25 December 2014 Last updated at 05:17
African leaders reprimand the West, particularly France, for its intervention in Libya, which they say has left Africa rife with terrorism.
By Athena Yenko | December 24, 2014 10:18 PM EST
America's U-2 spy stealth aircraft and all other reconnaissance and surveillance planes are being warned by one senior Iranian commander to stay away from Iran's border. The alarming rate from which the spy planes are increasing near the Iranian borders were observed in the early part of 2014. However, Iran is particularly cautious after it scheduled rigorous war games on Dec 25-31.
"During yesterday and today, warnings have been issued to several reconnaissance aircraft of the trans-regional states which were flying near the Flight Information Regions of the country's borders," Lieutenant Commander of Khatam ol-Anbia Air Defence Base General Shahrokh Shahram said, as reported by Fars News Agency.
Sony comedy The Interview opens
The comedy The Interview has opened in some US cinemas and online, after a cyber-attack and row over its release.
Sony Pictures had originally pulled the film, about a fictional plot to kill North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
But it reversed its decision after critics - including US President Barack Obama - said freedom of expression was under threat.
Some cinemas organised midnight showings for Americans determined to see The Interview on the big screen.
Several hundred independent cinemas across the US have come forward offering to show the title after larger cinemas decided not to screen it following threats.
The Middle East's fear of atheism
In Egypt and other Arab states, societies are heavily influenced by religion. Even so, many people evidently regard themselves as atheists, and both governments and religious institutions see this as a threat.
There are exactly 866 atheists living along the Nile - at least according to a recent survey by the government-run Egyptian institution "Dar al-Ifta," which keeps tabs on religious issues in the country. How exactly that number was determined is unclear, but the institution's verdict on the threat is surprising: according to Dar al-Ifta, the fact that 0.001 percent of the Egyptian population does not believe in God is a reason to sound the alarm bells. After all, no country in the Arab world apparently has a higher number of "godless" people - Morocco being the runner-up with a purported 325 atheists.
The Dar al-Ifta figures contrast sharply with a poll conducted in 2014 by the Al-Azhar University in Cairo. Having canvassed 6,000 young people, the university - which has a formidable reputation in Sunni Islam - came up with an atheist proportion of some 12.3 percent of the Egyptian population. That would amount to 10.7 million of 87 million Egyptians.
'Kitsch' Christmas banned by Chinese university
Beijing: A university in north-western China has banned Christmas, calling it a "kitsch" foreign celebration unbefitting of the country's own traditions and making its students watch propaganda films instead, according to local media.
The state-run Beijing News said the Modern College of Northwest University, in Xian, had strung up banners around the campus reading "Strive to be outstanding sons and daughters of China, oppose kitsch Western holidays" and "Resist the expansion of Western culture".
A student told the newspaper they would be punished if they did not attend a mandatory three-hour screening of propaganda films, which other students said included one about Confucius, with teachers standing guard to stop people leaving.
"There's nothing we can do about it, we can't escape," the student was quoted as saying
To fight terrorism, Africa must save Libya
LIESL LOUW-VAUDRANAfrican leaders reprimand the West, particularly France, for its intervention in Libya, which they say has left Africa rife with terrorism.
Africa still hasn’t forgiven France, Britain and the United States for its military intervention in Libya in 2011 and the way former strongman Muammar Gaddafi was “assassinated”.
In fact, African participants at a high-level meeting on African security in Dakar, Senegal, last week – including heads of state – blame the Nato intervention against Gaddafi for the current chaotic situation in Libya. This has created a vast ungoverned zone in the southern Libyan desert and a safe haven for terrorists where they can regroup, get sophisticated weapons and equipment and launch attacks across the Sahel.
High-ranking officials and military experts, both from the region and internationally, concur that to fight the scourge of terrorism in Africa, which “spreads like wildfire across the continent” it is imperative to solve the crisis in Libya.
This is Lizard Squad, the nebulous hacker group now tied to the Sony hack
Best known among gamers, Lizard Squad is both despised and revered for their seemingly random assaults on the video game world. They've claimed attacks on Call of Duty, Xbox, Sony Playstation, and now are being linked to the Sony Pictures hack.
Talk to any avid gamer these days and they’ll tell you about Lizard Squad.
This particular hacking group has been waging seemingly random attacks on the video game industry since the summer. They say they are doing it just because they can, and are both despised and revered by hundreds of thousands of people because of it.
Lizard Squad even sells T-shirts. Welcome to the 21st century, where hacking and other forms of digital disruption are entertainment, and hacker groups have fandoms.
Iran Agitated With U-2 Stealth Aircrafts, Schedules War Games From Dec 25-31
By Athena Yenko | December 24, 2014 10:18 PM EST
America's U-2 spy stealth aircraft and all other reconnaissance and surveillance planes are being warned by one senior Iranian commander to stay away from Iran's border. The alarming rate from which the spy planes are increasing near the Iranian borders were observed in the early part of 2014. However, Iran is particularly cautious after it scheduled rigorous war games on Dec 25-31.
"During yesterday and today, warnings have been issued to several reconnaissance aircraft of the trans-regional states which were flying near the Flight Information Regions of the country's borders," Lieutenant Commander of Khatam ol-Anbia Air Defence Base General Shahrokh Shahram said, as reported by Fars News Agency.
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