Pakistan Freezes Accounts of 5,000 Suspected Militants

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Pakistan has frozen the accounts of 5,000 suspected militants, taking about $3 million out of their pockets, but Islamabad could still come under scrutiny at a crucial June meeting of an international watchdog that tracks terror financing.

Analysts and government officials say political foot-dragging and sympathetic supporters throughout Pakistan makes it difficult to cut off the money supply to banned militant groups.

Next month in Spain, the Financial Action Task Force will update its assessment of “high-risk and non-cooperative jurisdictions,” Alexandra Wijmenga-Daniel of the task force’s communications department said in an email. She did not offer any specifics. (Read more from “Pakistan Freezes Accounts of 5,000 Suspected Militants” HERE)

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Sewer Worker Dies After Muslim Doctors Refuse to Treat His ‘Unclean’ Body

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A Pakistani sewer worker died Thursday after doctors refused to treat him due to the fact he was “unclean.”

Irfan Masih, 30, went unconscious while cleaning a manhole in the city of Umerkot. He was taken to the hospital where he suffocated to death in front of doctors who refused to treat him because he was covered in sewer sludge.

“The doctors refused to treat him because they were fasting and said my son was ‘napaak (unclean),’” Irshad Masih, the sewer worker’s mother, told Pakistan’s Express Tribune.

Muslims across the world are currently observing the holy month of Ramadan, which requires them to abstain from eating, drinking and sex during daylight hours, but treating the worker does not appear to fall under these rules. Muslim medical professionals across the world frequently work with patients in all sorts of conditions during the holy month.

Pervez Masih, the victim’s brother, told the Tribune that he had cleaned his brother’s body. The doctors then gave him an oxygen cylinder, but Pervez claimed it was empty. Irfan died before they could get another. (Read more from “Sewer Worker Dies After Muslim Doctors Refuse to Treat His ‘Unclean’ Body” HERE)

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Syria Activists Say Founder of ISIS’ Aamaq Killed in Airstrike

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The founder of the Islamic State group news agency was reportedly killed in an airstrike in eastern Syria, activists and his brother said.

The militant group itself has not reported the death of the founder of Aamaq news agency, Baraa Kadek.

But his brother, Hozaifa, posted on his Facebook that Kadek and his young daughter were killed in an airstrike in Mayadeen town in Deir el-Zour province. (Read more from “Syria Activists Say Founder of ISIS’ Aamaq Killed in Airstrike” HERE)

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Trump Not Moving Our Embassy to Jerusalem — Yet

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I’m not the least bit surprised that President Trump signed the waiver to delay moving our embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, as each of our presidents has done since 1995. I’m disappointed, because he made such a point of this during the campaign, assuring us that he would be the man to make this momentous move. But I’m not surprised.

We’ve had indications that he was waffling on this for several weeks now. Plus, a move like this is easier said than done.

Still, there’s reason for hope in the midst of the disappointment.

Trump is Committed to Israel’s Well-Being

First, as a White House official emphasized, “It’s a question of when, not if.”

Yes, “President Trump made this decision to maximize the chances of successfully negotiating a deal between Israel and the Palestinians, fulfilling his solemn obligation to defend America’s national security interests. But, as he has repeatedly stated his intention to move the embassy, the question is not if that move happens, but only when.”

This is positive. I don’t recall past presidents making this point so emphatically. We will move the embassy, just not yet.

Second, sources indicate that Trump actually yelled at Palestinian President Abbas when they met during the president’s Middle East trip. This led to several minutes of stunned silence on the Palestinian side. “You tricked me in D.C.!”, Trump is reported to have said. “You talked there about your commitment to peace, but the Israelis showed me your involvement in incitement [against Israel].”

This too would indicate that President Trump is striking a very different tone than his predecessors.

Third, there was no indication that the president put heavy pressure on Prime Minister Netanyahu when they met, telling him he would have to make major sacrifices, or else. Certainly, there was talk of making concessions for peace. But again, we have no indication that Trump tried to force Netanyahu’s hand on any major issues.

That could explain why Israel’s official response to the announcement that relocating the embassy had been postponed was muted: “Though Israel is disappointed that the embassy will not move at this time, we appreciate today’s expression of President Trump’s friendship to Israel and his commitment to moving the embassy in the future.”

Of course, Israel reiterated that “the American embassy, like the embassies of all countries with whom we have diplomatic relations, should be in Jerusalem, our eternal capital.” But the statement itself expresses only mild disappointment, given Trump’s clear commitment to Israel’s well-being.

Will There Ever be a Good Time to Move the Embassy?

The real problem, however, is this. A White House official explained that, “In timing such a move, [the president] will seek to maximize the chances of successfully negotiating a deal between Israel and the Palestinians.”

Unfortunately, moving the embassy to Jerusalem will always be a point of contention with the Palestinians and the larger Muslim world. As noted in Israel’s statement, “Maintaining embassies outside the capital drives peace further away by helping keep alive the Palestinian fantasy that the Jewish people and the Jewish state have no connection to Jerusalem.”

Why keep this fantasy alive? The Palestinians are totally dependent on America to help broker peace negotiations. And at some point, they will have to accept that our embassy will be in Jerusalem. Why not make the move now, while also affirming to the Palestinians our commitment to work for their best interests as well?

As I (along with others) suggested previously, nothing is stopping us from moving the embassy to West Jerusalem. Even Russia recognizes this as Israel’s capital (while claiming that East Jerusalem should be the capital of a Palestinian state). We can make this move without making a final determination about a Palestinian capital in East Jerusalem. (Obviously, I don’t believe there is any historic Palestinian claim to East Jerusalem. But again, that can be a subject for later talks.)

The Camp David Accords are almost 40 years old (signed in September, 1978). The Oslo Accords are nearly 25 years old (signed September, 1993). Does President Trump really think that by not moving our embassy to Jerusalem now, we will be able to move the peace process forward? And can he really imagine that there will be some magic, opportune time to make the move in the future?

I’m thankful that President Trump is showing himself to be a true friend of Israel. He is holding the Palestinians’ feet to the fire over terrorism and he has reaffirmed his commitment to stand with the Jewish State. I would just urge him once again to do what no other president has done.

Mr. Trump, be the man who made the move.

As I wrote last month, I’ll write again: History will smile on you for it. (For more from the author of “Trump Not Moving Our Embassy to Jerusalem — Yet” please click HERE)

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China Is ‘Sticking’ to the Paris Agreement in Name Only, Its Plans Show a Much Different Intent

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As President Donald Trump prepared to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Agreement on climate change, the media is rife with stories about how China pledged to fully implement its global warming pledge.

China did vow to keep its Paris Agreement commitments, but that won’t really mean much given it pledged to increase greenhouse gas emissions for the foreseeable future.

The New York Times reported Chinese Premier Li Keqiang vowed Thursday that “his country remained committed to the fight against climate change and to participating in international efforts for a greener world.”

Two days earlier, the Times reported China was “poised to take the lead on climate,” and it’s more likely we’ll see “China pushing the United States to meet its commitments and try to live up to the letter and spirit of the 2015 Paris Agreement, even if Mr. Trump has signaled he has no intention of doing so.”

Environmentalists and Democratic politicians used the talking point as well. They argue the U.S. has ceded leadership on global warming to China. (Read more from “China Is ‘Sticking’ to the Paris Agreement in Name Only, Its Plans Show a Much Different Intent” HERE)

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Putin: Russian State Has Never Been Involved in Hacking

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President Vladimir Putin insisted Thursday that the Russian state has never engaged in hacking and scoffed at allegations that hackers could influence the outcome of elections in the United States or Europe.

But the Russian leader admitted the possibility that some individual “patriotic” hackers could have mounted some attacks amid the current cold spell in Russia’s relations with the West.

Speaking at a meeting with senior editors of leading international news agencies, Putin also alleged that some evidence pointing at Russian hackers’ participation in attacks — he didn’t specify which — could have been rigged in an attempt to smear Russia. (Read more from “Putin: Russian State Has Never Been Involved in Hacking” HERE)

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Orthodox Leader: Gay Marriage Laws Should Be Compared to Nazi Laws

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The leader of Russia’s 150 million Orthodox Christians says homosexual “marriage” is unnatural and contrary to the conscience of every human being, which is why so many people resist its normalization for the same reason that people resisted fascism and apartheid.

In an interview at Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University, His All-Holiness Kirill was asked about same-sex “marriage.” The Patriarch, who is well known for opposing sodomy, referred to legalized gay unions as false, “so-called” marriages. He then flatly stated that they are a threat to family values because homosexuality is a “complete break with the moral nature of man.”

The Russian government and its people have been under severe criticism from leaders in the West for standing against the normalization of homosexuality. “When laws are detached from morality, they cease being laws people can accept,” Kirill explained.

The Christian leader then said something immediately pounced upon by Western pro-gay mainstream media.

People resist the legalization of same-sex “marriage,” the Patriarch commented, “for the same reason that they resisted both fascist laws and the laws of apartheid — (because) such laws break with morality.” (Read more from “Orthodox Leader: Gay Marriage Laws Should Be Compared to Nazi Laws” HERE)

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DIPLOMATIC DISTRICT ROCKED: at Least 64 Dead, More Than 300 Hurt in Kabul Suicide Car Bombing

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A massive explosion rocked a highly secure diplomatic area of Kabul during rush hour on Wednesday morning, killing at least 64 and injuring 320.

Authorities said the blast was so heavy that more than 30 vehicles were either destroyed or damaged at the site of the attack. “We don’t know at this moment what was the target of the attack, but most of the casualties are civilians,” said Danish.

Windows were shattered in shops, restaurants and other buildings up to a half mile from the blast site.

“There are a large number of casualties, but I don’t know, how many people are killed or wounded,” said an eyewitness at the site, Gul Rahim.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the blast but both the Taliban and the Islamic State group have staged large-scale attacks in the Afghan capital in the past. (Read more from “DIPLOMATIC DISTRICT ROCKED: at Least 64 Dead, More Than 300 Hurt in Kabul Suicide Car Bombing” HERE)

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US Conducts Successful ICBM Intercept Test With Eye on North Korea

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The U.S. tested its defenses against a simulated intercontinental ballistic missile at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California Tuesday.

The U.S. fired off an interceptor at an ICBM target, Reuters reports. The Missile Defense Agency reports that the test was successful, meaning that the U.S. ground-based midcourse defense (GMD) system was able to shoot down a mock warhead fired from the Reagan Test Site on Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands in the Pacific.

“This was the first live-fire test event against an ICBM-class target for GMD and the U.S. ballistic missile defense system,” MDA reported in a statement announcing the successful intercept.

WATCH:

The intercept of a complex, threat-representative ICBM target is an incredible accomplishment for the GMD system and a critical milestone for this program,” MDA Director Vice Adm. Jim Syring said in a statement. “This system is vitally important to the defense of our homeland, and this test demonstrates that we have a capable, credible deterrent against a very real threat.”

The missile defense shield has a spotty record, as only nine of the 17 tests have been successful, reports USA Today. (Read more from “US Conducts Successful ICBM Intercept Test With Eye on North Korea” HERE)

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Ex-Gitmo Inmate Among 6 Detained From French Jihadi Network

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A former Guantanamo Bay inmate is among six people from an alleged jihadi recruiting network linked to the Islamic State group who were detained on Tuesday, a French judicial source said.

Among the suspects arrested was Sabir Mahfouz Lahmar, who was freed from the U.S. detention center in Cuba in 2009 after France agreed to accept him, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the case.

Lahmar was one of six Algerians detained in Bosnia in 2001 on suspicion of plotting to bomb the U.S. embassy in Sarajevo. The Justice Department later backed off the allegations, but held the men at Guantanamo for years. Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy agreed to take him in April 2009, and Lahmar moved to Bordeaux later that year. (Read more from “Ex-Gitmo Inmate Among 6 Detained From French Jihadi Network” HERE)

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