Blogging will be light for the next few days. I have been invited to a private business event north of San Francisco that will last for four days. Flying out right now, and I will be back Monday night. I will blog when I can.
Al-Nusra terrorists on Wednesday fired 17 missiles at Russian Khmeimim airbase in Syria, all of which were either intercepted or fell short. The attack came as the Syrian Army faced a mass militant offensive in the Idlib province.
Nine missiles were intercepted by the Khmeimim's air defense, Russia's Defense Ministry said, while eight others hit the ground before reaching the base. The attack, carried out with the use of multiple rocket launcher systems, originated from a terrorist held area in the Idlib province.
A nuclear-powered Type 094A Jin-class ballistic missile submarine of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy is seen during a military display in the South China Sea April 12, 2018. REUTERS/Stringer
GENEVA (Reuters) - China told the world's main disarmament forum on Wednesday that U.S. foreign policy was destabilizing, baffling and redolent of Don Quixote, the Spanish fictional hero whose misplaced determination leads him on a series of doomed endeavors.
"The Cold War mentality has come back to drive the security strategy and policy of a major power," China's disarmament ambassador Li Song told the Conference on Disarmament, a long-stalemated arena for arms talks at the United Nations in Geneva.
"In particular the U.S. keeps saying other countries make it feel unsafe – this is truly baffling," he said.
WNU Editor: I am impressed that someone in China ractually ead Miguel De Cervantes' 1500 page book "Don Quixote" to make such a claim. As to those who never read "Don Quixote", you can download a free ebook version from here (Miguel De Cervantes, "Don Quixote").
Pentagon officials are scheduled to brief senior members of President Donald Trump's national security team as soon as Thursday on a plan that could send thousands of additional US troops to the Middle East amid rising tensions with Iran, according to three US officials familiar with the effort.
The officials emphasize no decision about a deployment has been made. They also say all the troops might not be needed at once. Some could be sent quickly as a deterrence measure, others might only be sent if tensions rise to the point the US believes an attack is imminent.
It wasn't immediately clear who called for the meeting and it is not yet certain if Trump will attend, though his approval would be needed for such a significant deployment of troops.
WNU Editor: It looks like President Trump's national security team is looking at options. What's my take? Intelligence warnings on what Iran may do in response to sanctions. A coordinated attack on four ships in the Persian Gulf two weeks ago. The Yemen war escalating. Reported chemical attacks in Syria. I can see why the White house may want more U.S. forces in the region.
North Korean state media has slammed Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden for criticising leader Kim Jong-un, calling him "bereft of elementary quality as a human being".
The criticism contrasts with North Korea's repeated references to the good relationship between Mr Kim and US President Donald Trump.
Mr Kim said in April his personal relationship with Mr Trump was still good despite the collapse of their second summit in Vietnam in February.
Taking aim at the President's strategy towards North Korea, Mr Biden asked crowds at a recent campaign rally: "Are we a nation that embraces dictators and tyrants like (Russian President Vladimir) Putin and Kim Jong-un?"
* Turkey has a little more than two weeks to decide whether to complete a complex arms deal with the U.S. or risk severe penalties by going through with an agreement to buy a missile system from Russia, according to multiple people familiar with the matter. * By the end of the first week of June, Turkey must cancel the Russian deal and buy Raytheon's U.S.-made Patriot missile defense system or face removal from Lockheed Martin's F-35 program, forfeiture of 100 promised F-35 jets, imposition of U.S. sanctions and potential blowback from NATO. * The U.S. State Department's current offer is the final one, according to multiple sources.
WASHINGTON — Turkey has a little more than two weeks to decide whether to complete a complex arms deal with the U.S. or risk severe penalties by going through with an agreement to buy a missile system from Russia, according to multiple people familiar with the matter.
By the end of the first week of June, Turkey must cancel a multibillion-dollar deal with Russia and instead buy Raytheon's U.S.-made Patriot missile defense system — or face removal from Lockheed Martin's F-35 program, forfeiture of 100 promised F-35 jets, imposition of U.S. sanctions and potential blowback from NATO.
* "Unfortunately, we continue to see signs that the Assad regime may be renewing its use of chemical weapons, including an alleged chlorine attack in northwest Syria on the morning of May 19," State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in a statement. * Ortagus said the alleged attack was part of a violent campaign by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces violating a ceasefire that has protected several million civilians in the greater Idlib area. * U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has twice bombed Syria over Assad's alleged use of chemical weapons.
The United States sees signs the Syrian government may be using chemical weapons, including an alleged chlorine attack on Sunday in northwest Syria, the State Department said on Tuesday, warning that Washington and its allies would respond "quickly and appropriately" if this were proven.
"Unfortunately, we continue to see signs that the Assad regime may be renewing its use of chemical weapons, including an alleged chlorine attack in northwest Syria on the morning of May 19, " State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in a statement.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's claim that Iran and Al Qaeda are collaborating is at best an exaggeration that is not supported by any available information, U.S. intelligence officers and officials with the State and Defense Department tell TIME.
Pompeo made the claim about the terrorist organization during testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee last month, at a time when tensions between the U.S. and Iran have risen.
"There is no doubt there is a connection between the Islamic Republic of Iran and al-Qaeda. Period. Full stop," he said. "The factual question with respect to Iran's connections to al Qaeda is very real. They have hosted al Qaeda. They have permitted al-Qaeda to transit their country."
But U.S. officials say that he dramatically overstated the case.
Al Qaeda is operating "across the country" and not confined to one region, the commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan confirmed.
General Austin Miller, the commander of Resolute Support Mission and US Forces – Afghanistan, confirmed several analyses by FDD's Long War Journal, which has noted for years that al Qaeda's footprint spans all regions of Afghanistan.
"We have seen al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. Yes, in different parts of Afghanistan," Miller said, according to TOLONews. "In different parts of Afghanistan, we can find them, so it's not one particular region, it's across the country."
WNU Editor: Al Qaeda and the Taliban have always been close allies, and al Qaeda has always had a certain degree of support in Afghanistan. This is nothing new.
Scottish secretary said to be concerned by PM's promise of a vote on second referendum
The Scottish secretary, David Mundell, has demanded a meeting with Theresa May on Wednesday afternoon, amid concerns that cabinet support for her "new Brexit deal" is falling away.
Mundell, who does not have a reputation as a cabinet rebel, was said by allies to have been irked by the prime minister's promise of a vote on a second referendum.
May repeated on Wednesday in the House of Commons that she was not supporting a referendum, merely allowing MPs to vote on one during the passage of the Brexit bill.
Iran's influence with jihadist militias stretches across the Middle East and their domestic weapons capabilities pose a constant threat to US allies in the Persian Gulf
* Iran can fire missiles at US warships, as well as deploy sea mines and submarine drones in the Persian Gulf * Tehran can also call on thousands of battle-hardened jihadists in Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Lebanon and Afghanistan * Their weapons at home and those with which they have armed the jihadists can devastate US targets * US warships have sailed to the Gulf amid mounting tensions with Tehran over Washington's trade sanctions
Iran could deploy missiles, sea mines, drones and thousands of battle-hardened jihadist militias across the Middle East if Tehran's increased tensions with Washington descend into war.
Iranian sea mines pose a constant threat in the Gulf, while their missiles are capable of striking US warships and raining down chaos in Saudi Arabia, Israel and the Gulf monarchies.
Across the blood-soaked deserts they have battle-hardened jihadists ready for war with American troops in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan.
The 57mm munitions also boost the possibilities of fighting enemy air targets and manpower, the expert said
MOSCOW, May 21. /TASS/. Russia's military hardware armed with 57mm caliber guns will securely strike modern and future foreign light-and medium-armored vehicles, Editor-in-Chief of the Arsenal of the Fatherland journal Viktor Murakhovsky told TASS on Tuesday.
The 57mm munitions also boost the possibilities of fighting enemy air targets and manpower, he added.
Deputy CEO of the Russian engineering firm Tecmash (part of the state hi-tech corporation Rostec) Alexander Kochkin told TASS earlier on Tuesday that Russia was considering rearming light-and medium-armored vehicles from their basic 30mm caliber to 57mm guns.
"Proceeding from the ballistic capabilities of these [57mm] munitions, especially their new types, they will securely pierce the front armor of foreign light-and medium armored vehicles at effective fire ranges," Murakhovsky said.
WNU Editor: This is an admission that the basic 30mm caliber used by the Russian military is no longer effective against advanced foreign armoured vehicles.
What does America need to save its troubled F-35 stealth fighter?
Turkey, that's what.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan recently warned that the multinational F-35 program, of which Turkey is a member, would fail if Turkey were excluded. Turkey is facing sanctions, including being dropped from the F-35 program if it goes ahead with purchasing Russia's S-400 anti-aircraft missile system, which has raised Washington's fears that F-35 secrets might be leaked to Russia. The U.S. has stopped shipping equipment to Turkey for that nation's planned purchase of 100 F-35s, while the first two aircraft officially delivered to Turkey are still in the United States.
WNU Editor: Turkey .... when given the choice by the U.S. and NATO .... made the decision that Russia's S-400 anti-missile/aircraft platform is more important to their national security needs than the F-35. And while I can understand Turkey's position that they should be the ones to decide on what military systems they should buy, being in an alliance means making group decisions over an individual one. As for the decision to ban Turkey from buying the F-35 fighter jet .... it is going to cause production delays and it will increase the overall jet's cost. But this is all temporary. Alternative suppliers will be found, and the production of the fighter jet will recover. The big loser will be Turkey. Manufacturers do not want to invest and build a plant in a country or engage with a country's manufacturers that may face future restrictions and bans. Bottom line. Turkey is going to regret this decision years from now.
What can catch a missile moving many times the speed of sound? An interceptor that's as fast as light. See how we're hurtling toward lasers that can stop hypersonic missiles: https://t.co/LqZ8YeBvOUpic.twitter.com/7RyZqy94Q0
Military technology company Raytheon is teasing plans to build a powerful laser weapon capable of shooting down hypersonic nuclear missiles.
A hypersonic missile is able to strike at several times the speed of sound. That's too fast for conventional anti-missile technology, but on Monday Raytheon tweeted out an animated video showing a futuristic laser zapping hypersonic missiles out of the sky.
WNU Editor: The problem has always been the same. Producing enough power on the ground so that a laser that can knock out a target from a far distance. Then you need the means to track and target your laser to do so. As long as that is not possible, such a system is more science-fiction than reality.
Six people have been killed and 200 injured during mass rallies in Jakarta against the re-election of Indonesian President Joko Widodo.
Indonesian police confirmed the death toll based on reports from hospitals. They said the cause of the deaths was being investigated.
The national police chief has denied his officers used live ammunition.
Social media has been restricted in some areas to stop rumours spreading.
"Some had gunshot wounds, some had blunt force wounds but we still need to clarify this," national police chief Tito Karnavian said, referring to the six dead, who are believed to have been killed overnight.
A big burst of construction has taken place since the New Year at Edwards AFB's South Base facility where the B-21 is slated to begin testing soon.
The B-21 Raider is coming to Edwards Air Force Base, when exactly remains unknown, but recent satellite imagery shows a number of new structures have been built over the last eight months at the historic installation's South Base facility. This is where the B-21 program, and potentially others that are part of a family of next-generation systems related to it, are set to be tested in the coming years.
This was the case as far back as 2011. During a visit to Edwards AFB at that time, I noticed the B-1B and B-52H bomber contingent had been relocated to the base's main apron after calling South Base home for decades. This move was done to accommodate classified programs including the B-21. The B-2 test contingent at the base will presumably continue its life-long tenancy at South Base, as well.
Two pairs of F-22 fighter jets, each with an E-3 intercepted Tu-95 bombers Su-35 fighter jets entering the Alaskan ADIZ May 21. The bombers entered the ADIZ and were intercepted by two F-22s, exited and then re-entered the Alaskan ADIZ accompanied by two Su-35 fighter jets. pic.twitter.com/NYP6EVq2Xg
— North American Aerospace Defense Command (@NORADCommand) May 22, 2019
Russian "Bear" bombers flew near Alaska under fighter escort for the second time in two days.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) said that it had to scramble two pair of U.S. F-22 fighter jets to intercept the Russian formation on Tuesday.
"The Russian aircraft remained in international airspace and at no time entered U.S. or Canadian sovereign airspace," NORAD said in a statement posted on social media.
Surveillance cameras in front of the giant portrait of Chairman Mao Zedong at Beijing's Tiananmen Square in September 2009. China is increasingly monitoring on citizens' behavior. Jason Lee/Reuters
SHANGHAI (Reuters) - The U.S. administration is considering Huawei-like sanctions on Chinese video surveillance firm Hikvision, media reports show, deepening worries that trade friction between the world's top two economies could be further inflamed.
The restrictions would limit Hikvision's ability to buy U.S. technology and American companies may have to obtain government approval to supply components to the Chinese firm, the New York Times reported on Tuesday.
WNU Editor: To the Chinese this is a multi-billion industry when it comes to the U.S.. This is going to hurt. On a personal note, I have used Hikivision cameras, it is an excellent product when it comes to quality and price.
More News On The U.S. Banning Top Chinese Surveillance CCTV Manufacturers
The President of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, says his government has hired a private shipping company to send containers full of Canadian trash back to Canada, vowing to dump the rubbish in Canadian waters if the country does not accept them, according to the Guardian.
Tensions have been increasing over the waste since the North American nation missed a May 15 deadline to take back truckloads of garbage it sent to the Philippines from 2013 to 2014. Last week, the Philippines called home its ambassador and consuls in Canada.
“The Philippines as an independent sovereign nation must not be treated as trash by other foreign nation,” presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said at a press conference, according to the Guardian. He also said that Canada, who has agreed to take the trash back, was not taking the issue seriously enough.
The junk – which was sent under the guise of recyclable plastic scraps – includes household trash like plastic bags and bottles, newspapers and diapers, according to the Associated Press.
Canada says the trash shipment was part of a commercial transaction made independently of the government. According to the Guardian, Canada has already agreed to take it back and is working out arrangements to do so.
“The removal will be complete by the end of June, as the waste must be safely treated to meet Canadian safety and health requirements,” said a statement issued by the Canadian government Wednesday, according to the Guardian. It also said that a company had been hired to carry out the rubbish repatriation.
A new study has determined that the mysterious source of ozone-destroying gases that have increased in the atmosphere recently is eastern China.
Last year, scientists discovered that chlorofluorocarbons, more commonly known as CFCs, were increasing despite an international ban on their use, according to CNN. The findings of a team of scientists from across the world who used computer models to determine where the gases were being emitted, will be published in Nature on Thursday, reports CNN.
“We used our models to show that emissions of CFC-11 from north eastern China had increased by around 7,000 tons per year after 2013, particularly in or around the provinces of Shandong and Hebei,” said Luke Western, a University of Bristol atmospheric modeler, according to a statement on the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, where several of the researchers hailed from.
CFCs, which were invented in 1928 and commercially used as refrigerants and in aerosol cans, are highly damaging to the earth’s ozone layer over Antarctica. In 1987, the U.S. and about two-dozen other countries signed the Montreal Protocol, which agreed to phase out the use of CFCs. China ratified the treaty in 1991. According to CNN, a global ban on the use of CFCs has been in place since 2010.
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not yet commented on the study, according to CNN.
The scientists say that their work is not done.
“It is now vital that we find out which industries are responsible for the new emissions,” Matt Rigby, a lead author of the study, said in the Sripps Institution statement.
The ozone layer is a layer in the earth’s atmosphere that protects the earth from ultraviolet radiation. In recent years, scientists have said that the ozone layer was starting to show signs of healing.
After an elaborate seven-phase election set over five-and-a-half weeks, India’s marathon polls finally came to a close on Sunday. Counting to determine the winner in the world’s largest democratic election began at 8 a.m. local time on Thursday morning, with the official results rolling out late Thursday or early Friday morning.
The election is seen as a referendum on incumbent Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which swept to victory in a populist wave in 2014, taking 282 of the 543 seats in Parliament and pushing out the opposition Congress party, which ruled India for 54 of its 67 years since independence.
Modi, who is the son of a tea seller, was seen by many as the answer to a political dynasty that had gripped power. His bid for re-election will be heavily influenced by concerns about the economy, security and sectarianism.
What do the polls say?
As of around 11:00 a.m. local time on Thursday, the Election Commission shows Modi’s BJP party ahead in votes for 294 out of 542 seats, and the opposition Congress party ahead in 50 contests, according to the Associated Press.
BJP leaders seemed optimistic. Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj, who is also a BJP party member, called the election a “massive victory” for the party on Twitter, according to Reuters.
Opposition leaders acknowledged that the BJP looked to be in the lead.
“It’s obviously not in our favor at all,” Salman Soz, a Congress spokesman said, according to Reuters. “We need to wait for the full results but right now it doesn’t look good.”
The Prime Minister of Sri Lanka sent his congratulations to Modi on Twitter.
Congratulations to @narendramodi on a magnificent victory! We look forward to working closely with you.
Congratulatory messages from other world leaders have also started to come in. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Twitter that India and Israel’s friendship would strengthen.
Congratulations, my friend @Narendramodi, on your impressive election victory! The election results further reaffirm your leadership of the world's largest democracy. Together we will continue to strengthen the great friendship between India & Israel. Well done, my friend! 🇮🇱🤝🇮🇳
Exit polls had predicted a win for Modi and the BJP.
The BJP’s main opposition is the Indian National Congress party led by Rahul Gandhi. He hails from a long line of successful politicians – his great-grandfather was the first Prime Minister of India, his grandmother was the first female to take on the role and his father also served a term in the office.
What are the key issues?
The economy is perhaps the biggest issue confronting Indian voters this year.
For Modi – who ran on a platform of job creation and economic development in 2014 – his promises have not quite materialized. Unemployment is rising, with 11 million jobs lost in 2018 alone, according to the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy.
The farming industry is in crisis as price controls Modi enacted have hurt farming incomes.
Gandhi’s party promised voters that if elected, he will implement a minimum basic income for every citizen.
National security is another hot topic, with Modi portraying himself as a protector of India.
Modi flexed his military might in the months leading up to the election. When a Pakistani-based militant group killed 40 Indian troops in the disputed Himalayan territory of Kashmir in February, Modi sent Indian jets into Pakistani airspace for the first time since 1971 and bombed what it said was a training camp. It was a dangerous escalation of tensions between the two nuclear states.
Sectarian tensions have also been increasing in recent years, with hostility growing towards the country’s Muslim minority of almost 200 million people. Modi has remained largely silent as the incidence of Hindu mob attacks on Muslims have become increasingly frequent, many premised on defending cows, which are worshipped in the Hindu religion.
Who voted?
About 900 million people were eligible to vote this year, making it the world’s largest democratic election.
More than half the population is under the age of 30, so the youth vote, faced with rising unemployment, matters.
Female voter participation has also increased in recent elections as women seek to have their concerns about safety and welfare addressed, and this year’s election is also believed to have a seen record turnout of women at the polls.
(WASHINGTON) — The Pentagon on Thursday will present plans to the White House to send up to 10,000 more troops to the Middle East, in a move to beef up defenses against potential Iranian threats, U.S. officials said.
The officials said no final decision has been made yet, and it’s not clear if the White House would approve sending all or just some of the requested forces. Officials said the move is not in response to any new threat from Iran, but is aimed at reinforcing security in the region. They said the troops would be defensive forces, and the discussions include additional Patriot missile batteries, more ships and increased efforts to monitor Iran.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the plans have not been formally announced.
Thursday morning’s meeting comes as tensions with Iran continue to simmer, and it wasn’t clear if a decision would be made during the session. Any move to deploy more forces to the Middle East would signal a shift for President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly emphasized the need to reduce America’s troop presence in the region.
U.S. officials have provided few details about possible Iranian threats, but indicated they initially involved missiles loaded onto small Iranian boats. This week officials said the missiles have been taken off the boats near Iran’s shore, but other maritime threats continue.
Sending more troops could also raise questions on Capitol Hill. During back-to-back closed briefings for the House and Senate on Tuesday, defense leaders told congressional officials the U.S. doesn’t want to go to war with Iran and wants to de-escalate the situation.
Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told lawmakers the U.S. is seeking to deter, not provoke, Iran, even while accusing Tehran of threatening U.S. interests in the Mideast. Shanahan told reporters, “Our biggest focus at this point is to prevent Iranian miscalculation.”
Many in Congress are skeptical of the administration’s approach to Iran, questioning whether it is responding to significant new Iranian threats or escalating a situation that could lead to war.
CNN first reported that the Pentagon will brief the White House on a plan that could send thousands of additional U.S. troops to the Middle East.
Air Force Col. Patrick Ryder, spokesman for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, declined to comment, saying, “As a matter of long-standing policy, we are not going to discuss or speculate on potential or alleged future operations or plans.”
In early May, the U.S. accelerated the deployment of an aircraft carrier strike group to the Mideast and sent four B-52 bomber aircraft to the region. The Pentagon also decided to move a Patriot air-defense missile battery to an undisclosed country in the area.
The Trump administration has evacuated nonessential personnel from Iraq, amid unspecified threats the administration said are linked to Iranian-backed militias in the country.
On Sunday, a rocket was fired into Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone, landing less than a mile from the sprawling U.S. Embassy. There were no injuries and no group claimed responsibility, but the rocket was believed to have been fired from east Baghdad — which is home to Iran-backed Shiite militias.
Some Democrats say Trump is responsible for drawing Iran’s ire. Last year he abruptly pulled the U.S. out of the Iran nuclear deal, negotiated during the Obama administration to prevent Iran from nuclear weapons production, without crafting a coherent strategy for how to combat other Iranian behavior like supporting extremist organizations. He also has reimposed punishing sanctions that have crippled Tehran’s economy, and designated Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps as a foreign terrorist organization in April.
“I have yet to see any exhibited strategy,” said Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger of Virginia, a former CIA officer. She said she finds many of the administration’s recent statements on Iran to be “deeply troubling.”
(LONDON) — A senior member of Prime Minister Theresa May’s Cabinet has quit over Brexit, in a new blow to the embattled British leader.
Leader of the House of Commons Andrea Leadsom says she is resigning because she does not believe May’s Brexit plan delivers on voters’ decision to leave the European Union.
May is battling to stay in office amid demands she resign over Britain’s stalled departure from the bloc.
Leadsom has been a strong pro-Brexit force in the government.
(ALEXANDRIA, Va.) — John Walker Lindh, the young Californian who became known as the American Taliban after he was captured by U.S. forces in the invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001, is set to go free after nearly two decades in prison.
But conditions imposed recently on Lindh’s release, slated for Thursday, make clear that authorities remain concerned about the threat he could pose once free.
Lindh converted to Islam as a teenager after seeing the film “Malcolm X” and went overseas to study Arabic and the Quran. In November 2000, he went to Pakistan and from there made his way to Afghanistan. He joined the Taliban, and was with them on Sept. 11, 2001, when al-Qaida terrorists attacked the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
The U.S. attacked Afghanistan after the country failed to turn over al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden. Lindh was captured in a battle with Northern Alliance fighters in late 2001. He was present when a group of Taliban prisoners launched an attack that killed Johnny Micheal “Mike” Spann, a CIA officer who had been interrogating Lindh and other Taliban prisoners.
Television footage of a bearded, wounded Lindh captured among Taliban fighters created an international sensation, and he was brought to the U.S. to face charges of conspiring to kill Spann and providing support to terrorists. Eventually, he struck a plea bargain in which he admitted illegally providing support to the Taliban but denied a role in Spann’s death. Lindh received a 20-year prison sentence. He served roughly 17 years and five months, including two months when he was in military detention. Federal inmates who exhibit good behavior typically serve only 85 percent of their sentence.
His probation officer asked the court to impose additional restrictions on Lindh while he remains on supervised release for the next three years. Lindh initially opposed but eventually acquiesced to the restrictions, which include monitoring software on his internet devices; requiring that his online communications be conducted in English and that he undergo mental health counseling; and forbidding him from possessing or viewing extremist material, holding a passport of any kind, or leaving the U.S.
Authorities never specified their rationale for seeking such restrictions. A hearing on the issue was canceled after Lindh agreed to them.
The Bureau of Prisons said Lindh rejected an interview request submitted by The Associated Press, and his lawyer declined comment. But there have been reports that Lindh’s behavior in prison has created cause for concern. Foreign Policy magazine reported in 2017 that an investigation by the National Counterterrorism Center found that Lindh “continued to advocate for global jihad and to write and translate violent extremist texts.”
A former inmate who knew Lindh from the time they spent at the same federal prison said he never heard Lindh espouse support for al-Qaida or indicate he’d be a risk for violence, but he found Lindh to be antisocial and awkward around others, with an unyielding, black-and-white view of religion. The inmate spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he wanted to avoid further stigmatization from his time in Lindh’s prison unit.
Michael Jensen, a terrorism researcher at the University of Maryland’s National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism, said it’s clear the government has concerns about Lindh’s mindset.
“For three years he’s going to be watched like a hawk,” Jensen said.
He said Lindh represents an interesting test case, as he is on the leading edge of dozens of inmates who were convicted on terror-related offenses in the aftermath of Sept. 11 and are eligible for release in the next five years. He said there’s little research to indicate the efficacy of deradicalizing inmates with connections to radical Islam, but he said the research shows that recidivism rates for those connected to white supremacy and other forms of extremism are high.
Lindh was housed in Terre Haute, Indiana, with other Muslim inmates convicted on terror-related charges. The rationale was to keep those inmates from radicalizing others in the general prison population, Jensen said. Those inside the unit were supposed to be limited in their ability to communicate with each other.
“But the reality is these guys still talk to each other,” he said.
Lindh, for his part, admitted his role and his wrongdoing in supporting the Taliban, but he and his family have bristled at any notion that he should be considered a terrorist. When he was sentenced, Lindh said he never would have joined the Taliban if he fully understood what they were about. He also issued a short essay condemning acts of violence in the name of Islam that kill or harm innocent civilians.
Lindh’s time in prison has provided only a few clues about his current outlook. He filed multiple lawsuits, which were largely successful, challenging prison rules he found discriminatory against Muslims. In the more recent lawsuits he used the name Yahya Lindh. One lawsuit won the right to pray in groups at the prison in Terre Haute. A second lawsuit reversed a policy requiring strip searches for inmates receiving visitors, and a third won the right to wear prison pants above the ankle, which Lindh said is in accordance with Islamic principles.
Some have criticized Lindh’s pending release. In March, the legislature in Alabama, where Spann grew up, adopted a resolution calling it “an insult to Agent Johnny Micheal Spann’s heroic legacy and his remaining family members.”
In addition, Republican Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby and Democratic New Hampshire Sen. Maggie Hassan wrote a letter last week to the Bureau of Prisons expressing concern.
“We must consider the security and safety implications for our citizens and communities who will receive individuals like John Walker Lindh who continue to openly call for extremist violence,” they wrote.
The son of Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen has been tripped up by the country’s strict immigration laws, which will force his Harvard-educated American girlfriend to leave Denmark by the end of this month.
The development thrusts immigration policy into the spotlight as Danes prepare to vote in national elections on June 5. Rasmussen, 55, leads a center-right minority coalition that rules with the support of the anti-immigration Danish People’s Party. Last week, he stunned the country’s political establishment by announcing he would rather abandon some of his traditional supporters on the far right than let their “extreme opinions” influence his politics.
In a debate broadcast by TV2 on Sunday evening, Rasmussen said that his 29-year-old son, Bergur, is being forced to split temporarily with his girlfriend, because she’s too young to seek residence under Danish immigration laws.
The young woman, whose name and precise age weren’t revealed, is under 24 and therefore not eligible to remain in Denmark following the 2002 passage of a law that was intended to stop residents, particularly from non-Western countries, from bringing in child brides. It’s since become a key plank in the country’s broader efforts to stem immigration. A student at Harvard University, she’s been in Denmark as part of her studies, Rasmussen said.
The prime minister said he stands behind the rule and tougher immigration generally. But he also criticized the lack of flexibility in the current immigration laws, particularly as Danish businesses face a labor shortage and are desperate for highly educated immigrants. “It’s to wonder at, that we live in a country that has no place for her,” Rasmussen said.
In response, Mette Frederiksen, head of the opposition Social Democrats, said the rule carries “a price” and rejected efforts to soften it. Most polls show Frederiksen, who has embraced tough immigration policies since taking over her party, will win next month’s election.
Meanwhile, the prime minister said he backs a revision of the Schengen agreement, so that the current arrangement enabling passport-free travel across Europe is tightened. Rasmussen told TV2 that Denmark “needs to look after our borders, and that’s why we need to develop a new Schengen regime that gives us more political autonomy over our own borders.”
After 2015, when the Syrian refugee crisis hit, Denmark introduced a series of temporary border controls. Rasmussen’s Liberal Party now wants Europe to consider allowing member states to make such controls permanent.
(LONDON) — British Prime Minister Theresa May dug in Wednesday against a growing push by both rivals and former allies to remove her from office as her attempts to lead Britain out of the European Union appeared to be headed for a dead end.
May resisted calls to rip up her tattered Brexit blueprint and end her embattled premiership after her attempt at compromise was rejected by both her own Conservative Party and opposition lawmakers.
There was a feverish atmosphere in Parliament, as Conservative backbenchers met in private to discuss a leadership challenge and expectations were rising that May could be forced to announce her departure within hours or days.
Lawmaker Tom Tugendhat, a leading Conservative moderate, said the only chance of delivering an orderly Brexit was for May “to go — and without delay.”
“She must announce her resignation after Thursday’s European elections. And the Conservative Party must fast track the leadership process to replace her,” he wrote in the Financial Times.
Scottish Secretary David Mundell was to meet May at 10 Downing St. later Wednesday, and there were rumors more ministers were seeking meetings to express unhappiness with her Brexit plan — and possibly urge her to quit.
May’s spokesman, James Slack, said he was “not aware of any discussions” with Cabinet colleagues.
In the House of Commons, May received a flurry of criticism and hostile questions as she implored lawmakers to support a bill implementing Britain’s departure from the EU that she plans to put to a vote in Parliament in June.
Nearly three years after British voters opted to leave the EU, May said “we need to see Brexit through, to honor the result of the referendum and to deliver the change the British people so clearly demanded.”
If Parliament rejected her deal, she said, “all we have before us is division and deadlock.”
That could serve as a fair summary of Britain’s current situation.
Lawmakers have already rejected May’s divorce deal with the 27 other EU countries on three occasions, and Britain’s long-scheduled departure date of March 29 passed with the country still in the bloc.
In a last-ditch bid to secure support for her Brexit plan, May on Tuesday announced concessions including a promise to give Parliament a vote on whether to hold a new referendum on Britain’s EU membership — something she has long ruled out.
“I have compromised. Now I ask you to compromise too,” she said.
But there was little sign her plea was being heeded. Pro-EU and pro-Brexit lawmakers have only hardened their positions during months of political trench warfare, and they are in no mood to compromise.
Pro-Brexit Conservatives accused May of capitulating to pro-EU demands, and opposition Labour Party lawmakers dismissed her offer as too little, too late.
“The rhetoric may have changed but the deal has not,” said Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. “She did not seek a compromise until after she had missed her own deadline to leave, and by the time she finally did, she had lost the authority to deliver.”
May’s authority as Conservative leader has been shredded by her loss of the party’s parliamentary majority in a 2017 election and her failure to lead Britain out of the EU as promised.
The party’s powerful anti-EU wing wants to oust May and replace her with a staunch Brexit supporter such as Boris Johnson, a former foreign secretary.
May has said she will announce a timetable for her departure once Parliament has voted on her Brexit bill. But with defeat of that bill looking highly likely, a growing number of Conservatives are pressing her to cancel the vote and quit even sooner.
May survived a no-confidence vote among Conservative lawmakers in December, leaving her safe from challenge for 12 months under party rules.
Brexit-backing lawmaker Nigel Evans said he would urge the party committee that oversees leadership contests to change the rules when it meets Wednesday so that May can face a new challenge within days.
“There is a growing discontent with the way Theresa May has handled this,” Evans said.
“Let’s have somebody who has a clean sheet and will be able to reboot the (Brexit) negotiations.”
Pressure on May is likely to increase when results come in from this week’s elections for the European Parliament, with Conservatives expect to receive a drubbing. Many British voters on both sides of the Brexit debate look set to use the election to the EU legislature to express displeasure over the political gridlock. Opinion polls show strong support for the single-issue Brexit Party — largely from angry former Conservative voters — and for pro-EU parties including the Liberal Democrats and the Greens.
The election is being held Thursday in Britain, but results won’t be announced until all 28 EU countries have finished voting late Sunday.
May indicated she would try to fight on. She said the Brexit withdrawal bill would be published Friday so that lawmakers can study it.
Despite speculation that May will scrap plans to bring it to a vote to avoid a crushing defeat, her office said a vote will be held during the week of June 3.
“In time, another prime minister will be standing at this despatch box,” May told lawmakers, acknowledging that her days in the job are numbered.
But, she told Parliament, “in the end our job in this House is to take decisions, not to duck them.
“So I will put those decisions to this House. Because that is my duty and because it is the only way that we can deliver Brexit.”
Spend a few hours with Jesse Klaver, and you realize he is a little different from other politicians in the Netherlands, a country where most people pride themselves on being modest and unpretentious.
First, there is the unblinking self-confidence with which he will look you in the eye and tell you he wants to be Prime Minister one day. Then there are his exuberant political rallies, like the one TIME joined in Amsterdam on a windy weekday evening in March. Klaver enters through the crowd to pumping music and rhythmic clapping, like a boxer approaching the ring.
The 33-year-old leader of the GroenLinks (Green Left) party made a global splash after his party leapt from four to 14 seats in the 2017 general elections, and his telegenic looks and resemblance to a certain Canadian Prime Minister earned him the nickname “the Justin Trudeau of the Netherlands.”
Speaking in a backstage dressing room over a second glass of green tea—“The party drink!” he jokes—Klaver says his approach simply reflects a shift in society, with young people becoming increasingly outspoken and politically active, especially on issues like climate change that affect their future. “A new generation is standing up in the Netherlands,” he says. “Young people are going on the streets for demonstrations. Something is happening, and people are standing up and saying, ‘My generation has to fix this.’”
Klaver is one of a band of youthful leaders around the world fighting back against the far-right populist and nationalist trend by tapping into a new political activism and offering a radical vision for the future. Membership in his Green Left party has surged by around 25% since the 2017 vote. Next up are the European Parliament elections on May 23, where environment-focused parties are hoping to challenge the dominant narrative of a right-wing, Euroskeptic surge. In Germany, polls suggest the Greens party is now the country’s second largest; in the next Dutch Senate, the Green Left will be the joint third largest.
It’s a fight symbolic of a broader tug-of-war between ideologies, Klaver says. “The big question is who is going to come next? The new progressives—the Greens in Europe and the socialists in the U.S.? Or the populists? This is the fight we have to fight, and we are in a winning mood.”
Klaver’s rally in Amsterdam is aimed at drumming up support for the E.U. elections, which will determine the makeup of the legislative body that oversees pan-European policies. A broad section of society is present, from teenagers to retirees. Only one person sports bare feet and dreadlocks, the outdated archetype of the Green voter.
During the Q&A session, a 15-year-old boy asks Klaver how he can fight for change: his school did not let him take part in the Europe-wide climate-change strikes led by Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, he says, and he is too young to vote. After some gentle ribbing about how asking permission negates the point of a strike, the Green leader reminisces about his own youthful activism.
Civil disobedience movements like Extinction Rebellion, which caused gridlock in parts of central London last month, have divided people over whether they help or hinder the environmental cause. But Klaver is a passionate believer in getting out on the street to stand up for what you believe in, and has been attending protests since he was a child.
It was his maternal grandfather, a passionate environmentalist, who introduced the young Klaver to activism, taking him along on marches. “I was raised with a lot of social awareness,” he says.
A photo of him alongside his grandfather on a march shows a serious-looking teenager, and the confident Klaver of today retains some of the charm of a political nerd who has somehow been taken by surprise by the power of their own charisma.
While he has the power to whip up an adoring crowd, Klaver dismisses the Trudeau comparisons with a joke (“I’m a bit jealous of his biceps”). He is more interested in speaking about politicians south of the Canadian border. He is an admirer of Senator Bernie Sanders and senses a kindred spirit in Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. “The way she is talking about climate is very refreshing in the United States,” he says, referring to her Green New Deal proposals on renewable energy and a smart grid chiming with his own ambitions for a carbon tax and an E.U.-wide renewables grid.
In many ways, Klaver has more in common with Ocasio-Cortez and other progressive Democrats than many of his own Green counterparts in Europe. Klaver has taken GroenLinks further toward the radical left than most other Green parties in Europe, and his policy platform goes well beyond traditional environmentalism. Away from climate change, much of his rhetoric is against large banks, tax-dodging corporations, unfettered privatization and the perils of neo-liberalism.
Asked about the European politicians he feels most affinity with, he name-checks Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras of the far-left Syriza party and the ideologically similar Unidas Podemos party in Spain. “We are a Green party, but we are trying to revive left-wing politics,” Klaver says. “We are proud to be green, and we are proud to be on the left. And we are not saying sorry for our ideals.”
He believes that other Green parties in Europe should do the same if they want to capitalize on the fall of the traditional left, which has lost many of its working-class voters to populist and nationalist forces. “Those [populist] voters were voting for social democrat parties in the 1990s,” Klaver explains. “So they were not born as right-wing voters—they were born as people, and they are looking for parties that will fight for them.”
Dutch politics has long had a strong populist element, with Geert Wilders of the Freedom Party consistently grabbing headlines with his strident anti-Islam rhetoric. In March’s provincial elections, a new populist party—Forum for Democracy, led by Thierry Baudet—got the largest share of the vote. Baudet, 36, occupies much of the same populist, anti-immigrant ground as Wilders, but his flamboyant style and knack for self-promotion have catapulted him ahead of his ideological ally. For some, Klaver and Baudet are mirror images on opposite ends of the political spectrum: young, charismatic and often too eager to portray complex politics in black-and-white terms.
Klaver is, however, convinced he can win over some of the far-right voters with a combination of left-wing socioeconomic policies and the simple act of hearing their voices. “Not by preaching, but by listening,” he explains. “A lot of progressives were preaching ‘No, you are wrong, you are not seeing it right.’ [Instead], you say, ‘Please tell me your story.’”
Progressive European media has gone gaga for the man the Guardian nicknamed “the Jessiah.” But political analysts in Holland question whether the Jesse juggernaut can propel him all the way to the Prime Minister’s office currently held by Mark Rutte, given how much compromise would be required of the party to work in the complicated, multiparty coalitions that define Dutch politics.
But if Klaver has any doubts, he is keeping them to himself. Like other idealistic young politicians of his generation, he believes the world will emerge a better place from today’s turbulent times. “Things are changing, and it is up to us to make the good change,” he tells me. “There is so much fuel in society. We have to just light the fire.”
(JAKARTA, Indonesia) — Indonesian President Joko Widodo said authorities have the volatile situation in the country’s capital under control after six people died Wednesday in riots by supporters of his losing rival in last month’s presidential election.
The clashes began Tuesday night when supporters of former Gen. Prabowo Subianto tried to force their way into the downtown offices of the election supervisory agency and have continued unabated since then. More than two dozen vehicles were burned as rioters took over neighborhoods in central Jakarta, throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails at police who responded with tear gas, water cannons and rubber bullets.
Flanked by the military chief and other top leaders, a grim-looking Widodo said, “I will work together with anyone to advance this country, but I will not tolerate anyone who disrupts the security, democratic processes and unity of our beloved nation.”
Subianto, an ultra-nationalist politician, has refused to accept the official results of the April 17 election and instead declared himself the winner. The Election Commission on Tuesday said Widodo, the first Indonesian president from outside the Jakarta elite, had won 55.5% of the vote, securing the moderate technocrat a second term as leader of the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation. Subianto, an elite figure from a wealthy family connected to former dictator Suharto, also lost to Widodo in 2014. He has made four unsuccessful bids for the presidency since Suharto was ousted in 1998.
“The bottom line is the people who are protesting and rioting in the past 24 hours represent a small minority of Indonesian voters and a small minority of Indonesian Muslims,” said Alexander Arifanto, an Indonesian politics expert at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore.
“The vast majority of both clearly accepted the election results. By tacitly backing the protesters, Prabowo has lost any remaining legitimacy he had left and clearly shows his true colors as a narcissistic New Order-era relic,” Arifanto said, referring to the Suharto era.
Rudiantara, the communications and information technology minister, said social media including Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp will be restricted on a temporary basis to prevent the spread of hoaxes and inflammatory content. He said messaging systems will still work for text and audio but photos and videos will be blocked or slowed.
National police chief Tito Karnavian said the people who died in the rioting were hit by gunshots or blunt devices. Authorities are still investigating the causes of death and are not ruling out the involvement of third parties acting as provocateurs.
“There are attempts to create martyrs, blaming security officials for building public anger,” he said.
The rioting in the capital was planned and not spontaneous, according to police. Officers found an ambulance filled with stones, and some of the dozens of people arrested had envelopes of money, said national police spokesman Muhammad Iqbal. Many of those arrested had come from outside Jakarta, he said.
The government had deployed some 50,000 police and soldiers in Jakarta in anticipation of protests following the official election results. Many residents have left the city and parts of the downtown are closed to traffic, with the election supervisory agency and Election Commission barricaded with razor wire.
In the past week, authorities have arrested three pro-Subianto activists on suspicion of treason. They included Sunarko, a retired general and former commander of Indonesia’s special forces who uses a single name. Police allege there was a plot to seize crucial government buildings in Jakarta.
Subianto’s campaign plans to challenge the election result in the Constitutional Court. They allege massive fraud in the world’s third-largest democracy but have provided no credible evidence.
The former special forces general and members of his campaign team had said they would mobilize “people power” during days of street protests. Subianto on Wednesday called on supporters and security forces to exercise restraint.
“Like we’ve said many times before, we support all moral and constitutional means that are peaceful and nonviolent in this political fight for our nation,” he said. “And so I plead to all elements of the people exercising their aspirations: the police, the armed forces, and everyone else to refrain from acts of physical harm.”
Subianto ran a fear-based election campaign, emphasizing what he sees as Indonesia’s weakness and the risk of exploitation by foreign powers or disintegration. He aligned himself with hard-line Muslim groups and won massive majorities in conservative provinces such as Aceh, which follows Islamic Shariah law, but was defeated by Widodo in the president’s populous East Java and Central Java strongholds.
Widodo’s campaign highlighted his progress in poverty reduction and improving Indonesia’s inadequate infrastructure with new ports, toll roads, airports and mass rapid transit.
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Senior BJP leaders and Union ministers Nitin Gadkari and Subhash Bhamre were leading in Nagpur and Dhule seats respectively.
Live updates of the 2019 Andhra Pradesh Assembly election result. Leads are in from all 175 seats of the state
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As per initial trends, the TMC has so far secured 44.61 percent votes, closely followed by the BJP, which has bagged 38.99 percent votes.
The NC is leading in Srinagar, Baramulla and Anantnag, while an Independent candidate is leading in Ladakh. BJP#39;s Singh and Jugal Kishore Sharma are leading in Udhampur and Jammu.
