$200M Ransom Shows ISIS Financial Desperation

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Photo Credit: Interdependent By Cristina Corbin. The Islamic State’s staggering $200 million demand for two Japanese hostages may reveal the terrorist group’s desperation to maintain control of its sprawling caliphate, especially amid falling black market oil revenues from seized wells and pipelines, terrorism experts said.

An online video purportedly released by the group’s al-Furqan media arm and posted Tuesday on militant websites associated with the terror network presents a pricey ultimatum: Japan must pay $200 million within 72 hours or two Japanese hostages — a 42-year-old private military company operator and a 47-year-old freelance journalist — will be executed.

The hostages, identified as Haruna Yukawa and Kenji Goto Jogo, appear in the video in orange jumpsuits like other hostages previously killed by Islamic State, which controls a third of Iraq and Syria. The militant who threatens them speaks in a British accent and may be the same jihadist who appeared in videos with western journalists who were beheaded.

While Prime Minister Shinzo Abe vowed to save the men — saying, “Their lives are the top priority” — the Japanese government declined to say whether it would pay the ransom. (Read more about ISIS financial desperation HERE)

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ISIS Gaining Ground in Yemen

By Brian Todd. The Syria-based terror group ISIS is active and recruiting inside the Middle Eastern state of Yemen, already a hotbed of terrorist activity, CNN has learned.

The disturbing information comes from a Yemeni official, who told CNN on Wednesday that ISIS has a presence in at least three provinces in southern and central Yemen, and there is now a “real competition” between ISIS and the Yemen-based terror group al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP.

That competition manifested itself in a gun-battle between the two groups in Yemen’s eastern provinces last month, the same official said, though he did not have specifics on the casualties that resulted from that incident.

CNN cannot independently confirm the claims. (Read more from this story HERE)

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Paris Officials Threaten Lawsuit Against Fox News Over Muslim No-Go Zones

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By T. Becket Adams. Paris officials are reportedly planning to sue Fox News for airing now-retracted reports on supposed “no-go” Muslim zones in France, the city’s mayor, Anne Hidalgo, announced Tuesday.

“When we’re insulted, and when we’ve had an image, then I think we’ll have to sue, I think we’ll have to go to court, in order to have these words removed,” Hidalgo said in an interview with CNN.

“The image of Paris has been prejudiced, and the honor of Paris has been prejudiced. And I think in the great discussion of truth, everyone is to play its role. And we’re going to have to be realistic and put things as they are,” she said.

CNN’s Christiane Amanpour pressed Hidalgo to name one such news group that would be included in the lawsuit, prompting the Paris mayor to answer: “Fox News, that’s the name.” (Read more about the threatened lawsuit against Fox News over the alleged Muslim no-go zones HERE)

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Bobby Jindal under Fire for Highlighting Europe’s Muslim No-Go Zones

By Jordan Schachtel. Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal has come under fire from the left for doubling down on his assertion that France has “no-go zones” in which non-Muslims are forbidden from entering.

Jindal said at London’s Henry Jackson Society that Muslim immigrants are attempting to “colonize Western countries, because setting up your own enclave and demanding recognition of a no-go zone are exactly that.”

Some public figures argue that the “no-go zones” are areas susceptible to a sudden flare-up, depending upon the current political environment. Since 2006, Harvard Professor Daniel Pipes has kept a continually updated blog on France’s “no-go zones.” Pipes explains that while well-maintained, the areas remain “potentially dangerous” in times of heightened political turmoil. (Read more from this story HERE)

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Japan Prime Minister Vows to Save Hostages Captured by ISIS

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By Fox News. Japan’s Prime Minister vowed Tuesday to save the lives of two Japanese hostages, one a freelance journalist and the other a soldier for hire, threatened with beheading in an online video purportedly released by the Islamic State terror group.

In the video, identified as being made by the Islamic State group’s al-Furqan media arm and posted on militant websites associated with the extremist group, a militant threatened to kill the men unless a $200 million ransom was paid within 72 hours. If confirmed to be from Islamic State, better known as ISIS, the video would mark the first public demand for ransom from the group in exchange for the release of captives.

Speaking in Jerusalem, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called on ISIS to immediately release the hostages, saying that “their lives are the top priority.” Abe is in the midst of a six-day visit to the Middle East, accompanied by more than 100 government officials and presidents of Japanese companies.

“It is unforgivable,” he said. “Extremism and Islam are completely different things.”

Abe said he would send Yasuhide Nakayama, a deputy foreign minister, to Jordan to seek the country’s support and to resolve the hostage crisis. The premier also said the Israeli government, which Japan promised Sunday to cooperate with on counterterrorism, are sharing information to aid in the hostage crisis. The Israeli prime minister’s office declined to comment. (Read more about the Japanese Prime Minister vowing to save hostages captured by ISIS HERE)

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ISIS Executing ‘Educated Women’ in New Wave of Horror

By AFP. The UN on Tuesday decried numerous executions of civilians in Iraq by the Islamic State group, warning that educated women appeared to be especially at risk.

The jihadist group is showing a “monstrous disregard for human life” in the areas it controls in Iraq, the UN human rights office said.

The group, which controls large swathes of territory in Iraq and in neighbouring war-ravaged Syria, last week published pictures of the “crucifixions” of two men accused of being bandits, and of a woman being stoned to death, allegedly for adultery.

Numerous other women have also reportedly been executed recently in ISIS-controlled areas, including Mosul, spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani told reporters.

She said “educated, professional women, particularly women who have run as candidates in elections for public office, seem to be particularly at risk.” (Read more from this story HERE)

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ISIS Plans on Killing Hundreds of Millions in ‘Religious Cleansing’

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Photo Credit: The Blaze By Jordan Schachtel. Todenhofer lived side by side with the jihadist fighters for ten days in the Islamic State-stronghold city of Mosul, Iraq. He was accompanied only by his son, who served as his cameraman.

“I always asked them about the value of mercy in Islam,” but “I didn’t see any mercy in their behavior,” explained Todenhofer. He added, “Something that I don’t understand at all is the enthusiasm in their plan of religious cleansing, planning to kill the non-believers… They also will kill Muslim democrats because they believe that non-ISIL-Muslims put the laws of human beings above the commandments of God.”

The German reporter then elaborated on how shocked he was about how “willing to kill” the ISIS fighters are. He said that they were ready to commit genocide. “They were talking about [killing] hundreds of millions. They were enthusiastic about it, and I just cannot understand that,” said Todenhofer. (Read more about the plans of ‘religious cleansing’ HERE)

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ISIS Kills 13 Teenage Boys for Watching Soccer Game

By Jason Howerton. For 13 teenage boys in the Iraqi city of Mosul, watching the Asian Cup soccer match between Iraq and Jordan would reportedly cost them their lives.

Under the Islamic State’s barbaric ideology, the act of watching the game on television was an offense punishable by death. The young boys were grabbed by terrorists and then publicly executed by a firing squad, according to the activist group Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently.

Before being shot to death by machine guns, the terrorists reportedly announced the boys’ “crime” of breaking religious laws by watching sports over a loud speaker. (Read more from this story HERE)

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Whistleblower “Suicide”: Prosecutor Who Accused Argentine President of Iran Plot Dead

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Photo Credit: Yahoo
An Argentine prosecutor who accused President Cristina Fernandez of orchestrating a cover-up in the investigation of Iran over the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center was found dead in his apartment, authorities said on Monday.

Alberto Nisman, who had been delving into the blast at the AMIA Jewish community center in Buenos Aires that killed 85 people, said Wednesday that Fernandez opened secretive discussions with Iran and at least one of the men suspected of planting the bomb.

He said the scheme was intended to clear the suspects so that Argentina could start swapping grains for much-needed oil from Iran, which denies any connection with the bombing.

Nisman was found dead on Sunday night in his apartment in the posh Buenos Aires neighborhood of Puerto Madero, Argentina’s security ministry said. A 22-calibre handgun and a single bullet casing were found next to his body, the ministry said.

“Everything indicates it was a suicide,” National Security Secretary Sergio Berni told local television. “We have to see if gunpowder is found on his hands.” (Read more about the prosecutor who accused Argentine President Fernandez HERE)

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Is Hezbollah Going Broke?

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At a quick glance, the limestone hills of southern Lebanon don’t seem like a good place to invest in real estate. Located near the country’s volatile border with Israel, this narrow slice of land has suffered through a 15-year civil war and several devastating battles with the Jewish state. But over the past few years, about a dozen new villas have sprouted along the narrow roads near the small town of Jouaiya, about 60 miles from Beirut. These opulent homes seem out of place amid the olive groves and fields of grazing sheep, dilapidated farms and dirt roads. A few have orange-tiled roofs, neoclassical columns and large courtyard walls, while others resemble gaudy Chinese pagodas.

Locals say the mansions, some still under construction, belong to middle- and high-level members of Hezbollah, the Shiite militant and political group. The United States and Israel consider Hezbollah a terrorist organization, and the European Union has given the same designation to the group’s armed wing. But over the past 30 years, Lebanon’s Party of God has come to dominate both politics and security in this nation of under 5 million, thanks in part to Iranian largesse, a wealthy foreign diaspora and some shrewd political gamesmanship. It’s also helped many Shiites, a historically impoverished sect in Lebanon, get rich.

But the good times may now be over for Hezbollah and its supporters. Iranian oil profits, which have lubricated the proxy group with hundreds of millions of dollars a year, appear to be drying up. Western sanctions, imposed on Tehran due to its nuclear program, coupled with falling oil prices, have emptied the coffers of the Islamic Republic. Crude now trades at less than $50 per barrel, down from more than $100 in June, due to lower global demand, oversupply in the Middle East and the rise of the American fracking industry. Meanwhile, Iran has reportedly seen its oil exports fall by 60 percent since 2011, and the country’s budget deficit has climbed to an astounding $9 billion.

The result, according to Hezbollah officials and observers close to the party, is that Iran is slashing the amount of money it’s giving to its Lebanese ally. “There are many members…who are now paid their wages much later,” says Khalil, a 40-something Hezbollah commander, who asked to use a pseudonym because he’s not authorized to speak to the media. “Some are getting less money than before.” (Read more about Hezbollah going broke HERE)

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Obama Absent at Anti-Terror March, but Finds Time to Visit Taj Mahal With Wife

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New Delhi: President Barack Obama will have a tight schedule during his three-day visit starting Jan. 25, as he will hold talks with the top leadership here on ways to make progress on key issues like defense and the civil nuclear agreement, besides attending the Republic Day celebrations.

Obama, who will be the first U.S. president to be the chief guest at the Republic Day parade, will be accompanied by his wife Michelle Obama and a team of senior officials in his administration.

On the first day of his visit, the American president and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are to hold talks on the entire gamut of bilateral ties and discuss ways to enhance ties in defense and nuclear energy. The two sides have already decided to renew a new defense pact for 10 years and to start joint development and production of military hardware.

Obama’s visit, his second to India, is also expected to give a fillip to the seven-year-old civil nuclear deal, stalled over tough provisions in the Civil Nuclear Liability Act here . . .

Before his departure from India, the president and the First Lady are to visit the Taj Mahal, the monument to love in Agra. Obama’s wife Michelle accompanied the U.S. president during their four-day trip in 2010 but the couple could not travel to Agra. (Read more about Obama going to visit Taj Mahal with his wife HERE)

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Israeli Strikes Kill Iranian, Top Hezbollah Fighters in Syria

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An Israeli strike in Syria on Sunday killed the son of a slain top Hezbollah commander and another four fighters in a move that could ratchet up tensions with the powerful Lebanese Shiite movement, which recently boasted of rockets that can hit any part of the Jewish state.

Hezbollah fighters in towns and villages along the border with Israel went on high alert, said an official from the group. In the Shiite-dominated areas of south Lebanon and Beirut the streets emptied quickly, as residents feared an escalation. Hezbollah-run al-Manar TV warned that Israel was “playing with fire that puts the security of the whole Middle East on edge.”

A Hezbollah official identified one of the five slain men as Jihad Mughniyeh, the son of Imad Mughniyeh, a top Hezbollah operative assassinated in 2008 in Damascus. Hezbollah blames Israel for the killing and has long vowed to avenge his death. The official said the dead included another senior Hezbollah commander, Mohammed Issa, and at least one Iranian national with the group.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the slain Iranian belonged to the Revolutionary Guards. The group, which obtains its information from a network of activists on the ground, said the Israeli strikes hit two vehicles and a home. It said the fighters were in the area to plan attacks along the Israeli-controlled frontier. (Read more about the strikes killing the Hezbollah fighters in Syria HERE)

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U.S.-Built Ebola Treatment Centers in Liberia Nearly Empty as Outbreak Fades

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Near the hillside shelter where dozens of men and women died of Ebola, a row of green U.S. military tents sit atop a vast expanse of imported gravel. The generators hum; chlorinated water churns in brand-new containers; surveillance cameras send a live feed to a large-screen television.

There’s only one thing missing from this state-of-the-art Ebola treatment center: Ebola patients.

The U.S. military sent about 3,000 troops to West Africa to build centers like this one in recent months. They were intended as a crucial safeguard against an epidemic that flared in unpredictable, deadly waves. But as the outbreak fades in Liberia, it has become clear that the disease had already drastically subsided before the first American centers were completed. Several of the U.S.-built units haven’t seen a single patient infected with Ebola.

It now appears that the alarming epidemiological predictions that in large part prompted the U.S. aid effort here were far too bleak. Although future flare-ups of the disease are possible, the near-empty Ebola centers tell the story of an aggressive American military and civilian response that occurred too late to help the bulk of the more than 8,300 Liberians who became infected. Last week, even as international aid organizations built yet more Ebola centers, there was an average of less than one new case reported in Liberia per day.

“If they had been built when we needed them, it wouldn’t have been too much,” said Moses Massaquoi, the Liberian government’s chairman for Ebola case management. “But they were too late.” (Read more about the Ebola treatment centers empty HERE)

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ISIS Executions Becoming Even More Brutal

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By Tom Wyke. Two men were hurled from the top of a tower block, two more were crucified in front of a baying crowd and a woman was stoned to death in the latest series of horrific executions by ISIS.

The men were thrown from the roof down to the crowd below in the brutal punishment for being gay.

Charges found against the accused were announced by a masked Islamic State fighter, using a small handheld radio. Reading from a list, he declares the men are guilty of engaging in homosexual activities and should be punished by death, in accordance with Islamic State’s radical interpretation of Sharia law.

They had been tied up and transported in the back of a white pickup truck to the public execution sight in the Iraqi city of Mosul.

Both prisoners are shown wearing casual clothing rather than the standard orange jumpsuit, commonly worn by many Islamic State prisoners in recent many high profile execution videos. (Read more about the ISIS executions HERE)

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Fight the Terrorists Before They Reach the West

By Matthew Continetti. Argue about the limits of free speech, the definition of “true” Islam, whether terrorists are lunatics or rational, or the social and political repercussions of terrorism as much as you’d like. The truth is that such debates are irrelevant to the core security problem: There is a growing and energetic movement of radical Muslims dedicated to killing as many people as they can and imposing their will on the rest.

And there is really only one way America can respond to this challenge. We need to kill them first. We need to kill them on a field of battle whose contours are determined not by the terrorists but by us. We need to kill them over there—in the Middle East—before they reach the West.

I realize that for at least the next two years what I propose is wishful thinking. American policy has reverted to a defensive condition in which Islamic terrorists set the terms of conflict. We have been here before. Until 2001, the United States treated Islamic terrorism as a matter of law enforcement. When our embassies were raided or bombed, when our barracks were destroyed, when our soldiers and sailors were murdered, when our World Trade Center was attacked, when our destroyer was damaged, we treated the assailants as members of an Arabic-speaking mafia, as criminals to be apprehended, tried, and punished.

Didn’t work. The jihad grew. It even found a base in Afghanistan, where it could equip and train and plot. In 2001, in a single fall morning, the World Trade Center was destroyed, the Pentagon bludgeoned, and more than 3,000 innocent people were killed.

America rethought its approach to terrorism. No longer were the terrorists considered felons. They were now unlawful combatants. Surveillance, interrogation, and detention policies became more aggressive. We invaded Afghanistan, we toppled the Taliban, and we sent al Qaeda leadership into hiding. (Read more from this story HERE)

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