hitting 120,000 just before 1pm.

"The UK has banned entry to many individuals for hate speech," the petition reads. "The same principles should apply to everyone who wishes to enter the

"If the United Kingdom is to continue applying the 'unacceptable behaviour' criteria to those who wish to enter its borders, it must be fairly applied to the rich as well as poor, and the weak as well as powerful."

A petition needs to reach 100,000 signatures to be considered for debate in the Commons.

Across the Atlantic, the White House launched a rare attack on a presidential candidate as spokesman Josh Earnest called the proposal unconstitutional.

"What Donald Trump said disqualifies him from serving as president," said Mr Earnest, describing the remarks as "offensive" and "toxic".

Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton said the billionaire's comments aided terrorists.

"It's a shameful idea. It's also dangerous," she said.

"At a time when America should be doing everything we can to fight radical jihadists, Mr Trump is supplying them with new propaganda."

But Mr Trump has also earned the wrath of the United Nations

Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said the comments were "grossly irresponsible".

David Cameron called Mr Trump's proposal "divisive and unhelpful", while senior politicians in France and Canada have spoken out too.

Muslim leaders in the US have also criticised the 69 year old.

"ISIS is to Islam what Donald Trump is to American values: a complete distortion of everything that we as a country and a society stand for," said Sohaib Sultan, Muslim Life Coordinator and Chaplain at Princeton University.

But in Australia, former Prime Minister Tony Abbott has been accused of "Trumpifying" Australian politics by saying the West should proclaim its superiority over Islam.

George Osborne, standing in for Mr Cameron during Prime Minister's Questions, was cautious on the question of whether Mr Trump should be banned.

He said: "I think the best way to confront the views of someone like Donald Trump is to engage him in a robust democratic argument about why he is profoundly wrong about the contribution of American Muslims and indeed British Muslims.

"That is the best way to deal with Donald Trump and his views rather than trying to ban presidential candidates."

Mr Trump was unrepentant in a series of TV interviews on Tuesday.

He compared his idea to the internment of Japanese and Germans during World War II by Franklin Roosevelt.

On the charge that he was aiding IS propaganda, he said: "I'm the worst thing that's ever happened to ISIS."

Tanzania President John Magufuli helps clean streets

Mr Magufuli swept and picked up rubbish from the street as part of the scheme, which he had ordered to replace independence day celebrations.

The move is being seen as symbolic of the president's promise to tackle corruption, our correspondent says.

Thousands of people across Tanzania are reported to have joined the clean-up.

Last month, Mr Magufuli cancelled traditional independence day celebrations, which usually include a military parade and concert, saying it would be "shameful" to spend huge sums of money while the country was facing a serious cholera outbreak.

U.S. Reviewing Reports of Iranian Ballistic Missile Test

Fatemeh Bahrami—Anadolu Agency/Getty ImagesA vehicle carrying a missile system is driven past Iranian military commanders during an annual military parade, on Sept. 22, 2015, in the capital Tehran

The U.S. is investigating a possible ballistic missile test by Iran in late November, an act that, if proved true, would be in violation of a U.N. Security Council resolution.

“The U.S. is conducting a serious review of the reported incident,” U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Samantha Power said Tuesday, according to Reuters.

If reports that Iran launched a medium-range ballistic missile on Nov. 21 are confirmed, she added, the U.S. would seek appropriate action from the 15-member Security Council.

A resolution by the Council in 2010 banned Iran from testing missiles until a nuclear deal between the Middle Eastern nation and world powers — reached on July 14 this year — is implemented.

Police Raid After Bitcoin 'Creator' Revealed

Bitcoin's code was released in 2009 under the pseudonym of Satoshi Nakamoto, and journalists and investors have been trying to track down the creator ever since.

On Wednesday afternoon around a dozen federal police officers raided the house after a locksmith broke open the door - just hours after Wired magazine named Craig Wright as the man responsible for bitcoin.

A Reuters reporter said officers told them that police were "clearing the house".

However the police force said in a statement that the move was not linked to "media reporting ... about bitcoins".

Instead it directed all inquiries to the Australian Tax Office, suggesting the raid could be linked to tax issues.

Wired magazine said their own investigations showed that Mr Wright was probably the secretive bitcoin creator.

They cited leaked emails, documents and archives from the Dark Web.

However, the magazine said their proof was not conclusive: "Despite a massive trove of evidence, we still can't say with absolute certainty that the mystery is solved.

"Either Wright invented bitcoin, or he's a brilliant hoaxer who very badly wants us to believe he did."

Several publications have previously attempted to guess Nakamoto's real identity, but no claims have proven conclusive.

The creator of bitcoin has around a million of them, worth more than £250m at current exchange rates.

Since its launch, bitcoin has grown from a digital novelty to a currency with a total value of around £3.3bn.

:: On The Trail Of Bitcoin's Alleged Founder

After receiving a trove of leaked documents which allegedly linked Craig Wright to bitcoin, Wired magazine sent him an email saying they knew his secret.

He replied: "You are digging, the question is how deep are you? Regards, the Director of Tessier-Ashpool"

The name is a cyberpunk reference to William Gibson’s Sprawl trilogy.

A few hours later a follow-up message arrived: "The nature of this moniker is selected for a purpose. I now have resources.

"This makes me a we now. I am still within that early phase of learning just what my capabilities happen to be. So, even now with resources I remain vulnerable. You seem to know a few things. More than you should."

When Wired described the connections they had found, he replied: "Although we all desire some level of credit, I have moved past many of these things.

"Too many already know secrets, the world does not need to know. There are other means to lead change than to be a dictator."

He eventually said he would consider a request for a meeting, before ending all contact.

San Bernardino Congressman: Suspects on No-Fly List Should Be Banned From Guns

On Dec. 2, I voted to allow debate on bipartisan legislation that would prevent suspected terrorists on the no-fly list from buying firearms. Moments after House Republicans blocked the legislation from being debated by the House of Representatives, I received text messages from my staff and friends at home saying that there was an active shooter in San Bernardino, Calif. The day after the horrific events at the Inland Regional Center, House Republicans blocked the measure again.

As I rushed back to my office from the House floor, my mind raced back and forth about what was going on—who can commit such a heinous crime, how can this happen in our community, and why would someone seek to kill so many innocent people? I thought about the people affected and what their families were going through. My mind went to my brother, sister-in-law, uncle and friends who are all San Bernardino County employees working in different facilities. I knew I needed to get home as quickly as possible. After taking the first plane I could out of Washington, D.C., I landed in Los Angeles and drove to our law enforcement’s command center to be briefed by investigators.

In the days that followed, we learned the names and stories of the 14 innocent lives that were viciously ended as they gathered for a holiday party. Since that terrible day, in the face of tragedy and despair, I’ve witnessed the incomparable ability of this community to rise up and stand together. During these dark times, I’ve attended vigils, community gatherings and memorial services and heard the same message from priests, pastors, rabbis and imams: we stand as one, and unity will help our community overcome our sorrow, fear and confusion.

As our community mourns, we remain united and stronger than ever. I echo President Barack Obama’s message of supporting each other as we rebuild in the aftermath of the devastating attack and condemning the actions of the attackers and their destructive ideology. The heroic actions of our law enforcement officers, paramedics and firefighters who risked their lives to end the violence, and the doctors and nurses who continue to tend to the wounded deserve continued recognition.

Now more than ever, we need to come together across boundaries of religion, race and any other differences that our enemies would like to use to divide us. San Bernardino is a community rich with diversity and history—this is something to embrace, not reject.

Irfan Khan—LA Times via Getty ImagesCongressman Pete Aguilar speaks at a Redland's interfaith group prayer vigil held at the Islamic Center of Redlands in Redlands, Calif. on Dec. 4, 2015.

We need to do more to combat ISIS to eliminate threats abroad and at home. As we continue to take the fight to ISIS, it is imperative that we explore every option available to the United States and our allies. This includes additional special operations forces and possible no-fly zones. Given the role technology and social media plays in our fight against ISIS, we need to work with companies to do a better job of tracking and reporting these posts so law enforcement and intelligence agencies can follow up appropriately. In addition to these steps, we must confront the epidemic of gun violence at home. It’s necessary for the future of our country to have meaningful conversations and action to prevent future terrorist attacks like this, and that includes reasonable changes to our nation’s gun laws.

Gun violence has been a consistent problem in San Bernardino, a city that has seen hundreds of gun-related crimes this year alone. And now, in the wake of this tragedy, we must lead and tell the nation that guns are not more valuable than lives. The epidemic of gun violence is unique to our nation among developed countries—it just doesn’t happen in other places like it does here. Americans are about 20 times more likely to be murdered with a gun than in any other developed country.

In his address to the nation, President Obama outlined changes, like banning terror suspects on the no-fly list from buying guns and making it harder to acquire the assault weapons used to kill with lethal efficiency. Under federal law, domestic abusers, convicted felons and individuals with threatening mental illness can purchase firearms without background checks. This is unacceptable. While no single reform could have stopped the tragedy that unfolded in San Bernardino, that is not an excuse to ignore commonsense measures that make our communities safer. So far, the only action Congress has taken this year in response to gun violence has been holding moments of silence. With respect to my colleagues, silence won’t help us stop this—only meaningful action will do that. I remain committed to changing our laws to protect my community in San Bernardino and communities across the country from murderers and terrorists driven to kill.

As a Congressman and as a father, I believe that we can be better and do better to respond to the domestic and international threats our nation faces. As our community moves forward, we will show the country and world the resiliency of San Bernardino. We will remain unified, undeterred and unafraid.

President Magufuli walks

It's Independence Day in Tanzania but the President has cancelled all celebrations as part of his campaign against wasteful spending. But is his decision endorsed by the people in the country? One Tanzanian - Lecturer Benson Banna - describes his new leader as a change-maker and says that the citizens are writing a new chapter.

Thousands Sign 'Ban Trump From UK

It follows the Republican frontrunner's call for a "total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country's representatives can figure out what is going on".

Mr Trump's comments were designed to capitalise on a shooting by a radicalised couple in San Bernardino, California, that killed 14 people.

But they have drawn condemnation both at home and abroad.

In the UK, tens of thousands of people have signed a petition calling on MPs to impose a bar on Mr Trump.

"The UK has banned entry to many individuals for hate speech," the petition reads. "The same principles should apply to everyone who wishes to enter the UK.

If the petition reaches 100,000 signatures it could be debated in the Commons.