Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Hollande calls for grand coalition to defeat ISIL

French president wants to extend state of emergency and vows to escalate the air campaign in Syria.

 | Europe, France, ISIL, War & Conflict
The Eiffel Tower in Paris was reopened and lit up in the colours of the French flag [AP]
The Eiffel Tower in Paris was reopened and lit up in the colours of the French flag [AP]
French President Francois Hollande has called for a global coalition to eradicate the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group following the deadly attacks in Paris.
Speaking to members of the French parliament at the Palace of Versailles on Monday evening, Hollande said he wanted to extend the state of emergency for three months and would meet US President Barack Obama and Russia's Vladimir Putin to "unite our forces to achieve a result that has taken too long".
Beginning his speech with the words "France is at war," Hollande declared: "We will defeat terrorism."
ISIL claimed responsibility via statements and videos for Friday's attacks that killed at least 129 people and wounded hundreds more in the French capital.
Politicians from all political parties responded with a standing ovation and by singing the national anthem.
Belgian police raid home after Paris attacks
In a show of patriotic defiance, the Eiffel Tower in Paris was reopened and lit up in the colours of the French flag.
Hollande said he had ordered air strikes on headquarters of ISIL in the Syrian town of Raqqa overnight and would continue to wage war "mercilessly", sending an aircraft carrier to triple French air power in the region.
The strikes were carried out in coordination with the US.
The US and Russia are conducting separate campaigns in Syria, but Russia's has focused largely on Syrian rebels not aligned with ISIL.
Hollande said France wanted more effective controls of the EU's external borders to avoid a return to national border controls and the dismantling of the 28-nation EU, Reuters news agency reported.
Additional security spending would be needed and France would not let EU budget rules get in the way, Hollande said.
France will also increase police recruitment and halt previously planned cuts to the army.
Security forces have so far put more than 100 people under house arrest and raided 168 premises since he declared a state of emergency, which he asked parliament to extend for three months.
Arrests and raids have also taken place in Belgium, where a vehicle involved in the attack was rented out and one of the attackers, Salah Abdeslam, was born.
Separately, German police have detained an Algerian man in a refugee reception centre in connection with the attacks in Paris.
The man, detained in the town of Arnsberg in western Germany, is being investigated on suspicion of having told Syrian refugees at the centre in recent days that fear and terror would be spread in Paris.
He is also alleged to have spoken about a bomb. Officials said checks were being made into whether the allegations were credible.







The attacks in France have most definitely driven both fear and anger into the hearts of nations worldwide. People want vengeance, justice, and are willing to go to extremes to achieve what they feel they deserve. So the question is, will retaliation on France's behalf only lead to more attacks upon western nations from ISIS? And will increased airstrikes provide any edge in the war against terrorism? Aljazeera seems, in this case, to have little bias as they are only writing on the reactions of France and what their plans may be in the future. 
"Europe." 17 Nov 2015. Aljazeera Media Network. 17 Nov 2015. <http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/11/hollande-calls-grand-coalition-defeat-isil-151117033017279.html>.  
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Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Australian police quell riot at detention camp

Government says it has 'full and effective' control of the prison after Kurdish refugee death sparked violent protests.

 | Refugees, Australia, Asylum Seekers, Asia Pacific
Fazel Chegeni a Kurdish refugee from Iran was found dead on Saturday [Refugee Action Coalition/EPA]
Fazel Chegeni a Kurdish refugee from Iran was found dead on Saturday [Refugee Action Coalition/EPA]
Australian police have retaken control of an offshore detention camp holding asylum seekers after clashing with prisoners protesting the death of a Kurdish refugee who attempted to escape. 
Families separated by Australia asylum policy
The country's Department of Immigration said Tuesday that security forces had taken "full and effective" control of the camp located on Christmas Island, adding all detainees were accounted for.
"This morning's operation to regain control of the centre and ensure the welfare of those not participating in criminal damage activities was achieved largely through negotiation and cooperation with detainees," the department said in a statement published on its website.
"Some force was used with a core group of detainees who had built barricades and actively resisted attempts to secure compounds, including threatened use of weapons and improvised weapons."
Violence broke out after the death of Iranian Kurdish refugee Fazel Chegeni on Saturday, two days after he escaped the facility.
Chegeni had attempted to enter Australia onboard a boat and was one of hundreds of people imprisoned on the island.
Australian activist group the Refugee Action Coalition said Chegeni was a victim of a "punitive detention regime that cares nothing for the human rights of asylum seekers and refugees".
"This is another needless death in detention - this time of a refugee who should never have been in detention. His mental health problems were well-known, and detention only exacerbated those problems," the group said.
Did Australia pay people smugglers to turn back boats?
Last week, human teeth were found in a meal served to an asylum seeker in the Manus Island detention centre, just a few days after almost 100 asylum seekers reportedly suffered food poisoning.
Ian Rintoul, an Australian refugee advocate who is in touch with asylum seekers on the island, said some managed to call activists and inform them human teeth were found in a lunch meal served to a refugee.
The Australian government's Department of Immigration announced on Twitter it was investigating the incident.
"A few days ago over 100 asylum seekers and staff members were poisoned from the food at the Manus detention centre," Rintoul told Al Jazeera.
"There are constant problems in these detention centres. Water is one of them. The sewage goes out to the bay and, if it rains, it washes up on the compound. The toilets are mostly non-functional too."
Rintoul said asylum seekers had found ways to contact advocates and inform them of problematic issues, but of late raids were mounted to confiscate refugees' phones.
"Nothing will change. The problems are created by the detention centres themselves," he said.
Diana Al Rifai contributed to this report from Doha
 Islands used as detention facilities by Australia
Source: Al Jazeera



Everyone in the world is, and should be treated as equal. No man is above another man and no woman is higher than any other. Each of us deserves to have the same base human rights and freedoms given to us as anyone else would have. When we neglect our fellow human beings, we are placing ourselves on a higher scale than them. Saying that we are worth more than they are. The refugees fleeing from their homelands are in desperate need of a safe haven. They are looking for security, stability, freedom from the oppression that ruled them at home. Yet all they are met with are restrictions, fences and locks to hold them in. This isn't how they deserve to be treated, or how they should be treated. We need to provide for them as we would for out brothers and sisters. I trust Aljazeera and believe that the facts they provide are true. Bias is always a factor in every news article, and so a journalist must suppress it as much as possible. Aljazeera does exceptionally well in this area, showing us the issues at hand in Australia but from a standpoint that sees only truth and has little to no opinions or bias blurring their sight. 

"Refugees." 10 November 2015. Aljazeera Media Network. "10 November 2015. <http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/11/australian-police-quell-riot-detention-camp-151110035853567.html>. 

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Monday, November 2, 2015

Israeli forces kill three Palestinians including a baby

Eight-month-old child suffocates from tear gas inhalation, bringing death toll of Palestinians to 69 in one month.

Palestinians decry Israel's heightened security measures which have led to several killings [Al Jazeera/Ezz Zanoun]
Palestinians decry Israel's heightened security measures which have led to several killings [Al Jazeera/Ezz Zanoun]
Three Palestinians - including an eight-month-old baby - have died from Israeli fire and another is critically wounded, while many others were injured in West Bank and Gaza protests.
The Palestinian health ministry confirmed on Friday the death of Ramadan Mohammed Faisal Thawabta, the baby who suffocated from tear gas inhalation in a village near Bethlehem.
He died in Beit Fajjar in clashes as the Israeli army sprayed tear gas at Palestinians.
The ministry also confirmed the first incident, citing the death of Qasem Sabaana, 20, and the injury of a 17-year-old, as yet unnamed, at a checkpoint south of Nablus in the occupied West Bank.
An Al Jazeera journalist who witnessed the incident said police fired at least seven shots at the Palestinian now fighting for his life in hospital.
Israeli police claimed that the two Palestinians had approached the checkpoint on a motorbike carrying knives.
Also in Jerusalem on Friday, another Palestinian succumbed to wounds inflicted earlier in the morning.
Train security officers shot the alleged attacker on the light rail in occupied East Jerusalem with live ammunition after he allegedly attacked an Israeli settler, the police said.
Israeli forces regularly fire live ammunition at protesters who gather to demonstrate against the Israeli occupation [Ezz Zanoun/Al Jazeera]
Since October 1, Israeli forces or settlers have killed 69 Palestinians - including unarmed protesters, bystanders and alleged attackers - across Israel, the occupied West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip. 
Nine Israelis have died in stabbing or shooting incidents in the same period.
Al Jazeera's Stefanie Dekker in Jerusalem said the city is heavily policed and Palestinians are monitored closely.
"Israeli security forces have clamped down on occupied East Jerusalem; it's completely surrounded. People have to walk one by one, Palestinians often have to lift their shirts to show they are not carrying a weapon," she said. 
Clashes erupt
Outrage over the killings sparked Palestinian-led protests outside the Israeli settlement of Beit El, near the central West Bank city of Ramallah.
Around 500 Palestinians protested and clashed with Israeli forces, according to witnesses.
Israeli troops shot at least one protester in the chest with live ammunition, said Mohannad Darabee, a photographer at the clashes.
At least 69 Palestinians have been killed in the month of October as Israeli-Palestinian tensions rise [Ezz Zanoun/Al Jazeera]
"Medics told us he is in critical condition," he told Al Jazeera, adding that an Israeli Jeep ran over another protester.
Orient Radio, a local media outlet, captured the soldiers running the protester over on video.
"When medics tried to help him and journalists approached the area, the soldiers attacked all of them with pepper spray and [tear] gas. Then they arrested the man [who was run over].
"People are angry about the martyr killed in Nablus. They [Israeli forces] are firing a lot of live ammunition and rubber-coated steel bullets - they are shooting indiscriminately," Darabee said.
Human rights groups have warned of a risk of vigilantism as many citizens have carried out attacks on Palestinians [Ezz Zanoun/Al Jazeera]
Ezz Zanoun, a Gaza-based photographer, said that clashes are also taking place in areas across Gaza's border with Israel.
"Two journalists have been hit with rubber-coated steel bullets" near the Nahal Oz Israeli military outpost, he told Al Jazeera, referring to an area near eastern Gaza City.
At least 2,000 people participated in the demonstrations, Zanoun added.
"The Israelis are using rubber-coated steel bullets and tear gas," he said. "Participation in the protests here in Gaza is growing."
Israeli soldiers cursed at the protesters in Hebrew and Arabic, and waved an Israeli flag at them, witnesses said.
"The soldiers did not wait long to open fire," said Zanoun. "The feeling among Palestinians is that this has become something routine for them, to fire quickly."
'Unlawful measures'
Tension has surged amid resentment over Israeli settlements and the incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, the third holiest site for Muslims.
Rights groups have slammed Israel for its harsh measures as it continues to crack down on Palestinians.
This week, Amnesty International warned Israeli forces to end its "pattern of unlawful killings".
"In some cases, Israeli forces appear to have ripped up the rulebook and resorted to extreme and unlawful measures," the group said.
"They seem increasingly prone to using lethal force against anyone they perceive as posing a threat, without ensuring that the threat is real."
Demonstrations are being led by young Palestinians who are growing increasingly anxious over lethal force being used as collective punishment [Ezz Zanoun/Al Jazeera]
Source: Al Jazeera and agencies





Violence in Israel seems to be heightening every new day. More protests, more shootings, tear gas, stabbings, and more deaths. Al Jazeera is a news agency with a strong middle eastern tie. Many of their reporters are from the middle east region and so are similar in culture and belief to the Palestinians in harm's way. Bias is quite obvious, displaying the Israeli soldiers as brutal killing machines who shoot first and ask questions later. While I do not commend any of the current actions that Israel has taken, there is definitely more to the story than just what is stated. Still, human rights violations are evident as Palestinians have been killed without proper reason or warning. Placing Israel under a negative spotlight in the eyes of the rest of the world.
"Aljazeera." 31 October 2015. Aljazeera Media Network. 2 November 2015. <http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/10/israeli-police-kill-palestinian-alleged-attack-151030112258424.html>.
Measure
Measure
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