10 things to know before seeing 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens'

Here are 10 things you should know before you go watch Episode VII.

1. You don’t need to have seen any of the prequels.The Star Wars franchise was rebooted once before in the late’90s and early 2000s with three movies not a whole lot of people liked starring Hayden Christensen. Forget about those. You don’t really need them. Though watching them wouldn’t hurt. Samuel L. Jackson played Mace Windu, and there was this really cool villain named Darth Maul.There was also this super-annoying character named Jar Jar Binks. We never need to talk about him again.2. The Empire is gone. It was toppled by Ewoks.This is perhaps my favorite Star Wars fact. The Force Awakens takes place after Return of the Jedi, which came out in 1983. A lot of stuff happened,but what you need to know is that The Empire – the all-powerful, fascist galactic government – was brought to its knees by these adorable, fuzzy little creatures called Ewoks, who were armed with slingshots at the Battle of Endor.Force Awakens takes place 30 years after this battle,which was a pretty big deal, so you should probably definitely know about it.

3. The bad guys in Force Awakens?Those guys are called the First Order.The First Order is this political and military junta that came into power after the Battle of Endor, inspired by the principles of the Galactic Empire and hell-bent on controlling the galaxy. So basically The First Order is “The Empire: The Remix.” Their forces are led by Kylo Ren, a mercenary that isn't technically a Sith but looks awful Sith-like with his big, red, broadsword light saber and his matte black gas mask.

4. Even though Darth Vader is dead, Darth Vader still matters.Firstly, if you’ve never lowered your voice a few octaves and bellowed “Luke, I am your father” into a desk fan, I can't trust you. But if you don’t know who Darth Vader is, you should know about him. Our new villain Kylo Ren also has a massive fixation on Vader, even though Vader was dead long before he was born. In the original Force Awakens trailer, Ren breathily says he’s going to finish what Vader started while ogling his melted helmet. In short, it’s going to be a thing.

5. You should also know about Luke Skywalker.As Darth Vader was the original trilogy’s biggest villain, Luke Skywalker was its main protagonist.Luke Skywalker was plucked off of this remote planet and trained up to become the most important Jedi ever. He traveled the galaxy, unknowingly made out with his sister, found out his greatest nemesis was also his father, and lost his right hand. One of the biggest rumors about Force Awakens is that Luke is the father of one of the main characters, Rey (Daisy Ridley). So be on the lookout for that.

6. If you want to fit in, you need to care about what happens with Leia and Han Solo.The will-they-won’t-they-oh-they-did love story between Han Solo and Leia was the biggest of the original trilogy, but it looks like they might’ve broken up in the intervening time between Return of the Jedi and Force Awakens.If they did,that’s going to be a gut-punch to everyone else in the theater. You might not care, but just like hearing about your friend’s most-recent failed relationship for the millionth time, you’re going to have to at least act like it’s killing you too.

7. THE MILLENNIUM FALCON IS BACK.Sorry, I didn’t mean to yell. But this beloved, complete piece of crap from the original trilogy is back and flying through the sky, dodging Tie Fighters.It’s piloted by an older, more seasoned and less skeptical Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and his still-large, still-furry friend Chewbacca. This one is just about impossible to explain if you haven’t seen the original movies, but it’s a big deal, I promise. It might also blow up though, so don’t get too attached.

8. You’re going to need to know what “The Force” is, obviously.It’s in the title, and either Finn (John Boyega), Rey, or both are going to end up wielding it before the movie's over, so you should know what The Force is. The complicated explanation is that in this alternate universe there are these microscopic being within the cells of human beings called midichlorians. How many midichlorians you have in your blood stream determines your ability to use the Force. Having a high midichlorian count doesn’t necessarily make you any better than anyone else, but it kind of does, really. If you don’t have one – a high midichlorian count, that is – then you don’t get a light saber and can’t jump impossibly high or move stuff around without touching it.There are also Light and Dark Sides to the Force. Those on the Light side are called Jedi. They have light sabers that are mostly on the cool side of the color wheel. Those on the Dark side are called Sith. They have red light sabers and red light sabers only. Each one tries to destroy the other one and there’s this largertheme about how they balance each other out, but forget about all of that. You’re rooting against the Dark Side, or you’re a bad person.

9. This movie is going to be HUGE.Force Awakens is expected to smash box office records. I’m talking $2 billion in projected worldwidebox office sales. Addto that theobscene amount ofmoney to be made off of merchandise, and we’re looking at$9.6 billion, according to Bloomberg.

10. But manage your expectations … or don’t.Like most much-hyped movies, it’s a possibility that Force Awakens might not be all that good. I mean, it’s a small possibility, but it’s a possibilitynonetheless. You can try to rememberthat if you want. Or you can not. Get dressed up, paint your face green, andline up to see it at midnight, if that’s your thing.You can buy advance tickets to see it a bunch of days in a row, too. I’m not saying that’s what I did,but I’m also not saying I didn’t do that either.

Moore to Trump - We are all Muslims

NEW YORK -Michael Moore - a prominent American left-wing political activist and documentary filmmaker - has sent Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump a letter chastising him on his recent anti-Muslim statements and his call to ban Muslims from coming to the US .In his letter, which he posted on his Facebook page, Moore said Trump’s anti-Muslim statements were made in depression and insanity. He also published a picture of himself standing in front of Trump Tower - the 68-storey skyscraper owned by Donald Trump in New York city - with the caption “We are all Muslim.” He stood near the landmark building until the police came and asked him to leave. During his campaign, Trump called for a ‘total and complete block on all Muslims’ entering the US and an end to Muslim immigration to the country. He is the current front runner among the Republican candidates seeking the party nomination for the presidency of the US. In the letter, Moore reminded Trump that the US today was no longer a country of ‘angry white guys,’ that the future US president would be chosen by more diverse voters and that fortunately the US no longer looks like Trump or his supporters.“Here’s a statistic that is going to make your hair spin: 81 percent of the electorate who will pick the president next year are either female,people of colour, or young people between the ages of 18 and 35. In other words, not you or the people who want you leading their country, he wrote in his letter. He said that he was raised to believe in equality of people as brothers and sisters, regardless of race, colour and religion. “We are all Muslim, just as we are all Mexican, we are all Catholic and Jewish and white and black and every shade in between,” he said.
Michael Moore - born in Michigan in 1954 - is known for his documentary films that criticised US gun laws, globalisation, the Iraq war and the US healthcare system. He had been awarded several awards for his work.

War with Pakistan not an option: Indian FM

NEW DELHI: War is not an option and dialogue is the way forward with Pakistan to fight the ‘shadow of terror’, Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj told parliament on Wednesday.According to Press Trust of India, she told the Lok Sabha that India had decided to hold dialogue with Pakistan as it was the only way to remove the shadow of terrorism.Ms Swaraj said Pakistan and India had decided to hold talks on terrorism when Prime Ministers Nawaz Sharif and Narendra Modi met in Ufa, Russia, in July and then in Paris.‘India has raised cross-border terrorism at many international forums’“We said we can talk so that terrorism comes to an end. So talks (between national security advisers) took place in Bangkok where we discussed about terrorism. But one meeting will not bring a solution to all the problems. So we will continue the dialogue,” she said during Question Hour.When the Bharatiya Janata Party’s MP Ganesh Singh asked her whether India was exploring options like the US did to hunt down terrorists like Osama bin Laden, Ms Swaraj said her government was talking to Pakistan on the alleged terrorist camps in Pakistan-administered Kashmir as “war is not an option”.PTI quoted her as saying: “We have decided that through talks we will resolve the issue of terrorism as talks is the way forward so that the shadow of terror is removed. But we want to make it clear, our prime minister has made it clear, that talks and terror can’t go together. Dialogue is drowned by the sound of explosion.”Ms Swaraj was speaking against the backdrop of the recent decision to re-start a ‘comprehensive’ dialogue with Pakistan under which various subjects, including terrorism and Jammu and Kashmir, will be discussed, PTI said.“The prime minister said let’s talk on terror. For talks we will have to put in faith. There is no third party. Through talks, both the countries are trying to resolve the issue of terrorism,” she said.Ms Swaraj said that following Mr Modi’s conversation with Mr Sharif in Paris on Nov 30 on the sidelines of the climate change summit and in line with the Ufa understanding between the two leaders, the national security advisers (NSAs) of the two countries met in Bangkok on Dec 6.“They held candid and constructive discussions.“During my recent visit to Pakistan on Dec 8-9, the two sides decided that the NSAs will continue to address all issues connected to terrorism.“The Indian side was assured of the steps being taken to expedite the early conclusion of the Mumbai trial.”India would continue to take all necessary steps to safeguard the nation’s security and safety of all citizens, she said.Asked whether India raised the issue of alleged cross-border terrorism at international forums, Ms Swaraj said the government actively discussed the issue in all its forms and manifestations at multilateral forums, including the UN, EU, SCO, Asean Regional Forum, the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sector Technical and Economic Cooperation and Saarc.She said Mr Modi had raised the issue of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT),which had been pending in the United Nations for adoption since 1996, and discussed his ideas in this regard with several world leaders. “It is heartening that now we are getting support from many countries and we are hopeful that the CCIT resolution would be adopted in the UN soon,” she said.The global treaty proposed by India aims to ban terrorists and make it binding for countries to deny funds and safe haven to them. Ms Swaraj said India had taken up on a number of occasions with Pakistan and also, where required, with the international community its concerns regarding cross-border terrorism.“As a result of the government’s consistent pursuit of the matter, several individuals, including Hafiz Saeed, and entities, including Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jamaatud Dawa, have been listed under the relevant provisions of the UNSC Resolution 1267 which deals with Al Qaeda and related organisations,” she said
PTI quoted her as saying that Pakistan had arrested the suspects for perpetrating the Mumbai terrorist attack of 2008 and a trial was under way in Pakistan in this regard.

New weapon introduce in Pakistan

Pakistan conducted successful test of the Shaheen 1-A ballistic missile
And is said to improve other ballistic as well. They are trying very hard to overcome the terrorist

Schools are closed in Los Angeles due

All schools in Los Angeles, the second largest school district in the United States, were closed December 15, 2015 after officials reported receiving an unspecified threat to the district and ordered a search of all schools in the city.

3 dead in rocket attack on UN base in Mali

BAMAKO - Two UN peacekeepers and a civilian contractor were killed in a rocket attack Saturday on a UN base in northeast Mali, a week after a deadly siege at a Bamako hotel claimed by jihadists.“Our camp in Kidal was attacked early this morning by terrorists using rockets,” said an official from the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali (MINUSMA), adding that two Guinean peacekeepers and a contractor working for the United Nations were killed. A local official confirmed the report.“The terrorists fired shots and then fled,” another UN source said.MINUSMA later confirmed the death toll in a statement and said afurther 20 people were injured in the pre-dawn attack, four seriously.No group had yet claimed responsibility for the attack, which came eight days after a siege at the luxury Radisson Blu hotel in Mali’s capital Bamako, in which 20 people died including 14 foreigners.Armed men held around 170 guests and staff hostage in the November 20 attack that lasted about nine hours before Malian, French and US forces stormed the hotel to free the captives, killing two assailants.Two separate jihadist groups claimed responsibility for that assault: the Al-Murabitoun group, an Al-Qaeda affiliate led by notorious one-eyed Algerian militant Mokhtar Belmokhtar, and the Macina Liberation Front (LWF) from central Mali.Four days later, a UN employee was killed in anattack on a peacekeepingconvoy near the historic desert town of Timbuktu.MINUSMA chief Mongi Hamdi said in a statement the attacks “would not dent the determination of the UN to support the Malian people and the peace process, including assisting in the implementation of the Agreement on Peace andReconciliation in Mali”.Mali has been plagued byunrest since the north of the vast west African state fell under the control of Tuareg rebels and jihadist groups linked to Al-Qaeda in 2012.The Islamists soon sidelined the Tuareg to take sole control of Timbuktu, Kidal and othernorthern towns but lost most of the ground they had captured in a French-led military intervention in January 2013.Nearly three years later, large swathes of Mali stillremain lawless despite a June peace deal betweenthe government and Tuareg rebels seen as crucial to ending decades of instability in the north that left it vulnerable to extremism.Some splinter groups had opposed the agreement, including the Tuareg head of the AnsarDine jihadist group, Iyad Ag Ghaly, who called in an October recording for further attacks, including against France.The Macina Liberation Front, one of the two groups that claimed the Radisson attack, said it had carried out the assault “in collaboration with Ansar Dine”.France has more than 1,000 troops in Mali, a former colony and a key battleground of its Barkhane counter-terror mission spanning five countries in Africa’s restive Sahel region.The UN mission comprises around 10,200 peacekeepers, who have come under frequent attack.With over 50 deaths MINUSMA has been the costliest UN mission in terms of lives lost since the 1993-95 UNOSOM II mission in Somalia.This year has seen the violence spread to the centre and south of the country, which had previously been largely spared by the extremists.In August, five UN workers and four soldierswere killed in a hostage-taking in the central townof Sevare.In a late-night development, the jihadistgroup Ansar Dine (Defenders of the Faith) told AFP it was responsible for Saturday’s attack on a United Nations base in Mali that killed two UN peacekeepers and a civilian contractor.The attack was “in response to the violation of our lands by the enemies of Islam,” one ofthe group’s senior figures, Hamadou Ag Khallini, told AFP by phone.

Suspect spoke of 'baby parts' after Planned Parenthood

Suspected Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood shooter Robert Lewis Dear mentioned "baby parts" to investigators and in later interviews expressed anti-abortion and anti-government views, a law enforcement official briefed on the investigation told CNN.Law enforcement officials caution it's too early to determine a motive in the case until all evidence is gathered and examined. That process is still ongoing. Though the state is taking the lead, the FBI is conducting its own investigation to determine whether federal charges would be filed.The official told CNN that propane tanks were found in the area of Dear's car in the parking lot, and that authorities believe he was trying to shoot them to cause an explosion.The siege ended Friday when the suspect dropped his gun and surrendered in a hallway once the SWAT team brought in a BearCat armored vehicle and Dear was cornered.'Crime against women' Attorney General Loretta Lynch has called the shooting, which killed three people and wounded nine more, a "crime against women;" Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper has said it's "a tragedy that is beyond speech."Among the victims was Garrett Swasey, a University of Colorado-Colorado Springs police officer who rushed to the clinic to offer his assistance."There was no wayany of us could have kept him here," UCCS Police Chief Brian McPike said of Swasey during a Saturday evening vigil. "He was always willing to go...he had an enthusiasm that was hard to ado Springs Police Chief Peter Carey said that the identities of the other two victims likely will not be released until Monday, after autopsies have been performed.In addition to the three killed, five officers and four civilians were hospitalized for wounds sustained in the shooting. Lt. Catherine Buckley said Friday night all were in good condition. By late Saturday afternoon, officials said five patients remained in two hospitals.One of those is Colorado Springs SWAT team officer Dan Carter, according to his parents, who told CNN that their son was recovering from a gunshot wound.Opposition to abortion eyed as motive"I'm not going to say the perpetrator's name," a sullen Hicken looper said Saturday, referring to Dear, the man authorities suspect was the shooter.Dear, 57, is being held without bail in a Colorado Springs jail, according to the El Paso County Sheriff's Office. authorities said that a motive had not yet been established, Mayor John Suthers said "inferences (could be made) from where it took place,"

This smart phone app pays you for walking

Don't feel motivated enough to exercise?
Here’s a smart phone app that pays you for walking!
The Go! App counts and verifies users’steps, with walkers earning approximately one ‘Bitwalking dollar’ — a new digital crypto-currency — for about 10,000 steps or about 8 km.The application will initially be offered in countries such as the U.K., Japan, Malawi and Kenya.Users can spend what they earn in an online store, or trade their BW dollars for cash, the BBC News reported.The app uses the phone’s Global Positioning System (GPS) and Wi-Fi connections to calculate the distance travelled.The founders of the project have attracted more than $10 million of initial funding to help launch the currency and create a bank that verifies steps and any transfers.

NJ mayor rips Trump over claim American Muslims celebrated 9/11 attacks

The mayor of a New Jersey city slammed Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump Sunday after the real estate mogul repeatedly claimed that he saw people cheering the Sept.11, 2001 attacks across the Hudson River from where the Twin Towers fell.Trump first told the story Saturday at a rally in Birmingham, Ala., as he pressed the need for greater surveillance, including monitoring certain mosques, in the wake of the Paris attacks."I watched when the World Trade Center came tumbling down. And I watched in Jersey City, New Jersey, where thousands and thousands of people were cheering as that building was coming down. Thousands of people were cheering," Trump said.Trump repeated the claim Sunday in an interview on ABC's "This Week" after host George Stephanopoulos explained that police had refuted any such rumors at the time."It did happen. I saw it," said Trump."It was on television. I saw it.""There were people that were cheering on the other side of New Jersey, where you have large Arab populations. They were cheering as the World Trade Center came down," he said."I know it might be not politically correct for you to talk about it," he added, "but there were people cheering as that building came down, as those buildings came down. And that tells you something."A spokeswoman did not respond to are quest for clarification Saturday about Trump's comments.In a statement, Jersey City Mayor Fulop criticized Trump for his statements."Trump is plain wrong, and he is shamefully politicizing an emotionally charged issue," said Fulop. "No one in Jersey City cheered on September 11th. We were actually among the first to provide responders to help in lower Manhattan."Footage of Muslims in Middle Eastern countries cheering news of the attacks were broadcast often on television, but there is no evidence in news archives of mass celebrations by Muslims in Jersey City, which sits right across the Hudson River from Lower Manhattan, with clear views of the World Trade Center site.While rumors have circulated on the internet for years that American Muslims celebrated the attacks in Paterson, New Jersey, police officials and religious leaders denied it at the time."Trump needs to understand that Jersey City will not be part of his hate campaign," said Fulop. "Clearly, Trump has memory issues or willfully distorts the truth, either of which should be concerning for the Republican Party."

Kerry to meet Saudi, UAE officials on unifying Syrian opposition

Abu Dhabi: U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry was set to hold talks with senior Emirati and Saudi officials in Abu Dhabi on Monday to find ways to bring Syrian opposition groups together at a conference that will be hosted by Saudi Arabia next month.The hastily-arranged meetings in the UAE capital between Kerry, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahayan and Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir will discuss how to unify opponents of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, a senior State Department official said.Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkey and the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council - the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China - met earlier this month in Vienna, where they agreed plans to launch formal talks between Assad's government and its opponents by Jan. 1.Divisions among Syrian opposition factions, some backed by the West and others by Gulf Arab states, are often cited as one of many obstacles facing diplomatic efforts to end the conflict.Saudi Arabia and other Sunni Muslim Gulf Arab states have long been major backers of the insurgency against Assad, whom they say must leave power.The opposition includes the Turkey-based Syrian National Coalition, a political body, and a wide array of rebel groups that are not united in a single military structure and do not answer to any of the political factions.The Syrian conflict began in 2011 with protests against four decades of Assad family rule. About a quarter of a million people have been killed and 11 million -half the total population - have been driven from their homes.Tens of thousands of Syrian refugees have fled to Europe in the past few months, which have led to increased efforts by Washington and others to find a political solution to end the war.

David Beckham achieves title of People’s “Sexiest Man Alive”

David Beckham - after gaining the status of universal superstar, devoted husband and down-to-earth dad of four, now is this year's Sexiest Man Alive.Beckham tells PEOPLE, “It's a huge honor and I'm very pleased to accept.”Although he's been a sex symbol for nearly two decades, the self-effacing soccer icon isn't sure he's even deserving of the mantle. "I never feel that I'm an attractive, sexy person," he says in this week's cover story."I mean I like to wear nice clothes and nice suits and look and feel good, but I don't ever think of myself that way."Still, when Beckham shared the news with his wife, fashion mogul Victoria Beckham, 41, she was totally on-board.Beckham said with a shy smile, “I would hope that she feels this way about me all the time anyway! But she said, Congratulations! We kind of laughed about it with the boys and the boys kind of laughed at me and said, 'Really?! Sexiest man alive? Really?”

Team Pakistan picks 3 Gold, 1 Silver at technology awards in Colombo

COLOMBO -The Team Pakistan displayed stunning technological performance at the Asia Pacific ICT Awards (APICTA) 2015 and won three Gold and one Silver at the award ceremony held in Colombo, last evening.The Pakistan Software Houses Association for IT & ITES delegation comprised of 50 members with 22 technology products, competing for the prestigious APICTA Awards against 197 products from 17 countries of the region.Sri Lankan Minister for Telecom and Digital Infrastructure Harin Fernando was the chief guest at the awards ceremony, which was also graced by the High Commissioner of Pakistan in Sri Lanka Major General (retired) Syed Shakeel Hussain. Leading the way with the Gold were the teams from Eyedeus Labs for their new product “Ingrain”, Evamp & Sanga fortheir product Mobile Audio Streaming Service and students from the NUST College of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering for their research project  Active and Intelligent Powered Ankle Foot Prosthesis for Trans-tibial Amputees.The Silver Award was taken by a very young team from The Nest Technology Incubator in Karachi for their project Teddict. The winners from the Asia Pacific compete in this three-day regional event were judged by industry professionals, technology veterans and thought leaders from the APAC region.International APICTA Judges from 17countries who evaluated the categories in which Pakistan participated spoke about the consistently high standard of technology products presented by Pakistan, year after year. This year Team Pakistan performed superbly, with young people once again taking the lead. With the support of Samsung and Google for Entrepreneurs, P@SHA was able to take to Colombo, a number of young teams of Pakistani IT professionals under the banner of Team Pakistan.The objective was to bring them face-to-face with the best technology companies, professionals and students in the Asia Pacific, to provide an opportunity to meet and form potential partnerships with each other and to attract business and possible investment.Dressed in their green Team Pakistan t-shirts, the team from Pakistan created impact by putting up a great show. The international judges commended the members of team Pakistan for displaying high caliber of work which truly represented Pakistan’s booming tech sector. They were absolutely blown away by the younger members that took part in the Tertiary Student Category and the Secondary School Project category.While speaking on the occasion, P@SHA President Jehan Ara said, “The P@SHA ICT Awards – a P@SHA signature event for the past 12 years,has provided a platform to show the world what technology companies and young people in Pakistan are capable of. This year we have once again proven that our products can be benchmarked against the best in the region.”P@SHA’s main objective is to promote and develop the software and services industry in Pakistan and to protect the rights of its members. P@SHA has been an active industry advocacy platform and has been projecting the potential of the Pakistan IT and ITES community internationally, especiallyin the region such as South Asia, Middle East and Asia Pacific. P@SHA and its member companies are playing an active role in making their presence felt, both nationally and internationally.

Cameron says offered France use of British airbase in Cyprus

PARIS -British Prime Minister David Cameron said after talks with French President Francois Hollande on Monday that he had offered France the use of a British airbase in Cyprus for air strikes on Islamic State militant group targets.“Today I’ve offered President Hollande the use of RAF Akrotiri for French aircraft engaged in counter-Islamic State operations and additional assistance with air-to-air refuelling,” Cameron said in a statement to journalists alongside Hollande.

David Beckham is very romantic:Victoria Beckham

Wife of famous former football player David Beckham, Victoria Beckham says her husband David Beckham is"very romantic" and his commitment to family is what drew her to him in the first place.She said, “David is very romantic and we regularly do lovely things to surprise each other," Victoria told people.com. She added, “The first time I met David, nearly 20 years ago, we were at a football match. After the game all the other players were having a drink with their friends and David was standing with his mum and dad and his younger sister Joanne. Family is important to him.”She further said that family played a big part in his proposal as David asked Victoria's father for permission to get down on one knee.She shared, “When he proposed he asked my dad first, which is such a respectful thing to do”. Victoria, 41, has sons Brooklyn, 16, Romeo, 13, Cruz, 10 and daughter Harper, 4.

Saudi agrees on 2.5% annual tax for undeveloped land

The Saudi ministerial council in a meeting chaired by King Salman on Monday agreed on 2.5 percent annual tax for its undeveloped land in urban areas, Al Arabiya News Channel reported.The decision will be active after six months, the council agreed, adding that the fees will be deposited in an account for the kingdom’s central bank, Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA),to funnel other housing projects.The money charged will be extracted from the value of the land after evaluation, it added, reflecting the recommendation of the kingdom's advisory Shura Council on Nov. 17.Last week, Saudi Arabia’s Shura Council, the body that advises the government on legislation, endorsed a taxon undeveloped land aimed at encouraging development and solving a housing crisis.

Exclusive: Mullah Omar confidante reveals insights on late Taliban leader

Al Arabiya’s correspondent Mohammed al-Warwari recently managed an exclusive interview with Wakil Ahmed Muttawakil, former foreign minister in the Taliban government inAfghanistan and former director of late Taliban leader Mullah Mohmmed Omar's office, who revealed insight to the latter's life.Muttawakil told Al Arabiya that Mullah Omar died two years ago, adding that the news was kept secret so the Taliban movement does not split from within.Muttawakil also provided Al-Arabiya with a photo of Mullah Omar and said that the photo which previously circulated of the late leader, in which he's lost his right eye, was not real and was allegedly a disguise by Taliban for security reasons in order to hide Mullah Omar's facial features.When Al-Arabiya showed Muttawakil a video in which Mullah Omar reportedly appears in as he carries an RPG on his shoulder, Muttawakil refused to confirm whether it's Mullah Omar or not and just smiled.Mullah Omar had governed the country within iron fist from 1996 until his government was overthrown by the U.S. military invasion of Oct. 2001 following his refusal to hand over al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden to face justice over the 9/11 attacks.He was so elusive during his last few years he had not been seen in public since fleeing when the Taliban were ousted from power in 2001 after US.-led invasion.Adding to the mystery surrounding Omar and his whereabouts was the Taliban’s failure to broadcast his messages for propaganda purposes, despite predictably and consistently claiming responsibility for nearly every terrorist attack on NATO troops or Afghan government institutions.

Ranbir Kapoor cannot get married till I allow him: Deepika Padukone

Famous actress of Indian film industry Deepika Padukone jolted media when she revealed that RanbirKapoor will not marry without her permission.She said, “Ranbir Kapoor cannot get married till I allow it.”She also clarified that “It’s a very big question about my life. I completely believe in the institution of marriage. When I will get married, I will let the whole world know about it.”Indian filmmaker Imtiaz Ali’s Tamasha is Ranbir and Deepika’s third film together after Bachna Ae Haseeno and Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani.The co-stars took a train ride from Mumbai to Delhi to promote their upcoming film, which is slated to hit the screens this Friday.

Poet Jameeluddin Aali passes away at 90

KARACHI/ISLAMABAD - Notable scholar and Urdu poet Dr Jamiluddin Aali passed away on Monday in Karachi, a private TV channel reported.Aali had been ill for past several years and was being treated at a private hospital in Karachi. The 90-year-old was suffering from diabetes and respiratory related illness. He has left behind his wife, three sons and two daughters.The poet - whose family migrated from India to Pakistan in 1947 - was awarded a number of awards for his achievements in the Urdu literature. He was awarded Pride of Performance award in 1991 and Hilal-e-Imtiaz in 2004.Aali also remained chairman of the Urdu Dictionary Board for a period of three years. His most notable national songs are Aye Watan Ke Sajelay Jawanoo, Jeevay Jeevay Pakistan and Mera Paigham Pakistan, which have been sung by Noor Jehan, Shahnaz Begum and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan respectively.In a separate development, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif expressed deep grief on the demise of the Urdu literary figure. He prayed for eternal peace of the departed soul and lauded the literary services of Aali forthe country.Nawaz said Jamiluddin Aali's death had left a big vacuum in the literary history of the country that would be very hard to fill in the times ahead.

9/11 attack partially funded from India, says former New Delhi police

Kumar said "it's only an attempt to share my story, my experiences and some of my cases which have no bearing on national security.

NEW DELHI: A former police commissioner of New Delhi, Neeraj Kumar, has claimed in his book that part of the funding for 9/11 attacks in the United States (US) had emerged from India, according to report published on The Times of India website.The former police officer, who served in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and retired as a Delhi Police commissioner two years ago, has based his claim on the"revelation" made by a terrorist. Kumar, who currently heads the Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) anti-corruption wing, said the finance for the 9/11 attack was raised from a kidnapping and the earnings were handed over to the chief of the 9/11 attackers, Mohammad Atta by Omar Sheikh.

Two die in police raid on group planning new Paris attack

SAINT DENIS, France - A woman suicide bomber blew herself up and another militant died on Wednesday in a police raid that sources said had foiled a jihadi plan to hit Paris's business district, La Defense, days after attacks that killed 129 across the French capital.Police raided an apartment in the Paris suburb of St. Denis in a hunt for Abdel bhamid Abaaoud, a Belgian Islamist militant accused of masterminding the bombings and shootings, but more than 12 hours later it was still unclear if they had found him.A source close to the investigation said the dead woman might have been Abaaoud's cousin. The interior ministry said forensic experts were looking to see whether a third person had died during the pre-dawn raid, indicating the rare violence of the confrontation that shredded the third floor apartment.Seven people were arrested in the operation, including three who were pulled from the residence in the heart of St. Denis, which had its windows blown out and its facade scarred by bullets and rocket blasts."It is impossible to tell you who was arrested. We are in the process of verifying that," Paris prosecutor Francois Molins said at the end of the seven-hour police raid.

Paris Retaliation Gets Vladimir Putin as Ally in Fighting Islamic

Paris: The fight against Islamic State promised to broaden after Vladimir Putin vowed to retaliate against terrorists who blew up a Russian airliner last month and Secretary of State John Kerry floated the possibility of a cease-fire in the Syrian civil war. The Russian president for the first time blamed a bomb for bringing down a Metro jet flight to St. Petersburg from Egypton Oct. 31, killing 224 people, and said officials would now focus on "finding and punishing the perpetrators." His comments were broadcast as Kerry met French President Francois Hollande, who is urging a U.S.-Russian alliance to destroy Islamic State, which he blames for assaults that killed 129 in Paris last week."We need to step up our efforts to hit them at the core when they're planning these things," Kerry told reporters at the Elysee Palace. He later held out the prospect that a Syrian cease-fire could come within weeks, permitting a stepped-up campaign against Islamic State, the Associated Press reported.The diplomacy, including Putin's huddle with President Barack Obama on Sunday at a global summit, suggest narrowing international differences on how to end the four-year Syrian conflict. Both Russia and western countries are conducting independent bombing campaigns against militant groups in the ravaged nation. Russia's main focus has been protecting the regime of President Bashar Assad rather than stopping the advance of Islamic State, which has declared a"caliphate" in parts of Syria and Iraq.Islamic State and affiliated groups have escalated their violence in recent weeks. At least 44 people were killed in a Nov. 12 suicide bombing in a Beirut suburb for which the organization claimed responsibility, its first attack in the Lebanese capital. A militant group in the Sinai region that supports Islamic State also said it was responsible for downing the Metrojet flight.Rapprochement with Russia is becoming a central strand of the global response to Islamic State's growing ability to cause mayhem. In a rare speech to both houses of parliament on Monday, Hollande suggested the United States and Russia need to end their dispute sparked by Putin's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region and make common cause against the group.Agence France-Presse, citing a U.S. official, said Russian planes bombed Islamic State's stronghold of Raqqa in recent hours. French jets bombed Islamic State targets there for a second day, destroying a command center and a training site.Putin is reaching out to the West as Russia's economy stagnates under sanctions imposed because of the Ukraine crisis. After the 90-minute meeting with Obama, he announced Monday he's willing to help restructure Ukrainian debt, settling a dispute that has dogged Ukraine's efforts to rebuild its fragile finances.Still, any alliance between NATO powers and Russia faces major obstacles. In his speech, Hollande said Assad "can't be partof the solution" in Syria, a position similar to that of the U.S. Russia, by contrast, views Assad as a key Middle Eastern ally and has provided him with weapons throughout the Syrian conflict.Coordination with Russia will be hamperedby "Moscow's unchanged long-term goal of sustaining" the Assad government, Carsten Nickel, an analyst at political-risk consultancy Teneo Intelligence, said in an email. Moreover, the risk remains of flare-ups in Ukraine that could "help to re-ignite the conflict as soon as Moscow and the West seem to re-align their interests on Syria," Nickel said.As France began its second workday after Friday night shootings and suicide bombings in seven locations -- including five in the city center -- the atmosphere remains tense. The main entrance of the Opera metro hub was closed and surrounded by armed soldiers at the height of the morning rush hour because of a suspicious package. Though police soon gave the all-clear, it was the latest in a series of false alarms in the capital that have put citizens on edge and prompted companies to cancel events.French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said Hollande will meet next week with both Putin in Moscow and Obama in Washington to discuss next moves. While French officials have said they're certain Islamic State directed the Paris attacks,"we don't yet have the whole reality" of what occurred, Valls said, including the total number of individuals involved. A manhunt is continuing for at least one suspect, Belgian-born Abdeslam Salah, 26.Police in France conducted 128 raids overnight, continuing a crackdown on suspected extremists throughout the country that began on Sunday. In Belgium, home to the suspected planner of the attacks, Abdel hamid Abaaoud, authorities raised the national terror-alert level and canceled a Belgium-Spain soccer match, citing security concerns.And officers in the German town of Alsdorf arrested two women and a man suspected of being connected with the terror attacks in Paris. Special forces apprehended the trio at about 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, police spokesman Werner Schneider said.

France warns won’t meet EU deficit targets as steps up security spending

PARIS- France warned on Tuesday that it would not meet its EU deficit obligations as it steps up spending on security in the wake of the Paris terror attacks. French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said that the government was planning to hire an additional 8,500 law enforcement officers and France’s EU-agreed spending limits might be exceeded as these resources won’t be taken from other budgets. “We have to do this and Europe should understand this,” Valls said.“It is also time that the European Union (EU) and the European Commission understand today that this battle concerns France and also Europe,” he said.France had already stepped up strikes on Islamic State, which claimed the Paris attacks - bombing the group’s strongholds in Raqa in northern Syria - and asked for more military support from its EU partners.EU defence officials quickly backed the request for military assistance and commission officials signaled leniency on budget rules. “The rules of the stability pact do not stop member states from defining their priorities. We understand that the priority is security,” EU Economic Affairs Commissioner Pierre Moscovici said during his news conference.The EU’s stability pact obliges member states to keep their public deficits under 3.0 percent of gross domestic product. The Eurozone states with excessive deficits are subject to fines if they are not making substantial efforts to bring them back down.

Many killed in Flood in India: Troops deployed

CHENNAI -India has deployed the army and air force to rescue flood-hit residents in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, where at least 71 people have died in around a week of torrential rains. Media reports said that military helicopters were being used to drop food and drinking water to the worst-hit areas, while schools and businesses in state capital Chennai had been forced to close. 12 children and 10 adults were airlifted to safety on Monday, the Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency quoted an official as saying.PTI said at least 71 people had died since the rains started last week, with the neighbouring states of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka also affected. Television footage showed families in Chennai using canoes to get through waist-deep waters. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa Jayaram said the government was working day and night to bring relief to victims of the floods, caused by a cyclonic depression formed in the Bay of Bengal.She announced a relief fund of five billion rupees ($75 million), according to PTI. India suffers severe flooding every year during the annual monsoon rains, which cover the subcontinent from June to September. Dozens died this year in flooding in the northeastern state of Assam. The Indian Meteorological Department warned on Tuesday of further heavy rain in the north of the state.Fishermen were advised not to put to sea along the coasts of Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry, it said in a bulletin.

President Putin vowed to increase Syria airstrikes after blowing Russian airline

MOSCOW- President Vladimir Putin vowed to hunt down those responsible for blowing up a Russian airliner over Egypt and intensify air strikes against ISIS militants in Syria - after the Kremlin concluded a bomb had destroyed the plane last month -killing 224 people.“The combat work of our aviation in Syria must not only be continued. It must be intensified so that the criminals understand that vengeance is inevitable,” Putin said.Russia’s security chief told President Putin that a plane carrying 224 people over Egypt’s Sinai was downed due to a “terror attack,” the Kremlin said on Tuesday. Until now, Russia had played down assertions from Western countries that the October 31 crash was the work of terrorists, saying it was important to let the official investigation run its course. But four days after ISIS gunmen and bombers killed at least 129 people in Paris, Alexander Bortnikov, the head of the FSB, told a late night meeting that traces of foreign-made explosive had been found on fragments of the downed plane and on passengers’ personal belongings.Egyptian authorities have detained two employees of Sharm al-Sheikh Airport for questioning in connection with the downing of the Russian jet, two security officials said on Tuesday.Russia on Tuesday staged a significant number of air strikes on the Islamic State group stronghold ofRaqa in the north of Syria. The attacks may have included sea-launched cruise missiles and long range bombers and gave the United States advanced warning of the attacks, a US security official saidon Tuesday.

President Obama heads to Asia

US President Barack Obama arrives in the Philippines Tuesday with his much-vaunted"pivot to Asia" again overshadowed by events in Europe, the Middle East and politics at home.Obama will touch down in Manila with the world's focus on the murderous attacks in Paris claimed by the Islamic State group and soul searching about how to counter it in Syria and Iraq.The long planned Asia trip had been designed to underscore America's role as a "Pacific power" and timed to coincide with high-profile regional summits, which Obama has made a point of attending."When we're not at the table, we're on the menu," said senior foreign policy aide Ben Rhodes half-jokingly,explaining the administration's policy.Before the Paris attacks, National Security Advisor Susan Rice previewed Obama's trip as an opportunity to herald a vast trans-Pacific trade deal and efforts to promote a "rules-based order" amid tensions in the South China Sea. But Obama has spent the last few days talking about Syria, Iraq and the Islamic State, and will likely do so again with Asian leaders. That focus may actually sit well with some Asian nations, according to Ernest Bower of Washington think-tank CSIS."Countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei have real and immediate concerns about citizens who have left to fight in Syria and Iraq and will be returning," said Bower."After Paris, most Asian countries will be looking to the US for leadership in the counter-ISIS (Islamic State) fight. This will underline the US global security role."For his part, Obama may point to majority Muslim nations in Southeast Asia as examples of how economic development can put a lid on radicalism. Still, another sidetracked trip to the region is a far cry from early in Obama's term when the Hawaii-born commander-in-chief confidently declared himself"America's first Pacific president".Throughout his administration, key aides have been frustrated at events in Iraq, Syria, and elsewhere perennially dominating presidential agendas and security briefings.In their view, populous and fast-growing Asia has, as a result, not always received the attention it deserves.

UN Chief to visit North Korea

SEOUL –United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is to visit NorthKorea, the first head of the world body to set foot in the isolated state for more than 20 years, Yonhap reported. Citing an unidentified high-level UN source, the South Korean news agency said that Ban would visit in his official capacity later this week, though no precise dates were given. The UN spokesman’s office in New York declined to comment on the report.

What is going to happen to EU refugees policy after Paris Attacks

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker firmly defended on Sunday the EU’s hotly-contested plan to redistribute refugees across Europe despite calls by Poland to scrap the scheme after the deadly attacks in Paris. The EU’s eastern-most members have been furious over the redistribution plan agreed in October,calling instead for a stronger EU outer-border, but Juncker warned against using the tragedy in Paris as means to roll it back. “I would like to invite those in Europe who are trying to change the migration agenda we have adopted to be serious about this and not to give in to these basic reactions. I don’t like it,” Juncker told journalists on the sidelines of the G20 leaders’ meeting in Antalya, Turkey. The fresh criticism of the plan emerged after officials in Greece saida Syrian passport found at the scene of the mass shooting in a Paris concert hall belonged to an asylum seeker who registered on a Greek island in October. Greek police did not rule out that the passport had changed hands before the attacks. Poland’s incoming European Affairs Minister Konrad Szymanski led the charge against the EU saying that Warsaw no longer considered the plan as a political possibility in the light of the Paris attacks. But Juncker said that “those who organised, who perpetrated the attacks are the very same people who the refugees are fleeing and not the opposite”. “And so there is no need for an overall review of the European policy on refugees,” Juncker said.

Paris attacks were planned in Syria: PM Manuel Valls

Friday's attacks by Islamist militants in Paris were planned and organised from Syria, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls has said. He added that the authorities believed new terror attacks were being planned in France and other European countries. Mr Valls also said 150 raids on suspected militants had been carried out across France early on Monday. A total of 129people died in the attacks on bars and restaurants, a concert hall and the Stade de France. A huge manhunt is under way for surviving members and accomplices of the Islamist group that carried out the attack. Police have named Brussels-born Salah Abdeslam, 26, as a key suspect. He was reportedly stopped by officers in the wake of the attacks - but then let go. Meanwhile, French aircraft have attacked Raqqa, the stronghold in Syria of the Islamic State group, which has said it carried out the attacks. Mr Valls said that France was dealing with a"terrorist army", rather than a single terrorist group."We know that operations were being prepared and are still being prepared, not only against France but other European countries too," he said, quoted by AFP news agency. The prime minister said more than 150 raids on militant targets in different areas of France early on Monday. Police sources told news agencies that properties in the Paris suburb of Bobigny, as well as the cities of Grenoble, Toulouse and Lyon, had been targeted.Seven attackers died in the assault on the French capital, most of them after detonating suicide belts

G20 Summit united global efforts to combact terrorism

ANTALYA: Paris attacks took the centrestage at the G20 Summit on Sunday with Prime Minister Narendra Modi calling for a united global effort to combat terrorism as world leaders joined a clarion call to eliminate ISIS network."Today, we meet in the tragic shadow of dreadful acts of terrorism. Combating it must be major priority for G20," Modi said here at the G20 Summit of leaders from the world's top-20 economies. As the two-day Summit began in this, Turkish coastal resort town, the US President Barack Obama vowed to stand with France in hunting down the perpetrators of Paris attacks and said, "The killing of innocent people based on a twisted ideology is an attack not just on France, not just on Turkey but it is an attack on the civilised world."Live: Full coverage of G20 summit. He also vowed to "redouble" efforts to "eliminate" the ISIS jihadist network, as the gruesome Paris attacks and the war in Syria overshadowed the Summit. The G20 Summit, which was expected to mainly discuss inclusive economic growth and climate change, was set to adopt a resolution at the end of the two-day meeting tomorrow calling for better coordination and exchange of information to cut off funding and a more comprehensive approach on"addressing the conditions conducive to terrorism."Modi also participated in a meeting of BRICS leaders on sidelines of G20 Summit and condemned the dreadful acts of terrorism in Paris."The entire humanity must stand together as one against terrorism. The need for a united global effort to combat terrorism has never been more urgent. This must also be a priority for BRICS nations," he said.The declaration on terror, separate from the main Summit declaration, may seek quicker implementation of the Financial Action Task Force, which involves stopping individuals sending money to groups like Islamic State and tackling the black market for oil that's key to its funding.

Paris attacks: Weapons found in 'getaway car'

Several Kalashnikovs have been found in an abandoned car believed to have been used by some of the Paris attackers, French judicial sources say.The black Seat car was found in the eastern Paris suburb of Montreuil on Sunday and suggests some of the attackers gotaway. Earlier, the first of the seven dead attackers was named as Ismail Mostefai. Six people close to him are in custody. France is in three days of mourning for the 129 people killed in the attacks. A special service for the families of the victims, the 350 people who were wounded, and the other survivors will be held at Paris's Notre Dame Cathedral later on Sunday. What we know Friday's attacks, claimed by Islamic State (IS) militants,hit a concert hall, a major stadium, restaurants and bars in the French capital. Prime Minister Manuel Valls has said France will continue with air strikes against IS in Syria, and described the group as a very well-organised enemy. President Francois Hollande has cancelled his plans to attend the G20 in Turkey and is holding meetings with various political leaders to discuss the crisis.
Belgian link?
The black Seat car, found in Montreuil, is believed to have been used by gunmen who opened fire at people in restaurants on Friday night, police say. Several AK47 rifles were found in the car, French media quotes judicial sources as saying.
It appears to confirm the theory that some of the gunmen managed to flee from the scene after the attacks, the BBC's Hugh Schofield reports from Paris. These men may then have driven north in another car to Belgium, he adds. Three men were arrested in Belgium on Saturday in connection with the attacks. Another car, a Volkswagen Polo, with Belgian number plates was found near the Bataclan concert venue, where in early 90 people were killed. Paris chief prosecutor Francois Molins said that car had been rented by a French national living in Belgium."We can say at this stage of the investigation there were probably three co-ordinated teams of terrorists behind this barbaric act,"Mr Molins said."We have to find out where they came from... and how they were financed."A Syrian passport, found near the body of one of the attackers at the Stade de France, had been used to travel through the Greek island of Leros last month, Greek officials have confirmed. Serbia says the holder of that passport had also crossed its border from Macedonia and sought asylum at one of its registration centres. No direct link has yet been made with the holder of the passport and the attackers. History of petty crime Mostefai was reportedly identified after investigators found a severed finger at the scene of the worst atrocity, the Bataclan concert hall where more than 80 people died. He came from the town of Courcouronnes, 25km (15 miles) south of Paris. He lived in the city of Chartres 100km south-west of Paris until 2012, according to the local MP and deputy mayor Jean-Pierre Gorges. He is said to have regularly attended the mosque in Luce, close to Chartres.
Attack sites:
La Belle Equipe, 92 rue de Charonne, 11th district - 19 dead in gun attacks
Le Carillon bar and Le Petit Cambodge restaurant at rue Alibert, 10th district - 15 dead in gun attacks
La Casa Nostra restaurant, 92 rue de la Fontaine au Roi, 11th district - five dead in gun attacks
Stade de France,St Denis, just north of Paris- explosions heard outside venue, three attackers and bystander dead Bataclan concert venue,
50 Boulevard Voltaire, 11thdistrict - 89 dead when stormed by gunmen Mostefai had a history of petty crime but was never jailed. The security services deemed him to have been radicalised in 2010 but he was never implicated in a counter-terrorism investigation. Police are said to be trying to find out whether he travelled to Syria in 2014.His father, brother and sister-in-law are among six people close to Mostefai who have reportedly been taken into police custody."It's crazy, insane. I was in Paris myself last night, I saw what a mess it was," Mostefai's older brother told AFP before being detained after voluntarily attending a police station on Saturday. Mostefai's brother said he had not had contact with him for several years following family disputes, but said he was surprised to hear he had been radicalised. He was one of six children in the family and had travelled to Algeria with his family and young daughter, the brother said. French President Francois Hollande has imposed a state of emergency after the worst peace time attack in France since World War Two. It is also the deadliest in Europe since the 2004 Madrid bombings. Islamic State said it carried out the attacks on"carefully chosen targets" and were a response to France's involvement in the air strikes on IS militants in Syria and Iraq. President Hollande said France had been"attacked in a cowardly shameful and violent way" and vowed to be"merciless" in its response to IS militants.

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Academic Susan Carland, wife of Waleed Aly, donating $1 to charity for each hate tweet

Academic Susan Carland, one half of Australia's Muslim power couple, is donating a single dollar to charity for each hate tweet she gets. Since making the pledge a little over two weeks ago, she's already been forced to donate more than $1000.

People who are happy and secure just don't do this sort of thing – they don't send out machine guns of hate. 

The former Muslim Australian of the Year and wife of Fairfax columnist and host of The Project Waleed Aly believes Twitter is toxic for women and Muslims.

Susan Carland with her husband, Fairfax columnist and host of The Project Waleed Aly. Photo: Instagram/susancarland

"I'm worried that it's going to slowly send me broke," she says. By drawing attention to it, she knows this article is only going to make things worse.

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"I thought, what's a good thing I can do? What is the complete antithesis of what these people are doing? They are putting so much ugly into the world. I thought what something is good I can put into the world."
Dr Carland, an academic at Monash University, has used a number of forums - including her Twitter account - as an outlet for her views on religion, immigration and society.

Susan Carland is fighting Twitter trolls by donating $1 to UNICEF for each hateful message she receives. Photo: Simon O'Dwyer

But the trolls that plague her account and those of her friends don't seem to care too much about the topics. They are out for the cheap thrill of inflicted pain.
Fairfax Media has chosen not to give them air, but suffice to say their insults are usually personal.
"Any Muslim certainly seems to attract a lot of hate online. And then being a Muslim woman - and when you're an unapologetic Muslim woman - you get a lot of hate," Dr Carland said.

"They just send out a lot of hate to a lot of people. They are at their core very unhappy people": Susan Carland. Photo: Simon O'Dwyer

Most of her trolls are men. Most, as far as she can understand them, want attention.
"They just send out a lot of hate to a lot of people. They are at their core very unhappy people. People who are happy and secure just don't do this sort of thing – they don't send out machine guns of hate."

Up until now, Dr Carland has been fighting the trolls in the usual way: through the mute button.
"Some trolls see being blocked as a badge of honour. The good thing about the mute button is it's like putting trolls behind a glass wall, and they don't know, they are just screaming away. Sometimes I engage them – I write back 'someone needs a hug'".
This novel approach does not seem to be doing much to detract from trolling so far, she says. It's only made them more vile, more attention-seeking.
She chose the charity the money is going towards, UNICEF, because she thought no one could have too many complaints about a charity that supports children.
"Of course, trolls started picking on that," she laughs.

Top Gear producer sues Clarkson and BBC for racial discrimination

Top Gear's former host Jeremy Clarkson is being sued by Irish producer Oisin Tymon for racial discrimination. 

Lawyers for the 55-year-old presenter and the BBC had a closed-door hearing with Tymon's representatives at a London employment tribunal yesterday, according to sources.
Clarkson, who was later fired by the BBC, reportedly called Tymon a "lazy, Irish c***" during a confrontation at a hotel in north Yorkshire.
Tymon's law firm Slater and Gordon said it would not comment on the case.
A BBC spokeswoman said: "We will be responding to this claim but will not be commenting further at this time."
Clarkson was suspended after the "fracas" over catering on March 10, and was sacked by the BBC on March 25, following an internal inquiry.
The inquiry, led by the director of BBC Scotland Ken MacQuarrie, said Tymon "was struck, resulting in swelling and bleeding to his lip" during the "unprovoked physical and verbal attack".
MacQuarrie added: "The verbal abuse was sustained over a longer period, both at the time of the physical attack and subsequently."
Since his departure from Top Gear, Clarkson has signed a new deal with Amazon Prime to present a motoring show, which will air in 2016.
He will be joined by his co-presenters from the BBC show, Richard Hammond and James May, as well as producer Andy Wilman.

Suicide bombing at Shia service in Baghdad kills 21

 

A suicide bomber struck a Baghdad memorial service for a Shia militia fighter killed in battle against the Islamic State group, killing 21 people on Friday.

The bomber detonated his explosives’ vest at the service in the Iraqi capital’s southwestern suburb of Hay al-Amal, a police official said. At least 46 people were wounded in the explosion.

The militia fighter was killed in battle against the militant group in Iraq’s western Anbar province, police said.

IS hand suspected

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but the Islamic State militant group has frequently targeted large Shia gatherings. The radical Sunni group believes that Shias are apostates who have strayed from Islam.

Following its blitz last year, the Islamic State group which splintered off from Iraq’s al-Qaeda branch now holds about a third of Iraq and neighboring Syria in its self-declared caliphate.

Since the emergence of IS extremists, Baghdad has seen near-daily attacks, with roadside bombs, suicide blasts and assassinations targeting Iraqi forces and government officials, with significant casualties among the civilian population.

The violence has killed hundreds and displaced tens of thousands of Iraqis.

Shia militia fighters answered a call to arms last year after the country’s highest Shia religious authority, Ayatollah Ali al-Sisani, called on Iraqi men to defend the country.

The attack came a day after 44 people were killed in south Beirut in a twin bombing claimed by the Islamic State group, the bloodiest such attack in years. — AP

Attack comes a day after

IS suicide blasts claimed

44 lives in south Beirut