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 ?

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]

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.

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

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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.

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.


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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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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.

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.

Russia Sanctions - Chinese Evaluation

A comprehensive article, published on December 23, 2014, in People's Network, Beijing, and referring to China's press agency Xin Hua 新华, is discussing certain aspects of western sanctions recently put into effect against Russia as far as they might hint at a possible crack between the U.S. and their allies in Europe. Here some quotations from that article in the English translation:

西方“反俄同盟”出现裂痕?

Title: Is there a Crack in the Western Alliance against Russia ?

“如果危机完全失控，这不符合我们的利益，”德国外长针对欧盟对俄罗斯制裁如是质疑。

" If the crisis runs completely out of control, this doesn't accord with our interests ", Germany's foreign minister [said], thus hinting at EU sanctions for Russia when that question was raised.

近日，在俄罗斯遭受油价和卢布汇率暴跌的威胁之际，欧美对俄罗斯发起了新一轮的制裁。其中，欧盟进一步限制对克里米亚和塞瓦斯托波尔进行贸易和投资活动，美国 禁止投资克里米亚或对这一地区进出口货物、技术和服务。

Recently, on the occasion of Russia suffering from a steep fall of the oil price and the rouble exchange rate, the European - U.S. alliance launched a new round of sanctions against Russia. In that frame, the European Union placed further restrictions on trade and investment activities regarding Crimea and Sevastopol, [while] the United States prohibited investment in Crimea [including] import and export of goods, technology and trade from that area.

今年以来，在美国的施压下，欧盟谨慎地一步步升级对俄制裁措施。对俄罗斯的连番经济打击，在令俄经济处境困难的同时，德国也坐不住了。德国外长似乎唱起了 反调，称试图通过经济手段迫使俄罗斯妥协同时强化欧洲地区安全形势是错误的想法。而德国总理默克尔更是公开表示，德国愿与俄罗斯共同应对国际安全挑战， 双方往来应继续深化，德方会维护与俄方的伙伴关系原则。作为欧盟核心大国，德国的抱怨似乎暴露了西方“反俄同盟”离心离德的一面。

From this year on and due to U.S. pressure, the European Union will step by step carefully escalate its punishing measures towards Russia. Joint economic attacks against Russia at the same time of an unfavourable and difficult situation in Russia cannot leave Germany sitting still any longer. Germany's foreign minister has seemingly sung an opposing tune, calling a wrong idea the circumstances of an attempt to adopt economic measures that would force Russia to compromise and, at the same time, strengthen Europe's regional safety. And German chancellor Merkel even more publicly shows that Germany is hoping to answer all challenges to international safety together with Russia. .....

站在欧盟的对面，强硬的普京并非莽撞之辈，给了欧盟大国一定的台阶下。在备受关注的法俄“西北方”级两栖攻击舰交易问题上，法国在压力之下，一再推迟向俄方交付已经建造好的军舰，俄方曾就此威胁法方将赔付巨额违约金。然而，普京本月6日却大方地表示，希望法国能履行合同内容，不过，即使法国不交付战舰，俄方也不会索赔，但希望法方如数退还定金。

Opposing the EU's position, a tough Putin, not being the crude and impetuous guy, [turned down] the big countries of the EU.
While being fixed on the matter of a French-Russian "North-Western" amphibious warship deal, France is [now] under pressure. Another delay of delivery to Russia of already built warships, [and] the Russian side [might] threaten France to compensate for a huge sum of money for violating the treaty. When on December 6, Putin stepped back from a manifestation of generosity, he expected France to be able to fulfill the contract's content. If not [and] even if France doesn't deliver the warships, Russia would not be able to claim damages, but would expect France to exactly return the prefixed sum of money.

美国远在天边可以隔岸观火，与俄罗斯相邻却是欧盟无法回避的宿命。围绕乌克兰危机进行的“反俄斗法”，欧盟同样付出了不小的代价。欧盟国家还能否继续亦步亦趋 地伙同美国保持“反俄同盟”的团结，将是俄罗斯密切留心的微妙话题。（文/刘小军）(来源:新华国际)

America being far away, can watch a fire from the other side of the ocean. The European Union, however, is incapable of evading fatalism while being Russia's neighbour. With an "anti-Russian way of contest" underway and which is centered around the Ukrainian crisis, the EU has equally paid [its] price, which was far from being low. Whether or not the countries of the European Union can still continue imitating every move [while] rallying around the "anti-Russian alliance" maintained in league with America, is a delicate topic, closely and carefully [observed] by Russia.




Russian visitor to "blueprint news" from the region bordering Ukraine.

Kurdish Peshmerga Chasing ISIS

العراق.. معارك ضد "داعش" في تلعفر وبيجي وسنجار

Iraq ... Fightings against ISIS in Tal Afar, Baiji and Sinjar.

البيشمركة تسيطر على الطريق الرئيسي وجبل سنجار وتحاصر المتطرفين في الأحياء

Peshmerga [now] control the main road [as well as] Mount Sinjar and [...] besiege the extremists.

[Source: Al-Arabiya العربية on December 23, 2014]

ISIS Preparing Deadly Weapon

سلاح داعش الجديد.. صهاريج متفجرة يقودها انتحاريون

New Weapon for ISIS - Explosive Tanker Guided by Suicide Bombers

التصفيح يمر عبر مراحل: المرحلة الأولى يتم فيها تصفيح الصهريج من الجهات الأربعة بمادة الصفائح الحديدية، وبمقياس قدره 5 سنتيمترات. والمرحلة الثانية شبيهة بالمرحلة الأولى، لكن ما بين المرحلتين يتم تشكيل فجوة هوائية مقياسها ما بين 5 سنتيمترات إلى 10 سنتيمترات، وتُملأ هذه الفجوة بالمواد الرملية و الكرات المعدنية.ـ

Progressive all-around armour plating: The first [layer] of armour plating for the tanker [stretching] on four sides [consists of] sheet metal measuring 5 cm. The second [layer] is resembling the first, however, there is no air left in the space between both [layers] which is measuring between 5 and 10 cm. Instead, it is filled with sand-like material and a metallic [load].

الصهريج سيكون مُحملا بما لا يقل عن 10 براميل من المواد المتفجرة والكيمياوية، وسيُسمع دوي انفجاره على بعد 30 كيلومترا بوضوح، وسيكون سلاحا قاتلا.ـ

The tanker ... will be able to transport 10 barrels of explosive material and chemicals ... [that will be exploded] after 30 km ... and will be a deadly weapon.

It has been warned that such armed tanker cannot be fought neither with an RPG-7 nor any other coventional weapon like the Kalashnikov. Instead, the vehicle needs to be destroyed by an airborne attack. [The RPG-7 (Russian: РПГ-7) is a portable, unguided, shoulder-launched, anti-tank rocket-propelled grenade launcher which is widely used in the area.]

[Source: Al-Arabiya العربية on December 15, 2014]

The following video has been distributed by some third party on the internet:

Libya - Competing Governments At War

Only one day after news from Benghazi indicating some kind of normalization in the capital of the one Libyan government that enjoys recognition by an international community, there is renewed fighting between militias belonging to the opposing governments in Benghazi and Tripoli. This time it's about military control of the border crossing to Tunisia at Ras Jdir.




اخبار ليبيا 13-12-2014 العاجلة الان
اعادة فتح اقسام وسجون مدينة بنغازي الليبية للمرة الاولي منذ اكثر من عام

Libya News from December 13, 2014, at local time:
Reopening of offices and prisons in the Libyan town
of Benghazi for the first time since more than a year.

[Source: Watny Net جريدة وطني الأخبارية on December 13, 2014]


Fighting near Libya's main border crossing to Tunisia

[Quotation of today's news report published by Reuters,
including some clarifying annotations made by Ulysses.]

" Tripoli / Tunis - Fighting between armed factions allied to Libya's competing governments broke out on Sunday [i.e. December 14] near the country's main border crossing to Tunisia, Libyan and Tunisian officials said.

The OPEC oil producer is caught in a conflict between two governments and parliaments since a group called Libya Dawn seized Tripoli in the summer.

The recognized government has been forced to work out of the east [from Benghazi]. In recent weeks it has sought to regain ground in the west with air strikes and the use of allied troops from the Zintan area who are calling themselves the Libyan National Army (LNA).

Omar al-Sanki, interior minister of the recognized government, said his forces had seized the western Ras Jdir border crossing, the main gateway into Tunisia.

But a Libyan border official and the mayor of Zuwara, a town east of Ras Jdir, denied this.

"Our forces...are still in control of Ras Jdir and it is not true that the borders have been taken by the army of tribes -LNA," said the mayor, Hafed Juma.

He said war planes belonging to the eastern-based government had attacked their positions, killing four people.

A Tunisian security source said there was fighting in the Libyan area of Boukamech near Ras Jdir. The border station was open, though Tunisia had advised its citizens to avoid the crossing. [A news report from Al-Arabiya and which appeared later today is indicating that Ras Jdir border station has now been definitely closed.]

In another setback for travelers, two Libyan state carriers said they had halted flights out of Tripoli and Misrata to Istanbul after the European Union imposed an overfly ban last week.

Egypt and Tunisia had already banned flights from western Libya, leaving Libyans with few options to travel abroad.

Western powers fear the conflict between former rebels who helped topple Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 will spiral out of control.

On Saturday a force allied to the Tripoli government tried taking the eastern Es Sider oil export port, triggering air strikes from the eastern government and a shutdown of the terminal. "

[Source: Reuters on December 14, 2014]


For more news refer to a related article, published on the same day of December 14 by The Financial Times: Civil war threatens Libya’s eastern oil facilities

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Recent visitors to "blueprint news" coming from Benghazi and Tripoli.

Russia's Putin - Riding the Tiger

Speech to the Nation: President Putin urges Russian resilience for hard times - BBC News




虎普京骑虎难下

Brave Putin is riding the tiger, finding it difficult to get off.

On December 3, 2014, People's Network in China published an article that is referring to Vladimir Putin's activities to save the Siberian tiger from extinction. It's therefore that he recently visited China's border province Hei Long Jiang where a population of such tigers is known to exist. Much earlier, he had already participated in the tagging of tigers to facilitate research of those rare predators.

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Last ten visitors to "blueprint news" from the Moscow region.

No Way Back for Foreign Jihadist Fighters

Last UPDATE: December 4, 2014



39-year-old Omar al-Diaby, the man who recruits French fighters to Syria under his adopted name Omar Omsen, is a Senegal-born French national.

In a tape obtained exclusively by Al Jazeera, Omar Omsen reveals his face for the first time and talks about his recruiting activities, saying that he initially used the internet in order to reach out to potential recruits whom he convinced that travelling to Syria amounted to migrating to the "land of Islam".

"I don't have time to be on Facebook any more. But this is how at first I was encouraging people to do the 'hijra', to leave France and western countries to come here," said Omsen, who originally lived in the region of Nice on the Mediterranean coast of France and who is now believed to be based in the Syrian-controlled Latakia countryside.

It is still unclear how a man who is far from being known among Muslims as a religious figure and who was jailed in France on criminal charges could be able to gain such popularity online. Even though his own recruiting activities seem to be of a rather moderate importance in the conflict, he obviously attracted many French Islamists to join the jihadist forces of ISIS in Syria.




"God asked to encourage the faithful to fight. So we are encouraging them, and we're letting them know that 'hijra' is compulsory for them, and that living in western countries is forbidden. The prophet is clear on that subject. A Muslim can't live among the infidels."
[ Allah a exigé d'encourager les croyants à lutter. C'est pourquoi nous les encourageons, et nous leur faisons savoir que l'hijra (l'exode) est obligatoire pour eux, et que vivre aux pays de l'ouest est interdit. Le Prophète est précis dans cette matière. Un Musulman ne peut pas vivre entre les infidèles. ]




"If somebody is asking for going back to his country, I tell him that going back to infidel land is forbidden, that God forbids it."
[ Si quelqu'un me demande de le laisser rentrer à son pays, je lui dirai qu'il est interdit de rentrer au pays des infidèles, et que c'est Allah qui interdit ça. ]

In other words, there is no return ticket available for jihadist fighters from Europe who had once decided to join the "holy war".




[Source: Al-Jazeera, International service on November 30, 2014]

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Ten US warplanes Warthog A-10 are fighting ISIS in Iraq and Syria,
using machine guns that are able to release 4200 shots per minute.
[Source: Al-Arabiya on November 28, 2014]
Dix avions de combat US-américains, Warthog A-10 (phacochère),
ont été employés en Iraq et Syrie pout combattre L'État Islamique.
Ces avions sont armés d'une mitrailleuse puissante pour soutenir
les attaques au sol.



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طيران التحالف يشن 55 ضربة جوية على مواقع المتطرفين في سوريا والعراق

Planes of the alliance launched 55 air raids on positions of extremists in Syria and Iraq.



وحدة الحرب الإلكترونية لداعش تحت نيران "التحالف"ـ

ISIS unit for electronic warfare under multiple fire of the "alliance".

ضربت طائرات التحالف الذي تقوده الولايات المتحدة عشرات العربات والقواعد التابعة لتنظيم داعش، وبينها "وحدة الحرب الإلكترونية" خلال أربعة أيام من الغارات، بحسب ما أعلن الجيش الأميركي الاثنين.ـ

Planes of the alliance under United States command attacked tens of vehicles and subordinate commanders of ISIS organization, among them the " unit for electronic warfare " during four days of incursions according to what the U.S. army published on Monday.

[Source: Al-Arabiya on December 2, 2014]


The wife and a suspected son of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi could be arrested in Lebanon already ten days ago.

حبس سجى حميد الدليمي زوجة البغدادي في لبنان منذ عشرة أيام



[U.S. and Arabic sources on December 2, 2014]


الداخلية العراقية:المعتقلة بلبنان ليست زوجة البغدادي

Iraq's foreign ministry: The [woman] arrested in Lebanon is not the wife of Al-Baghdadi.

قال بيان من وزارة الداخلية العراقية، نشرته على موقعها في الأنترنت، أن السيدة التي جرى اعتقالها في لبنان ليست زوجة البغدادي أمير تنظيم داعش الإرهابي.ـ

A declaration from Iraq's ministry of foreign affairs, published on its website, said that the lady whose arrest had taken place in Lebanon was not the wife of Al-Baghdadi, Emir of the terrorist organization of ISIS.

[Source: Al-Arabiya on December 4, 2014]

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Visitors to "blueprint news" interested in the subject
and who could be localized during November 2014.