LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
December 14/15

Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
http://www.eliasbejjaninews.com/newsbulletins05/english.december14.15.htm 

Bible Quotations For Today
Jesus Chooses 4 of his Disciples, Peter & Andrew his brother, & James Son Of Zebedee & His Bother, John.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 04/18-25: "As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the lake for they were fishermen. And he said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.’ Immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him. Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people. So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought to him all the sick, those who were afflicted with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, and paralytics, and he cured them. And great crowds followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and from beyond the Jordan."

We have numerous Talents and all of us are one body in Christ
Letter to the Romans 12/01-08: "I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God what is good and acceptable and perfect. For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgement, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.
For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness."

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on December 12-14/15
Sweden: Shambles in Asylum Heaven/Ingrid Carlqvist/Gatestone Institute/December 13/15
Turkey's "Spies," EU's "Human Rights"/Burak Bekdil/Gatestone Institute/December 13/15
Analysis: What is Iran up to/Robert Swift/J.Post/December 13/15

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin for Lebanese Related News published on December 12-14/15
Al-Sisi Meets al-Rahi, Urges Lebanese to 'Rise Above Private Interests'
Snow Blankets Several Regions as Hail Lashes Beirut
Report: Aoun Links Election of President to Regional Developments
Lebanese Army Dismantles Israeli Spy Device in South
Report: Iran Too Engrossed in Syrian Crisis to Address Lebanese Affairs
Hariri, Geagea Discuss Presidency in Telephone Call
Sami Gemayel: No One Can Make us Vote for President who Contradicts our Convictions
Report: LF Demanding Agreement on Political Settlement or Presidential Vacuum Will Continue
IS Gunmen Kill Member of Hujeiri Family in Arsal
Families of soldiers abducted by ISIL stage a sit in in Riyad Solh
MP Qabbani: Presidential initiative postponed not canceled
Minister, Chehayeb: for a successful political compromise
Minister Fneish: Party for reactivated dialogue
Lebanese Press Headlines' Review Sunday, December 13, 2015
Hariri, Franjieh Agree to 'Continue Consultations, Joined Efforts'

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on December 12-14/15
Christian Female Fighters Take on IS in Syria
French Far-Right Fails to Win Any Region in Local Elections
Russia Slams Riyadh Talks as not Representing 'Entire Syria Opposition.
France Votes as Far-Right FN Vies for First Regional Prize
Bombardment of Rebel Bastion near Syria Capital Kills 28
Obama: World has ‘met the moment’ with climate pact
Palestinian Girl, 16, Shot after W. Bank Attempted Stabbing
Ex-UK Guantanamo detainee denounces extremism
Protesters with rifles rally outside Texas mosque
U.S. and Italy Call Meeting to Push Libya Peace Deal
Kuwait Court Upholds Death Sentence in Mosque Bombing
'Proud' Women Win Seats in Historic Saudi Vote
Fire at Russian psychiatric hospital kills 23
China commemorates Nanjing massacre in somber ceremony

Links From Jihad Watch Site for December 12-14/15
I’m Christian and I LOVE the Qur’an”
“You ain’t no Muslim, bruv” guy ain’t no Muslim either
India: Muslims chant ISIS slogans, demand death of Hindu leader for blasphemy

Al-Sisi Meets al-Rahi, Urges Lebanese to 'Rise Above Private Interests'
Naharnet/December 13/15/Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi on Sunday wrapped up his pastoral and official visit to Egypt by meeting the country's president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Grand Imam of al-Azhar Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayyeb. During the meeting with al-Rahi, al-Sisi called on the Lebanese to “realize the value of their country, which is considered a jewel in the Levant and shares mutual support with Egypt,” Lebanon's National News Agency reported. Stressing his “utmost keenness on Lebanon and the need that it finds its way to political stability,” the Egyptian leader emphasized that “Lebanon deserves sacrifice and that all parties rise above their private interests to rescue it.”He also underlined “the importance of dialogue among all of the country's components,” pledging that he will “spare no effort to help Lebanon exit its crises.”“The Levant needs the Lebanese example and Lebanon's role, which it can only restore through the unity and solidarity of its sons, and we are keen on this dear country,” al-Sisi went on to say.

Snow Blankets Several Regions as Hail Lashes Beirut
Naharnet/December 13/15/A thunderstorm brought snow to several Lebanese regions on Sunday as pebbles of hail covered streets in Beirut with the white color in an unusual scene in the capital. The Internal Security Forces cautioned on Twitter that the Ainata-Arz was only passable for SUVs and vehicles equipped with snow chains due to the accumulation of snow.It also published photos of snow-covered heights in the ski resorts of Kfardebian and Zaarour. The ISF warned motorists to drive carefully due to the heavy rains that were expected in areas across the country. In Beirut, hail covered streets and cars, prompting citizens to take to social networking websites to post pictures of the white visitor. The country is witnessing an unusually dry winter this year, which has raised the concerns of farmers and the owners of ski-related businesses.

Report: Aoun Links Election of President to Regional Developments
Naharnet/December 13/15/Head of the Change and Reform bloc MP Michel Aoun rejected the recent reports that spoke of a regional or international settlement to end the political and presidential deadlock in Lebanon, reported the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat on Sunday. His visitors quoted him as saying however: “We cannot separate the Lebanese file from the situation in Syria.”“We should therefore wait for solutions to regional crises” to end Lebanese ones,” he added. “Given this position, Aoun refuses to abandon his nomination for the presidency in favor of Marada Movement leader MP Suleiman Franjieh,” said his visitors. He revealed that he had informed the lawmaker that he does not intend to withdraw from the presidential race, saying that he is entitled to run for the post along with anyone else who wants to. Aoun and Franjieh had held talks on Wednesday. Media reports had recently said that the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and Iran had discussed Lebanese affairs on the margins of a Vienna meeting on the Syrian crisis. Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir announced on Friday however no such talks had taken place. Lebanon has been without a president since May 2014 when the term of Michel Suleiman ended without the election of a successor. Ongoing disputes between the rival March 8 and 14 camps over a compromise candidate have thwarted the polls. Recent efforts to end the vacuum saw Franjieh emerge as a presidential candidate as part of a greater settlement that would revitalize the political scene in the country.The initiative, launched by Mustaqbal Movement MP Saad Hariri, has however been met with the reservations of the Lebanese Forces, Kataeb Party, and the Free Patriotic Movement. Hizbullah, Aoun's ally, is also still reportedly committed to his nomination.

Lebanese Army Dismantles Israeli Spy Device in South
Naharnet/December 14/15/An Israeli spy device was discovered on Sunday in southern Lebanon, state-run National News Agency reported. It said the “the Lebanese army's Engineering Regiment has dismantled an Israeli espionage device in the vicinity of the town of Toulin in the Marjeyoun district.” This would be the second such device to be discovered in the Marjeyoun area this month. Two people were lightly wounded on December 1 as Israel blew up a spy device planted on the Marjeyoun Plain road, NNA reported at the time. Several similar devices were discovered in the South in recent years, some of them booby-trapped.In September 2014, Hizbullah military expert Hussein Haidar was killed as an Israeli drone remotely detonated a spy device he was dismantling in the southern coastal town of Adloun.

Report: Iran Too Engrossed in Syrian Crisis to Address Lebanese Affairs
Naharnet/December 13/15/Tehran will support the stances of its ally Hizbullah on Lebanese affairs “as it is too preoccupied with the developments in Syria” to focus on Lebanon, reported the daily al-Mustaqbal on Sunday. Diplomatic sources told the daily: “Iran does not have new stand on latest developments, but it will go with whatever the party decides regarding the presidency.”“The most important issue at hand is Syria and the Lebanese can solve the presidential vacuum without foreign meddling,” they stated. Media reports had recently said that the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and Iran had discussed Lebanese affairs on the margins of a Vienna meeting on the Syrian crisis. Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir announced on Friday however no such talks had taken place. Lebanon has been without a president since May 2014 when the term of Michel Suleiman ended without the election of a successor. Ongoing disputes between the rival March 8 and 14 camps over a compromise candidate have thwarted the polls. Recent efforts to end the vacuum saw Marada Movement MP Suleiman Franjieh emerge as a presidential candidate as part of a greater settlement that would revitalize the political scene in the country. The initiative, launched by Mustaqbal Movement MP Saad Hariri, has however been met with the reservations of the Lebanese Forces, Kataeb Party, and the Free Patriotic Movement. Hizbullah, former FPM chief MP Michel Aoun's ally, is also still reportedly committed to his nomination.

Hariri, Geagea Discuss Presidency in Telephone Call
Naharnet/December 14/15/Head of the Mustaqbal Movement MP Saad Hariri held talks on Saturday with Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea to discuss the latest developments in Lebanon, reported the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat on Sunday. It said that the “prolonged telephone call” addressed the latest developments regarding the presidential elections, most notably efforts to elect Marada Movement leader MP Suleiman Franjieh as president. LF sources told LBCI television Sunday that the two officials agreed to keep any differences between them from developing into disputes.
They also agreed to “intensify contacts next week through mediators” during the telephone call that “was cordial and lasted about an hour.” In an interview with al-Jadeed television, LF media officer Melhem Riachi said Geagea made the phone call, describing the conversation as “very cordial, interactive and democratic.”Sources told al-Jadeed that the phone talks started with “a friendly reproach” between the two leaders. “Geagea told Hariri that the problem is in the other camp, wondering why it was moved to the ranks of the March 14 forces,” as Hariri noted that he has “offered a solution,” the sources added. Differences had emerged in recent weeks between Hariri and Geagea, both allies in the March 14 camp, over Franjieh's potential nomination. Geagea is a candidate himself and Hariri has been leading efforts to nominate the Marada leader as president to end the vacuum in the country's top post.
Lebanon has been without a president since May 2014 when the term of Michel Suleiman ended without the election of a successor. Ongoing disputes between the rival March 8 and 14 camps over a compromise candidate have thwarted the polls. Hariri's drive to nominate Franjieh has been met with the objections of the LF, Ktaeb Party, and Free Patriotic Movement. Hizbullah is also reportedly still committed to the candidacy of its ally MP Michel Aoun, the head of the FPM.

Sami Gemayel: No One Can Make us Vote for President who Contradicts our Convictions
Naharnet/December 13/15/Head of the Kataeb Party MP Sami Gemayel criticized on Sunday the ongoing vacuum in the presidency and how “Lebanon's fate is being linked to foreign powers.”He declared: “No one can force us to vote for a president who contradicts our convictions.”He made his remarks during the swearing in ceremony of new Kataeb Party members. “Anyone seeking to run for president, should present his portfolio and we will support whoever shares our vision,” he said in his speech. “Our mission for Lebanon calls for the establishment of a state that respects the law. A country that enjoys the rotation of power and respects the constitution,” Gemayel said.
“Our mission for Lebanon calls for a sovereign state that does not have weapons outside of its authority,” he stated. “Our mission for Lebanon calls for having a powerful army and for establishing a state that does not embroil itself in regional conflicts,” he stressed. “Our mission for Lebanon calls for sound governance that sees ethical practices in politics and whose politicians have a sound vision for the country,” the lawmaker remarked. “Sound governance does not mean a lack of 24-hour electricity and waste piling up on the streets,” Gemayel continued.
“Our mission for Lebanon calls for the decentralization of the state and our mission for Lebanon preserves its diversity,” he emphasized. “We want the establishment of a stable country on the social, economic, and security levels,” the MP added, while noting that this vision is facing numerous obstacles, “starting with the failed political system that is at the root of our problems.” “Even if we elect a new president, then we will endure a year without a government, because it will take us a year to agree on a new lineup,” he lamented. “When we form a new cabinet, we will then be faced with a year of disputes to agree on a new parliamentary electoral law,” he noted. This will then be followed by a debate on whether to extend the term of the president, he added. “It is time that we recognize that our political system is flawed. We should launch a reform plan and develop our system,” he demanded. Another obstacle facing Lebanon is the possession of arms outside the state's authority, Gemayel noted.
“Some say we are jealous of those possessing arms, but we have lived our resistance years. We have however handed over our weapons to the state” at the end of the civil war, he explained. “The purpose of our resistance was the establishment of a strong state,” he continued. “All we are demanding is that the arms be placed under the authority of the state,” he stressed. “A third obstacle is the manner in which politicians deal with the Lebanese people. We have grown accustomed to such practices. These practices are based on achieving personal gain,” he noted. “These gains take place at the expense of the state and its institutions. They are also based on spite. We have forgotten that political practices should not be linked to personal interests and opinions,” remarked the lawmaker. “The spite has reached such an extent that an official would be ready to pick his rival against another politician simply to spite him,” he remarked.
The Kataeb chief also condemned the allegiance to foreign powers, saying it is another cause of Lebanon's problems. “Shame on all those who are awaiting foreign powers to allow us to elect a president,” he declared. “Shame on all the officials who are hampering the work of the institutions and crippling the lives of the people. These officials have sold themselves to external forces,” he added.
“We are a Lebanese party and our allegiance lies to the Lebanese people,” he pledged. “Officials have been manipulating our fate for ten years. They are now making us choose between Syrian President Bashar Assad and the Islamic State group,” he lamented. “We have the right to choose our fate however,” he demanded, while vowing that those responsible for Lebanon's problems will be held accountable for their actions. Gemayel also criticized political deals, remarking: “Is it a coincidence that the oil and gas file was reactivated at the same time that the presidential file is being pushed forward? “The Kataeb Party will oppose any deal in the oil file that lacks transparency,” he warned. “Our mission will remain Lebanon,” he stated. “We do not have a sectarian mission. We will adopt political practices based on the principles honesty, transparency, and independence. We are rebels against the status quo and will keep revolting against the current reality,” he declared.

Report: LF Demanding Agreement on Political Settlement or Presidential Vacuum Will Continue
Naharnet/December 13/15/The Lebanese Forces will not support the nomination of Change and Reform bloc leader MP Michel Aoun as president, reported the daily al-Mustaqbal on Sunday in wake of claims that LF chief Samir Geagea will take such a measure in response to the push to nominate Marada Movement head MP Suleiman Franjieh. The LF is demanding that an agreement be reached over a political settlement, otherwise the presidential vacuum in the country will persist, widely informed political sources told the daily. The same sources noted that other Christian forces in the March 14 alliance will also refrain from nominating Aoun as president. Aoun meanwhile is adamant in his position to run for the country's top post and he will not abandon the race, they added. Recent efforts to end the vacuum saw Franjieh emerge as a presidential candidate as part of a greater settlement that would revitalize the political scene in the country. The initiative, launched by Mustaqbal Movement MP Saad Hariri, has however been met with the reservations of the LF, Kataeb Party, and Change and Reform blocs. Hizbullah, Aoun's ally, is also still reportedly committed to his nomination.

IS Gunmen Kill Member of Hujeiri Family in Arsal
Naharnet/December 13/15/Gunmen from the Islamic State group murdered a member of the al-Hujeiri family in the northeastern border town of Arsal, various media reported on Sunday. They said that the gunmen then left the body on the side of the road in the al-Jouban neighborhood. The National News Agency identified the victim as Abdullah al-Hujeiri, saying that multiple gunshots were found on his body. The reason for his murder has not been disclosed. In August 2014, gunmen from the IS and al-Qaida-affiliated al-Nusra Front overran Arsal, clashing with the army and leaving scores dead. The gunmen withdrew from the town shortly after the clashes, but abducted with them a number of servicemen. Four of them have been executed, while a number of others were released, including all 16 who were being held by al-Nusra Front.
Nine hostages still remain kidnapped by the IS.

Families of soldiers abducted by ISIL stage a sit in in Riyad Solh
Sun 13 Dec 2015/NNA - Families' of nine soldiers abducted by ISIL have staged a sit-in in Riyad Soleh NNA field reporters said today. Parents of soldiers recently freed from Nusra Front captivity have just joined the sit-in in an act of solidarity, NNA reporters added. Riyad Solh sit-in comes in the wake of ISIL's continued holding of nine soldiers' hostage in an unknown location for over than 500 days, the same reporters concluded.

MP Qabbani: Presidential initiative postponed not canceled
Sun 13 Dec 2015/NNA - Future Parliamentarian Bloc, Deputy Mohammad Qabbani, has stressed the postponement of the presidential initiative until after the Christmas break rather than being canceled. Deputy Qabbani's disclosure came during an interview on Voice of Lebanon Radio station where he notably reiterated that objections against Frangiyeh's nomination for the presidency have been expressed on both sides of the political divide. Qabbani went on to say that on the long-term, a new electoral law shall prove to be more significant than the presidency itself since it will define actual calibers and weights within the political spectrum. Concerning Hariri-Frangiyeh discussions in Paris, the Deputy added that both men agreed on the necessity for drafting a new electoral law deemed fair enough and equitable for all Lebanese. "Nominating Frangiyeh as President has been welcomed by a regional and international consensus", He added. A real solution to the waste crisis lies in exporting garbage within a space of 18 months at the most, MP Qabbani concluded.

Minister, Chehayeb: for a successful political compromise
Sun 13 Dec 2015/NNA - Minister of Agriculture, Akram Chehayeb has urged all Lebanese protagonists to work for a successful political compromise by electing a new President regardless of the outcome of ongoing regional conflicts. Acting at the behest of Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, Chehayeb's call came during his launching of the "Progressive Socialist Party's Center for Training and Initiation" in Aley.

Minister Fneish: Party for reactivated dialogue
Sun 13 Dec 2015/NNA - The party remains favorable towards a reactivated national dialogue no matter how far political divisions may go, minister of State for Parliament Affairs, Muhammad Fneish restated at the graduation ceremony of Tyr school girls today Political differences ought to be kept under the ceiling of self-restraint amid hermetic closure of all loops in the face of potential ISIL/NOSRA infiltration, the minister added. Dialogue at all costs must be maintained in pursuit of defusing our domestic crisis, engaging in state institutions' rebuilding in pursuit of agreed upon partnership rules, he went on. Our sectarian system precludes likelihood of one confessional group imposing or exercising hegemony over others, the minister concluded.

Lebanese Press Headlines' Review Sunday, December 13, 2015
Sun 13 Dec 2015/NNA - Following are the headlines of some of Lebanon's newspapers for Sunday December 13, 2015:
Ash-SHARQ al-AWSAT:
Iran withdraws its elite forces from Syria in the wake of escalating differences with the Russians.
Saudi monarch Salman briefs Hollande over the outcome of the Syrian Opposition's conference in Riyadh.

Hariri, Franjieh Agree to 'Continue Consultations, Joined Efforts'
Naharnet/December 14/15/Al-Mustaqbal movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri has held phone talks with Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh, Hariri's press office announced on Sunday, a day after the former premier received a phone call from Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea.
“They exchanged points of view on the latest political developments and the ongoing contacts,” the office said. The two leaders “agreed to continue consultations and carry on with the joint efforts that are aimed at electing a president,” it added. Lebanon has been without a president since May 2014 when the term of Michel Suleiman ended without the election of a successor. A Paris meeting last month between Franjieh and Hariri had triggered intense speculation that a presidential settlement was in the making. But the initiative appeared to be reeling in recent days after it drew objections and reservations from the country's main Christian parties – the LF, the Free Patriotic Movement and the Kataeb Party. Hizbullah is also reportedly still committed to the candidacy of its ally MP Michel Aoun, the head of the Change and Reform bloc.

Christian Female Fighters Take on IS in Syria
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 13/15/Babylonia has no regrets about leaving behind her two children and her job as a hairdresser to join a Christian female militia battling against the Islamic State group in Syria. The fierce-looking 36-year-old in fatigues from the Syriac Christian minority in the northeast believes she is making the future safe for her children. "I miss Limar and Gabriella and worry that they must be hungry, thirsty and cold. But I try to tell them I'm fighting to protect their future," she told AFP. Babylonia belongs to a small, recently created battalion of Syriac Christian women in Hasakeh province who are fighting IS. They are following in the footsteps of Syria's other main female force battling the jihadists -- the women of the YPJ, the female counterpart to the Kurdish People's Protection Units or YPG. So far the new force is small, with around 50 graduates so far from its training camp in the town of Al-Qahtaniyeh, also known as Kabre Hyore in Syriac, and Tirbespi in Kurdish. But the "Female Protection Forces of the Land Between the Two Rivers" -- the area between the Tigris and Euphrates waterways historically inhabited by Syriacs -- is teeming with women eager to prove their worth against IS. It was actually Babylonia's husband who encouraged her to leave Limar, nine, and six-year-old Gabriella and join the unit whose first recruits graduated in August. Himself a fighter, he urged her to take up arms to "fight against the idea that the Syriac woman is good for nothing except housekeeping and make-up", she said. "I'm a practicing Christian and thinking about my children makes me stronger and more determined in my fight against Daesh," added Babylonia, using the Arabic acronym for IS. Syriac Christians belong to the eastern Christian tradition and pray in Aramaic. They include both Orthodox and Catholic branches, and constitute around 15 percent of Syria's 1.2 million Christians. Before the conflict began in March 2011, Christians from some 11 different sects made up around five percent of the population. The unit's first major action was alongside the newly created Syrian Democratic Forces, a coalition of Kurdish, Arab and Christian fighters, which recently recaptured the strategic town of Al-Hol. "I took part in a battle for the first time in the Al-Hol area, but my team wasn't attacked by IS," said 18-year-old Lucia, who gave up her studies to join the militia.Her sister also joined up, against the wishes of their reluctant mother. "I fight with a Kalashnikov, but I'm not ready to become an elite sniper yet," the shy teenager said, a wooden crucifix around her neck and a camouflage bandana tied round her head. Al-Hol, on a key route between territory IS controls in Syria and Iraq, was the first major victory for the SDF, which has captured around 200 villages in the region in recent weeks. It has received air support from the U.S.-led coalition fighting IS, as well as drops of American weapons. Ormia, 18, found battle terrifying at first. "I was afraid of the noise of cannons firing, but the fear quickly went away," she said. "I would love to be on the front line in the fight against the terrorists." The battalion's fighters train in an old mill in a program that includes military, fitness and academic elements. With its limited combat experience, the unit for now focuses mainly on protecting majority Christian parts of Hasakeh province.
Thabirta Samir, 24, who helps oversee the training, estimates that around 50 fighters have graduated so far. "I used to work for a Syriac cultural association, but now I take pleasure in working in the military field," she said. "I'm not afraid of Daesh, and we will be present in the coming battles against the terrorists."
Samir said both local and "foreign forces" helped train the women, without specifying the nationality of the foreigners. In late November, Kurdish sources said U.S. soldiers had entered the town of Kobane in northern Syria to train Kurdish fighters and plan offensives. Some women cited what is known as the Sayfo ("Sword") massacres in 1915 of Syriac, Assyrian and Chaldean Christians as reasons for joining the unit. "We are a community that is oppressed by others," said 18-year-old Ithraa. She joined four months ago inspired by the memory of Sayfo, in which Ottoman authorities are said to have killed tens of thousands of Christians in Turkey and Iran.  She said the community hoped to prevent "a new massacre like that committed by the Ottomans... when they tried to erase our Christian and Syriac identity".

French Far-Right Fails to Win Any Region in Local Elections
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 14/15/ France's far-right National Front (FN) failed to win a single region in elections Sunday despite record results in the first round, as voters flocked to traditional parties to keep them out of power. The leader of the anti-immigration FN, Marine Le Pen, lost out to the right-wing opposition in the northern Nord-Pas-de-Calais-Picardie region after the ruling Socialists pulled out of the race before the second round. Her 26-year-old niece Marion Marechal-Le Pen was also defeated by the right-wing grouping in the southern region that includes the glitzy resorts of the Cote d'Azur, despite dominating the first round last week. The FN had topped the vote in six of 13 regions on December 6, propelled by anger over the struggling economy and fears created by last month's jihadist attacks in Paris that left 130 dead. But exactly a month on from those attacks, voters turned out in force -- some 58 percent took part -- and once again trounced the FN when it came down to the wire. The ruling Socialists of President Francois Hollande and the center-right alliance of his predecessor Nicolas Sarkozy looked to have won at least five regions each. Socialist Prime Minister Manuel Valls warned that despite the result "the danger of the far-right has not been removed, far from it."
'Nothing can stop us'
Despite the FN failing to grab its first-ever region, Marine Le Pen will use her party's performance as a springboard for her bid for the 2017 presidential election. In a defiant speech to supporters after polls closed, she said "nothing can stop us now." "In its northern and southern bastions we've eradicated the evil-doing Socialist Party," she said. "By tripling our number of councilors, we will be the main opposition force in most of the regions of France," she added. The FN has topped European and local polls over the past two years, bolstering Le Pen's claim that it is now "the first party of France."But Sunday showed once again that the party struggles in the deciding round as mainstream voters gang up to keep it from power as they did in 2002 when voters switched to Jacques Chirac in a presidential run-off against Marine's father, Jean-Marie Le Pen.
'There's danger'
Early estimates showed Le Pen scored around 42 percent to nearly 58 percent for her right-wing rival Xavier Bertrand in the economically depressed north. Her niece scored around 45 percent to nearly 55 percent for her right-wing rival in the FN's traditional stronghold in Provence-Alpes-Cote-d'Azur. Both women had easily won the first round. The FN argues that the political maneuvering by the main two political parties shows they are two sides of the same coin and the far-right offers the only real political alternative. "Frankly, I'm voting against the FN in the interests of my family," said Issa Kouyate, a 59-year-old voter of Senegalese origin, as he cast his ballot in the southern city of Marseille, where a high proportion of citizens are of immigrant background. "There's danger," said Kouyate, describing the FN's 40-percent score in the region's first round as "a time bomb."Some were not pleased with the tactical games of the ruling party. "Since the Socialist Party has pulled out, I feel like they've stolen my vote," said 56-year-old Didier as he voted in the northern city of Lille. He said he would leave his voting slip blank, though he worried about letting Le Pen win. The FN took 28 percent of the vote nationally last Sunday, ahead of 27 percent for the Republicans and their allies. Le Pen has reaped the rewards of her efforts to "de-demonize" the party bequeathed by her father, but it retains a stridently anti-immigrant edge. Critics accuse it of fomenting Islamophobia. Her campaign also exploited anger over the situation in the northern port of Calais, where thousands of migrants are camping in squalid conditions. France's regions have recently been enlarged and they have powers over areas such as transport, schooling and local business support.

Russia Slams Riyadh Talks as not Representing 'Entire Syria Opposition.
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 13/15/Russia on Saturday slammed as unrepresentative the talks held this week in Saudi Arabia among Syrian political and armed opposition groups which culminated with a call for President Bashar Assad to step down. "We cannot agree with an attempt made by the group that gathered in Riyadh to monopolize the right to speak on behalf of the entire Syrian opposition," the foreign ministry in Moscow, which supports Assad, said in a statement.

France Votes as Far-Right FN Vies for First Regional Prize
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 13/15/France voted in regional elections on Sunday, with the far-right National Front (FN) hoping for a breakthrough that would give its leader, Marine Le Pen, the springboard for a presidential bid in 2017. Voting took place amid heightened security, as France remains under a state of emergency after the November 13 jihadist assault in Paris that claimed 130 lives. The anti-immigration FN topped the vote in six of 13 regions in the first round of voting on December 6, capitalizing on security fears following the attacks. But analysts said Sunday's runoff could be close in several regions after the ruling Socialist Party urged supporters to vote tactically to thwart the far-right populists. Pollster Jean-Daniel Levy of Harris Interactive said the FN was "almost certain" to win one region, while Bruno Jeanbart of OpinionWay said it would win between "zero and five". Turnout stood at 19.59 percent at noon, up from 16.27 percent at the same point last Sunday and 18.57 percent during the last regional elections in 2010. The ballot is considered key to the FN's strategy. The party has previously scored well in presidential and European Union (EU) elections, but is desperate for local success to bolster its claim to be a grassroots movement. The Socialists have pulled out their candidates in two regions in the north and south of the country where respectively Le Pen and her 26-year-old niece Marion are running. They have called on voters to back former president Nicolas Sarkozy's conservative Republicans. "Frankly, I'm voting against the FN in the interests of my family," said Issa Kouyate, a 59-year-old voter of Senegalese origin, as he went to cast his ballot in Marseille, where a high proportion of citizens are of immigrant background. "There's danger," said Kouyate, describing the FN's 40.45-percent first-round turnout in his region as "a time bomb." actical voting carries a political risk for the Socialists, though, as it plays into the far right's claim that the two main parties are indistinguishable. Le Pen cast her ballot in Henin-Beaumont, in the economically depressed northern Nord-Pas-de-Calais-Picardy region. A TNS-Sofres poll on Wednesday showed Le Pen, who heads the party list, would lose easily to the Republicans' Xavier Bertrand. Nationwide, the FN took 28 percent of the vote last Sunday, ahead of 27 percent for the Republicans and their allies. President Francois Hollande's Socialists suffered their fourth electoral beating since coming to power in 2012 as voters punished their failure to reduce unemployment, but held up better than expected with 23.5 percent. The president, voting in his south-central Correze region flush from the successful completion of the marathon U.N. climate talks at Le Bourget on Sunday, smiled broadly as a well-wisher congratulated him. Le Pen has reaped the rewards of her efforts to "de-demonise" the party bequeathed by her father Jean-Marie Le Pen, but it retains a stridently anti-immigrant edge, sharpened by last month's carnage in Paris. Critics accuse it of fomenting Islamophobia. Her campaign has also exploited anger over the situation in the northern port of Calais, where thousands of migrants are camping in squalid conditions in the hope of reaching Britain. Socialist Prime Minister Manuel Valls said he had "no hesitation" in urging voters to back the Republicans to keep the FN from power -- as they did in 2002 when voters switched to Jacques Chirac in a presidential run-off against Jean-Marie Le Pen. Sarkozy, who has been accused of flirting with the FN's ideas on immigration and Islam, has taken a different approach. He said a vote for the FN was "not immoral" but they were "people who have never run anything, have no plan, have no self-control, who would create chaos". Regional councils have little political visibility in France. Abstention in the first round of voting was high for France -- nearly one in two voters did not cast their ballot. In contrast, the regions have much economic and social clout. They levy their own taxes and administer major budgets in education, transport and business incentives.

Bombardment of Rebel Bastion near Syria Capital Kills 28
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 13/15/At least 28 civilians were killed in heavy bombardment of a besieged Syrian rebel stronghold, including near a school, east of Damascus on Sunday, a monitoring group said. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, rockets fired by regime forces rained down on Douma, one of the largest towns in the opposition-held Eastern Ghouta region. Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said air strikes also hit Douma and the nearby town of Saqba, but it was unclear whether they were carried out by Syrian or Russian warplanes. The air strikes and rockets wounded dozens, he said. "One of the air strikes on Douma hit near a school, killing the school's principal," Abdel Rahman told AFP. Government forces regularly bombard Eastern Ghouta, and rebels there fire rockets and mortar shells into the capital. On Sunday, a young girl was killed and three people were wounded in rebel mortar fire on Damascus, according to the national news agency SANA. Last month, regime forces and rebel groups tried to reach a 15-day ceasefire in Eastern Ghouta, but the talks failed and violence has resumed. A local activist group in Douma shared photographs on Facebook of crumbling buildings and bloodied children lying in a makeshift clinic.

Obama: World has ‘met the moment’ with climate pact
The Associated Press, Washington Sunday, 13 December 2015/President Barack Obama said the new global climate agreement “offers the best chance we have to save the one planet we have” and credited his administration as being a driving force behind the deal. Obama, speaking Saturday night from the White House, sought to celebrate what could be a legacy-defining achievement - if the Republican-controlled Congress or the courts don’t block him or his successors in the White House don’t reverse him.“I believe this moment can be a turning point for the world,” Obama said. “We’ve shown that the world has both the will and the ability to take on this challenge.”The climate agreement was reached by nearly 200 nations and is designed to curb global warming. Obama said it will mean less of the carbon pollution that threatens the planet and more economic growth driven by investments in clean energy. Obama said the world leaders meeting in Paris “met the moment” and that people can be more confident “the planet will be in better shape for the next generation.” The president took credit for the successful negotiations. “Today, the American people can be proud - because this historic agreement is a tribute to American leadership. Over the past seven years, we’ve transformed the United States into the global leader in fighting climate change.” Obama said the agreement is not perfect, but sets a framework that will contain periodic reviews and assessments to ensure that countries meet their commitments to curb carbon emissions. As technology advances, targets can be updated over time.' The agreement also calls for supporting the most vulnerable nations as they pursue cleaner economic growth.

Palestinian Girl, 16, Shot after W. Bank Attempted Stabbing
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 13/15/A 16-year-old Palestinian girl tried to carry out a stabbing attack Sunday near the Israeli settlement of Kiryat Arba in the occupied West Bank before being shot, Israeli and Palestinian officials said. "A Palestinian armed with a knife attempted to stab a pedestrian in Hebron," the Israeli military said in a statement. "Forces on site responded to the imminent danger and fired towards the perpetrator, who has been evacuated to a hospital in Jerusalem for medical treatment."A spokeswoman for Hadassah hospital said the assailant was being transferred there but could not provide her condition. Palestinian security sources named her as 16-year-old Hebron resident Lama al-Bakri. Further details on the incident were not immediately available. The Israeli settlement of Kiryat Arba is located in the southern West Bank on the outskirts of the flashpoint city of Hebron, where much of a surge in violence since October has been focused. Tensions have been high between several hundred Israeli settlers who live in the heart of Hebron under heavy military guard and some 200,000 Palestinian residents. Since October 1, almost daily attacks by Palestinians and clashes with Israeli soldiers have killed 116 on the Palestinian side, 17 Israelis, an American and an Eritrean. Many of the Palestinians killed have been attackers, while others have been shot dead by Israeli security forces during clashes. Young Palestinians have grown frustrated with Israel's occupation and the complete lack of progress in peace efforts in addition to their own fractured leadership.

Ex-UK Guantanamo detainee denounces extremism
The Associated Press, London Sunday, 13 December 2015/The last British resident held at Guantanamo Bay has denounced extremism in his first interview since being released in October. Shaker Aamer told the Mail on Sunday that extremists “can get the hell out” if they are that angry with Britain. He sharply criticized recent attacks, such as the 2013 stabbing of a British soldier in London. “How can you give yourself the right to be living here in this country, and living with the people and acting like you are a normal person, and then you just walk in the street and try to kill people?”Aamer arrived in Britain in October after spending nearly 14 years as a prisoner at the U.S. facility in Cuba. He was never charged with a crime.

Protesters with rifles rally outside Texas mosque
The Associated Press, Texas Sunday, 13 December 2015/About 20 people, half of them armed with rifles, have rallied outside a suburban Dallas mosque against Islamist violence and Syrian refugee resettlement. The demonstration Saturday organized by the Bureau of American-Islamic Relations drew a counter-demonstration by about 50 people. An Associated Press photographer reported that while there were frequent discussions between both sides, they were peaceful and intervention by police officers wasn’t needed. The protesting group included members of the “Three Percenters” who consider themselves patriots protecting the homeland from Muslims. Elsewhere, hundreds participated in a “United Against Racism and Hate” rally at a park in Dallas. The demonstrators marched to protest anti-Islamic activities and rhetoric.

U.S. and Italy Call Meeting to Push Libya Peace Deal
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 13/15/Italy and the United States will hold talks on Sunday to press Libya's divided political factions to quickly sign up to a United Nations-backed peace agreement. Western capitals fear that unless Libya swiftly forms a united government Islamic State radicals will strengthen their grip on their new coastal territory. And, without a recognized central authority and amid ongoing faction-fighting, Libya could once again become a major source of refugees and migrants headed for Europe. But critics of the proposed deal, which could be signed by Wednesday, warn that rushing the political reconciliation process might only deepen Libya's political fault lines. Italy's Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni will co-chair the talks with U.S. counterpart John Kerry, who was to fly in to Rome on Sunday from the U.N. climate summit in Paris. "We have to demonstrate that the action of governments and diplomacy can be faster and more effective than the threat of terrorism which we face here," Gentiloni said. "We cannot allow it to develop and we have to back our ability to stop it with a negotiated approach involving the Libyan parties," he added, at a conference Friday. After Libyan political representatives had agreed to sign a version of the U.N.-mediated deal on Wednesday, he said, the Rome talks are supposed to show international solidarity. The talks will first bring together ministers from the region and beyond, then they will be joined by about a dozen Libyans representing rival groups. This, he said, would "provide framing and momentum for the signing ceremony" to take place in Morocco. The United Nations deal has the benefit of unifying the negotiation process and has the support of the regional powers supporting rival factions in Libya's conflicts. For these reasons, U.S. and Italian officials, believe it is time to end the division of Libya between two rival governments and a patchwork of warring factions. But others warn forcing Libyans into a foreign-mediated process could strengthen existing resistance to the pact and undermine future peace efforts.
Former Italian foreign minister Emma Bonino and the head of International Crisis Group Jean-Marie Guehenno called the signing "an irresponsible bet."Writing in Politico, the pair said it is "wishful thinking" to believe a majority of Libyans will back a relative unknown, Faez Serraj, as head of a sole national authority. "It is highly likely that security conditions will prevent Serraj and his colleagues from taking office in Tripoli," they warned. "This means they will have no control over state administration, including the pivotal central bank. It could trigger renewed fighting for control of the capital." And any attempt, whether failed or successful, to restore authority to Tripoli could feed separatist rumblings in eastern Libya, they warn. Analysts who addressed Italy's Mediterranean Security Conference on Friday were also downbeat. "The U.N. process is much weaker than many EU governments realize, but it is the only game in town," said Mattia Toaldo of the European Council on Foreign Relations. Sunday's conference, he suggested, was "more about announceables than deliverables."On Friday, Salah el-Makhzoum, a vice president in the parliamentary body based in Tripoli, said it was a "happy day" when he announced the deal would signed December 16. And an official of the rival but internationally-recognized parliament, Mohammed Choueib, said "we have decided to move beyond this difficult period and ask everyone to join us." But neither man could promise their colleagues in Tripoli or Tobruk would ratify the deal, under which Libya would be governed by a nine-member presidential council. And hundreds of protesters gathered in Tripoli's main square on Friday afternoon, waving Libyan flags and holding signs calling for a rejection of the U.N. deal. Libya descended into chaos following the 2011 ouster and killing of long-time dictator Moammar Gadhafi. It has had rival administrations since August 2014, when an Islamist-backed militia alliance overran Tripoli, forcing the recognized government to take refuge in the east. Rome hopes to host representatives from Russia, Britain, China, France, Germany, Spain, Algeria, Chad, Morocco, Niger, Qatar, Tunisia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. U.S. and European sources say the aim is to form a unity government within 40 days of Wednesday's signature, after which U.N. sanctions could be imposed to force an accord. If the deal sticks, it would enable Libya to better govern itself and to fight the Islamic State fighters that have seized territory around Gadhafi's hometown Sirte. But it would also allow a U.N.-recognized administration to request arms shipments and even foreign military intervention to help rid itself of the insurgents. "The political agreement envisions them asking for help in support of stabilization, in support of countering terrorism, in support of countering illegal migration and in support of border control," the U.S. official said. "It will be up to the new presidency council of the government to decide what they want, and then up to the countries they ask to decide how to respond." Italian premier Matteo Renzi has said Rome would command a military mission should the U.N. agree, and there have been reports France and Britain are ready to take part.

Kuwait Court Upholds Death Sentence in Mosque Bombing
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 13/15/Kuwait's appeals court Sunday upheld the death penalty for the main organizer of the bombing of a Shiite mosque claimed by the Islamic State group that killed 26 people. The court however reduced the death sentence handed out to the alleged leader of IS in Kuwait, Fahad Farraj Muhareb, to 15 years in prison. A lower court in September issued the death penalty to Muhareb and Abdulrahman Sabah Saud, who drove the suicide bomber to the mosque site on June 26. It also handed out jail terms of between two and 15 years to eight others, including five women, and acquitted 14 others. In Sunday's ruling, the appeals court acquitted one of the five women. There was tight security for the hearing, with armored vehicles outside the Kuwait City court complex and helicopters patrolling overhead. Judge Hani al-Hamdan said that the cases of five men sentenced to death in absentia for their role in the bombing were not reviewed because they remained at large. Under Kuwaiti law, sentences issued in absentia are not reviewed by higher courts until convicts appear. Four of the men at large are Saudis, including two brothers who smuggled the explosives belt used in the attack into Kuwait from neighboring Saudi Arabia. The fifth is a stateless Arab. A total of 29 defendants, seven of them women, had been on trial on charges of helping the Saudi suicide bomber carry out the attack on a Shiite mosque in the capital, which was the bloodiest in Kuwait's history. During the initial trial, Saud confessed to most charges but he denied all of them in the appeals court. Among those acquitted Sunday was Jarrah Nimer, owner of the car used to drop off the bomber. An IS-affiliated group calling itself Najd Province claimed the Kuwait City bombing as well as suicide attacks at two Shiite mosques in Saudi Arabia in May. Najd is the central region of Saudi Arabia. The Sunni extremists of IS consider Shiites to be heretics and have repeatedly attacked Shiite targets in the region. Kuwaiti courts have already issued several verdicts on IS supporters and financiers.

'Proud' Women Win Seats in Historic Saudi Vote
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 13/15/At least seven women won municipal council seats in Saudi Arabia's first ever election open to female voters and candidates, officials said Sunday, in a milestone for the ultra-conservative Muslim kingdom. "Even if it was only one woman, we're really proud of that. Honestly, we weren't expecting anyone to win," said Sahar Hassan Nasief, a women's rights activist in the Red Sea city of Jeddah. At least seven women emerged victorious from a field of candidates vastly outnumbered by men in a male-dominated society. Salma bint Hizab al-Oteibi was elected to a council in the holy city of Mecca, the official SPA news agency reported, citing election commission president Osama al-Bar. She ran against seven men and two women in Saturday's ballot, he added. A second woman, Hanouf bint Mufrih bin Ayid al-Hazmi, won in the northwestern region of Jawf, SPA said. In the kingdom's east, Sanna Abdel Latif Hamam and Maasooma Abdel Mohsen al-Rida were elected in Ihsa province, it added. At least three women in the capital Riyadh won council seats, according to a Saudi news channel, al-Ekhbaria. Their duties on municipal councils will be limited to local affairs including responsibility for streets, public gardens and rubbish collection. Saudi Arabia is an absolute monarchy with some of the world's tightest restrictions on women, including a ban on driving. It was the last country to allow only men to vote, and polling stations were segregated during the ballot. Among the 6,440 candidates running for seats on 284 councils figured more than 900 women. They had to overcame a number of obstacles to participate in the landmark poll. Female candidates could not meet face-to-face with male voters during campaigning, while neither men nor women could publish their pictures. Women voters said registration was hindered by factors including bureaucratic obstacles and a lack of transportation. As a result, women accounted for less than 10 percent of registered voters.According to election commission data, nearly 1.5 million people aged 18 and over were registered for the polls. This included about 119,000 women, out of a total native Saudi population of almost 21 million.
Proud, happy
At least one part of the country reported a female turnout exceeding 80 percent, according to official data. In the mountainous Baha region, in the kingdom's southwest, 946 women voted, according to the local election commission cited by SPA. With 1,146 women registered, that translated into an 82.5 percent turnout, data showed. Baha's overall turnout for men and women combined was 51.5 percent, SPA said. Female candidates expressed pride in running, even if they didn't think they would win, while women voters, some of them tearful, said they were happy at finally being able to do something they had only seen on television or in movies. Nassima al-Sadah, an activist in the eastern city of Qatif, said the voting process itself took place relatively smoothly, unlike the registration. Many female candidates used social media to help their cause, but a handful of others, including women's rights activists, were disqualified from campaigning. Oil-rich Saudi Arabia boasts modern infrastructure of highways, skyscrapers and ever-more shopping malls. But women still require permission from male family members to travel, work or marry. Ruled by the Al-Saud family of King Salman, Saudi Arabia has no elected legislature and faces intense Western scrutiny of its rights record. A slow expansion of women's rights began under Salman's predecessor Abdullah who announced four years ago that women would take part in the 2015 municipal elections. Men have voted since 2005 in elections for municipal councils, a third of whose seats are appointed.

Fire at Russian psychiatric hospital kills 23
AFP, Moscow Sunday, 13 December 2015/Twenty-three psychiatric patients, most of them elderly, died when a fire ripped through their care facility in southern Russia Saturday night, in the latest tragedy to hit mental health hospitals in the country. "The bodies of 23 people have been found during an on-site inspection," the Investigative Committee said in a statement on Sunday, adding that a further 23 people were hospitalized. Seventy patients and four nurses were in the ward when the fire broke out shortly before midnight (2100 GMT) Saturday at the hospital in the village of Alferovka, located in the southern Voronezh region. Most of those who perished in the blaze were in their 60s and 70s, although some were in their 40s and 50s, according to a list of patients released by the emergencies ministry. The state-owned Rossiya 24 rolling news channel said those who died were bedridden patients who had been given tranquillizers. "They simply did not wake up," a correspondent reported from the scene. The fire reduced the wooden hospital building to its scorched foundations, with footage showing rescue workers combing through the smoking ruins. It took more than 440 firefighters and emergency workers around three hours to bring the fire under control. The Investigative Committee, which reports directly to President Vladimir Putin, said it opened a criminal probe into the deaths on suspicion of negligence. Experts are looking into what triggered the blaze, investigators said. The fire was the latest tragedy to hit a psychiatric institution in Russia, where outdated Soviet-era infrastructure is still in widespread use and managers often take a lax approach to fire safety. Scores of people also die in house fires each year. A fire at a psychiatric hospital in northwest Russia in September 2013 left 37 people dead, while a blaze in a psychiatric ward near Moscow in April of the same year killed 38. In 2009, 156 people were killed in a nightclub fire in the city of Perm, some 1,200 kilometers (700 miles) east of Moscow in one of the deadliest accidents in Russia's modern history.

China commemorates Nanjing massacre in somber ceremony
AFP, Beijing Sunday, 13 December 2015/China commemorated victims of a historic massacre by Japanese troops in the city of Nanjing for the second time on Sunday, holding a sober official memorial that contrasted with a much grander ceremony last year. Beijing says 300,000 people were killed during the “Rape of Nanking,” a period of mass murder and rape committed after the city fell to soldiers in 1937 following Japan’s invasion of China. Hundreds of soldiers, schoolchildren and survivors gathered in the eastern city to pay their respects on the massacre’s 78th anniversary, according to footage broadcast by state-run news channel CCTV, which also aired victims’ testimonies. In February 2014 the National People’s Congress made the anniversary an official day of remembrance as tensions with Japan over a maritime territorial dispute and rows over history intensified. Ten thousand people attended the December ceremony later that year, where President Xi Jinping told the crowd anyone who tried to deny the massacre would “not be allowed by history.” Xi was absent for Sunday’s ceremony, which was officiated by mid-ranking party cadre Li Jianguo, vice chairman of the NPC’s standing committee, who struck a more conciliatory tone. “If we condemn the savagery of the (Japanese) invasion, it is not to perpetuate hate...but to create hand-in-hand a peaceful and brighter future,” Li said. Japan and China should “continuously push forward good-neighborly and friendly cooperation and make a joint contribution to world peace and human progress,” he added, according to the state news agency Xinhua. As a siren rang out across the city at 10am, drivers stopped and sounded their horns during a minute’s silence in a show of respect, local media reported. Japan and communist China established diplomatic relations in 1972. But ties have been strained by a row over uninhabited islands in the East China Sea and the nationalist views of Japanese politicians, including their visits to Tokyo’s Yasukuni Shrine, which commemorates Japan’s war dead including convicted war criminals. More recently ties have improved, but there are still regular flare-ups. Japan has lashed out at UNESCO’s decision to inscribe documents related to the Nanjing massacre in its Memory of the World register following a request from Beijing.

Sweden: Shambles in Asylum Heaven
Ingrid Carlqvist/Gatestone Institute/December 13/15
http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/7045/sweden-asylum-shambles
In Sweden, only the people who say they are not applying for asylum are checked.
To avoid having to show any papers, a terrorist going to Sweden to commit acts of terror only has to tell the border police that he is seeking asylum. He will immediately be driven to the closest Immigration Service facility. And while the Immigration Service tries to figure out who he is, he can plan his attacks in the peace and quiet of the Swedish countryside.
"The truth is that persons with evil intent know exactly what to do when they come here. That information spreads like wildfire. These new border controls are there for the sole purpose of reassuring the public. They have absolutely no effect on the influx of migrants." — Border policeman at the Öresund Bridge (between Denmark and Sweden).
Despite many Swedes drawing a sigh of relief when the government announced that immigration was to be limited, the new policy does not really entail any difference at all.
In spite of the supposedly tighter asylum rules announced November 24, chaos rules in Sweden. So far, in 2015, 150,000 asylum seekers have been registered; but as there is nowhere to house them, people are sleeping in tents, on cardboard boxes in exhibition halls, and even on the street. Many run away from the Immigration Service facilities. More than 22,000 people are supposed to be deported but refuse to leave. Swedes are understandably terrified that terrorists might be hiding among the refugees. The police are busy with pointless border controls and cannot attend to their normal work. It is not an exaggeration to say that in this situation, Sweden has lost track of pretty much everything.
Some homeless migrants now sleep on the street in Sweden. (Image source: Expressen video screenshot)
Even the asylum seekers are complaining. On a Swedish public television program, Uppdrag Granskning, aired on December 2, Salwa, a mother of young children, told the reporter how she is forced to live in an asylum house along with men she called "bad people." When the reporter explained to Salwa that 10,000 new asylum seekers arrive every week, and this was why everything was topsy-turvy, she replied: "Then close the borders. Stop taking in more people. If you have ten guests in your house and there is not enough room, would you still take in ten more?"
Sweden's Social Democrat Prime Minister, Stefan Löfven, said in an interview last April with the daily Sydsvenskan,
"There is no limit [to the number of refugees Sweden can accept]. We will accept refugees according to the conventions that bind us. We have done it before. In the early 1990s, many came from the former Republic of Yugoslavia. Today, they are a natural part of the Swedish society. They contribute a lot."
So, when Prime Minister Löfven and Vice Prime Minister, Åsa Romson (Green Party) presented their new, tougher immigration policy on November 24, it sent shockwaves through the Swedish establishment. Journalists, who never asked the governing politicians a single critical question about their affinity for open borders, now appeared stunned -- despite one authority after another, during the last few months, having warned of an imminent systemic collapse. When Romson started crying during the live press conference because, she said, she was "forced" to be a part of the tightening of the world's most generous immigration policy, everyone believed that these new immigration rules must be for real.
The message conveyed to the Swedish people on November 24 was that the borders were now essentially being shut; that Löfven had discovered there was a limit. The political party most critical of immigration policy, the Sweden Democrats (Sverigedemokraterna), declared victory. Its party leader, Jimmie Åkesson, immediately reached out to the Conservatives (Moderaterna) and the Christian Democrats (Kristdemokraterna), offering to bring down the government and form a new one together with them. This invitation was immediately declined. The reply should probably be viewed in the light of all seven parties in Parliament having vowed never to co-operate with the "xenophobic" Sweden Democrats.
It does not matter, therefore, that the other parties have now adopted much of the Sweden Democrats' policies, or that many Conservatives actually want to take them even further and could easily get them through Parliament by forming a government with the Sweden Democrats.
An outsider may get the impression that every party in Sweden is now competing over who can suggest harsher austerity measures. The Conservatives say they want, among other things, to stop people who are coming from other EU countries from applying for asylum in Sweden. The Conservatives also say they want new measures for deporting those who have had their application rejected. The government is already negotiating with Afghanistan to try to persuade it to take back some of the many Afghans (36,261 in total; 20,947 supposedly "children") who applied for asylum in Sweden this year.
So far, no journalist in the mainstream media seems to have discovered that the new border controls -- implemented because the government evidently decided there is "a serious threat to public order and safety in the country" -- have had no discernible effect. The media still give the public the impression that asylum seekers are actually stopped at the border, and that, as the Minister for Justice and Migration, Morgan Johansson, announced, all border crossings will be controlled before Christmas.
As noted last month, however, to avoid having to show any papers, a terrorist going to Sweden to commit acts of terror only has to tell the border police he is seeking asylum. He will immediately be driven to the closest Immigration Service facility. While the Immigration Service tries to figure out who he is, he can plan his attacks in the peace and quiet of the Swedish countryside. And as it takes the Immigration Service 222 days, on average, to establish a plausible identity, he need not be in any hurry.
One person who has grown tired of this whole charade is actually one of the Border Police at the Öresund Bridge (between Denmark and Sweden). He told Gatestone Institute that every day, the new controls cause a number of people -- many of whom had planned on passing through Sweden to seek asylum in Finland or Norway -- to return to Denmark of their own volition. But, he said, it is rare that someone refuses to show identification or apply for asylum, and thus be turned down.
"The truth is that persons with evil intent know exactly what to do when they come here," he said.
"That information spreads like wildfire. These new border controls are there for the sole purpose of reassuring the public. They have absolutely no effect on the influx of migrants. The public is given a completely erroneous picture of what we are doing. They do not understand that we spend enormous amounts of time checking Swedish and Danish commuters. If we do not, the press goes crazy and starts screaming about discrimination.
"It seems as if those in power do not want the people who are here illegally to be deported. They give them free health care, free dental care, and schooling for their children. It is mixed messages all the time. I think they need to make up their minds about what they want. These controls mean nothing. They are just a formality to make everything look good and avoid discriminating against anyone. We should put our time and effort where they are needed."
When asked by Gatestone why the police were allocating enormous resources to border controls that in fact do not amount to anything, the Press Officer at the Swedish National Police Agency (Rikspolisstyrelsen), Stephan Ray, stated that he did not have time to discuss it because he needed to go to the bathroom; then hung up the phone.
An expert on international law, who asked to remain anonymous, told Gatestone that he could no longer understand what the government was thinking by allowing potentially dangerous people into Sweden. Nowhere in any international conventions, he said, does it say that the right of asylum takes precedence over the security of a country's own population. The most reasonable thing to do, he said, would be to establish fenced-in refugee camps near the borders and not let the asylum seekers out until it was determined that they were not terrorists or war criminals: "According to the Refugee Convention of 1951," he said, even if people are war criminals and risk facing the death penalty at home, a country has the right to send them back.
Even so, convicted murderers and war criminals -- happily for them -- get to stay in Sweden. The rule is that no one risking the death penalty or persecution in their home country will be sent back. This includes even people who have committed capital crimes in Sweden and been sentenced to deportation. It is uncertain that the IKEA-murderer, Abraham Ukbagabir, can be deported to Eritrea after serving his time in prison. There are, apparently, "hindrances" to enforcing deportations to Eritrea. Recently, the alternative-media site, Nyheter Idag, revealed that, as there are "hindrances" to deporting people to Syria, terrorists discovered to be Islamic State combatants seeking asylum will get to stay in Sweden.
When Gatestone asked the Immigration Service why it was more concerned about the safety of foreign citizens than the lives of Swedish citizens, Matilda Niang of the Immigration Service press office replied that it would be inhumane to lock up asylum seekers until their identity had been established. "A lock-up," she said, "would also affect asylum seekers who did not commit any crimes."
So, despite many Swedes drawing a sigh of relief when the government announced that immigration was to be limited, the new policy does not really entail any difference at all.
No sitting politician has yet expressed doubt about the wisdom of turning Sweden from a Swedish country into a multicultural one, and none has yet said the policy of importing migrants needs to stop.
It may well be that the government's measures are only a facade, designed to soothe the Swedish people, in the hope of relieving some of the pressure.
Among these new measures are:
A moratorium on permanent residency status. From now on, a residency status is valid for three years, with an option for a one-year extension. Permanent residency is given only to persons who, after this time, are able to support themselves financially.
Stricter limits on bringing in relatives.
Tightening demands on self-sufficiency and the ability to support financially one's own family.
Medical determination of so-called unaccompanied refugee children.
Identity checks on all public transport: everyone on a ferry, train, or bus to Sweden must show a passport or a driver's license.
The temporary residency is a message that will reach migrants quickly. Whether or not this means that fewer people will get to stay is doubtful. Nothing prevents the government from transforming the temporary residencies into permanent ones after the four years expire. There will also be the problem of what to do with migrants who do not leave at that point. Medically determining the age of the many Afghans who claim to be under 18, in order to get a fast track on their asylum application, might have some effect. Sweden's failure to age-test asylum seekers has led to an avalanche of "bearded children." Each week, over 1,000 "children" arrive, of whom 80% come from Afghanistan. In Denmark, where age-testing has been routine, it turned out that at least 50% of these so-called children were in fact adults; and in Norway and Finland, this number was 66%.
About 75% of all the "children" who apply, are granted asylum in Sweden. It is therefore extremely popular, when seeking asylum, to claim to be under 18. In 2013, 4,000 arrived. In 2014, the number was 7,000; and during the first eleven months of 2015, a staggering 32,180 "unaccompanied refugee children" sought asylum in Sweden. More than half were from Afghanistan; the second largest group was from Syria, followed by Eritrea and Somalia. About 2,000 were girls.
A few days after the announcement of Sweden's new asylum rules, the influx of migrants slowed significantly. On November 28 and 29, from a peak of about 1,500 a day, only 392 and 375 people, respectively, were registered. Most were from Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq. The next day, however, the number of applications once again jumped to more than 1,000.
An intelligence analyst at the Immigration Service, Anders Westerlund, told the daily Aftonbladet that the decline was most likely due to fewer refugees arriving on the Greek isles from Turkey. "We also see that tougher border controls in the Balkans, and the cold weather, are keeping people from coming to Europe," he said. "Winter is coming, and that makes the journey riskier."
Meanwhile, police are swamped with pointless border controls and cannot do their usual work, and criminals roam the streets.
District Attorneys [DAs] apparently have so little to do, that they recently promised to supply the Immigration Service with 30 underemployed DAs. The Immigration Service, despite having recently hired another 1,200 employees, is, of course, struggling to cope with the current situation. In total, Immigration Service staff wages cost the Swedish taxpayers 250 million kronor (about $29,000,000) a month, or about 3 billion kroner (about $350,000,000) a year.
"We can lend them 30 DAs and clerks," chief prosecutor Solveig Wollstad said in an interview with Gatestone, "because our influx of cases has gone down. The police are busy doing other things, such as fighting terrorism and taking care of migrants."
When asked if the situation was possibly due to crime going down, Wollstad said, "No, no, no. The decrease is due to the police working so much with other things, such as preventing terror and dealing with the refugee flow. More police are needed at the borders now. Sweden is in crisis. It is not just us who are lending out staff: it is also the National Courts Administration, the Enforcement Authority, the Prison and Probation Service and a number of other authorities."
In short, the only discernible effect of the "humanitarian superpower's" new asylum rules is that the Swedish police are busy checking the identities of people who do not want to seek asylum in Sweden, and therefore lack the resources to apprehend criminals.
"As long as the ingrained rhetoric in Sweden is viewed as a manifestation of divinity and goodness," writes Associate Professor of Business Administration and author Jan Tullberg in a recent article, "political ineptness will continue paralyzing the country."
**Ingrid Carlqvist is a journalist and author based in Sweden, and a Distinguished Senior Fellow of Gatestone Institute.

Turkey's "Spies," EU's "Human Rights"
Burak Bekdil/Gatestone Institute/December 13/15
http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/7023/turkey-spies-human-rights
"He who ran this story will pay heavily for it." — Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of Turkey
The two journalists, Dundar and Gul, are being charged with being members of a terrorist organization; espionage, and revealing state secrets. The prosecution has asked for life sentence for both journalists.
Really, why would a spy publish secret material in a newspaper instead of handing it over to his foreign controllers?
As Dundar and Gul completed their 11th day in solitary confinement, that human rights champion, the European Union, committed to push forward the process towards Turkish EU membership and open five accession chapters.
Dr. Bilgin Ciftci posted photos on Twitter juxtaposing the fictional character Gollum with Erdogan. He was fired from the hospital where he worked, then brought to court for insulting Erdogan, an offense punishable by up to four years in prison.
On January 19, 2014, the Turkish Gendarmerie command in southern Turkey searched three trucks heading for Syria. Accompanying the trucks were Turkish intelligence officers; the trucks had a bizarre cargo: In the first container, were 25-30 missiles or rockets and 10-15 crates loaded with ammunition; in the second, 20-25 missiles or rockets, 20-25 crates of mortar rounds and anti-aircraft ammunition in five or six sacks. The crates had markings in the Cyrillic alphabet. One of the drivers testified that the cargo had been loaded onto the trucks from a foreign airplane at Ankara's Esenboga Airport and that, "We carried similar loads several times before."
It was evident that the arms were bound for jihadists fighting against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's regional nemesis, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Nearly two years later, Erdogan would nearly confess to the arms shipments. "What does it matter if it [the cargo] was arms or not," he said on November 24. The incident still has grave consequences for some Turks.
In May 2015, the secular daily newspaper Cumhuriyet published on its front page video and photographic evidence of arms deliveries by the Turkish intelligence services to Islamist groups in Syria. A month later, President Erdogan himself filed a criminal complaint against Cumhuriyet's editor-in-chief, the prominent journalist, Can Dundar, and the newspaper's Ankara bureau chief, Erdem Gul. In a public speech, Erdogan said: "He who ran this story will pay heavily for it."
On November 26, the journalists Dundar and Gul went to an Istanbul prosecutor to testify. On the same day, they were arrested under a court order. Their lawyers' two appeals for their release were rejected.
They are being charged with being members of a terrorist organization; espionage, and revealing state secrets. The prosecution has asked for life sentences for both journalists. Still having nerves that remained cool, Dundar mocked the judiciary by calling himself "an inexperienced spy." Really, why would a spy publish secret material in a newspaper instead of handing it over to his foreign controllers?
The journalists' arrest left the entire world speechless. Several Western publications and institutions condemned their arrest. PEN International called for the immediate and unconditional release of both journalists and "once again called on the Turkish authorities to drop any other charges brought against Dundar for his legitimate expression as a journalist and political commentator."
Turkey keeps on ridiculing itself while persecuting intellectuals and journalists whom the ruling Islamists passionately wish would not exist -- or think, or write. In the past, the European Union (EU) had some leverage on member candidate Turkey, but in recent years, relations between Ankara and Brussels have grown largely transactional.
As Dundar and Gul completed their 11th day in solitary confinement, that human rights champion, the European Union, committed to push forward the process towards Turkish EU membership and open five accession chapters. To add insult to injury, the photo accompanying that news shows European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker hugging Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu. Was the European President congratulating the Turkish prime minister for catching and locking up two spies?
The EU, however, apparently does not give up on bolstering human rights and civil liberties in candidate Turkey -- mostly, it ridicules itself as Turkey does.
On December 6, the EU said it will mark this year's Human Rights Day with movies addressing individual rights, human dignity and the experiences of a varied group of people, bringing 33 documentaries to audiences in Ankara. That was not even a joke.
"In order to jointly reflect on these themes and highlight all the values which form the foundation of the European Union, we bring you the European Union Human Rights Film Days," reads an introductory catalogue from the EU's Turkey Delegation. Perhaps the European Commission's ambassador to Ankara should consider organizing a private screening in the prison cells hosting journalists Dundar and Gul?
Apart from arresting its most prominent journalists for being "spies" because they had run a scoop, Turkey, these days, has the attention of the international community also for tasking a court with determining if the former Hobbit Gollum (from The Lord of the Rings) is good or evil.
Turkish doctor Bilgin Ciftci posted photos on Twitter juxtaposing Gollum with Erdogan. He was immediately fired from the hospital where he worked. Then he was brought to court for insulting Erdogan, an offense punishable by up to four years in prison. His lawyers made a point about Gollum not necessarily being evil. And then events took an even more tragicomic turn.
Part of the Gollum/Erdogan image for which Dr. Bilgin Ciftci is on trial in Turkey.
The makers the Lord of the Rings films, Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, stated:
If the images are in fact the ones forming the basis of this Turkish lawsuit, we can state categorically: None of them feature the character known as Gollum. All of them are images of the character called Smeagol ... Smeagol is a joyful, sweet character. Smeagol does not lie, deceive, or attempt to manipulate others. He is not evil, conniving, or malicious -- these personality traits belong to Gollum, who should never be confused with Smeagol. Smeagol would never dream of wielding power over those weaker than himself. He is not a bully. In fact he's very loveable. This is why audiences all over the world have warmed to his character."
Dr. Ciftci's trial has been adjourned until February 23, when his and Gollum's fate will be decided.
All of that may sound surreal in saner parts of the world. In [EU candidate!] Turkey, they are just bitter facts of life.
**Burak Bekdil, based in Ankara, is a Turkish columnist for the Hürriyet Daily and a Fellow at the Middle East Forum.

Analysis: What is Iran up to?
Robert Swift/J.Post/12/13/2015
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2015/12/13/robert-swiftj-post-analysis-what-is-iran-up-to/
Tehran is busy undermining the United States on almost all fronts since signing of accord.
It sounds like a Persian fairy tale in which a Janus-like leader smiles and glowers at once, depending on the angle of viewing. This is the world inhabited by Iran observers since the signing of The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on July 14, 2015.
The deal, signed between Iran and six world powers, exists to prevent Iran from obtaining weapons-grade nuclear material at least for the next 15 years On the one hand, Iranian leaders are smiling on the America that facilitated the agreement, whereby the West has lifted crippling economic sanctions that paralyzed the economy of the Islamic Republic.On the other hand, Iranian leaders are engaged in vituperative ad hominem attacks against the United Sates and have intensified their efforts at a cyber war against Washington institutions. Tehran always shows two sides, affirms Ali Ansari, a professor of Iranian Studies at St. Andrews University in Scotland. One side: President Rouhani’s moderate approach, where the country appears open to negotiations. The other side: Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s “more contentious” rhetoric.
The question is, he added, “Which one is the real face?” Late last month, Khamenei took to Iranian national television to accuse the United States—“the enemy”—of “setting up a network within a nation and inside a country mainly through the two means: money and sexual attractions, to change ideals, beliefs and consequently the lifestyle.”This was, he expounded, in comments subsequently posted on his website, the manner in which the US was influencing hearts and minds in Iraq, and thus fueling the Islamic State (ISIS.) Also last month, the Obama administration announced that it was the target of a concerted cyberattack launched by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Iran, and that email and social-media accounts of senior officials had been hacked.The emails and social media accounts of employees of the US Office of Iranian Affairs and the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs were compromised, and, according to a White House source speaking with The Wall Street Journal, journalists and academics were also among those targeted.
The IRGC has engaged in cyberwarfare against US agencies before, but the frequency has increased significantly since the arrest of Iranian-American businessman Siamak Namazi in late October, and the confiscation of his computer. The power struggle between Rouhani, Iran’s elected president, and Khamenei, the Supreme Leader elected and supervised by the Assembly of Experts, has intensified since the adoption of the nuclear deal, resulting, some observers say, in a crackdown against pro-Western writers. The JCPOA also seems to have emboldened Iran to act on the international stage. Yoel Guzansky, a research fellow with the Institute for National Security Studies, told The Media Line that agreement has bolstered Iran’s non-nuclear foreign policy agenda in the Middle East, without regard for American interests. “The agreement gave Iran more confidence,” he said, while at the same time “feeling less vulnerable, more immune to criticism.”“On the opposite side, the West is less capable of criticizing Iran on its behavior because Iran is seen to be reaching for the nuclear agreement.”
The JCPOA obliges Iran to reduce its stockpiles of nuclear material and the number of functional centrifuges it possesses. These represent the basic building blocks of the nuclear program Iran always claimed had a solely civilian purpose, which the West believed was aimed at paving the path towards nuclear weapons.In exchange for the curtailment of this plan, the governments negotiating on behalf of the West – the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, China and Germany, known as the P5+1 nations - lifted economic sanctions. Analysts as august as the former Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey, believe Iran’s proxy actors in the region will benefit from increased cash flow in the months following adoption of the JCPOA. In his last visit to Israel before retiring three months ago, Dempsey said he anticipated the Iranians would, “invest in their surrogates; I think they will invest in additional military capability.”Speaking to Israeli government officials, who vehemently opposed the adoption of the pact, Dempsey added it was his expectation that, “sanctions relief, which results in more economic power and more purchasing power for the Iranian regime… it's not all going to flow into the economy to improve the lot of the average Iranian citizen.”
While not brazenly attacking US interests in the chaotic Syrian war theater, Iran’s policy is undermining American positions. “The fact that Shi’ite militias, Hezbollah, Russia, and Iran are attacking the moderate opposition forces, and less ISIS, this is direct interference with US interests,” Yoel Guzansky pointed out. While JCPOA were ongoing, National Security Agency Director Admiral Michael Rogers told a House Intelligence Committee hearing in September, the number of Iranian cyber-attacks against the US fell.
As of November, however, there has been a surge of attacks, including direct attacks on the State Department website via social media platforms. “One of the pluses with this tactic is the possibility of denial – Iran doesn’t have to dirty its hands,” Guzansky said.