• Beirut Suicide Bombings Kill 43: 6 Suspects Arrested in Lebanon

    Tragedy struck Lebanon's capital city of Beirut on Thursday (November 12), after twin suicide bombings left 43 people dead. Lebanon authorities have arrested six suspects, five Syrians and one Palestinian, in connection with the horrific murders, according to a recent 'Reuters' report.

  • DJ Kill Paris Changes Stage Name to Chill Harris After Terrorist Attacks in France

    Electronic producer Corey Baker, AKA Kill Paris, has decided to change his DJ name in light of the tragic terrorist attacks on Paris, France late this past Friday evening. As Dancing Astronaut reports, Baker explains in a lengthy Facebook post that after the recent violent events he feels it would be inappropriate to continue to use a stage name that risks being associated with, in his words, "the negatives in life." He changed his Twitter handle to @SaveParis and will now perform under the new moniker Chill Harris.

  • Dozens Dead and Hostages Held During Eagles of Death Metal Concert in Paris

    Earlier tonight, a series of shootings unfolded at several Paris venues. Reports state that the deadliest of the multiple simultaneous attacks seem to have targeted the Bataclan concert hall during the Eagles of Death Metal’s sold-out performance Friday evening. The news is still breaking, but various media outlets have stated that there have already been multiple fatalities and anywhere between 60 to 100 hostages were held at the venue.

  • Homeland Security Warns of Threats Made to Mall of America

    It seems like every few days there is a new video released by Islamic militants threatening to take aim at Western targets, and the latest one is threatening shopping malls across the U.S., Canada and Europe. The idea of lone-wolf attackers targeting softer targets such as shopping facilities is nothing new overseas, but here it has the U.S. Department of Homeland Security stepping up police presence and asking shoppers to be extra careful. The Mall of America, in Minnesota, was one of the targets mentioned by name, and this morning Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson was interviewed on CNN about the warning that has been sounded to consumers in middle America.

  • Survivor's Issue of 'Charlie Hebdo' Sells Out as France Arrests 54 in Roundup

    Renald Luzier, the cartoonist who drew the cover of the Survivor's Issue of "Charlie Hebdo" is an incredibly lucky man. Had he not overslept last week, he would have attended that ill-fated editorial meeting that was ambushed by two gunmen in Paris. As one of the surviving members of the staff, he stressed the importance of designing the kind of cover that the terrorists did not want them to create. As "Charlie Hebdo" has managed to continue on, French police and investigators have now made 54 arrests across the country in connection with the most devastating attack on French soil in 50 years. French prosecutors have been ordered to crack down on anyone spewing hateful speech, anti-Semitic tones and those who are blatantly glorifying terrorism. Twenty people died, including the three gunmen, in last week's horrific wave of violence, and the French government believes it is necessary to take a pro-active approach now. Obviously, something was overlooked before because all three militants were supposedly known to the French and U.S. governments butt no one realized what was being planned. There is a chance that they were part of a sleeper cell that was lying dormant with an already-established plan for three years. Once they were activated, they would have already known what to do. By making arrests now the French are likely hoping to clip the wings of people who could be a significant problem later. The French people have remained united throughout everything and many countries across the globe have joined in supporting them. The newest issue of "Charlie Hebdo" sold out in minutes this morning, Jan. 14.

  • New 'Charlie Hebdo' Issue Features Muhammad on Cover Holding 'Je Suis Charlie' Sign

    After two Muslim extremist gunmen killed 12 people last week in a massacre at "Charlie Hebdo's" French offices, it vowed that it would not be the end of the satirical publication. Various members of the French media worked together to help the surviving staffers put out this weeks' issue on time, and the new cover just dropped this morning, Jan. 13, and it is as button-pushing as ever. On a bright green background, the Prophet Muhammad is depicted crying and holding up a "Je Suis Charlie" sign under the words: "All is forgiven." The world has literally united after this terrorist attack, and last weekend a million people marched in Paris for peace and unity, plus the refusal to walk in fear. Obviously, it is important for "Charlie Hebdo" not to be silenced because freedom of speech is its right. The newest newspaper will be available Wednesday, Jan. 14, and there are 3 million copies of this special "survivor's issue" being produced.

  • State Secretary John Kerry Defends Not Traveling to France Until Later This Week

    The U.S. has found itself under heavy criticism for not sending any senior officials to Paris for its Unity March and Rally that had more than 1 million supporters Sunday, Jan. 11. The relationship between French and U.S. officials is thought to be solid, so it came as a surprise to many that while 40 world leaders were on hand to support the French people after last week's terrorist attack, no one was there to represent the States. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry happens to speak fluent French and visits the country often — in fact he will be heading there later this week to meet with leaders and pay tribute to the 17 victims of last week's attacks. When asked why the U.S. did not send a senior official as a show of support, Kerry insisted that our country has been in constant contact with the French government from the moment it became clear it was under attack. Kerry himself has also been criticized for delaying his trip to France, and he addressed the issue this morning. "As everybody knows, I have been here in India for a prior planned event. I would have personally very much wanted to have been there but couldn't do so because of the commitment that I had here and it is important to keep these kinds of commitments. That is why I am going there on the way home and to make it crystal clear how passionately we feel about the events that have taken place there. I don't think the people of France have any doubt about America's understanding about what happened, about our personal sense of loss and our deep commitment to the people of France in this moment of trial. I want to emphasize that the relationship with France is not about one day or one particular moment. It is an ongoing, longtime relationship that is deeply, deeply based in the shared values, and particularly the commitment that we share to freedom of expression," explained Kerry.

  • 12 Dead in Terrorist Attack at Satirical Newspaper 'Charlie Hebdo' Offices in Paris

    What an awful story to begin the day, as we have learned that two gunmen stormed the offices of "Charlie Hebdo," a French satirical newspaper, and opened fire during an editorial meeting. As of now, 12 people are confirmed dead and at least 10 more are injured. The shooting reportedly went on for five minutes and, in spite of having a shootout with police, both gunmen are still on the loose. The publication has been vilified for years because of its portrayal of the Prophet Muhammad and its offices were actually fire bombed once before. The publication had been seen as so much of a target that up until recently there was a strong police presence outside of the offices. Sources have said that it was only recently that the building became less protected. According to Chris Parsons of Yahoo News UK, French President Francois Hollande visited the site of the attack and has since called an emergency meeting. "Charlie Hebdo" has a history of causing controversy with cartoons of Islam's prophet Muhammad. Speaking to the BBC after its office was firebombed in November 2011, the paper's editor-in-chief, Stephane Charbonnier — who is said to be among the dead today — said the incident had only confirmed that it was right to take the stance it did.

  • Boston Bombing Suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev Makes Court Appearance: Trial Begins in January

    Thursday morning, Dec. 18, marked the first time in more than a year that Dzokhar Tsarnaev stood before a federal judge in a Boston courtroom. He was asked to appear in person so it could be put on the record that he is satisfied with his representation ahead of his trial, which is scheduled to begin Jan. 5. The last time Tsarnaev was seen in public was when he pled not guilty to at least 30 charges in a terrorism indictment that was in connection to the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing that killed three people and injured 260. As it stands now, Tsarnaev's trial is set to begin in a few weeks and is expected to last between three and five months. While Massachusetts no longer has the death penalty on the table, Tsarnaev is facing federal charges, which do carry death as a possible punishment. Insiders seem to believe that even if the 21-year-old is sentenced to death, it is unlikely he will ever be executed.

  • Sydney Cops Move in to Rescue Hostages Held in Café by Man Haron Monis, Self-Styled Iranian Sheikh with ISIS Ties

    It appears that a 15-hour standoff between a lone gunman and police has come to an end. Man Haron Monis, a self-styled Iranian sheikh, has been identified as the man who walked into a busy chocolate café in Sydney, Australia's financial district and took a number of hostages, according to AOL. The situation remains fluid, but as of now we know police stormed the cafe and, while gunshots rang out, at least some hostages were able to escape to safety. Monis already has an illustrious criminal record with various charges of sexual assault, and he also has been arrested for sending hate mail to families of Australian soldiers who have died in Afghanistan. Monis is currently free on bail after being considered an accessory to murder after his alleged girlfriend was killed and he then set his wife on fire. After taking several people hostage earlier today, said ABC News, Monis encouraged them to use social media to get his wish for an ISIS flag and a conversation with Australian political figures across to everyone listening. At times the hostages were seen pushed up against the plate-glass windows and Monis could be seen pacing wildly. After about 11 hours in captivity, five hostages were able to make a run for safety and, upon realizing it, Monis reportedly became more unstable, leading police to start to formulate their plan to go in after him.

  • U.S. Senate Releases Report on CIA Torture Tactics Post-9/11 as U.S. Fears Retaliation Overseas

    Earlier this morning the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee released a 500-page report that is a summary of the CIA's post-9/11 torture program, which was intended to make prisoners of war give up crucial information. It has been widely reported that the Central Intelligence Agency took extreme measures in order to unsuccessfully make al-Qaida members talk in the years following 9/11. President Barack Obama supported the public release of the five-year investigation in the hopes that the American government will use it as a future example of what not to do. What we are learning from this report is that the people who worked in the "enhanced interrogation program" basically resorted to torture such as waterboarding, mock executions and threatened sexual violence under inhumane conditions for detainees — many of whom were later revealed to have no terrorism ties whatsoever. The U.S. government has confirmed that the program was more horrific than most Americans knew and that it went against our country's code of behavior. Obama quickly banned "enhanced interrogation techniques" once taking office after his 2009 inauguration. Of course, there is a dangerous downside to this full report being made public, and some lawmakers believe it was a "reckless" move because it can ultimately light a fire under those who are already wishing to bring harm to U.S. business at home and overseas. Embassies are under heavy guard and U.S. government buildings are at a heightened security as everyone waits for the international rage and backlash that is inevitably coming.

  • Photojournalist Luke Somers Dies in Ill-Fated Rescue Attempt by US Forces

    Freedom for American photojournalist Luke Somers was so close but apparently not meant to be. The 33-year-old was kidnapped a little more than a year ago in Yemen and was shown in a videotape earlier this week asking for the U.S. to meet al-Qaida militants's demands or else he would be killed. Apparently, our government believed that Somers's death was imminent, so early Saturday, Dec. 6, it made an attempt to rescue him. Sources said U.S. soldiers were only about 100 yards from Somers and another hostage that he was held with, Pierre Korkie of South Africa, when a militant quickly shot them both. New details in the failed mission have come out this morning, Dec. 7, explaining that about 40 American special operations forces were involved in the top-secret mission. They were backed up by Yemeni ground forces and only about 100 yards from the compound where Somers and Korkie were held before being spotted by militants.

  • New Video Captures MH17 After It Crashed in Eastern Ukraine, Killing All Aboard

    Can you believe that it has already been four months since Malaysia Flight MH17 was shot down in the eastern edge of Ukraine? Even more shocking is the fact that Dutch investigators were just finally allowed to begin picking up the large debris field yesterday, Nov. 16! It is widely believed that pro-Russian rebels shot the passenger plane down, killing all 283 people on board, because they mistakenly believed it was a Ukrainian plane. Dutch investigators have had to fight to get anywhere near the wreckage up until now because of intense, ongoing fighting in the area. At the same time, we are learning that there is now realistic hope for solving the official investigation that has been opened up by officials from the Netherlands: New video has surfaced of the smoldering plane moments after it crashed. The Associated Press released the footage, which shows local villagers running toward the smoking debris, asking if the pilot had been found. Apparently the rebels will attempt to locate and kidnap a pilot after downing an aircraft or jet. Clearly, from this horrific footage, any survival was impossible.

  • Security Increased at 9,500 Federal Buildings as Government Fears Random, Lone Terrorist Attacks

    Several recent events have prompted the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to decide to tighten security at more than 9,500 facilities across the country that are used by 1.4 million visitors each day. The heightened security is no doubt directly related to the lone gunman, Michael Zehaf-Bibeau, who managed to storm into Canada's Parliament last week shortly after killing Nathan Cirillo, a solider guarding Ottawa's National War Memorial. That incident, plus ISIS, continuously calling for lone-wolf jihad missions certainly has made the U.S. reconsider just how well-protected we all are.
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