The UK Mirror, a tabloid magazine, is reporting that Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) terrorists have beheaded a popular street magician in Syria for defying their strict interpretation of Sharia law with his performances.
Two gunmen slaughtered twelve people in broad daylight at the headquarters of Charlie Hedbo, a satirical newspaper in Paris. The gunmen targeted the cartoonists over the publication of cartoon images of the Prophet Mohammed. Instead of submitting to terrorists, Parisians marched into the streets Wednesday night to show solidarity and support for the publication.
In light of the Charlie Hebdo massacre, Islamic preacher Anjem Choudary used it to blast free speech. He did not condemn the attacks, but suggested more laws to ban images of Mohammed.
A video recently surfaced that allegedly shows a branch of the Syrian army forming a platoon of suicide bombers. The video, uncovered and translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) on December 30, has not been independently verified outside of MEMRI experts.
Radical Islamists and supporters of jihad on social media used Twitter to celebrate the three gunmen who killed twelve people and wounded nearly a dozen others at the headquarters of Charlie Hebdo in Paris, France. The attack, a retaliation against the magazine for publishing satirical images of the Prophet Muhammad, received support and justification. All of these accounts talk about jihad and the Islamic State regularly, interrupting their ISIS updates to praise the attack.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is reporting that the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) has shut down more schools in Syria, leaving over 670,000 children without access to education.
Shanghai authorities came under heavy criticism after a stampede killed thirty-six people on New Year’s Eve. Family members of the deceased slammed the government for skimping on security at an event that attracts thousands of people. But now these family members claim the Chinese government is censoring and monitoring their moves.
Lebanon has implemented a new law requiring Syrian refugees to retain a visa before entering the country in an attempt to limit the prodigious flow of refugees from war-torn Syria into their nation.
Islam forbids drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes, but rumors have spread for months indicating that members of the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) terrorist groups engage in drug use. Those rumors were at least in part confirmed by a discovery this week when VICE journalist Joakim Medin identified cocaine in the house of dead Islamic State leader Emir Abu Zahra just south of Kobane, Syria.
Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, who has been under house arrest for alleged fraud involving a state lumber company, snipped off his monitoring bracelet with a pair of scissors and has refused to honor the arrest terms.
Serena Williams surprisingly lost her first set to Italian Flavia Pennetta at the Hopman Cup in Australia. Usually when she loses, Williams tends to let it get to her head, but this time she tried another route.
The Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) attempted to capture Kobane, Syria, in September, but have faced intense backlash. The Kurdish Peshmerga and People’s Protection Unit (YPG) now prepare to completely take back the town from the terrorist group.
Russia agreed to lease twelve Sukhoi Su-24 Fencer aircraft, long range bombers, to Argentina in exchange for beef and wheat. This agreement incensed tensions between Argentina and the United Kingdom, whose decades-long dispute over the Falkland Islands continues.
Supporters of the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) have continued to use social media accounts to promote indoctrination of children by faithful jihadist mothers. Recent trends seem to indicate a higher use of imagery of little girls wearing Islamic State gear and supporting the terrorist “caliphate.”
Human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, who married Hollywood superstar George Clooney in September, claimed Egypt threatened her with arrest due to a report she released that was critical of the country’s judicial system. Such claims had previously led to the arrest and conviction of three al-Jazeera journalists. However, Egypt wants proof from Clooney the government issued the warning.
Radical jihadist group Ansar al-Sharia kidnapped twenty Egyptian Christians in Sirte, Libya, which is 310 miles east of Tripoli. Identities were not released, but experts believe they were Coptic Christians.
John Cantile, the British hostage of the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL), appears in a new video on YouTube published by the terrorist group’s al-Hayat Media Center.
Boko Haram kidnapped at least forty boys in Malari village in northeast Borno State, Nigeria. The incident transpired on New Year’s Eve, but due to the town’s isolation, residents only reached the capital of Maiduguri to report it on Friday.
Lithuania, a member of the European Union and NATO, has identified more spies within its armed forces. The spy discovered in this incident worked at a NATO facility in Šiauliai. Lithuanian officials did not state which country the spies worked for, but they did not rule out connections to Russia and Belarus. Other experts believe several more Russian spies have infiltrated Lithuania.
The Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) set their eyes on another historical site to demolish as they continue to establish their The Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) set their eyes on another historical site to demolish as they continue to establish their caliphate across Iraq. Residents near Mosul told Assyrian website Ankawa the militants’ plan to blow up the walls of Nineveh, which date back to almost 700 B.C.
A YouTube account believed to be affiliated with jihadist groups uploaded a video of two Italian women kidnapped by the al-Qaeda-affiliated group Jabhat al-Nusra in August in Syria. The women beg their government to secure their release.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad visited his Syrian troops in Jobar to discuss the damage various anti-government factions have done to the state. Speaking just northeast of Damascus as the beleaguered country entered its fourth year of a civil war, he had little hope to offer his troops.
Iran’s “morality police” arrested nine Christians on Christmas Day, presumably for celebrating the seminal holiday, though authorities did not give reason for the arrest. Heavily armed agents transferred the nine people to an unnamed location.
The Washington Post’s Philip Bump learned the hard way what happens when one assumes something and posts it on social media. He received backlash for his ignorance of Michigan’s controlling party.
Washington Capitals host the Chicago Blackhawks for the seventh Winter Classic.
