Russia, Taliban share intelligence in fight against ISIS
Updated 0340 GMT (1140 HKT) December 25, 2015
With the number of ISIS fighters growing in regional neighbor Afghanistan, Russian President Vladimir Putin is turning to an old enemy -- the Taliban -- to share intelligence.
A spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, said the contact between Moscow and the Afghan Taliban only involves intelligence-sharing and information exchange regarding the fight against ISIS.
Why would Putin put himself in a risky spot by working with the Taliban? It's a case of aligning himself with the enemy of his enemy.
A U.S. commander last month told Congress that ISIS has gained strength in Afghanistan in recent months, with as many as 3,000 fighters there.
Christians risking persecution share Christmas photos
As Christians around the world prepare to celebrate Christmas, some of them are planning their festivities in secret. In some countries, they are forced to be discreet, or else risk the wrath of the authorities. To show solidarity with persecuted Christians, a Facebook group has invited them to send in photos of their Christmas decorations.
The initiative, called “My Treedom”, was launched in December, and has also spread to Twitter under the hashtag #MyTreedom. It was launched by Lisa Daftari, an Iranian-American journalist. On the Facebook page, she invites Christians from all over the world, and in particular from countries where they are persecuted, to send in photos that show how they celebrate Christmas despite the challenges.
So far, about 30 photos have been posted, including this photo from Brunei, a tiny state where about two-thirds of its 430,000 citizens are Muslim. The country’s sultan recently forbade the country’s Christians from celebrating Christmas. Last year, he had already announced that Brunei would shift towards sharia law, eventually adopting punishments like death by stoning and severed limbs. But, apparently, that hasn’t stopped some from putting up Christmas trees and donning Santa hats.
The initiative, called “My Treedom”, was launched in December, and has also spread to Twitter under the hashtag #MyTreedom. It was launched by Lisa Daftari, an Iranian-American journalist. On the Facebook page, she invites Christians from all over the world, and in particular from countries where they are persecuted, to send in photos that show how they celebrate Christmas despite the challenges.
So far, about 30 photos have been posted, including this photo from Brunei, a tiny state where about two-thirds of its 430,000 citizens are Muslim. The country’s sultan recently forbade the country’s Christians from celebrating Christmas. Last year, he had already announced that Brunei would shift towards sharia law, eventually adopting punishments like death by stoning and severed limbs. But, apparently, that hasn’t stopped some from putting up Christmas trees and donning Santa hats.
In Star Wars some Jedi go to the dark side, killing those who don’t follow a hardline version of faith. Sound familiar?
Since its release in 1977, the Star Wars franchise has grown into a cultural phenomenon, and the hype surrounding its latest installment Star Wars: The Force Awakens (out in Pakistan today) makes clear that its popularity endures.
You may or may not be a fan of The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Star Trek, Marvel, or DC properties, but you most likely are a fan of Star Wars.
Words from the films like Jedi, Sith, lightsabers, wookies, droids, and phrases such as ‘I have a bad feeling about this’, ‘may The Force be with you’, ‘it’s a trap’, ‘Luke, I am your Father’, and ‘I find your lack of faith disturbing’, have become a cornerstone of popular culture.
As a longtime fan of the series who has watched the trilogies countless times, read the extended universe books, owns dozens of miniature Star Wars warfare and board games and has played just about every Star Wars video game possible, I have found it interesting how certain aspects of the fiction resonate with Pakistani culture.
Exclusive: Islamic State sanctioned organ harvesting in document taken in U.S. raid
WASHINGTON |
Islamic State has sanctioned the harvesting of human organs in a previously undisclosed ruling by the group’s Islamic scholars, raising concerns that the violent extremist group may be trafficking in body parts.
The ruling, contained in a January 31, 2015 document reviewed by Reuters, says taking organs from a living captive to save a Muslim's life, even if it is fatal for the captive, is permissible.
For a U.S. government translation of the document, click here
Reuters couldn’t independently confirm the authenticity of the document. U.S. officials say it was among a trove of data and other information obtained by U.S. special forces in a raid in eastern Syria in May.
"The apostate's life and organs don't have to be respected and may be taken with impunity," says the document, which is in the form of a fatwa, or religious ruling, from the Islamic State’s Research and Fatwa Committee.
Okinawa sues Tokyo in bid to stop US base relocation
By MARI YAMAGUCHI
The Okinawa government says the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism illegally suspended the prefectural governor's cancellation of approval for reclamation work needed to relocate U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma to a less-populated part of the island.
The central government filed its own lawsuit against Gov. Takeshi Onaga last month, after he rejected an order from the Land Ministry to reinstate approval, issued by his predecessor, for the land reclamation. The ministry went ahead with the reclamation work.
The legal battle is the latest chapter in a long-running dispute between the central government and Okinawa, formerly a tiny kingdom that was annexed by Japan in the 16th century.
Many residents want the U.S. base moved out of Okinawa entirely. They have been long frustrated by heavy U.S. troop presence on the tiny island and have complained about noise, pollution and crime associated with the foreign bases.
An Award Winning Photographer Reflects On Covering The Crises Of 2015
After years of covering turbulence abroad, Yannis Behrakis was forced to turn his lens to his home country in 2015.
Nick Robins-EarlyWorld Reporter, The Huffington Post
Many of this year's most notable news stories converged in Greece, as the country fell into political and financial crisis during a bitter fight over austerity and debt, while the shores of the country's islands became landing points for hundreds of thousands of refugees.
Photos capturing people clashing with police outside of shuttered financial institutions or scrambling to beaches from rubber boats were seen around the world and drove home the tragedy of these events.
Some of the most memorable images of these crises were captured by veteran Reuters photojournalist Yannis Behrakis. This week, the Guardian named him photographer of the year for his coverage.
The WorldPost spoke with Behrakis about his work, his most memorable shots and what he hopes people take away from his images.
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