Sunday, February 15, 2015

ISIS Kills Coptic Egyptians in Libya




At the Mediterranean coast near Tripoli, Libya.


داعش ليبيا يبث فيديو ذبح الأقباط المصريين

ISIS in Libya propagates video of sacrificed Coptic Egyptians.


بث تنظيم داعش الإرهابي فيديو لعملية ذبح المصريين الأقباط المختطفين. وأظهرت الصور معاملة مشينة من عناصر التنظيم للأسرى، حيث ساقهم واحدا واحدا. وأظهرت إحدى صور تلطخ مياه البحر بلون الدم، في استعراض متوقع من التنظيم الدموي.ـ

The terrorist organization ISIS propagated a video [that is showing how] kidnapped Coptic Egyptians are being sacrificed. And they showed pictures of the proceedings of prisoner [treatment] by followers of the organization at the place they were led to one after the other. Some photos showed waves of sea water tainted with red colour, a probable floating of blood.


In that video as well, a masked spokesman of ISIS is referring to Osama Bin Laden whose
remainings had been left to the sea (below photo). As to the Egyptian citizens abducted by
ISIS, their overall number is reported to be 21.



[Source: Al-Arabiya العربية on February 15, 2014. Screenshots from the video were simultaneously distributed by Al-Jazeera.]

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From the Starting Point of the Internet: No Way Back for Foreign Jihadist Fighters.




Visitors from France searching for the Pictures of Foreign Jihadist Fighters on Feb. 9, 2015.




Fighting Terrorism - China's Position.


Friday, February 13, 2015

Egypt Worried about Iranian Influence


Update included later on February 13.



After their takeover of power in Yemen, the Houthis are being warned by Egypt's prime minister that his country would not allow Houthi control of the Almond Gate (Bab al-Mandeb) shipping passage in the Red Sea. The Bab-el-Mandeb strait is located between Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula, and Djibouti and Eritrea in the Horn of Africa. It connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and is an essential access to the Suez Canal in Egypt.



In a caricature, published by Mandab Press مندب برس and which seems to be a local Yemenite news service, the subject was already mentioned on February 2, 2015. That caricature shows a Houthi rolling out the red carpet for an Iranian ayatollah towards Bab al-Mandeb.




بالفيديو.. رئيس الوزراء: لن نسمح بسيطرة الحوثيين على مضيق "باب المندب"ـ

Prime minister on video: " We will not allow the Houthi to control the Almond Gate passage. "


شدد المهندس إبراهيم محلب، رئيس مجلس الوزراء، على أن مصر لن تسمح بسيطرة الحوثيين فى اليمن على مضيق باب المندب، قائلاً "لن نسمح بأى تهديد للأمن القومى المصرى، ومصر قادرة على الرد بالطريقة التى تراها".ـ

Ing. Ibrahim Mahlab, president of the state council, confirmed that Egypt would not allow the Houthis in Yemen to control the Almond Gate passage. He said: " We will not allow any threat to Egypt's national security. And Egypt is able to react in [an appropriate] way. "


[Source: 7th Day اليوم السابع on February 13, 2015]




روسيا تقف ضد المشروع «الخليجي» و مجلس الأمن يفشل في إدانة «الحوثيين»ـ

Russia resists a project of [Gulf states], and Security Council fails to accuse Houthis.


انتهت جلسة مجلس الأمن الدولي الخاصة باليمن أمس الخميس من دون التوصل إلى أي اتفاق بين الأعضاء.ـ ورفضت روسيا إصدار بيان من المجلس يحمّل الحوثيين مسؤولية ما يجري في اليمن.ـ

Yesterday, Thursday [i.e. Feb. 12], a special session on Yemen of the [UN] Security Council closed without result concerning an agreement of its participants.
Russia rejected the council's publication of a declaration that would charge the Houthis with responsibility for the development in Yemen.


[Source: AlkhabarNow.net الخبر on February 13, 2015. Please note that even though Alkhabar seems to be specialized in Arabic language news about Yemen, its server and IP-address are located in the U.S.A.]


القاعدة في الجنوب والحوثي في صنعاء واليمن غائب

With Al-Qaeda in the south and Houthi in Sanaa, Yemen gets lost.


[Source: DW , Arabic service of German national broadcaster on February 12, 2015]

Sunday, February 08, 2015

Iran's Position in Yemen's Turmoil


Important Update added on February 9

On February 6, 2015, BBC London reported about the takeover of power in Yemen by Houthi rebels who announced to dissolve parliament as well. The Houthis delivered their message from the Republican palace in Sanaa to a huge gathering of political, military and tribal figures in an effort to demonstrate the range of their support. The Saudis are on the alert in what they see as an Iranian-backed Shia takeover in a country where they are used to exert political influence.

One day later, Al-Arabiya, a TV station in the United Emirates came with the following headline:

محللون: دعم إيران مكّن الحوثيين من الصعود السريع

Analysts say Iran supported the stabilization of Houthis with rising speed.




Iranian readers at a Tehran newspaper stall. [Al-Arabiya February 7, 2015]


The Houthis are a Muslimic sect traditionally living in parts of Northern Yemen, including the Yemenite capital of Sanaa. In 2009, Al-Jazeera had already published a map on its Arabic website showing the region where that group of Zaidiyyah Shia-Muslims is concentrated. The Houthis are named after a former commander, who was reportedly killed by Yemenite army forces in September 2004. The group's religious orientation makes them a potential partner for the Islamic Republic of Iran which is dominated by Shia-Islam as well.



Traditional strongholds of the Houthis in Yemen. [Al-Jazeera, August 12, 2009]


أبدت دول الخليج قلقها من تزايد النفوذ الإيراني في اليمن كما انتقدته واشنطن، وأعرب مجلس الأمن عن قلقه من تردي الأوضاع محذراً من فرض عقوبات في حال لم تستأنف المحادثات التي ترعاها الأمم المتحدة.ـ

For an eternity the Gulf states were alarmed by any augmentation of prestige for Iran in Yemen [similar to that whenever Iran was] criticized by Washington, and the [United Nations] Security Council became alarmed [of crashing into] the difficult situation of imposing sanctions in a matter of negotiations to be resumed under the auspices of the Security Council [itself].

فصعود المتمردين الحوثيين الخاطف، وتقدمهم في اليمن، ثم استيلاؤهم على السلطة، ما كان ليتم بحسب مراقبين دون تواطؤ داخلي ودور خارجي، ثقله وعمادُه الرئيسي هو إيران. فرغبة في وضع قواعد جديدة للسياسة في الشرق الأوسط، ومساومة القوى العظمى بشأن ملفات عدة، مكنها من أن تضع قدمها على باب المندب، وتغرس راياتها خفية في تراب اليمن، وتدق الأبواب الخلفية لدول الخليج ومصر، كما أنها تجد موطئ قدم على البحر الأحمر.ـ

The sudden rising of the Houthi rebels, their advance in Yemen and grip of power, which was a stand alone [action] according to observers [and] without secret complicity of [some foreign residency], was [even though claimed to be due to Iran's presidential support]. There are wishes for the installation of a new political structure in the Middle East .....


[Source: Al-Arabiya العربية on February 7, 2015]

..............................


UPDATE for February 9:

The following text has been quoted from the Arabic website of Iran's TV station Al-Alam العالم.




الحوار اليمني يستأنف برعاية اممية للخروج من الازمة

The Yemenite dialogue is being resumed [at the time of]
international protection for an exodus from the capital.



An article from the same day is showing that Iran also supports the authorities of Palestine and how Palestine's ambassador to Tehran is evaluating that help.




سفير فلسطين في طهران: إيران سند أساسي لا غنى عنها

The Palestinian ambassador in Tehran said
Iran essentially helped in what is necessary.


أكد السفير الفلسطيني لدى طهران صلاح الزواوي أن إيران سند أساسي لللقضية الفلسطينية ولا غنى لفلسطين عنها؛ مشدداً على أن: مهمتنا كفلسطينيين أن ندفع باتجاه دفع العلاقات العربية الإيرانية.ـ

The Palestinian ambassador to Tehran, Salah al-Zaouaoui, confirmed that Iran essentially helped in the Palestinian cause [and Palestine needed it]. He however insisted: " It is important to us how we Palestinians are paying the debt [and face the cost of] Arabic Iranian relations. "


[Source: Al-Alam العالم, Tehran, on February 9, 2015]

Another source confirms that Palestine's Hezbollah and Hamas are approaching towards Iran. Hamas leader Khaled Meshal should have left to meet with Iranian leaders in Tehran. [Source: fr.labs.teads.tv]

..............................






" Should we be worried that the enemy of our enemy Al Qaeda is also
friends with our other enemies -- adversaries, anyway -- in Tehran? "


Question raised by the Los Angeles Times on February 7, 2015, in the frame
of their column Why the U.S. is courting the Houthis taking control in Yemen.



Some guy from one of the poorest countries in the world
is searching for a schematic diagram of a rocket engine.
Honi soit qui mal y pense !


Sunday, January 25, 2015

Saudi Arabia's Gift for Europe




Position of King Abdulaziz Al-Saud Mosque in Marbella, Spain.


At the time when world leaders are gathering in Riyadh to mourn former Saudi King Abdulaziz Al-Saud, his follower King Salman proudly presents a rather tiny mosque erected in Spain and that should be seen as a sign of peace between the world of Islam and the West.

Andalusía in southern Spain, where in mediaeval times the mighty Caliphate of Cordoba left its architectural traces, seems to be the perfect region to establish a link to some modernized and peaceful Islam. This, however, might be seen by some parties as a provocation of Europe's rather secular communities where a rising militant Salafist movement has already triggered off much aggression among locals despite extended demonstrations in favour of religious tolerance. A steady growth of Islamic communities in most European countries has continually raised the fears of those who are now opposing the more tolerant mainstream in their countries.

Only to mention the population of France where Islamic influence has steadily increased during the last decades, due to immigration from former French colonies in Africa and from neighbouring territories (Algeria, Morocco, Mali, Chad etc), while the above mentioned historic background in southern Spain had already provided a certain amount of Muslim descendants long before legal and illegal immigration from North Africa started to build up a Muslimic population of 200.000 (by 1981). In contrast, the xenophobe movement "Pegida" in Germany and which came into being only recently can be seen as an answer to a long-standing and unrestricted Muslimic immigration, especially from Turkey and which has already entirely changed the appearance and population of certain urban areas. However, that German movement is obviously inferior to the numerous and more tolerant mainstream in most parts of the country.

Whether or not the Saudi present might turn out to be a Trojan Horse rather than a present of peace will become clear sooner or later. At least, it should be mentioned that Saudi Arabia's Wahabism is seen by some western experts as the expression of an orthodox and less tolerant variety of Islam and which should have much in common with the ideas of Salafism and the Jihadi warriors that a U.S. centred alliance is just fighting in Iraq and Syria.




الملك سلمان شيّد أول مسجد بإسبانيا منذ سقوط الأندلس

King Salman built the First Mosque in Spain since
the Fall of [Spain's Historic Caliphate in] Andalusia.


قبل 33 سنة، عاد الإسلام مجددا إلى الأندلس، ولأول مرة منذ طرد المسلمين بأكثر من 500 عام من هناك.. أعادهم ذلك الوقت سعودي كان أميرا للرياض، من دون أن يشن حربا أو يحرق سفنا أو يهرق دما، بل عبر مسجد بناه على نفقته في مدينة ماربيا الساحلية بأقصى الجنوب الأندلسي، المقابل للجانب الآخر من مضيق جبل طارق، حيث المغرب قريب 14 كيلومترا فقط.ـ

..... Modernized Islam returned to Andalusia and for the first time after more than 500 years since the expulsion of Muslims from there ..... at that very time returned to them a Saudi [who happens to be] Emir of Riyadh, without declaring a war or burning ships or spilling blood, and who even more erected a mosque at his expense in the coastal town of Marbella, in the extreme south of Andalusia and which is facing the other side of the Strait of Gibraltar where [Arabic] North Africa is only 14 km away.


[Source: Al-Arabiya العربية on January 24, 2015]

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Ceuta, a Spanish enclave in Morocco, seen as a factory for Jihadists.




Abu Bakr getting Frozen in Alaska ?


Sunday, January 18, 2015

Belgium after Jihadist Attack




بالصور.. مدبر اعتداءات بلجيكا "داعشي" معروف في سوريا

On pictures ..... The ISIS manager of violence in Belgium is known to be in Syria.


أكدت وسائل الإعلام السبت أن العقل المدبر للخلية التي ضبطت الخميس في بلجيكا قبيل انتقالها إلى مرحلة التنفيذ الفعلي، هو متطرف بلجيكي مشهور ذهب إلى سوريا وأصدر أمراً بشن العملية من اليونان أو من تركيا.ـ

On Saturday, information sources confirmed that the [acting brain] in the cell and who was in control of [preparing it for] the execution of the practical phase in Belgium on Thursday, a known Belgian extremist, went to Syria and gave the order to launch the operation either from Greece or Turkey.

وذكرت صحيفة "درنيير اور" أن "المحققين يبحثون عن زعيم الخلية المتطرفة" عبد الحميد أباعود (27 عاماً) بمساعدة مكتب التحقيقات الفدرالي "أف.بي.آي"ـ

And the journal "Dernière Heure" pointed out that [the authorities] are searching for Abdelhamid Abeoud (27), the leader of the extremist cell, in cooperation with the [U.S.] Federal Bureau of Investigations FBI.


[Source: Al-Arabiya العربية on January 17, 2015]




Abdelhamid Abeoud



طفل "داعشي" من أصل مغربي يثير صدمة في بلجيكا

ISIS child of North-African origin is shocking Belgium.


أسابيع فقط بعد الصورة المرعبة للطفل الاسترالي خالد، ذي 7 سنوات، وهو يحمل مبتسما رأسا مقطوعة ﻷحد ضحايا جماعة "داعش" في سوريا، انتشرت بسرعة البرق صورة جديدة لطفل بلجيكي من أصل مغربي، يدعى يونس أباعود، ذي 13 ربيعا فقط، وهو يحمل سلاح كلاشينكوف في يده اليسرى ويرفع سبابة يده اليمنى إلى الأعلى، معلنا انضمامه إلى أكبر وأخطر جماعة ارهابية.ـ

Only weeks after the alarming picture of a seven year old Australian child [became unforgettable] and who is carrying with a smile [the cut-off heads of] some victims of ISIS organization in Syria, a new picture is rapidly propagating [by electronic means] and which is showing some Belgian child of North-African origin, Junis Abeoud, [at the time when he was 13 years old], carrying a Kalashnikov in his left hand and lifting the index of his right hand to announce his affiliation to the Great [Allah] and to inform the terrorist community.


[Source: Channel Al-Alam قناة العالم, Iran, on August 28, 2014]


Editor's Note:

- Junis Abeoud seems to be a relative of Abdelhamid Abeoud as he is mentioned with a similar photo in the above cited article of Al-Arabiya. A related video is known to exist on the internet.

- According to the latest news from Brussels on January 18, the extremist cell leader Abdelhamid Abeoud should still be at large while a group of four persons arrested in Athens on Saturday, January 17, does not comprise the "right person".

- In the frame of police raids directed against extremists, some 13 persons were arrested in different regions of Belgium.

- Both jihadists that could be killed at the place of a bloody attack in Verviers on Thursday, January 15, came from Molenbeek, Belgium.

[Main Source: Dernière Heure, Brussels, on January 18, 2015]

Sunday, January 11, 2015

Paris - Historic March against Extremism


- Different Updates Included -



On January 11: Masses assembling on Place de la République, Paris.


Today, reality is outdating even the online headlines: It's not 40 but almost 50 world leaders who really joint "La Marche Républicaine", the Republican March of solidarity against extremism and religious terrorism. And it's not any longer 700.000 but more than three million people (3,7) that participate in the march all over France, some 1,5 million citizens in Paris alone. No wonder, the saying is spreading today that Paris has turned into the "capital of the world".




On January 11: World Leaders join Historic March against Extremism in Paris.


News UPDATE on January 11, 2015,
at the end of recent terrorist attacks
on civilian targets in Paris, France.


With explosions and gunfire, security forces Friday (Jan. 9) ended three days of terror around Paris, killing the two al-Qaeda-linked brothers who staged a murderous rampage at a satirical newspaper and an accomplice who seized hostages at a kosher supermarket to try to help the brothers escape. During the proceedings, the accomplice shot all of his hostages after having already shot a policewoman.

Al-Qaeda's branch in Yemen said it directed the attack against the publication Charlie Hebdo to avenge the honor of the Prophet Muhammad, a frequent target of the weekly's satire. [=> Al-Qaeda statement towards Associated Press AP]

The attackers had ties both to each other and to terrorist activities that reached back years and extended from Paris to al-Qaeda in Yemen. The Yemen connection could be partly confirmed by a CNN team that met with an eye-witness in Saana. [=> CNN report on January 12]

The death toll of both incidents comprises at least 19 people, including the three gunmen. Chérif and Said Kouachi, the Charlie Hebdo assassins, were trapped and killed in Dammartin-en-Goele, near Charles de Gaulle airport. Amedi Coulibaly perished in the grocery store near Porte de Vincennes, Paris.

A fourth suspect, Coulibaly's wife, Hayat Boumeddiene, is still at large and now probably in Syria. Boumeddiene is thought to be armed and dangerous.



Link to an Istanbul airport video showing Hayat Boumeddiene
at the time of her passport check. [Al-Arabiya on January 12]


A Muslim employee of the targeted grocery store in Paris is being hailed as a hero for hiding several customers in a walk-in freezer to save them from being killed in a violent attack. Lassana Bathily, 24, led the others into the basement of his workplace when Amedy Coulibaly burst into the store just hours before the Jewish Sabbath began and killed four people in what President François Hollande called "a terrifying anti-Semitic act."




All over France: Now it's already 3,7 Million that Take to the Streets.
(Photo showing an earlier demonstration in Marseille on January 9/10.)


[Main Sources: AFP / ABC News Australia / Al-Arabiya / AP / CNN / XinHua on January 9-12]

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Qur'an Surat Al-'Ahzab (The Combined Forces) 33:7



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Recent visitors coming from Paris, France; the visitor from
Paris-Vincennes being directly related to the actual events.




Other visitors from France, Nigeria and Senegal interested in related subjects.

Link to the latest development in the Boko Haram attack on Baga in Northern Nigeria
that took place on January 3 and might be the bloodiest attack of that jihadist group.


Friday, January 09, 2015

Russia Building Arctic Stronghold


The following news are fitting with earlier reports on Russia's intention to bring certain areas of the North Pole region under its control. It's about territorial claims but, as well, about exploration of oil and natural gas.



俄北方舰队将为适应北极地区行动接受特别培训

Russia's Northern Fleet is going to accustom itself to
special training [during] operations in the polar region.


中新网1月9日电据俄媒9日报道,俄罗斯北方舰队新闻办公室主任 瓦季姆·谢尔加日前透露,俄罗斯北方舰队海军陆战队2015年将为 适应在北极地区的行动接受特别培训。

On January 9 and referring to a Russian media report from the same day, China News Net quoted the director of the news office for Russia's Northern Fleet [Vladimir ..... ] as having revealed the day before that, in 2015, the marine corps of Russia's Polar Fleet is going to accustom itself to the special training [required for] operations in the polar region.

报道称,该训练计划针对最北部海岸和其他北极地区的条件, 旨在提高人员的培训水平。

The report says this training program needs to be aiming at the requirements of the North Pole coast and other arctic regions for the purpose of raising the personnel's level of training.


[Source: China News Net 中国新闻网 on January 9, 2015]

When it comes to the arctic region, special technologies are required for the exploration of natural resources like oil and minerals. Yet, it is an accepted fact that Russia has already gained much experience in the application of modified technologies for an efficient exploration of oil or natural gas under extreme climate conditions. Furthermore, Russia owns some of the most powerful ice-breakers in the world to guarantee almost steady access to their remote arctic stations. => You are invited to read another related blogspot of mine: Russia's Plannings for the Polar Region

..............................




A Russian visitor to "blueprint news" who came
from "Lavochkin", a Russian aerospace company.


NPO Lavochkin or "Lavochkin Scientific and Production Association (Lavochkin Association)" in Khimki, Moscow, is a Russian aerospace company that enjoys a long tradition.

Founded by Semyon Lavochkin in 1937, NPO Lavochkin specialized in aeronautics and the construction of space equipment and weapons. An exhibition in the company's nearby museum retraces the whole history and activity of that manufacturer from the beginning to the present: Fighters, cruise missiles, ground-to-air missiles, etc. NPO Lavochkin also participated in the development of Russia's carrier rockets Soyouz and Proton.

Nowadays, Lavochkin is a major player in the Russian space program, being the developer and manufacturer of the Fregat upper stage, as well as interplanetary probes such as Fobos-Grunt. Furthermore, it is involved in joint satellite programs together with foreign partners.

Wednesday, January 07, 2015

Paris - Islamist Attack Kills 12 - Arouses Millions


Breaking News UPDATE on January 8:
A female police officer has reportedly died of her injuries after she and a colleague were shot in southern Paris this morning, less than 24 hours after the gun attack on the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. At the same time disturbing reports of apparent revenge attacks on Muslim targets appeared from different parts of France. [Source: The Independent on Jan. 8, 2015]





Screenshots from a video that could be recorded at the time of the "Charlie Hebdo" incident.
According to latest news, 12 persons died in the shooting and 12 were injured including four
in grave conditions. French police is now tracing three suspects, two of them being brothers.
In the frame of a nationwide search, a spectacular raid was reported from the town of Reims.




Cherif Kouachi, 32 (left), convicted terrorist and French-born orphan of Algerian parents, is one
of three suspects in the Charlie Hebdo incident. His role is considered as essential in the terror
attack. The other suspects have been named as Cherif’s brother, Said Kouachi, 34 (right), and
Hamyd Mourad, 18, who has allegedly turned himself in to the authorities.

On January 7 and the following day, tens of thousands of French citizens assembled in huge
demonstrations directed against terrorism and in favour of free speech. [Source: France24]



French citizens taking to the streets.




The Great Magician predicts: "In 2015 I'll lose my teeth, in 2022 I'll celebrate Ramadan."

The latest edition of Charlie Hebdo is featuring a new book written by Michel Houellebecq
and where the author describes how an Islamist party succeeds in winning the general
elections in France while other political forces are locked in their eternal disagreement.
Houellebecq's book is named "Submission" and should appear on the market today, the
date of a hideous terrorist attack on the magazine's staff. Caricatures of Charlie Hebdo
are famous for never sparing anybody from making fun of him, neither a disputed Michel
Houellebecq and his predictions nor those Islamic fanatics with a blockheaded attitude.


..............................






Sunday, January 04, 2015

ISIS Bird Twittered Location of Secret Hide-Outs




داعشي "يكشف خطأ" مواقع سرية للتنظيم!ـ

Member of ISIS "leaks by mistake" hide-outs of the organization.


منذ بداية 2015، ضجت وسائل الإعلام الأجنبية، لا سيما الصحف، بخبر الداعشي النيوزيلندي الذي كشف بالخطأ مواقع سرية للتنظيم في سوريا. فالمقاتل النيوزيلندي، مارك تايلور، الذي غير اسمه منذ التحاقه بصفوف داعش إلى "أبو عبد الرحمن"، كشف عبر تغريداته عن أماكن تواجده إلى جانب عناصر التنظيم في سوريا، وتنقلاته بين منطقة وأخرى، من الطبقة السورية وكفر رمان إلى معرة النعمان وغيرها من المناطق السورية.ـ

Since the beginning of 2015, foreign sources of information, especially the press, made much noise of being informed about [an ISIS member] from New Zealand who leaked by mistake the organization's hide-outs in Syria. [It seems that] Mark Taylor, the warrior from New Zealand who changed his name into "Abu Abad al-Rahman" when joining the ranks of ISIS, leaked information while "twittering" with other followers of the organization in Syria and moving between different regions. ..........


[Source: Al-Arabiya العربية on January 3, 2015]

The original article shows different twitter notes and pictures related to Mark Taylor as well as satellite images enabling the identification of ISIS locations in the north-western part of Syria between Latakia and Ar-Raqqah.

On the same day, France Info reported that Lebanese authorities have intensified border crossing controls. From now on, Syrian citizens passing the border into Lebanon will need a visum.

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Thursday, January 01, 2015

Happy New Year 2015




Here we go ! - My "time machine" that helps me pass from one year to the other.


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Some of my last but not least visitors in 2014:
All of them showed interest in Arabic subjects.



Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Crash of Air Asia 8501


Last UPDATE: January 4 / 12, 2015



Latest news: Already 6 bodies recovered in Air Asia crash.
Another search of bodies and debris will continue today at
daylight. On Sunday, Dec. 28, Air Asia flight 8501 crashed
into the Java Sea south of Borneo. [Source: CNN / BBC]



UPDATE for January 4, 2015:

According to different media sources, 31 bodies have been recovered from Air Asia flight 8501 that perished with 162 people on board in shallow waters off the coast of South Borneo. Weather was the “triggering factor” in the crash with icing likely causing engine damage, Indonesia’s meteorological agency said on Sunday. Bad weather still continues to hinder rescue efforts which already brought about five large pieces of Air Asia's Airbus A 320-200 while the plane's black box is still missing.

UPDATE for January 12, 2015:

Essential parts of the plane have now been discovered, including the flight and voice recorder.






A visitor to this site coming from German air traffic control DFS
which is located near Frankfurt International Airport at Langen.