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Christopher Cornell: Ohio man arrested for plotting ISIS-inspired attack on Capitol

Christopher Cornell has been arrested by the FBI in Ohio for allegedly planning to attack the Capitol in Washington in an Islamic State-inspired attack.

Christopher Cornell, 20, is charged with attempting to kill a US government officer, according to court documents.

The man came to the attention of the FBI after tweeting support for extremist groups like Islamic State.

The public was never in danger during this investigation, Cincinnati Special Agent in Charge John Barrios said.

Christopher Cornell’s father says his son may have posted angry messages about violent jihad, but he would not have been capable of carrying out an attack.

John Cornell told ABC that his son was only a recent convert to Islam after becoming “lost and vulnerable ” at high school.Christopher Cornell Capitol plot

He said that there was no way his son “could have carried out any kind of terrorist plot”.

“He never talked about any kind of violence to me or to his mother. He is a mummy’s boy, he tells mummy everything.”

Christopher Cornell was arrested after purchasing firearms on January 14, but had long been tracked by an undercover agent.

He allegedly operated a Twitter account under the alias Raheel Mahrus Ubaydah, which came to the attention of the FBI through a confidential source in August.

The source had been co-operating with the FBI in exchange for favorable treatment in an unrelated case, court documents said.

Christopher Cornell allegedly told the source he had not been directly authorized by Islamic State leaders overseas to undertake attacks but wanted to “wage jihad under our own orders”.

The informant and Christopher Cornell – who lives in Green Township in Ohio – first began communicating through Twitter and then through an instant messaging platform similar to Twitter, according to court documents.

“I believe we should meet up and make our own group in alliance with the Islamic State here and plan operations ourselves,” Christopher Cornell wrote in an instant message, the documents show.

During a meeting in October, according to the criminal complaint, Christopher Cornell told the source he needed weapons but did not want to share details of his plan.

At a second meeting, Christopher Cornell allegedly told the source they would go to Washington, set off pipe bombs at the Capitol building and shoot employees and officials there.

Christopher Cornell allegedly said that he considered the members of Congress as enemies and that he had plans to travel to Washington and conduct reconnaissance of the security of government buildings before executing “a plan of attack”.

He was arrested by the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force after buying two M-15 semi-automatic rifles and 600 rounds of ammunition in Ohio.

Prosecutors say Christopher Cornell has researched pipe bombs on the internet as well as travel plans to Washington.

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Dozy from 60’s pop group Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich dies at 70

Dozy from the 60’s pop group Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich has died at the age of 70.

Trevor Ward-Davies, the bass guitarist and founder member of the band, died in hospital on Tuesday following a short illness.

Between 1965 and 1969, the group spent more weeks in the UK singles charts than the Beatles.

The flamboyant quintet, named after the five friends’ nicknames, formed in Salisbury in 1961.Dozy from the 60's pop group Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich has died at the age of 70

They first entered the UK charts in December 1965 with You Make it Move.

A string of hits followed including Hold Tight!, Bend It! and Save Me and a UK number one single with the whip-cracking Legend of Xanadu, in 1968.

Two of their albums charted – their eponymous debut, in 1966, followed a year later by If Music Be the Food of Love… Then Prepare for Indigestion

Ian Amey, better known as Tich from the band, said: “He was very good fun to be with, a very good friend for many, many years and he will be terribly missed.

“It was his band. It all started off with Dozy before it ever got to Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich.”

“He was loveable in a lot of ways, was his own person and did what he wanted to do.

“He was a great guy and will be sadly missed.”

In 2009, lead singer Dave Dee died at the age of 65.

Of the other band members, guitarist John Dymond, known as Beaky, currently lives in Spain while drummer Michael “Mick” Wilson and Amey both live in Salisbury.

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Kevin Jorgeson and Tommy Caldwell: Free climbers reach El Capitan peak after two weeks

Free climbers Kevin Jorgeson and Tommy Caldwell have reached El Capitan peak in Yosemite National Park after spending two weeks scaling the sheer face of the 3,000ft rock.

Kevin Jorgeson, 30, and Tommy Caldwell, 36, are the first climbers to do so without aids, except for harnesses and ropes to prevent deadly falls.

They began their historic half-mile ascent on December 27.

During the climb Kevin Jorgeson and Tommy Caldwell slept in tents suspended from the mountain face.

The men did not give media interviews on completion of their challenge, but are expected to discuss the climb later.

Eric Jorgeson, Kevin Jorgeson’s father, told local media his son had always been a climber and watching him fulfill a long-time dream had made him proud.

“He climbed everything he could think of. It made us nervous early on as parents, but we got used to it,” he said.Kevin Jorgeson and Tommy Caldwell reach El Capitan peak

Eric Jorgeson and his son had begun climbing the other routes to El Capitan’s peak in California when Kevin was 15, making it a birthday tradition each year.

“I feel like the most proud person in the world right now,” Tommy Caldwell’s sister, Sandy Van Nieuwenhuyzen, said.

During their climb up the notoriously difficult Dawn Wall route, both took rest days to wait for their skin to heal and used tape and even superglue to speed the process.

Kevin Jorgeson and Tommy Caldwell suffered bruising falls, when their grip slipped, and they would bounce off the mountain face.

Only their safety ropes saved them from further harm.

“As disappointing as this is, I’m learning new levels of patience, perseverance and desire,” Kevin Jorgeson had posted online at one point.

“I’m not giving up. I will rest. I will try again. I will succeed.”

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Twin Peaks: Kyle MacLachlan returns as Special Agent Dale Cooper

Kyle MacLachlan returns to the small screen as Special Agent Dale Cooper in the new series of cult TV show Twin Peaks.

The Showtime network revealed the news at a Television Critics Association meeting in California, where Kyle MacLachlan made a cameo appearance.

“I think you need a damn good cup of coffee,” Kyle MacLachlan said, referring to one of Dale Cooper’s original catchphrases.

“I’m very excited to return to the strange and wonderful world of Twin Peaks,” the actor said.

He added: “May the forest be with you.”Kyle MacLachlan  returns to Twin Peaks

Twin Peaks creator David Lynch later announced the news on Twitter with the hashtag #damnfinecoffee.

The third series will be broadcast on Showtime in the US in 2016.

It will come 25 years after the first two series, which were aired in 1990 and 1991. A prequel film, Fire Walk With Me, was released in 1992.

The unsettling drama explored the murky goings-on in a US town after the murder of teenage beauty queen Laura Palmer.

Twin Peaks won three Golden Globe awards in 1991, including best TV drama series and best actor in a TV drama for Kyle MacLachlan.

Kyle MacLachlan went on to forge a successful TV career after Twin Peaks, with credits including Agents of Shield, The Good Wife, Portlandia, Desperate Housewives and others.

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Roman Polanski questioned by Polish prosecutors over US extradition request

Director Roman Polanski has announced he will cooperate with Polish authorities over an extradition request to the US, where he is wanted for a 1977 assault case.

Roman Polanski, who is currently working on a film in Krakow, served 42 days for unlawful s** with a 13-year-old before fleeing Poland.

Polish prosecutors have confirmed they will question the 81-year-old, who has both Polish and French passports.

Roman Polanski said he had “confidence in Poland’s justice system”.

“I will submit myself to the procedure and we will see,” he told a TV news channel.

Photo Reuters
Photo Reuters

“I hope everything will be alright.”

Poland generally does not allow extradition of its citizens, but has an extradition agreement with the US who filed a request at the beginning of January.

Roman Polanski was arrested in 2009 by Swiss authorities after travelling to Zurich to attend a film festival, but avoided extradition.

His movements are restricted by a warrant in effect in 188 countries, but he has avoided extradition by travelling between France, Poland and Switzerland.

Roman Polanski is working on a new film, An Officer and A Spy, about a 19th Century French scandal dubbed “the Dreyfus affair”.

Roman Polanski won an Oscar in 2003 for directing The Pianist, a harrowing story set in Nazi-occupied Warsaw that mirrored his own childhood experiences.

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Avatar 2 will not be released until 2017

Avatar 2 has been delayed a year and will not be released until 2017, director James Cameron has revealed.

James Cameron said he is working on three new Avatar films at the same time.

Avatar 2 was supposed to be out in December 2016, but James Cameron said writing the stories had become “very involved”.

“There’s a layer of complexity in getting the story to work as a saga across three films,” he explained.Avatar 2 release delayed until 2017

James Cameron said the goal was to have the scripts for the three movies completed by the end of this month so that filming can begin.

“We’re writing three simultaneously and we’ve done that so that everything tracks throughout the three films,” he told the Associated Press.

“We’re not just going to do one and then make up another one and another one after that.

“And parallel with that, we’re doing all the design. So we’ve designed all the creatures and the environments.”

James Cameron, 60, said he thought it was important that each film linked forward to the next one in a satisfying way, but also came to a resolution that did not leave the audience hanging.

The three films will be shot in New Zealand, where some of the original film was also made.

Avatar is the highest-grossing film in history, with box office takings of almost $2.8 billion.

Texas prison bus crash: 10 people dead after train collision

Ten people are reportedly dead after a bus carrying prisoners lost control on an icy highway overpass and collided with a train near Odessa, Texas, officials say.

Sheriff Mark Donaldson said the bus skidded off an overpass and slid down an embankment before hitting the train.

Texas officials said the bus was carrying 12 prisoners and three corrections officers from one prison in Abilene to another in El Paso.Texas prison bus crash

Two corrections officers and eight inmates died in the crash, the Corrections Department said in a statement. The five other people on the bus – four inmates and one corrections officer – have been transported to a local hospital with unspecified injuries.

A Union Pacific spokesman said there were no injures on the train, but the railcars have not moved since the crash.

In a statement, the Texas criminal justice department said eight prisoners and two corrections officers were killed.

“It’s with a heavy heart that we mourn the loss of those killed and injured this morning in a tragic accident,” executive director Brad Livingston said.

“Their loved ones will be in our thoughts and prayers.”

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Charlie Hebdo survivor’s issue angers Muslim media

Media across the globe respond to the “survivors’ edition” of French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo – featuring a cartoon of Prophet Muhammad – with a mixture of anger, concern and solidarity.

“With new cover of French paper, a new set of fears,” says the New York Times on its front page, adding that there is a “dread that Charlie Hebdo may prompt further violence”.

In an op-ed piece in the paper, Turkish writer Mustafa Akyol calls on the Muslim world to ease its concept of blasphemy.

“Rage is a sign of nothing but immaturity,” he says.

“The power of any faith comes not from its coercion of critics and dissenters. It comes from the moral integrity and the intellectual strength of its believers.”

Many Muslim Middle Eastern newspapers – even moderate ones – strongly criticize the magazine’s front-page cartoon of Muhammad.

“Charlie Hebdo continues its provocation,” reads a headline on the front page of Jordan’s establishment daily Al-Dustour.

In the Algerian daily Echourouk, Habib Rashdin criticises the French government for helping to fund the new edition of Charlie Hebdo, saying this “violates all red lines, and is an open crusade against Muslims”.

“It has become every Muslim’s right today to file a lawsuit against the country’s ambassadors over charges of <<insult and contempt for religion>>,” he adds.Charlie Hebdo survivor's issue January 2015

The front page of another Algerian paper, the anti-Islamist Ennahar, features a large picture of a sign saying “Nous sommes tous…Mohamed” (“We are all Muhammad”), in a reference to the ubiquitous declarations of “Je suis Charlie”.

Iran’s official rolling news TV channel IRINN describes the cartoon as “an act of provocation”.

Showing part of the cartoon but without Muhammad, Iran’s English-language international channel Press TV warns that the cartoon “will stir up more hatred”.

In Turkey, Yeni Akit – a paper that supports the Islamist governing party – launches a strongly-worded broadside against Charlie Hebdo and the West in general, under the headline “Ignominy continues”.

“Despite the perilous events, the arrogant magazine Charlie Hebdo and the Western media, under the thumb of Zionist powers, carry on their cowardly attacks against Muslims and the Islamic world,” it thunders.

Secular opposition Cumhuriyet reprinted four pages of the Charlie Hebdo edition as an act of solidarity, albeit without the front-page cartoon of Muhammad.

The daily’s plans prompted a police raid on its printing house on Tuesday evening, although the edition was allowed to go ahead once it was clear that no images of Muhammad would be published.

Two columnists from the newspaper included a smaller version of the cover in their columns online.

Several commentators urge France and other countries to outlaw the insulting of religions and religious figures, saying that failing to do so will only encourage Islamic extremism.

“I look forward to a French law that protects people’s sanctities and beliefs from attack and ridicule,” Idris al-Driss writes in the Saudi daily Al-Watan.

“Freedom of expression should end at and not cross the limits of offending others over their color, race or religion,” he adds.

“Insulting religions should be legally treated as racism.”

In the Lebanese daily Al-Anwar, Raouf Shahouri accuses the West of double standards.

He says some countries penalize expressions of anti-Semitism while “seeing no crime in attacking the prophet of Muslims and hurting the feelings of more than a billion Muslims around the world”.

“This pattern of half-blind western justice is the major source of terrorism,” Raouf Shahouri says.

In France itself, the sales success of the new Charlie Hebdo edition is front-page news for many papers, which pay homage to the satirical magazine. Many of their websites include pictures of Charlie Hebdo‘s cover.

The front page of the left-wing daily Liberation is covered with small copies of the front-page cartoon of Muhammad, with the superimposed headline “Je suis en kiosque” (“I am on sale at the newsagent’s”).

Le Point magazine looks back at the history of Charlie Hebdo, with numerous cartoons from “over 55 years of impertinent illustration”.

Liberal Le Monde strikes a more questioning note, referring on its website to the arrest of controversial comedian Dieudonne M’bala M’bala for allegedly voicing support for terrorism.

“Charlie, Dieudonne – what are the limits of freedom of expression?” it asks in a headline.

In Germany, the front page of the left-wing Berlin daily Tageszeitung features nothing but a huge image of Charlie Hebdo‘s front-page cartoon.

At the top of the front-page of the liberal Sueddeutsche Zeitung, is an image of Charlie Hebdo editor Gerard Briard brandishing the new edition at the magazine’s Tuesday news conference.

In China, state-controlled media voice alarm at Charlie Hebdo‘s decision to feature a cartoon of Muhammad on its front page, saying it unnecessarily provokes Muslims.

An editorial in the tabloid Global Times describes the cartoon as “inappropriate”.

“If Charlie Hebdo remains defiant on issues regarding Islam, it will probably put the French government in a difficult position,” it adds.

In Russia, a commentary in business daily Vedomosti links the debate about Charlie Hebdo and free speech with the West’s conflict with Russia.

It says the attack on Charlie Hebdo has united western European public opinion in defiance and has proven that the Kremlin’s hopes of turning Europeans away from “open society values” and towards its emphasis on “traditional values” are futile.

“Russia has found itself in isolation in the company of marginal politicians and terrorists offended by cartoons,” it says.

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Samsung Z1 Tizen powered smartphone goes on sale in India

Samsung’s first Tizen powered smartphones have gone on sale.

The Z1 handsets are available in India for 5,700 rupees ($92) and, according to Samsung, offer faster boot times and longer-lasting battery life than many budget-priced rivals.

Samsung had previously planned to sell Tizen phones in Russia and Japan, but cancelled the launches.

One expert said the Indian move represented a shift away from Android.

Samsung is currently the world’s bestselling manufacturer of handsets running Android.

However, the company was a notable holdout when Google announced its Android One program for India in September – an effort by the search giant to help manufacturers release low-cost “high quality” phones in the country by setting minimum standards and sourcing several of the hardware components for them.Samsung Z1 Tizen powered smartphone goes on sale in India

Samsung’s Z1 handset features:

  • A 4in (10.2cm) providing 480p resolution
  • A 3.1 megapixel rear camera and a 0.3 megapixel front one
  • Four gigabytes of internal memory that can be further expanded via the addition of a microSD card
  • Support for two Sim cards at once – a popular feature in the country as it helps users obtain the best rates by switching provider when crossing states

Samsung says it can provide up to eight hours of talktime or seven hours of non-stop video playback between charges.

To aid its appeal, Samsung is also providing free access to Bollywood songs and movies for three months via tie-ups with local services Hungama, nexGTv and Box TV.

It has also struck a deal to provide 500 megabytes of included 3G data a month for half a year if the devices are used on Reliance or Aircel’s local networks. By contrast Google’s Android One scheme offers 200MB of Google Play downloads for six months if used on Bharti Airtel’s network.

Samsung already uses Tizen operating system to power several of its smartwatches – including its top-end curved Gear S – and cameras. It also announced at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas earlier this month that all its new smart TVs would run off the platform.

The open-source operating system is based on Linux and uses the web language HTML5 as the focus for app development rather than native code, meaning software writers should it easy to work with.

Huawei, Fujitsu, Intel and LG among other tech giants that have signed up to a consortium dedicated to supporting the software’s development. But to date, Samsung has taken the lead in attempting to bring it to consumer devices.

Samsung cancelled the release of a Tizen-based smartphone in Russia last August saying it wanted more time to “enhance” the ecosystem – a decision interpreted by some to mean that it needed more apps.

The network NTT Docomo had earlier pulled plans to launch a Tizen-powered Samsung phone in Japan in March because it felt its local market could not sustain another operating system, according to the Wall Street Journal.

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AirAsia Flight QZ8501: Plane’s fuselage located in Java Sea

The fuselage of the crashed AirAsia plane has been located and photographed in the Java Sea, say officials.

Singapore’s Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen posted pictures taken by a Singaporean search robot on his Facebook page.

Ng Eng Hen said the words painted on the side of the wreckage confirmed the plane was flight QZ8501.

AirAsia lost contact with the flight on December 28 as it was flying from Surabaya in Indonesia to Singapore with 162 people on board.

Dozens of bodies have been found but many of the passengers and crew are thought to still be inside the plane, which made finding the fuselage so important.AirAsia Flight QZ8501 fuselage in Java Sea

So far the plane’s two flight recorders and a tail section have been found and brought to shore. Investigators are analyzing the information in the “black box”, as the data recorders are known, to piece together the cause of the crash.

The pilot of the AirAsia flight had asked for a route change because of stormy weather before contact was lost, but it is not yet known for certain what brought down the plane.

“The MV Swift Rescue has located the fuselage of the AirAsia plane in the Java Sea,” Ng Eng Hen said on Facebook, adding that Singapore had informed the Indonesian search and rescue agency so that recovery operations could begin.

He said images taken by a remotely operated vehicle, which he posted as well, showed part of the wing and words on the fuselage that matched with those on the AirAsia flight.

The AirAsia slogan “Now everyone can fly” could be seen on the wreckage in the pictures.

The head of Indonesia’s search and rescue agency, Bambang Soelistyo, had said what they suspected was the fuselage had been spotted by search teams on Tuesday but that they were waiting for confirmation.

Bambang Soelistyo said it was not yet clear whether there were bodies inside, but that authorities hoped that was the case.

Earlier in the day when the wreckage was being investigated by divers, the official co-ordinating the search, SB Supriyadi, said raising the fuselage would be a tricky operation and authorities would have to determine the best course of action.

“If it is not too heavy, we may lift the whole piece and evacuate the victims,” said SB Supriyadi.

“If it’s too heavy, we may then swim into the fuselage and pull out the bodies one by one before lifting it.”

Since the plane disappeared a multi-national search has been under way involving aerial searches and more than 30 ships. However, strong currents, high waves and poor visibility have slowed down search and rescue efforts.

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Dieudonne M’bala M’bala arrested for defending terrorism after Facebook comments

Controversial French comedian Dieudonne M’bala M’bala was arrested on January 14 for “defending terrorism”.

Police opened an investigation into the comic on Janaury 12, after he wrote on a Facebook post “I feel like Charlie Coulibaly” – merging Charlie Hebdo with the name of supermarket gunman Amedy Coulibaly.

Dieudonné M’Bala M’bala, 48, who was being held for questioning at a Paris police station, could face possible charges of “apology for terorism”.

After mocking the media superlatives about Sunday’s Paris unity march, Dieudonne declared: “As for me, I feel I am Charlie Coulibaly.”

Amedy Coulibaly was the man who took hostages and killed four people at the Jewish supermarket HyperCacher in eastern Paris on January 9 before being killed by police.

Dieudonné’s comments generated a wave of fury on the internet – including many angry reactions from his own fans on his Facebook page. His statement was withdrawn after less than an hour.

The French interior minister, Bernard Cazeneuve, called the comment “abject” and asked his officials to investigate whether Dieudonne should be prosecuted for breaching a French law which forbids “apology for” or encouragement of terrorism.

PM Manuel Valls made an impassioned attack on Dieudonne in the National Assembly on January 13. He called him a “peddler of hate and said there should be no confusion between the <<impertinent>> satire of Charlie Hebdo and <<anti-semitism, racism and negationism>>.”Dieudonne M'bala M'bala arrested for defending terrorism

Dieudonné has several convictions for making anti-semitic comments and jokes. He came to international attention 12 months ago after the footballer Nicolas Anelka performed his trademark gesture the “quenelle” during a Premier League match.

The comedien’s stage show was banned a year ago, and had to be amended, because it contained “jokes” mocking the Holocaust. He also suggested that a Jewish radio presenter “reminded him of gas chambers”.

In an open letter to Bernard Cazeneuve, Dieudonne claimed on January 13 that he had been misunderstood. He said that he, like Charlie Hebdo, was a victim of attempts to deny freedom of speech. In his case, he said, his assailant was the government.

What he had meant to say on Facebook, he said, was that: “I am considered like another Amedy Coulibaly when in fact I am no different from Charlie.”

Dieudonne’s original statement on his Facebook page was: “After this historic, no legendary, march, a magic moment equal to the Big Bang which created the Universe, or in a smaller (more local) way comparable to the crowning of the (ancient Gaullish king) Vercingétorix, I am going home. Let me say that this evening, as far as I am concerned, I feel I am Charlie Coulibaly.”

Charlie Hebdo survivor’s issue sells out in minutes and 5 million print run is announced

Five million copies of Charlie Hebdo are being printed as long queues have formed at newsstands in France for the post attack edition of the satirical magazine.

The survivor’s issue is released a week after Islamist gunmen murdered 12 people at its offices and five others in subsequent attacks in Paris.

Charlie Hebdo’s latest edition cover shows a cartoon depicting the Prophet Muhammad weeping while holding a sign saying “I am Charlie”.

Al-Qaeda in Yemen claimed the attack on Charlie Hebdo magazine in a video purportedly from the group.

It is believed earlier cartoons of the Prophet prompted the attack on the magazine.

“I am Charlie” emerged as a message of support for the magazine following the attack on January 7, which left 8 journalists, including its editor, dead in addition to four others.

In a separate attack in Paris two days later, four Jewish men died after an Islamist gunmen took hostages at a kosher shop in the French capital.

A police woman was shot dead in a third shooting believed to have been carried out by the same attacker.

Photo AFP
Photo AFP

Three million copies of the latest edition of Charlie Hebdo were originally printed for distribution.

Copies in France quickly sold out on Wednesday morning. Editors then decided to increase the print run to five million. Normally, only 60,000 are printed each week.

Demand for what is being called the “survivors’ issue” of the magazine is high, in part because the proceeds will go to the victims’ families, correspondents say.

Kiosk owners told French media they had received large numbers of reservation requests, while at one shop in Paris all copies were reportedly sold out within five minutes.

Charlie Hebdo‘s decision to publish another cartoon of the Prophet has already generated threats from militant Islamist websites and criticism from the Islamic world.

The self-styled Islamic State (ISIS) militant group said on its radio station that the publication of the cartoon was “an extremely stupid act”.

Meanwhile, a new video said to be from al-Qaeda in Yemen (AQAP) was aired on January 14 saying the group was behind last week’s attack on the magazine.

The group “chose the target, laid the plan and financed the operation”, which was conducted in “vengeance for the prophet”, the video message said.

It added that it was a “success” that the Charlie Hebdo attack “coincided” with the attacks by supermarket gunman Amedy Coulibaly.

Amedy Coulibaly had pledged allegiance to ISIS in a video message, while the Charlie Hebdo attackers, Said and Cherif Kopuachi, had said they were acting on behalf of AQAP.

Amedy Coulibaly had also said they had co-ordinated the attacks, but experts say it is highly unlikely IS and AQAP, rivals in the Middle East, would plan an attack together.

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Sri Lanka: Pope Francis canonized Joseph Vaz as country’s first saint

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Hundreds of thousands of people have turned out in Sri Lankan capital Colombo to see Pope Francis celebrate a Mass at which he canonized the nation’s first saint, Joseph Vaz.

Pope Francis urged people to follow the example of 17th Century missionary Joseph Vaz at the service in Colombo.

On January 13, the pontiff called for the “pursuit of truth” to promote “justice, healing and unity” after years of war.

Government forces defeated Tamil rebels in 2009 after 26 years of war, in which both sides were accused of atrocities.

Pope Francis arrived early for the Mass on January 14, informally greeting worshippers.

People showed up for the sea-front service at Galle Face Green, with many lining up from Tuesday to secure a place.

In keeping with his message of unity for Sri Lanka, Pope Francis urged its citizens to follow the example of Joseph Vaz and learn to overcome religious differences.

The Pope said St Joseph dedicated his life to the gospel message of reconciliation, and showed “the importance of transcending religious divisions in the service of peace”.Pope Francis in Sri Lanka

“Religious freedom is a fundamental human right. Each individual must be free alone or in association with others to seek the truth and to openly express his or her religious conviction,” Pope Francis said.

The Church usually stipulates a potential saint must have two miracles attributed to them, but St Joseph has apparently been fast-tracked.

Joseph Vaz is credited with just one miracle, whereby a pregnant Indian woman who was told that her baby was in danger prayed to St Joseph and the child was saved.

There has been a great deal of enthusiasm for Joseph Vaz’s sainthood, not just from the Catholic community of Sri Lanka but also from India’s Catholic community.

Pilgrims came from all over Sri Lanka, and parts of India, to see Pope Francis.

However, some Buddhist activists have objected to the canonization and complain that the Catholic Church’s violent campaigns during its early years led to the destruction of Buddhist temples.

Pope Francis’ visit is part of a six-day tour of Asia which will also see him visiting the Philippines.

Later on Wednesday Pope Francis will speak at prayers in Madhu in the north, a region which saw some of the fiercest fighting in the war.

The conflict arose from ethnic tensions between the majority Sinhalese and the Tamil minority. The United Nations said both sides committed atrocities against civilians and has approved a war-crimes inquiry. Sri Lanka has so far refused to co-operate.

More than one million Sri Lankans (about 7%) are said to be Christian, most of them Catholic. They include both Sinhalese and Tamils.

About 70% of Sri Lankans are Buddhist, with 13% Hindus and 10% Muslims.

The last papal visit was 20 years ago, when Pope John Paul II was boycotted by Buddhist leaders.

However, on January 13, Pope Francis met a group of Buddhist, Hindu and Muslim leaders, urging reconciliation.

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North Korea offers direct talks with US on proposed nuclear test halt

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North Korea has offered to hold direct talks with the United States on its proposal to suspend nuclear tests, and suggested dialogue could pave the way to changes on the Korean peninsula.

In a message passed to the US side on January 9, Pyongyang made the offer to suspend nuclear tests if the United States temporarily scrapped joint military exercises in South Korea.

The US State Department rejected the tit-for-tat offer as an “implicit threat” but said it “remains opens to dialogue” with Pyongyang.North Korea offers high level talks with US

North Korea’s Deputy Ambassador to the UN, An Myong-hun told a news conference that the offer still stands.

“We are ready, the government of the DPRK is ready, to explain its intention behind its proposal directly to the United States,” said the envoy.

“We are ready for that, if the United States wants additional explanation about the proposal.”

The envoy indicated that the talks could lead to broader engagement.

“If this proposal is put into practice this year, many things will be possible,” he said.

“I can’t go any further, but many things will be possible this year.”

The US, which has close to 30,000 troops permanently stationed in South Korea, conducts a series of joint military exercises with its key Asian ally every year.

Seoul and Washington insist the drills are defensive in nature, but they are regularly condemned by Pyongyang as provocative rehearsals for invasion.

North Korea has conducted three nuclear tests – the last in February 2013 – and recently threatened a fourth in response to a UN resolution condemning its human rights record.

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Charlie Hebdo post attack issue goes on sale

The post attack issue of Charlie Hebdo magazine has gone on sale, with a cartoon depicting the Prophet Muhammad on its cover.

Three million copies are being printed – a week after Islamist gunmen murdered 8 journalists at the magazine and four other people in Paris.

The cartoon shows the Prophet weeping while holding a sign saying “Je suis Charlie” (“I am Charlie”).

It is believed earlier cartoons of Prophet Muhammad prompted the attack.

The slogan “Je suis Charlie” has been widely used following the shootings.

In a separate attack in Paris two days later, four Jewish men died after an Islamist gunmen took hostages at a kosher shop in the French capital. A police woman was shot dead in a third shooting believed to have been carried out by the same attacker.Charlie Hebdo post attack issue

Wednesday’s edition of Charlie Hebdo has an unprecedented print run of three million copies. Normally only 60,000 are printed each week.

Demand for what is being called the “survivor’s issue” of the magazine is high, correspondents say, especially as the proceeds will go to the victims’ families.

People could be seen queuing outside newsstands on Wednesday morning to buy copies.

Kiosk owners told French media they had received large numbers of reservation requests, while at one shop in Paris all copies were reportedly sold out within 30 minutes.

The issue is available in six languages – including English, Arabic and Turkish – some in print and some online.

Editor-in-chief Gerard Biard told reporters: “We are happy to have done it and happy to have been able to do it, to have achieved it. It was tough. The front page… was complicated to put together, because it had to express something new, it had to say something relating to the event that we had to deal with.”

The front cover of the edition had been widely published in advance by French media.

Outside France, the Washington Post, Germany’s Frankfurter Allgemeine, Corriere della Sera in Italy and the UK’s Guardian are among publications to show the cartoon.

Very few outlets in the Middle East and North Africa have shown the image.

Charlie Hebdo‘s decision to publish another cartoon of the Prophet has already generated threats from militant Islamist websites and criticism from the Islamic world.

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Hong Kong: Scuffles at CY Leung’s first annual policy address

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Hong Kong’s Chief Executive CY Leung has said the need for economic growth outweighs calls for greater democracy, in his first annual policy address since last year’s pro-democracy protests.

Leung Chun-ying, commonly known as CY Leung, said Hong Kong would “degenerate into anarchy” if it gave in to demands for universal suffrage.

The speech was delayed as several pro-democracy lawmakers staged a noisy protest in the chamber calling for him to resign.

Hong Kong’s pro-democracy street protests came to an end in December.

The protesters had been on the streets since late September. They were demanding that the 2017 elections – Hong Kong’s first public vote for the leadership – should be held without interference from Beijing.

China’s government has said that while there will be a free vote, there should only be two to three candidates, chosen by a pro-Beijing committee.Hong Kong parliament protests during CY Leung speech

The protesters wanted CY Leung – who was himself elected by a committee of 1,200 people – to resign, but he refused.

While tens of thousands of people took part in the initial demonstrations which paralyzed parts of central Hong Kong, numbers had fallen to a few hundred – mostly students – by the time police and bailiffs dismantled the last camps in mid-December.

In his opening remarks of his speech, CY Leung said Hong Kong had to make a choice between “implementing universal suffrage and a standstill” in the economy.

While he recognized the aspirations of the student protesters, he said they did not fully understand Hong Kong’s laws, and that the territory had never been promised total political autonomy.

The reforms to take place in 2017 were “a big step forward for Hong Kong’s democratic development”, he said.

“As we pursue democracy, we should act in accordance with the law, or Hong Kong will degenerate into anarchy,” he warned.

Cy Leung also promised to generate more affordable housing in Hong Kong – a major issue in the wealthy but small territory – by announcing a new subsidized housing scheme.

His speech was delayed by several minutes after members of the pan-democratic bloc walked through parliament waving yellow umbrellas – a symbol of the protest movement – and banners calling for universal suffrage and for CY Leung to resign.

Pro-democracy lawmakers Raymond Chan and Albert Chan were removed from the chamber by security guards, while others walked out, leaving empty seats.

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Malawi floods 2015: Death toll rises to 48 as 23,000 people flee their homes

Heavy flooding in southern Malawi has killed at least 48 and forced 23,000 to leave their homes, President Peter Mutharika said on January 13.

The president has declared a third of the country a disaster zone and urgently appealed for foreign aid.

Reports from neighboring Mozambique said a group of 25 schoolchildren were swept away by floodwater on January 12.

Heavy regional rain began last month and forecasters say they expect it to continue over the coming days.

Peter Mutharika said his government alone did not have the money to cope.

Homes and crops in Malawi were destroyed by the rising torrents while roads and railways have also been cut off.

One government official said many victims died when villages were flooded in Mangoche district, an area in the south about 60 miles south of Blantyre, the commercial capital.Malawi floods January 2015

“People have fled into schools and churches on higher ground, others are in the open because there is not enough space,” said Grey Mkwanda, a district planning officer, speaking to the Associated Press news agency.

He added that some victims in Blantyre had perished when their homes collapsed.

According to the city’s police spokesman, Elizabeth Divala, search teams are still looking for two children who went missing during the floods.

The rising waters have been caused by late summer storms in the region.

Mitt Romney 2016: Defeated Republican candidate ready for third run at White House

According to recent reports, Mitt Romney has been reviving his national network of political supporters and donors for a third run at the White House in 2016.

One Republican source told the Washington Post the defeated 2012 candidate “almost certainly will” launch a 2016 presidential campaign.

Last week Mitt Romney told Republican donors in New York he was interested in running.

If he does, he could be up against Jeb Bush for the party nomination and then Hillary Clinton in a general election.

The Washington media is abuzz with reports that Mitt Romney, a former governor of Massachusetts, has spent the past few days reaching out to political allies and potential sources of campaign funding.

The Post reports that Mitt Romeny’s wife Ann has come round to the idea, although there are still some reservations among his five sons.

Photo AP
Photo AP

Few families can know as well as the Romneys what is involved.

In 2008, their father and husband won some of the Republican primary contests but was beaten by John McCain.

Four years later, Mitt Romney fell at the final hurdle, losing in the presidential election to Barack Obama, who decisively secured victory and his second term.

Mitt Romney’s campaign was criticized for alienating Hispanics and not connecting sufficiently with ordinary people.

According to Politico, Mitt Romney is determined to learn from past mistakes and is thinking about making helping the poor a central theme of any campaign.

Jeb Bush, the former Florida governor and brother of former president, George W. Bush, declared he is actively exploring a potential run.

Mitt Romney and Jeb Bush could be competing both for the same financial backers and for the Republican middle ground.

2016 possible candidates

No-one has formally declared but these are some of the names to watch:

  • Jeb Bush
  • New Jersey Governor Chris Christie
  • Texas Senator Ted Cruz
  • Elizabeth Warren
  • Rand Paul
  • Hillary Clinton [youtube qB9ci3cawLc 650]

Deadly 193-car pileup on I-94 near Battle Creek, Michigan

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One person was killed and 22 others injured in a fiery multi-vehicle pileup on snowy roads that involved 193 vehicles brought Interstate 94 near Battle Creek, Michigan, on January 9.

As of January 11, both sides of I-94 have reopened, according to Michigan State Police. Frozen equipment stalled the effort to reopen the interstate on January 10, the Associated Press reports. The problematic equipment was being used to remove acid from a tanker truck.

The accident happened at mile marker 90 between the Galesburg and Climax exits just after 10 a.m. ET on January 9.

Numbers for the vehicles in the pileup were varied because of the chaotic situation and confusing conditions.

Michigan State Police (MSP) now say 193 vehicles were involved, including dozens of semi-trucks. Lt. David Wood said that around 50 vehicles remained on the roadway on January 10.

MSP reports at least one semi was carrying fireworks. They also classified it as a “hazardous material situation” because of another truck carrying formic acid, which is mainly used as a preservative. I-94 pileup Battle Creek

The fireworks caught fire after the crash and many went off, piercing the air with explosive cracks. Two firefighters were taken to a hospital for evaluation after sustaining injuries from the explosions, the Battle Creek Enquirer reported.

After the crash, police asked that anyone within a 3-mile radius evacuate.

Although investigators haven’t said what might have caused the crash, the weather at the time of the wreck was terrible. According to weather.com meteorologist Linda Lam, temperatures sat at 16 F with gusty winds to make it feel like 0 outdoors. Snow was falling at the time.

At least one person was killed in the pileup. The victim was identified as 57-year-old truck driver Jean Larocque from Saint-Chrysostome, Quebec.

22 people were treated for injuries at area hospitals, the Battle Creek Enquirer reported.

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Study: Best time to learn is just before sleep

According to scientists, the key to learning and memory in early life is a lengthy nap.

Trials with 216 babies up to 12 months old indicated they were unable to remember new tasks if they did not have a lengthy sleep soon afterwards.

The research team suggested the best time to learn may be just before sleep and emphasized the importance of reading at bedtime.

Experts said sleep may be much more important in early years than at other ages.

People spend more of their time asleep as babies than at any other point in their lives.

British and German scientists at the Sheffield University and Ruhr University Bochum say “strikingly little is known” about the role of sleep in the first year of life.

They taught six- to 12-month-olds three new tasks involving playing with hand puppets.

Half the babies slept within four hours of learning, while the rest either had no sleep or napped for fewer than 30 minutes.Learning before sleep

The next day, the babies were encouraged to repeat what they had been taught.

The results, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, showed “sleeping like a baby” was vital for learning.

On average one-and-a-half tasks could be repeated after having a substantial nap.

Yet zero tasks could be repeated if there was little sleep time.

A study last year uncovered the mechanisms of memory in sleep. It showed how new connections between brain cells formed during sleep.

There is also growing interest in sleep and memory at the other end of life.

The two go hand in hand in your twilight years, particularly with underlying neurodegenerative disorders such as dementia.

It is hoped that boosting sleep would “slow the rot” of memory function.

Helle Thorning-Schmidt: Danish PM falls after Paris unity rally

Danish PM Helle Thorning-Schmidt was among more than 40 world leaders marching arm in arm during Sunday’s historical rally in Paris after multiple acts of violence by Islamic extremists.

But Helle Thorning-Schmidt, 48, had trouble exiting the steps at the Elysee Palace and fell to the ground.

The Danish prime minister was photographed tumbling down the steps of the Elysee Palace on January 11 while wearing a long purple coat and black heeled boots.Danish PM Helle Thorning-Schmidt falls in Paris

The pictures show Helle Thorning-Schmidt walking down the steps perfectly fine but then losing her balance as she heads towards the bottom. She fell forward onto the concrete ground but her hands and knee stopped the fall.

Helle Thorning-Schmidt appeared to be OK as she was helped back up to her feet.

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Paris unity rally 2015: List of world leaders attending historical march against terrorism

Last Sunday’s historic mass rally in Paris saw more than 1.5 million people and a long list of world leaders in tribute to 17 people killed in three days of Islamist attacks.

Full list of world leaders who attended the rally:

EUROPE:

French President Francois Hollande

German Chancellor Angela Merkel

British Prime Minister David Cameron

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis

European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker

European Parliament president Martin Schulz

European Union president Donald Tusk

Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg

Polish Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz

Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt

Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras

Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny

Portuguese Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho

Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka

Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico

Latvian Prime Minister Laimdota Straujuma

Bulgarian Prime Minister Boiko Borissov

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban

Croatian Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic

Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel

Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat

Slovenian Prime Minister Miro Cerar

Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven

Finnish Prime Minister Alexander Stubb

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko

Swiss President Simonetta Sommaruga

Kosovo President Atifete Jahjaga

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet DavutogluWorld leaders Paris unity rally

Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibachvili

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov

Austrian foreign minister Sebastian Kurz

NORTH AMERICA:
US Ambassador to France Jane D. Hartley
Canadian public safety minister Steven Blaney

MIDDLE EAST:

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman

Jordanian King Abdullah II and Queen Rania

Palestinian Authority President Mahmud Abbas

United Arab Emirates foreign minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahayan

Qatari Sheikh Mohamed Ben Hamad Ben Khalifa Al Thani

Bahrain foreign minister Sheikh Khaled ben Ahmed Al Khalifa and Prince Abdullah Ben Hamad al-Khalifa

AFRICA:

Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita

Gabonese President Ali Bongo

Niger President Mahamadou Issoufou

Benin President Thomas Boni Yayi

Tunisian Prime Minister Mehdi Jomaa

Algerian foreign minister Ramtane Lamamra

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White House admits US absence at Paris unity rally was a mistake

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The White House has admitted that the US made a mistake after not sending “someone with a higher profile” to Sunday’s Paris unity rally.

It comes after US media criticized President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry for not attending the demonstration.

The rally, which followed three terror attacks in Paris, was attended by an estimated 1.6 million people and some 40 world leaders.

The US ambassador to France was the highest ranking US official attending.

Speaking on January 12, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said President Barack Obama wished he could have attended, but the “onerous and significant” security preparations for a presidential visit required more than the 36-hour advance notice the White House received.

Josh Earnest added, however: “It’s fair to say that we should have sent someone with a higher profile.”Barack Obama absence Paris unity rally

Seventeen people died in attacks in Paris last week at satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, on a police officer, and at HyperCacher supermarket.

John Kerry told reporters in India he would visit France to reaffirm US solidarity with the country, which he called America’s oldest ally.

A fluent French speaker, John Kerry has visited France 17 times since becoming secretary of state.

Among those linking arms in a symbolic gesture at the Paris march were UK PM David Cameron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

US Attorney General Eric Holder, in Paris for an anti-terror summit, did not attend the march because he was giving media interviews.

John Kerry was visiting India, for an international development trip, and Pakistan to meet PM Nawaz Sharif.

“I would have personally very much wanted to have been there,” John Kerry said, but “it is important to keep these kinds of commitments”.

John Kerry said US officials, including himself and President Barack Obama, had been “deeply engaged” with French authorities since the first attack and had offered intelligence assistance.

“I want to emphasize that the relationship with France is not about one day or one particular moment,” John Kerry said.

“It is an ongoing long-time relationship that is deeply, deeply based in the shared values, and particularly the commitment that we share to freedom of expression.”

John Kerry is expected to arrive in Paris later this week.

Meanwhile, the White House announced there would be an international summit in Washington in February on countering violent extremism.

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Hosni Mubarak’s embezzlement conviction overturned by Egypt’s Court of Cassation

Egypt’s Court of Cassation has overturned the convictions for embezzlement of former President Hosni Mubarak and his two sons and ordered a retrial.

Hosni Mubarak, now 86, was jailed for three years in May after being found guilty of fraudulently billing the government for $14 million of personal expenses.

However, the Court of Cassation found legal procedures were not followed properly.

Hosni Mubarak’s lawyer says the former president would soon be released from detention at a Cairo military hospital.

It was the last remaining case keeping Hosni Mubarak behind bars.

Charges of conspiring in the killing of hundreds of protesters during the uprising that ended Hosni Mubarak’s rule in 2011 were dropped in November.

The former president and his sons – Alaa, 53, and Gamal, 51 – were also cleared of two separate corruption charges.

The Court of Cassation, Egypt’s top appeals court, announced that it had overturned the three men’s convictions for embezzlement and ordered a retrial at a brief session on January 13.

At the original trial, prosecutors alleged that Hosni Mubarak and his sons had billed the government for more than 100,000 Egyptian pounds of personal expenses – including utility bills, interior design, landscaping, furniture and appliances – for several private homes and a public palace that was fraudulently transferred to their ownership.

Other expenses included renovating a villa, and building a new palace wing to accommodate one of Hosni Mubarak’s granddaughters and a mausoleum for a grandson who died, they said.

Evidence submitted by the prosecutors included more than a thousand original and forged receipts.

When a new court is assigned for the retrial, the judges could order Hosni Mubarak to be freed because no convictions against him remain.

Egyptian media report that Hosni Mubarak had been expected to be released from the military hospital at Maadi on January 17 even if the embezzlement conviction was upheld because he has been in custody since April 2011.

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Pope Francis arrives in Sri Lanka

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Pope Francis has arrived in Sri Lanka to begin a six-day Asian tour.

The pontiff, who will later travel to the Philippines, plans to celebrate open-air masses during his trip.

It is the first papal visit to Sri Lanka since the end of a 26-year civil war in 2009.

Maithripala Sirisena, Sri Lanka’s new president, has promised an end to growing repression of religious minorities.

Speaking on the tarmac of Colombo’s international airport shortly after he landed, Pope Francis said that peace could be found by “cultivating those virtues which foster reconciliation, solidarity and peace”.

Rebuilding Sri Lanka was more than just improving infrastructure, the pontiff said, “but also, and even more importantly, promoting human dignity, respect for human rights, and the full inclusion of each member of society”.

Pope Francis also said that the “pursuit of truth” was important, “not for the sake of opening old wounds, but rather as a necessary means of promoting justice, healing and unity”.

A brutal decades-long civil war ended in 2009 when the army defeated separatist minority Tamil rebels. The UN said both sides committed atrocities against civilians.Pope Francis arrives in Sri Lanka

The government consistently denied allegations that it was responsible for the deaths of many thousands of civilians in the final phase of that war. Last year the UN approved an inquiry into alleged war crimes.

Just over 7% of Sri Lanka’s population is Christian, mostly Catholic – but they include both Sinhalese and Tamils. Around 70% of Sri Lankans are Buddhist, with 13% Hindus and 10% Muslims.

During the last papal visit 20 years ago, Pope John Paul II was boycotted by Buddhist leaders.

On this visit, Pope Francis is expected to hold a multi-faith prayer meeting which should include moderate Buddhist representatives.

Buddhist fundamentalism has grown as a force in Sri Lanka since the last papal visit, with some waging a violent campaign against Muslims on the island.

Pope Francis wants to encourage the local church to seek partners in peace, so that all religions can stand united against any further violence or intimidation by religious extremists.

It is a time of significant change in Sri Lanka, where Maithripala Sirisena took office as president on January 9.

Maithripala Sirisena ended the decade-long rule of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, a period which critics said had been marred by increasing corruption and authoritarianism.

Pope Francis’ trip, which comes five months after a tour of South Korea, is being seen as an attempt to win new followers in Asia and to shore up support for the region’s millions of Catholics.

In the Philippines organizers are expecting one of the biggest crowds ever for a papal visit when Pope Francis conducts an open-air mass in the capital Manila.

Church officials say Pope Francis’ visit to the archipelago nation will focus on “mercy and compassion” following a deadly 2013 typhoon, reports the AFP news agency.

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