Six In The Morning Monday February 23

New ISIS video shows Kurdish Peshmerga soldiers in cages in Iraq

By Yousuf Basil and Holly Yan, CNN

Updated 0629 GMT (1429 HKT) February 23, 2015

ISIS has released a new propaganda video showing what appears to be Kurdish Peshmerga fighters paraded down Iraqi streets in cages.

The video features a man saying the Peshmerga soldiers were captured by ISIS.

CNN cannot independently verify the authenticity of the video. But it shows at least 21 men in orange outfits hauled in the cages atop the beds of pickup trucks.

A man with a microphone bearing the ISIS logo interviews some of the captives, who say they are Peshmerga soldiers. Most of those interviewed say they are from Kirkuk. The prisoners, under duress, call on their fellow Peshmerga soldiers to give up their fight against ISIS.

Retrial of two al-Jazeera journalists held in Egypt on terror charges set to begin

Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed renew their fight for freedom weeks after the release of Australian colleague Peter Greste

Associated Press

Monday 23 February 2015 09.07 GMT

The retrial of two al-Jazeera journalists who face terror-related charges in Egypt in a case widely criticised by human rights organisations and media groups has been postponed to 8 March.

The decision on Monday comes after a brief hearing for acting bureau chief Mohamed Fahmy and Egyptian producer Baher Mohamed. They were freed earlier this month to await trial, though they’ve had to check in with police each day.

They have been on bail since earlier this month while they await trial but have had to check in with police each day.

Ethel Raine: The untold story of a woman who spied for Britain during the Great War

MI5 confirmed to Raine's grandson of his grandmother's incredible occupation, and he began investigating...

ROBERT FISK 

David Gosling was for four years principal of Edwardes College in Peshawar, trying to keep the Taliban from his academy in the old British North-West Frontier Province of what is now Pakistan. But he could scarcely imagine receiving a letter from MI5 confirming that his own grandmother, Ethel Raine, had served the British empire in its heyday as “a member of the Security Service between 1915 and 1920”. But then came the rebuff: “Unfortunately we are unable to provide any further details of her work as records were destroyed many years ago. I am sorry if this is disappointing news…”

But like the academic he is, Mr Gosling has found out a lot about his grandmother – and duly passed it on to me: fake names, spies’ identities, even telephone numbers.

Palestinian Authority ‘facing financial collapse’

Failure of donors to honour pledges and Israel’s withholding of revenues, cited by senior PA figure

Michael Jansen

 The Palestine Liberation Organisation has called a meeting for early next month to discuss the future of the cash-strapped Palestinian government and possible suspension of security co-operation with Israel.

In response, Washington has consulted with regional leaders with the aim of raising funds. “We’re very concerned about the continued validity of the Palestinian Authority[PA] if it does not receive funds soon,” said state department spokeswoman Jen Psaki.

Admitting that the US Congress is unlikely to provide urgent FINANCE, she warned that dissolution of the PA or an end to security co-operation could trigger a “crisis that could gravely impact both the Palestinians and the Israelis, with potentially serious ripple effects.”

Thailand jails two for insulting the monarchy in a university play

February 23, 2015 - 6:42PM

Aukkarapon Niyomyat

Bangkok: Thailand sentenced two students to jail on Monday for two-and-a-half years for insulting the monarchy in a university play, in a case which drew dozens of activists to a protest outside the court in defiance of a ban on demonstrations.

The country has been under martial law since a May coup. The convictions come amid anxiety over the health of ailing King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 87, and the issue of royal succession.

Thailand's lese-majeste law is the world's harshest and makes it a crime to defame, insult or threaten the king, queen or heir to the throne or regent. The junta has stepped up a campaign against perceived insults to the monarchy since it took power.

Patiwat Saraiyaem, 23, and Porntip Mankong, 26, were both convicted on a count of lese-majeste, which carries a maximum of 15 years in prison.

The Spy Cables: A glimpse into the world of espionage

Secret documents, leaked from numerous intelligence agencies, offer rare insights into the interactions between spies.

Al Jazeera Investigative Unit | 23 Feb 2015 08:23 GMT

A digital leak to Al Jazeera of hundreds of secret intelligence documents from the world's spy agencies has offered an unprecedented insight into operational dealings of the shadowy and highly politicised realm of global espionage.

Over the coming days, Al Jazeera's Investigative Unit is publishing The Spy Cables, in collaboration with The Guardian newspaper.

Spanning a period from 2006 until December 2014, they include detailed briefings and internal analyses written by operatives of South Africa's State Security Agency (SSA).