Six In The Morning Monday January 19

UK terror fears: My jihadist son returned from Syria mentally scarred – now he is being ignored

A mother who travelled to Turkey to bring her son home expresses fear and frustration at a lack of support for radicalised former fighters suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder

ZACK ADESINA , VIVEK CHAUDHARY

 

 

Monday 19 January 2015

The mother of a young British jihadist who fought with Isis in Syria has spoken of her despair at being left without support since his return home – warning that Britain is at risk of Paris-style attacks because of the Government’s failure to rehabilitate extremists now back on these shores.

The woman – who travelled to Turkey to fetch her son after he became disenchanted with Isis – has agreed to be named and pictured for the first time to raise alarm about the lack of assistance provided to young Britons who return to the UK from Syria.

While her son, James, has now rejected terrorism, Linda warns that hundreds of other returned jihadists – radicalised but scarred by their experiences in Syria – are “walking time bombs” because of the lack of support offered by the British authorities.

Manus Island guards force end to protests and seize alleged ringleaders
Authorities attempt to end week-long unrest at centre by taking away up to 30 men from Oscar and Delta compounds, with some reportedly sent to isolation

• Protests, hunger strikes and no running water on Manus Island – video

• Ben Doherty
• theguardian.com, Monday 19 January 2015 08.20 GMT

Guards in riot gear have entered Delta and Oscar compounds at the Manus Island detention centre, attempting to end the week-long protest by force and taking away alleged ringleaders.

Pictures from Oscar compound, obtained by Guardian Australia, appear to show several detainees being walked out of the compound flanked, and in some cases manhandled, by guards.

Just after 4.15pm, guards forced their way first into Delta compound – which had been barricaded since Friday – and arrested several men. How many is unknown.
Guards then moved to Oscar compound, which stands across a narrow roadway from Delta.

World's richest one per cent to own more than the rest: Oxfam

January 19, 2015 - 4:01PM

James Tapsfield

The world's richest 1 per cent will own more than the other 99 per cent by next year, Oxfam has warned.

The charity has highlighted growing inequality ahead of the World Economic Forum in Davos this week.

A research paper suggests the wealthiest 1 per cent have seen their share of global assets rise from 44 per cent in 2009 to 48 per cent last year - with an average worth of $2.92 million each. The figure is on track to exceed 50 per cent this year.

Below the richest fifth, 80 per cent of the world's population own just 5.5 per cent of wealth - an average of $4166 each.

Egypt's President Sisi declares freedom of speech sacrosanct

Meanwhile, protesters, journalists, and political opponents continue to go to jail.

By Dan Murphy, Staff writer

Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, the retired general who rose to power following an army coup against the Muslim Brotherhood's elected President Mohamed Morsi in 2013, said in an statement today that Egypt is home to no political prisoners and that there are no restrictions on freedom of expression.

Egypt's State Information Service reports that Sisi issued a statement to Sky News Arabia today in which he dismissed concerns about the limited political freedoms in the country.

"The right to demonstrate is guaranteed but we want at the same time to achieve stability and security for the Egyptian people," Sisi said. "Did anyone apply to demonstrate over the past few months and his request was denied?"

19 January 2015 Last updated at 01:42

Zambian election: Five things you need to know

By Nomsa MasekoBBC Africa

A presidential by-election will be held in Zambia on 20 January after former leader Michael Sata died in office last year. Here are five things you need to know about the poll.

1: Medical tests

After the recent deaths of two serving presidents, there have been calls for the four presidential candidates - Edgar Lungu, Hakainde Hichilema, Edith Nawakwi and Nevers Mumba, who are all in their 50s - to undergo medical tests to prove they are fit to hold office.

The debate was sparked by Chongwe MP Sylvia Masebo, who defected from the governing Patriotic Front (PF) to opposition candidate Mr Hichilema. 

She accused Mr Lungu of being physically unfit to hold office and challenged him to take medical tests.

His spokesman said Mr Lungu was ready to take any tests, any time. It is not known if he has done so.

Kobane setback puts brakes on IS Syria ambitions

 

By Sara Hussein, Rana Moussaoui16 hours ago

Once poised to overrun the Syrian town of Kobane, the Islamic State group has suffered a damaging blow to its ambitions at the hands of Kurdish fighters and US-led warplanes.

The setback in the mainly Kurdish town on the Syria-Turkey border has knocked the momentum out of the jihadists' advance and dashed their hopes of a swift expansion of their territory, analysts say.

In mid-September, IS began a seemingly relentless march towards Kobane, in a drive to consolidate its grip on a long stretch of the strategic northern border.

But Kurdish forces have recaptured most of the town in recent weeks, backed by a US-led air campaign in Syria that began on September 23.

Now IS holds just 20 percent of Kobane and faces the prospect of losing it entirely, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.