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Excerpts: Saudi captures 14 extremists. Trump re immigration ban.

Friday, January 27, 2017 7:22
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(Before It's News)

Excerpts: Saudi captures 14 extremists. Trump re immigration ban. Millions
travel for China’s Lunar New Year festival.Increasing difficulties in
N.Korea. Kuwait mass execution. Saudi says Trump names ‘impressive’ people
to cabinet. Red Crescent and Red Cross medal to King. Jordan,Russia
relations January 25, 2017

+++SOURCE:Al Arabiya News 25 Jan.’17Saudi Arabia captures 14 extremists”,by
Staff Writer
SUBJECT:Saudi captures 14 extremists

QUOTE:”Tests also proved that there were others involved in that operations,
with their remains still unidentified pending further investigations. (Al
Arabiya) “

FULL TEXT:Saudi Arabia’s Interior Ministry has captured 14 extremists
involved in terror activities.

The ministry announced that two of those arrested were Saudi nationals while
the rest came from Pakistan.

Further details were announced on the recent security operation that led to
two ISIS extremists suicide bombers detonating themselves in the Harazat
area of Jeddah last Saturday.[21 Jan]

Both men were identified as Ghazi Hussain al-Sarwani and Nadi Marzooq
al-Medhiani after forensic tests were conducted on their remains.

Tests also proved that there were others involved in that operations, with
their remains still unidentified pending further investigations.

Al Arabiya has also obtained photos of what remained in the Jeddah operation
in the Harazat area as well from an apartment in the al-Naseem neighborhood
where one Saudi extremist and his Pakistani wife were arrested on the same
day.

+++SOURCE:Al Arabiya News 25 Jan.’17:”Donald Trump to sign Mideast
immigration ban:,by Julia Edwards Ainsley, Reuters
SUBJECT:Trump re immigration ban
QUOTE:”Trump, who tweeted on Tuesday[24 Jan] night that a “big day” was
planned on national security on Wednesday[25], is expected to order a
multi-month ban”.

FULL TEXT:President Donald Trump is expected to sign executive orders
starting on Wednesday[25 Jan] that include a temporary ban on most refugees
and a suspension of visas for citizens of Syria and six other Middle Eastern
and African countries, according to several congressional aides and
immigration experts briefed on the matter.

Trump, who tweeted on Tuesday[24 Jan] night that a “big day” was planned on
national security on Wednesday[25 Jan], is expected to order a multi-month
ban on allowing refugees into the United States except for religious
minorities escaping persecution, until more aggressive vetting is in place.

Another order will block visas being issued to anyone from Syria, Iraq,
Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, said the aides and experts, who asked
not to be identified.

In his tweet late on Tuesday,[24 Jan] Trump said: “Big day planned on
NATIONAL SECURITY tomorrow. Among many other things, we will build the
wall!”

The border security measures likely include directing the construction of a
border wall with Mexico and other actions to reduce the number of illegal
immigrants living inside the United States.

The sources have said the first of the orders will be signed on
Wednesday.[25 Jan] With Trump considering measures to tighten border
security, he could turn his attention to the refugee issue later this week.

Stephen Legomsky, who was chief counsel at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration
Services in the Obama administration, said the president had the authority
to limit refugee admissions and the issuance of visas to specific countries
if the administration determined it was in the public’s interest.

“From a legal standpoint, it would be exactly within his legal rights,” said
Legomsky, a professor at Washington University School of Law in St. Louis.
“But from a policy standpoint, it would be terrible idea because there is
such an urgent humanitarian need right now for refugees.”

The Republican president, who took office last Friday, was expected to sign
the first of the orders at the Department of Homeland Security, whose
responsibilities include immigration and border security.

On the campaign trail, Trump initially proposed a temporary ban on Muslims
entering the United States, which he said would protect Americans from
jihadist attacks.

Both Trump and his nominee for attorney general, U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions,
have since said they would focus the restrictions on countries whose
migrants could pose a threat, rather than placing a ban on people who follow
a specific religion.

Many Trump supporters decried former President Barack Obama’s decision to
increase the number of Syrian refugees admitted to the United States over
fears that those fleeing the country’s civil war would carry out attacks.

Detractors could launch legal challenges to the moves if all the countries
subject to the ban are Muslim-majority nations, said immigration expert
Hiroshi Motomura at UCLA School of Law. Legal arguments could claim the
executive orders discriminate against a particular religion, which would be
unconstitutional, he said.

“His comments during the campaign and a number of people on his team focused
very much on religion as the target,” Motomura said.

To block entry from the designated countries, Trump is likely to instruct
the State Department to stop issuing visas to people from those nations,
according to sources familiar with the visa process. He could also instruct
U.S. Customs and Border Protection to stop any current visa holders from
those countries from entering the United States.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer said on Tuesday[24Jan]he State and
Homeland Security Departments would work on the vetting process once Trump’s
nominee to head the State Department, Rex Tillerson, is installed.

+++SOURCE:Naharnet(Lebanon) 25 Jan.’17:”Millions Travel for China’s Lunar
NewYear Festival”,by Agence France Presse
SUBJECT:Millions travel for China’s Lunar New Year festival

QUOTE:”the world’s largest annual human migration

FULL TEXT:Thousands of people wearing thick coats and clutching suitcases
line up in freezing conditions at Beijing Railway Station in the hope of
snagging a ticket home for China’s Lunar New Year.

They are among hundreds of millions of migrant workers travelling to
far-flung towns and cities to see their families and celebrate the most
important holiday on the Chinese calendar, which falls on January 28 this
year.

The demand for tickets is so high that some people spend days trying to
snare seats on public transport for the annual mega migration. Qi Xi is one
of the lucky ones.

Unable to nab a high-speed rail ticket to whisk him from Beijing to his
hometown in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang in just four hours, Qi
will have to spend almost a full day on a hard, uncomfortable seat to reach
his destination.But he’s not complaining.

“My coworker who’s from Harbin still hasn’t been able to buy a train ticket
and doesn’t know how else to get home, so he might just not go back at all
this year,” Qi said, chain-smoking outside the station as endless hordes of
passengers carrying rucksacks and suitcases streamed past.

The holiday, also known as Spring Festival, is a time for families to gather
their members for plentiful food and fireworks.

Travellers taking part in the world’s largest annual human migration must be
home by Friday[27 Jan] to usher in the new year on Saturday[28 Jan].

Transport officials predict that Chinese passengers will make almost three
billion trips during the 40-day Lunar New Year period, including more than
2.5 billion journeys by road, the official Xinhua news agency said.

High travel volumes mean that navigating stations can be as much of a
nightmare as nabbing a ticket in the first place.

Without internet access or a smartphone, 65-year-old Wang Wentai asked a
more plugged-in friend to help him buy his train ticket back to Handan city
in neighboring Hebei Province.

Excited to go home after a year of washing dishes at a Korean restaurant to
supplement his son’s income from a factory job, he arrived at the station
two hours early — but still ended up missing his train due to the crowds.

“There were so many people in line, and I just didn’t know which line to
wait in, so I wasted a lot of time,” he said.

The next available ticket was for a train that left 14 hours later.

“I can’t wait inside the station because it’s still too early, but I don’t
know where else to go,” he said, standing in front of the entrance with his
hands in his pockets to protect them from the sub-zero chill.

“During the trip, you sometimes look at your phone, get bored, sleep a bit,
though you can’t really sleep well on the train, and just hold out until
it’s over,” said a woman surnamed Qian who was about to embark on a 20-odd
hour train ride to the distant southwestern province of Yunnan.

“But then, there are so many people crammed around you on the train that you
can always chat to make it less boring.”

SourceAgence France Presse

+++SOURCE:Naharnet(Lebanon)25 Jan.’17:”Days of N.Korea’s Kim are Numbered”.
Agence France Presse
SUBJECT: Increasing difficulties in N.Korea

FULL TEXT:The North Korean regime is on an inexorable decline towards
collapse, with its people increasingly disillusioned but its nuclear
ambitions undimmed, a top defector said Wednesday[25 Jan].

“I’m sure and I can say that Kim Jong-Un’s days are numbered,” said Thae
Yong-Ho, who fled his post as North Korea’s deputy ambassador to Britain in
August.

In his first press conference for foreign correspondents, held under tight
security, Thae said he was sure that more of his fellow countrymen would
follow suit since North Korea was “on a downward path”.

The elite were “turning their backs” on leader Kim Jong-Un, he said, adding:
“The traditional structures of North Korean systems are crumbling.”

Nuclear-armed North Korea has been ruled by the Kim dynasty since its
foundation in 1948. It is subject to United Nations Security Council
sanctions over its nuclear and missile programmes and is accused by the West
of widespread human rights abuses.

Thae is among the highest-ranking defectors from the North for years. He
said he had begun to waver as his diplomatic role granted him access to
outside information.

His disillusionment turned to despair after Kim, who inherited power from
his late father Kim Jong-Il five years ago, began ruthlessly purging
officials, he added.

Kim had his own uncle and one-time political mentor Jang Song-Thaek executed
in late 2013 on an array of charges, including treason and corruption.

Kim was installed as chairman of the State Affairs Commission — a new
supreme governing body — in June, a month after his Workers’ Party held its
first congress in 36 years in what was widely seen as his coronation.

North Korean diplomats are generally compelled to leave one of their
children behind in Pyongyang when they are dispatched abroad, but Thae was
able to take both his sons, now aged 19 and 26, to London — easing his
preparations to defect.

“The Kim Jong-Un regime abuses love between parents and children to control
North Korean diplomats,” he said.

After Thae’s defection the North’s state media denounced him as “human scum”
and accused him of embezzling state funds, raping a minor and spying for
South Korea in exchange for money.

Pyongyang carried out two nuclear tests and a series of missile launches in
2016 and Thae said Kim was planning to “complete” its atomic development by
the end of this year to take advantage of leadership transitions in South
Korea and the United States.

“The only way to resolve the issue of North’s nuclear threats is the
elimination of Kim Jong-Un’s regime,” he said.

He called for continued international sanctions on Pyongyang and publicity
campaigns to spread external information in the North and encourage its
citizens into “popular uprisings”.

Some tentative economic reforms have been put into effect in the North, but
“those further down the food chain are finding life much tougher”, Thae
said.

Once “unthinkable” acts of low-level dissent or criticism were becoming more
frequent.

SourceAgence France Presse

+++SOURCE:Naharnet(Lebanon)25 Jan,’17:”Kuwait Hangs 7 Prisoners,Including
Royal, in Mass Execution”, by Agence France Presse
SUBJECT:Kuwait hangs 7prisoners

SUBJECT:Kuwait says it has hanged seven prisoners, including a royal family
member, in a mass execution.

Kuwait made the announcement Wednesday[25 Jan] in a statement on its
state-run KUNA news agency.

It identified the prisoners as a Bangladeshi, a Filipina, an Ethiopian, two
Kuwaitis and two Egyptians.

It identified the royal as Faisal Abdullah Al Jaber Al Sabah and said he was
convicted of premediated murder and illegal possession of a firearm.

In the Philippines, Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman Charles Jose
earlier identified the Filipina hanged as Jakatia Pawa, who was convicted of
killing her employer’s daughter.

+++SOURCE:Jordan Times 25 Jan.’17: Saudi sees ‘impressive’ figures in Trump
Cabinet”,by Agence France Presse 24 Jan.

SUBJECT:Saudi says Trump names ‘impressive’ people to cabinet

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al Jubeir meets with French Foreign Minister
Jean-Marc Ayrault in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday (Reuters photo)

RIYADH — US President Donald Trump has named “impressive” people to his
Cabinet, longtime American ally Saudi Arabia said on Tuesday[24 Jan].

Foreign Minister Adel Al Jubeir praised several men who have been selected
by Trump for his cabinet, including Secretary of Defence James Mattis, CIA
Director Mike Pompeo and secretary of state nominee Rex Tillerson.

“These are very, very impressive individuals,” Jubeir told a joint press
conference with his French counterpart Jean-Marc Ayrault, who was on an
official visit.

“They’re highly capable. They’re highly experienced and they have a very
realistic and wise view of the world and America’s role in it,” Jubeir said.

Ties between Riyadh and Washington became increasingly frayed during the
eight-year administration of former president Barack Obama.

Saudi leaders felt Obama was reluctant to get involved in the civil war in
Syria and other regional conflicts.

Jubeir is optimistic that the Trump administration will be more engaged in
the Middle East, and particularly in containing Riyadh’s rival Iran.

But Trump has threatened to ban Muslims from the United States, and his
national security adviser Michael Flynn has argued that Islam is not a
religion but a “political ideology”.

Jubeir called Flynn “an American patriot” who is very concerned about his
country’s security, and who believes in working with allies.

“I have no doubt whatsoever that our ability to overcome the challenges will
be tremendously enhanced the closer we work together,” the Saudi minister
said.

As European concerns mount over Trump’s foreign policies, Ayrault told the
same press conference that he is ready to meet Tillerson “as quickly as
possible”.

Trump, who took over from Obama on Friday[20 Jan.], has prompted European
fears of an isolationist Washington.

“The United states is a big country, a global power which also has a
responsibility to the rest of the world,” Ayrault said.

Even if the US has the interests of its own people to preserve and defend,
“that can only happen with an approach which is in our eyes multilateral”.

+++SOURCE:Jordan Times 25Jan’17:”King accepts medal from Red Crescent, Red
Cross organization”, by JT 24 Jan

SUBJECT:Red Crescent and Red Cross medal to King

QUOTES:”His Majesty King Abdullah accepts a decoration from the Arab Red
Crescent and Red Cross Organization in recognition” of His Majesty’s
humanitarian efforts in Amman on Tuesday [24 Jan]”. “What Jordan offers to
refugees deserves the respect and appreciation of the entire world”

FULL TEXT:AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Tuesday[24 Jan] accepted the
Abu Bakr Al Siddeiq Medal of the First Class from the Arab Red Crescent and
Red Cross Organization, in recognition of His Majesty’s humanitarian efforts
towards Syrian refugees and continuous support for the Palestinian people
and their just cause.

The medal represents the highest recognition the organization bestows on
kings and presidents for their humanitarian endeavours across the globe,
especially in the Arab world, according to a Royal Court statement.

King Abdullah was handed the medal by Jordan National Red Crescent Society
Chairman Mohammad Hadid, during His Majesty’s meeting with a delegation of
Red Crescent and Red Cross societies.

The delegation comprised Secretary General of the Arab Red Crescent and Red
Cross Organisation Saleh Suheibani, President of the International
Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Tadateru Konoé and
presidents and secretaries general of Arab Red Crescent societies.

The Monarch, during Al Husseiniya Palace meeting, expressed his appreciation
for the humanitarian efforts exerted by Red Crescent and Red Cross societies
in the world, and thanked them for the recognition.

His Majesty stressed that the medal is an honour for Jordan, which has
always been a safe haven for refugees, and for the Jordanian people that
shouldered the burdens of hosting Arab brethren.

He added that it is an honour for the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army,
security departments and soldiers who protect borders, sacrifice for
safeguarding the homeland and helping the vulnerable.

Jordan will not spare any effort to aid refugees and all those seeking help,
His Majesty stressed, expressing his pride for what the Kingdom has offered
to millions of refugees who found in it a safe haven.

He also noted that the burdens that Jordan has shouldered as a result of
refugee influxes for decades have not hindered the country’s humanitarian
and aid services to refuge seekers, despite the limited international
assistance in this regard.

The King expressed his wishes of success for the ninth conference of the Red
Cross and Red Crescent societies of the Middle East and North Africa region,
which Jordan is currently hosting under the motto: “Together for humanity”.

During the meeting, Suheibani said that what Jordan offers to refugees
deserves the respect and appreciation of the entire world.

Other delegates highly appreciated the Jordanian role in hosting Syrian
refugees despite the challenges the Kingdom is going through, stressing that
Jordan gave the world a good example in humanitarian relief and aid services
to refugees.

+++SOURCE:Jordan Times 25Jan,’17”King to visit Russia today as FM meets
Lavrov”,by JT 24 Jan

By JT – Jan 24,2017 – Last updated at Jan 24,2017

SUBJECT:Jordan.Russia relations

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah is scheduled to pay an official visit to
Russia today upon an invitation by Russian President Vladimir Putin to
discuss regional and international developments, a Royal Court statement
said Tuesday[24 Jan].

During the visit, His Majesty and Putin are scheduled to discuss
developments in the region, especially the Syrian crisis and the peace
process, in addition to efforts to combat terrorism.

On Tuesday[24 Jan], Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Ayman Safadi
was in Moscow, where he met with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov over
bilateral relations and the latest developments in the Middle East,
especially the Syrian crisis and the Palestinian issue.

In joint press statements ahead of the meeting, Safadi highlighted the
“deep-rooted” relations between the Kingdom and the Russian Federation,
which King Abdullah and President Vladimir Putin are keen on developing to
serve the interests of both countries and regional stability, the Jordan
News Agency, Petra, reported.

The summit meeting between King Abdullah and President Putin, scheduled for
today will give a momentum for efforts to boost bilateral relations and
enhance cooperation, as well as increase the level of coordination to end
regional conflicts and build security and stability, Safadi added.

Safadi also stressed Jordan’s support for all efforts seeking to end the
suffering of the Syrian people and sustain a blanket truce in the country,
as a step towards resuming political negotiations under the oversight of the
UN and in line with agreed-upon decisions, especially UN Security Council
Resolution 2254.

The Kingdom supports the Astana talks between the Syrian regime and rebels,
aimed at sustaining the ceasefire and paving the way for launching a
political process during the planned Geneva negotiations with the
participation, of concerned Arab and foreign counties, he said.

Safadi stressed the significance of halting unilateral Israeli practices,
saying that if they continue, they would lead to creating an environment of
despair and frustration that terrorist organizions would manipulate to
spread terrorism, which threatens all.

He noted that these unilateral procedures, aimed at changing the status quo
in the occupied territories, threaten the character of Jerusalem and its
Islamic and Christian sites, and are likely to derail the two-state
solution, which is universally accepted as the only solution to end the
Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

For his part, Lavrov expressed his country’s appreciation and support for
Jordan’s efforts and pivotal role in achieving regional security and
stability, voicing Russia’s keenness to continue coordination and
consultation with the Kingdom regarding several issues and challenges in the
Middle East.

He also praised the humanitarian role the Kingdom is playing on behalf of
the world towards Syrian refugees, calling on the international community to
rise to its responsibilities in this regard and help Jordan continue this
role
=============
Sue Lerner – Associate, IMRA



Source: http://www.imra.org.il/story.php3?id=72097

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