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Monday, February 8, 2016

ISIS Leader’s Widow Charged in Kayla Mueller’s Death

The wife of an Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) leader has been charged in the death of American Kayla Mueller, the Department of Justice announcedon Monday.
Iraqi Umm Sayyaf, 25, is accused of supporting ISIS members, including her husband, Abu Sayyaf, in a “conspiracy to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization,” according the the Justice Department. The conspiracy resulted in Mueller’s death, officials said.
Mueller was kidnapped in Syria in August 2013, and was eventually taken to into the Sayyafs’ custody along with several other captives at various residences beginning in September 2014. Mueller was reportedly sexually abused by ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi while under Umm Sayyaf’s watch. Sayyaf was aware of this abuse, and told her captives that she would kill them if they didn’t obey her. Mueller died in February 2015.
In May 2015, Abu Sayyaf was killed in a U.S. operation and Umm Sayyaf was captured. She is now being held in Iraq on charges related to terrorism.
“We fully support the Iraqi prosecution of Sayyaf and will continue to work with the authorities there to pursue our shared goal of holding Sayyaf accountable for her crimes,” said Assistant Attorney General John P. Carlin. “At the same time, these charges reflect that the U.S. justice system remains a powerful tool to bring to bear against those who harm our citizens abroad. We will continue to pursue justice for Kayla and for all American victims of terrorism.”

ISIS Leader’s Widow Charged in Kayla Mueller’s Death

The wife of an Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) leader has been charged in the death of American Kayla Mueller, the Department of Justice announcedon Monday.
Iraqi Umm Sayyaf, 25, is accused of supporting ISIS members, including her husband, Abu Sayyaf, in a “conspiracy to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization,” according the the Justice Department. The conspiracy resulted in Mueller’s death, officials said.
Mueller was kidnapped in Syria in August 2013, and was eventually taken to into the Sayyafs’ custody along with several other captives at various residences beginning in September 2014. Mueller was reportedly sexually abused by ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi while under Umm Sayyaf’s watch. Sayyaf was aware of this abuse, and told her captives that she would kill them if they didn’t obey her. Mueller died in February 2015.
In May 2015, Abu Sayyaf was killed in a U.S. operation and Umm Sayyaf was captured. She is now being held in Iraq on charges related to terrorism.
“We fully support the Iraqi prosecution of Sayyaf and will continue to work with the authorities there to pursue our shared goal of holding Sayyaf accountable for her crimes,” said Assistant Attorney General John P. Carlin. “At the same time, these charges reflect that the U.S. justice system remains a powerful tool to bring to bear against those who harm our citizens abroad. We will continue to pursue justice for Kayla and for all American victims of terrorism.”

ISIS Leader’s Widow Charged in Kayla Mueller’s Death

The wife of an Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) leader has been charged in the death of American Kayla Mueller, the Department of Justice announcedon Monday.
Iraqi Umm Sayyaf, 25, is accused of supporting ISIS members, including her husband, Abu Sayyaf, in a “conspiracy to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization,” according the the Justice Department. The conspiracy resulted in Mueller’s death, officials said.
Mueller was kidnapped in Syria in August 2013, and was eventually taken to into the Sayyafs’ custody along with several other captives at various residences beginning in September 2014. Mueller was reportedly sexually abused by ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi while under Umm Sayyaf’s watch. Sayyaf was aware of this abuse, and told her captives that she would kill them if they didn’t obey her. Mueller died in February 2015.
In May 2015, Abu Sayyaf was killed in a U.S. operation and Umm Sayyaf was captured. She is now being held in Iraq on charges related to terrorism.
“We fully support the Iraqi prosecution of Sayyaf and will continue to work with the authorities there to pursue our shared goal of holding Sayyaf accountable for her crimes,” said Assistant Attorney General John P. Carlin. “At the same time, these charges reflect that the U.S. justice system remains a powerful tool to bring to bear against those who harm our citizens abroad. We will continue to pursue justice for Kayla and for all American victims of terrorism.”

Donald Trump Repeats Offensive Name for Ted Cruz at Rally

Donald Trump often boasts about not being politically correct, but he took it one step further Monday night in New Hampshire when he repeated a dirty name for Ted Cruz.
The word was first yelled by a woman in the audience in Manchester when Trump was talking about the Texas Senator not being prowaterboarding, which Trump earlier on Monday said is “the least form of torture, if it’s torture at all.”
“He’s a pussy!” the audience member yelled about Cruz.
Trump then repeated the phrase into the microphone to an arena of about 5,000 people.
“You’re not allowed to say, and I never expect to hear that from you again,” Trump said when he heard the woman. “She said he’s a pussy.”
The crowd laughed and cheered, and began chanting Trump’s name. “I want to just tell you right now, ma’am, you’re reprimanded, O.K.?” Trump jokingly chastised.
At the end of the rally, Trump also quipped that he didn’t care if supporters died in the snowstorm raging outside.
“I don’t really care if you get hurt or not, but I want you to last until tomorrow,” he said of people driving home after the event. “If you’re going to drive like a maniac, do it tomorrow after you vote. And I promise I will come and visit you in the hospital.”

Crude reality: Winners and losers in the oil crisis

As the oil price has dropped more than 70 percent since the summer of 2014, the oil industry is facing its deepest downturn in more than two decades.
The price of oil has decoupled from the actual cost of production; it is becoming unprofitable and the effects are being felt across the globe. 
Nigeria and Angola, Africa's two biggest oil producers, are both in talks with the World Bank about support for their strained state finances.
Budgets in Russia, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Saudi Arabia and Canada are in deficit, which means cuts in public spending.
Big oil is cutting jobs and capital spending, in fact BP just reported its worst annual loss in 20 years, and Shell reported an 80 percent slide in profits for 2015.
But there are winners too: China, India, Japan, and South Korea are among the largest importers of oil, so they are benefiting from the dropping oil price.
We are backtracking the demise of oil - from production companies in the North Sea to a former Caspian tiger fallen on hard times, Kazakhstan, to find out who are the winners and losers of the oil price drop and what it means for the people.
Also on Counting the Cost: Ireland is now the fastest growing economy in the EU, but has its post-bailout success come at the expense of the country's poor?
And how will it affect Ireland's economy and its people if its closest neighbour, the UK, decides to leave the European Union?
Plus, after years of negotiations, the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) has been signed at a ceremony in New Zealand. But sealing the deal on paper doesn't mean an end to the opposition, so what is the future of TPPA?

Man Jailed For NYC Subway Hammer Attacks


Anthony Coward was sentenced to 12 years in prison after pleading to two counts of first-degree robbery
MAnthony Coward, 28, pleaded guilty last month to two counts of first-degree robbery in connection with the May 2014 attacks.
Authorities said Coward approached the victims from behind while they were purchasing Metro cards.
One victim, 32-year-old Richianand Brijanand, told CBS New York: "I went up to the machine trying to make my purchase, and all of a sudden he just hit me right in the head - boom."
Mr Brijanand said Coward took $140 from his wallet.
Within days, a second victim was robbed of $58 in a similar attack.
Prosecutors said Coward continued to hit one victim even after he fell to the ground. Neither suffered life-threatening injuries.
Both attacks took place at the Rockaway Avenue station in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn.

Duchess Calls For Emotional Support In Schools

Kate, as patron of the mental health charity Place2be, has recorded a video message to mark the start of Children's Mental Health Week.
In it she says: "We want to support schools to prioritise the emotional wellbeing of their students, alongside academic success.
"By ensuring every child is given the emotional support they need, we are giving them a firm foundation for the happy healthy future they deserve."
The video, which was filmed in Salisbury Primary School, Queen's Park, northwest London, shows the Duchess talking to four children who have benefited from support from Place2Be.
The charity provides counselling in schools and an opportunity for children to talk about their problems. But new research has found that two thirds of all primary schools in England do not have a counsellor in their schools, with many headteachers saying there isn't the money available to bring in trained support.
Catherine Roche, chief executive of Place2Be, said: "Primary school leaders are well aware of the challenges that their pupils face, whether it’s coping with parental separation, the illness or death of a loved one, or even witnessing domestic violence or substance misuse at home.
"The vast majority are already working hard to support them so that they're ready to learn and can get the most out of their education.
"But teachers are not counsellors and sometimes schools need professional support to make sure that problems in childhood don't spiral into bigger mental health issues later in life."
At the end of the video message one of the pupils asks Kate whether she had support as a child. The boy says: "When you were younger did you have Place2Be and if you didn't did you ever dream of something like it?"
The Duchess, who has been working to raise awareness about children's mental health for a number of years, replies: "I would love to have had it. I think everyone would really benefit from having something like Place2Be and being able to talk."