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Sunday, November 13, 2016

Paris attacks: France state of emergency to be extended - PM Valls

France's state of emergency imposed after last year's terror attacks in Paris is likely to be extended, Prime Minister Manuel Valls has told the BBC. 
He said the measures were needed to "protect our democracy". 
Mr Valls was speaking on the first anniversary of the attacks by Islamist militants, in which 130 people died.
President Francois Hollande is marking the first anniversary of the Paris attacks by unveiling plaques commemorating the victims.
Starting with the Stade de France and ending with the Bataclan concert hall, Mr Hollande and the Mayor of Paris will visit the six sites targeted in the attacks, paying tribute to the victims.
Mr Hollande is not expected to speak at the sites, saying he wanted the day to focus on remembering the victims rather than on politics. 
Names of the victims have been read out at each site. 
At the Stade de France, the son of victim Manuel Dias, the single person killed there, spoke on behalf of his Portuguese-born father, saying his father was "proof that integration is possible ''. 
"Long live tolerance, long live intelligence, long live France," he said.
On Saturday - the eve of the anniversary of the massacre - the Bataclan reopened with a performance by British artist Sting.
The singer told the audience, including survivors of the attack, that they had to honour the dead and celebrate life.
A minute's silence was held at the renovated venue for those killed in the attacks on the French capital by jihadists from so-called Islamic State.
On 13 November 2015, a group of jihadists launched co-ordinated attacks on the Stade de France and restaurants filled with people on a Friday evening.
The Bataclan concert hall was the scene of the deadliest attack. Three gunmen entered the venue and fired on the crowd, killing 90 people.
On Saturday, in an interview with the BBC's Hardtalk programme, Mr Valls said the state of emergency would be extended because there was a risk of "attacks of the kind we saw in Nice".
France's state of emergency was extended for six months in July after a lorry driver ploughed through a crowd, killing 84 people in Nice on Bastille Day.
The measures give the police extra powers to carry out searches and to place people under house arrest.
However an official inquiry found that the state of emergency was only having a "limited impact" on improving security.

2017 elections

Mr Valls said the country must remain safe during the presidential and parliamentary election campaigns which are scheduled to take place in France between April and June next year. 
Ms Le Pen had told BBC's Hardtalk last month that France's current government is weak, saying Mr Valls and Mr Hollande had failed to address the issue of immigration which in her view was directly tied to national security.
Mr Valls dismissed Ms Le Pen's rhetoric, calling her discourse "traditional of the far right."
"When a country is attacked it is understandable that people ask questions. But my responsibility is not to follow option polls. We passed two anti-terrorism laws. The far-right voted against them," Mr Valls said.
Although Ms Le Pen is thought to have little chance of winning the election, she has told the BBC in an interview being aired on Sunday that Donald Trump's victory in the US has boosted her own chances of winning.


French pollsters have warned next year's elections could shake-up the currently fragmented political system. 
Mr Hollande, who has yet to announce if he is standing, is the most unpopular president in French history. Polls show a leftist candidate has little chance of winning next year.
Pollsters also predict far-right leader Marine Le Pen will emerge as one of the top two candidates in the first of a two round election process.


Edward Snowden Says Don't Fear Donald Trump -- Save Yourselves From Surveillance

Edward Snowden doesn’t appear as worried about the election of Donald Trump as half of America is. Speaking from Moscow today, in a live stream hosted by private search engine maker StartPage, Snowden said that for those concerned about privacy, they should not worry too much about Trump, they are the ones who can make a change. In a remarkably optimistic speech, he said the focus of the global populace should be on providing worldwide protections from spies and that this was entirely possible.
“While I care what happens to me… this is not about me, it’s about us,” Snowden said. Noting that President Barack Obama said he would end mass surveillance, torture, extrajudicial killings, he failed to deliver. “We all put a lot of hope on him because of this,” Snowden said. “But unfortunately once he took that office he didn’t actually fulfil those promises.” Mass surveillance perpetuates, as does Guantanamo Bay.
And so it is unwise to put too much faith or fear into the incoming leader of the free world. “This is just one president,” added Snowden. “Politicians do what they think will gain them support… ultimately if we want to see a change we must force it through.
“We should not fear a Donald Trump, rather we should build it ourselves.”
Think not of Trump, but of everyone
Asked by cryptography luminary Phil Zimmerman about the potential for Trump to abuse the power of the National Security Agency, Snowden said the focus should be on protecting people across the world, not just Americans. “I try not to look at this as a question of a single election or single president or even a single government,” Snowden said. He pointed to recent legislative changes in Russia and China, where regulations allowing mass surveillance were passed this year.

PM in Remembrance Day nod to today's troops

Prime Minister Theresa May says Remembrance Sunday should honour British forces fighting Islamic State as well as those killed in previous conflicts.
Mrs May will attend the national commemoration at the Cenotaph in Whitehall along with other political leaders and members of the Royal Family.
But in the lead-up to the ceremony, and the hundreds of others that will take place across the country, she paid tribute to the generations of Britons who have risked their lives to defend the nation.
She said those currently fighting Islamic State, or Daesh, should be among those remembered today.
Mrs May said: "The way of life we enjoy today depends upon the service offered by members of the armed forces and their families.
"Across generations and in every corner of the UK, today we remember those who gave so much for our values, our democracy and our nation.
"At this time of reflection, we must not forget those members of the armed forces who are currently away from loved ones, whether taking the fight to Daesh, assisting UN peacekeeping efforts in Africa or fighting piracy on the high seas.
"As we are united in remembrance of those who have made sacrifices for our freedom, so we are united in our gratitude to those who continue to keep us safe."

Saturday, November 12, 2016

Hillary Clinton blames FBI director for election loss

Hillary Clinton has blamed the FBI's decision to revive an investigation into her email accounts for her devastating defeat in the US presidential election.
In a call on Saturday with top campaign donors, Clinton said her campaign was in the lead until FBI director James Comey sent a letter to Congress on October 28 announcing that the FBI had uncovered emails possibly related to its earlier probe into her use of a private server as secretary of state.
The new examination was sparked by an unrelated investigation into former New York Representative Anthony Weiner, the estranged husband of one of her top aides.
The surprise announcement by the FBI came after three debates in which president-elect Donald Trump, a Republican, was widely panned for his performance. Clinton told the donors that her campaign was leading by large margins in nearly every battleground state and was tied in Arizona, a traditionally Republican stronghold, until Comey released his letter.
Trump's campaign and Republican supporters seized on the news, even though it was unclear whether Clinton's correspondence was 

Bombing at shrine in Pakistan kills at least 52

At least 52 people have been killed and 100 more injured in a bombing at a Sufi shrine in Pakistan.
Hundreds of people were taking part in a ritual dance inside the Shah Noorani shrine near Hub, Balochistan, at the time of the blast.
Women and children were among those who died in the bombing, Geo TV reports. 
Islamic State has claimed responsibility.
Victims were taken to a hospital in Hub
Image Caption:Victims were taken to a hospital in Hub
In a statement, a government spokesperson said: "The Prime Minister (Nawaz Sharif) expressed deep grief and sorrow over the loss of innocent lives in the blast.
"Sympathising with the bereaved families, the Prime Minister prayed for eternal peace of the departed souls and grant of courage to the bereaved families to bear this irreparable loss.
"The Prime Minister directed the concerned authorities at the federal and provincial levels to bring the perpetrators to task immediately."
The Shah Noorani shrine is near Hub, Balochistan
Image Caption:The Shah Noorani shrine is near Hub, Balochistan
The government dispatched 25 ambulances from Hub to the shrine.
Interior minister Sarfraz Bugti said it was not clear if a device had been planted at the shrine, or if the bombing was carried out by a suicide attacker.
Imran Khan, former cricketer and chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, said the shrine had been the target of a "condemnable terror act".
He added: "We must move resolutely against sectarian terrorism striking at core of our society."

Croydon tram crash: Final three victims named

Police have named the final three victims of a tram crash which killed seven people in south London.
Donald Collett, 62, Philip Logan, 52, and 63-year-old Robert Huxley were among those who died when the tram came off the track in Croydon during the morning rush hour on Wednesday.
Mark Smith, Philip Seary, Dane Chinnery and Dorota Rynkiewicz had already been named as victims of the crash. 
19-year-old Dane Chinnery.
Mark Smith and 
57-year-old football fan Philip Seary. 
35-year-old Dorota Rynkiewicz.
Image Caption:(L to R) Dane Chinnery, Mark Smith, and Philip Seary
The wreckage is being examined by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch, which is expected to publish an interim report into the crash in the coming days.
The 42-year-old driver was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter and questioned amid suggestions the tram failed to brake as it took a corner at speed. He has been released on police bail until May.
Croydon tram crash
Image Caption:More than 50 people were injured in the accident
Investigators, who are looking into whether the driver fell asleep, said the tram was travelling at a "significantly higher speed than is permitted".
Detectives are also examining a report that a tram "lifted onto one side" at 40mph in the same area on 31 October.
Scaffolder Shaun Rogers, who was on the tram at the time, told Sky News that he felt it "lift up from the side" as it went round a corner.
Dorota Rynkiewicz
Image Caption:Dorota Rynkiewicz (R) was among those who were killed
He said: "Everyone was panicking, people's bags got slung to the side, it was like a fair ride where you get slung about."
The victims of the fatal crash were remembered during a memorial on Saturday, a day after a minute's silence was held following Armistice Day commemorations in Croydon.

Boris Johnson snubs EU talks on President-elect Donald Trump

Boris Johnson is to snub an emergency meeting of EU foreign ministers to discuss Donald Trump.
The Foreign Secretary has already called for an end to the collective "whinge-o-rama" about the billionaire's election.
His decision to miss Sunday's meeting highlights a gulf between Europe and the UK on how to respond to the Republican taking the White House. 
German chancellor Angela Merkel's coalition partner, Axel Schafer, warned Theresa May was "delusional" if she believed the incoming administration would give the UK a good trade deal.
A Foreign Office spokesman said: "The Foreign Secretary will not attend the meeting convened for Sunday. There is a regular Foreign Affairs Council meeting on Monday where a range of issues can be discussed in the normal way.
"We do not see the need for an additional meeting on Sunday because the US election timetable is long established. An act of democracy has taken place, there is a transition period and we will work with the current and future administrations to ensure the best outcomes for Britain."
European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker has struck a tough tone on Mr Trump.
He said: "I think that we'll waste time for two years while Mr Trump tours a world that he is completely unaware of.
"We have to teach the new president of the USA what Europe is, and how it works. The trans-Atlantic alliance, and the Nato alliance, is called into question, so it could be quite pernicious.
"With regards to refugees and other non-Americans, Trump has an approach which in no way coincides with the approach in Europe."
It comes as UKIP leader Nigel Farage, who is rumoured to be meeting Mr Trump in New York, said Mrs May must "mend fences" with the President-elect after "rude" comments during the campaign.
:: Watch every twist and turn of the US election fallout live on Sky News.