Ankara blast: Turkey PM says Syria Kurds to blame
- 18 February 2016
- Europe
Turkey's prime minister says the deadly bombing in Ankara was carried out by Kurdish YPG militia based in Syria, and nine people have been arrested.
Ahmet Davutoglu said the fighters worked in co-operation with militants from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in Turkey.
Turkey carried out strikes on PKK forces in north Iraq late on Wednesday, reportedly targeting some 70 militants.
Mr Davutoglu said some senior PKK fighters were among those killed.
Mr Davutoglu named the Ankara bomber as Salih Necar, a Syrian national and member of the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG).
"A direct link between the attack and the YPG has been established," he said. He went on to say the attack was carried out with logistical support from PKK militants inside Turkey.
Why Isis is losing its propaganda war on Twitter
The viral reach of Isis sympathisers has been severely limited in recent months following a crackdown
Attempts by the jihadist group Isis to recruit new members over Twitter have stalled, according to a new study.
Amid a stepped-up crackdown against the extremist group's army of digital proselytizers, who have long relied on the site to recruit and radicalize new adherents, the English-language reach on Twitter has been hit hard.
Suspensions of English-speaking users affiliated with Isis from June to October 2015 have limited the group's growth and in some cases devastated the viral reach of specific users, according to the report from George Washington University's Program on Extremism, which analyzed a list of accounts promoted by the militant group.
Video of high school gang rape sparks protests in Chad
Adoum Idriss
When social media users started sharing a video showing five high schoolers from Chad gang raping their classmate, outrage spread across the central African nation. Our Observer says it's the first time that Chadians have held such large protests denouncing violence against women, though he says that high school students are raped all too often.
On February 8, 16-year-old Zouhoura was reportedly kidnapped and raped by five high schoolers. Two of the rapists were the sons of army generals, according to the local press. Zouhoura’s family tried to report the crime, without success. It wasn’t until a video of the crime was shared on Facebook five days later that there was a national cry for justice. The video has since been taken down.
On February 15, students organised protests outside of multiple high schools to demand “Justice for Zouhoura”. Some made signs saying “I am Zouhoura”. In the capital city of N’Djaména hundreds of people took part in a march organised by local organisations.
The Pakistani women risking all to fight for their rights
AP —
KARACHI: Kainat Soomro was 13 years old and on her way to buy a toy for her newborn niece when three men kidnapped her, held her for several days and repeatedly raped her.
Eight years later, she is still battling for justice. She sits on a steel-framed bed in her parents' three-bedroom home, and holds her blue shawl tight around her body.
When she describes the horror of her captivity her voice is barely a whisper, but it gains strength when she talks of the fight she has been waging: going to Pakistan's courts, holding protests, rejecting the rulings of the traditional Jirga, taking on the powerful landlord and politician who she says are protecting her attackers.
Her battle for justice has inspired an award-winning 2014 movie, “Outlawed in Pakistan".
Can Uganda opposition unseat a party that has been in power for decades?
With just a few hours before polls open, tensions remains high in Uganda, with reports of police clashing with opposition in the capital city’s streets,Reuters reported.
Thursday's election, will see the long-term incumbent president, Yoweri Museveni, the head of National Resistance Movement (NRM) pitted against two leading candidates – Kizza Besigye, the head of the opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) and former ally Amama Mbabazi who is running as an independent.
This will mark the fourth time that Mr. Besigye has challenged Mr. Museveni, in what observers say will be the incumbent’s toughest challenge yet, given the size and enthusiasm of crowds at opposition rallies.
China's Rule of Fear
Minxin PeiProfessor of Government at Claremont McKenna College
China is once again gripped by fear in a way it has not been since the era of Mao Zedong. From the inner sanctum of the Chinese Communist Party to university lecture halls and executive suites, the specter of harsh accusations and harsher punishment is stalking China's political, intellectual and business elites.
The evidence of pervasive fear is easy to discern. Since President Xi Jinping's remorseless anti-corruption drive began in December 2012, arrests of government officials have become a daily ritual, sending shivers down the spines of their colleagues and friends.
Seniority offers little protection, as 146 fallen "tigers" (officials holding the rank of minister or provincial governor) have found out, often being hauled off without warning. A new phrase has even been added to the Chinese lexicon to describe this sudden fall from grace: miaosha, or "instant kill."
No comments:
Post a Comment