Eye on Extremism - September 30, 2016

Eye on Extremism September 30, 2016 The Wall Street Journal: Syria Rebels Draw Closer To Al Qaeda-Linked Group “Some of Syria’s largest rebel factions are doubling down on their alliance with an al Qaeda-linked group, despite a U.S. warning to split from the extremists or risk being targeted in airstrikes. The rebel gambit is complicating American counterterrorism efforts in the country at a time the U.S. is contemplating cooperation with Russia to fight extremist groups. It comes after a U.S.-Russia-brokered cease-fire collapsed last week and the Syrian regime and its Russian allies immediately unleashed a devastating offensive against rebel-held parts of Aleppo city that brought harsh international condemnation. Russia said Thursday it would support a 48-hour cease-fire in Aleppo city for humanitarian aid deliveries but rejected U.S. demands for a longer cessation of hostilities, saying that would allow rebels to regroup and rearm.” The New York Times: Russia Rejects John Kerry’s Demands On Syria, Accusing U.S. Of Promoting Terror “Russia escalated its anti-American invective Thursday in the deadlocked diplomacy over the Syrian war, dismissing a threat by Secretary of State John Kerry to halt talks and accusing his spokesman of abetting global terrorism — including against Russian military personnel in Syria. The Russian response came as United Nations officials warned that 600 wounded civilians in the rebel-held districts of the divided northern city of Aleppo must be evacuated and that food is nearly exhausted for the 275,000 residents trapped there. The Russians, the main military allies of President Bashar al-Assad, offered 48-hour pauses in Aleppo to permit humanitarian access, an idea that Western diplomats and United Nations officials have rejected as impractical and meaningless. Mr. Kerry has demanded a return to the cessation of hostilities agreement he negotiated with Foreign Minister Sergey V. Lavrov on Sept. 9, which collapsed a week later.” The Daily Beast: This Is Where the Next Battle Against ISIS Will Be “Before Iraqi forces launch their highly anticipated offensive to retake the nation’s second-largest city, Mosul, back from the self-proclaimed Islamic State, they have one last battle ahead of them—reclaiming the Iraqi city of Hawijah from ISIS control, two defense officials told The Daily Beast. Hawijah is one of the last ISIS bastions on the road toward Mosul, and in recent weeks the terror group has been unable to hold such cities under its grip, dedicating most of its resources to keeping Mosul instead, the officials said. Hawijah, which at its peak had 450,000 residents, is a Sunni-dominated city that sits in the part of the Tigris River valley that Iraqi security forces initially bypassed in the push toward the city of Qayyarah, south of Mosul. In Qayyarah, the Iraqis set up a base where several hundred U.S. forces now are based, providing logistical support.” Reuters: U.S. Drone Strike In Yemen Kills Two Senior Al Qaeda Members: Officials “Two senior members of al Qaeda's Yemen branch were killed in a suspected U.S. drone strike in the central province of Bayda, local officials told Reuters on Thursday. The strike, which took place in al-Ridaa district, was the third in central Yemen in a week. Previous strikes targeted regional commanders in Bayda and nearby Maarib province. The United States acknowledges using drones to combat the Islamist militant group in Yemen, regarded as one of al Qaeda's most dangerous branches, but does not comment publicly on attacks. Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has exploited Yemen's civil war to carve out a foothold in the impoverished country. Several leaders of the group have been killed by drone strikes in recent years.” Fox News: 18 ISIS Leaders Recently Killed Ahead Of Expected Mosul Operation, US Military Says “At least 18 Islamic State leaders have been killed in Iraq and Syria in the past month, a Baghdad-based U.S. military spokesman told reporters at the Pentagon Thursday.  Fox News had reported last week on Special Report that more than a dozen ISIS leaders had been killed in Mosul ahead of the expected ground operation next month in Iraq's second largest city. Some of the ISIS leaders are Chechens who hold a ‘special place’ with the terror group, said Col. John Dorrian, a spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition. One of the critical tasks facing the Iraqi government in retaking Mosul from ISIS is handling as many as 800,000 refugees expected to pour out of Mosul after ISIS is defeated, Dorrian said. He adds that refugee screening is one of the most important components of the Mosul operation, saying it's a conversation the U.S.-led coalition has with the Iraqis ‘every day.’  Dorrian says the screening process must be done under the ‘command and control’ of the Iraqi government.” Reuters: Commentary: Islamic State Is Becoming More Dangerous As It Weakens “By many measures, Islamic State is a weakened and demoralized force. After months of U.S.-led bombing and defeats by local troops in Iraq and Syria, the group lost thousands of its fighters, was forced to relinquish significant territory and has been cut off from routes it used to move weapons and reinforcements. But the group remains a potent threat in other ways, especially in its ability to inspire self-radicalized militants to carry out attacks in the West and elsewhere. The man accused of carrying out a bombing in New York on Sept. 17 appears to have been inspired – if not directed – by the leaders and ideologues of al Qaeda and Islamic State. The 28-year-old suspect, Ahmad Rahami, wrote admiringly in a journal about al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, American-born radical Islamic preacher Anwar al-Awlaki – who was killed in Yemen by a U.S. drone strike – and leading Islamic State strategist Abu Mohammad al-Adnani.” New York Times: Angered by 9/11 Victims Law, Saudis Rethink U.S. Alliance “Throughout President Obama’s time in the White House, Saudi Arabia and its allies in the Persian Gulf have watched with dismay as the kingdom’s decades-old alliance with the United States seemed to be slipping. Then came the overwhelming congressional support for Jasta, or the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, which will allow relatives of those killed in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to sue Saudi Arabia for any suspected role in the plot. That was all the proof many Saudis needed that the alliance that has underpinned the regional order for decades was fraying — perhaps irreparably.” BBC: Syria War: How Moscow’s Bombing Campaign Has Paid Off For Putin “Russian forces have been operating in support of the government of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria for a year. Their impact has been significant. When they arrived, there were fears that government forces were close to collapse. This position has largely been reversed. It is the Syrian government - while still fragile - that is now on the offensive with a brutal bid to recapture the whole of the city of Aleppo. Initially seen by US analysts through the prism of recent Western military involvements in the region, many pundits were quick to dismiss the Russian effort as likely to fail. The Russian military, it was said, was not up to expeditionary warfare. Russia would quickly find itself bogged down in a Syrian quagmire.” BBC: Shimon Peres Funeral: World Leaders Gather In Israel “Dozens of world leaders are gathering in Israel to pay tributes to Shimon Peres, one of the country's founding fathers, who died on Wednesday aged 93. Mr Peres' state funeral will be held in Jerusalem later on Friday. A massive security operation in preparation has so far led to the ‘preventative arrests’ of several people. Guests include the Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, who will visit Israel for the first time since 2010. The Israeli news website Haaretz reported that the visit comes at the request of Mr Abbas. As a negotiator for the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), he was one of the people who signed the Oslo peace accords in 1993, for which Mr Peres won a Nobel Peace Prize the year after, along with Yasser Arafat and Yitzhak Rabin.” Voice Of America: Controversial Warlord Under Fire Over Afghan Peace Deal “Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has formally signed and put into force a much-touted peace pact with an ethnic Pashtun warlord who has been designated a ‘global terrorist’ by the United States. Thursday’s landmark move coincided with the two-year anniversary of the coalition government which has been subject to widespread criticism of its handling of the critical economic, political and security challenges facing Afghanistan. The fugitive warlord, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, addressed the signing ceremony held at the presidential place in Kabul through a specially arranged video link. He signed the peace treaty on behalf of his Hezb-i-Islami-Gulbuddin (HIG) faction.” Associated Press: 75,000 Could Starve To Death In Nigeria After Boko Haram: UN “As many as 75,000 children will die over the next year in famine-like conditions created by Boko Haram if donors don't respond quickly, the U.N. Children's Fund is warning. That's far more than the 20,000 people killed in the seven-year Islamic uprising. The severity of malnutrition levels and high number of children facing death make the humanitarian crisis confronting northeastern Nigeria perhaps the worst in the world, according to Arjan de Wagt, nutrition chief for UNICEF in Nigeria. He said children already are dying but donors are not responding. Most severely malnourished children die of secondary illnesses like diarrhea and respiratory infections, de Wagt told The Associated Press. ‘But with famine, you actually die of hunger,’ and that is what is happening, he said. Severe malnutrition is being found in 20, 30 and even 50 percent of children in pockets of the region, he said.” The Wall Street Journal: India Says It Hit Terrorist Bases In Pakistan-Controlled Kashmir “India’s army said Thursday it had carried out overnight ‘surgical strikes’ on what it described as terrorist bases across the country’s de facto border with Pakistan, a move likely to heighten already soaring tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors. In a news conference, Lt. Gen. Ranbir Singh, India’s director general of military operations, said ‘significant casualties have been caused to the terrorists and those who are trying to support them.’ Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif issued a statement condemning what he called ‘unprovoked and naked aggression’ by India, whose actions he said resulted in the deaths of two Pakistani soldiers.” United States Reuters: U.S. Expects Donors To Pledge $3 Billion A Year For Afghanistan “An international conference is expected to pledge over $3 billion a year in development support for Afghanistan next week but funds will be dependent on reforms and countering corruption, a senior U.S. official said on Thursday. Richard Olson, U.S. special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, told a Washington forum the U.S. government would seek via Congress to maintain U.S. assistance ‘at, or near’ current levels for the period to 2020. The European Union and Afghanistan will host a donor conference on Oct. 4-5 in Brussels to seek backing for reforms to stabilize and develop the country. Some 70 states and 30 international organizations and agencies will attend.” Reuters: U.S. May Consider Lifting Sanctions On Afghan Warlord: Official “The United States may consider lifting sanctions on one of Afghanistan's most notorious warlords after a peace accord was signed in the Afghan capital on Thursday, a U.S. official said. Afghan president Ashraf Ghani formalized the controversial arrangement with Gulbuddin Hekmatyar in a deal the government hopes will lead to more peace agreements. Surrounded by hundreds of Afghan officials, many former warlords and rivals themselves, Ghani signed a pact that opens the door to the militant faction of Hezb-i-Islami, led by Hekmatyar, playing an active role in politics. A controversial figure from the insurgency against the Soviets in the 1980s and the civil wars of the 1990s, Hekmatyar has been designated a ‘global terrorist’ by the United States, which has been leading an international military mission in Afghanistan for the past 15 years. As part of the deal, the Afghan government agreed to lobby international organizations to lift sanctions on Hekmatyar and Hezb-i-Islami.” Reuters: U.S. Seen Ending Syria Diplomacy With Russia, Mulls Options “The United States is on the verge of ending its Syria diplomacy with Russia and is looking at new options on how it might seek to end the 5-1/2 civil war, U.S. officials said on Thursday. On Wednesday, U.S. officials told Reuters President Barack Obama's administration had begun to consider tougher responses - including military options - to the Russian-backed Syrian government's assault on Aleppo, the country's largest city. The U.S. officials said the failure of diplomacy in Syria has left the Obama administration no choice but to consider alternatives, most of which involve some use of force and have been examined before but held in abeyance.” PBS News: U.S. Sends More Troops To Iraq To Retake Mosul “Even as battle plans are laid to retake Mosul from Islamic State militants — who’ve held Iraq’s second-largest city for more than two years — questions remain about what will come after the battle. The issues are myriad: from keeping the city secure and free of Islamic State influences to how to care for the outflow of people, which has already begun. President Barack Obama this week authorized the transfer of 600 more U.S. troops over the coming weeks to help Iraqis prepare for the ground offensive in Mosul later this year. The authorization followed the July announcement of a 560-troop deployment. The deployments bring the total U.S. troop level in Iraq to 5,262. By comparison, the U.S. has about 300 troops — mostly special forces — now in Syria acting as advisers, according to the Associated Press.” Sputnik News: US Airstrike Hits Daesh Resupply Point In Libya’s Sirte “US forces carried out one airstrike against an Daesh resupply point near the Libyan city of Sirte on Wednesday, the US military’s Africa Command (AFRICOM) said in a press release. AFRICOM explained that the airstrikes, conducted in support of Libya’s Government of National Accord, will help deny Daesh a safe haven in Libya from which it could attack the United States and its allies. Last week, the United States, Russia and dozens of other nations said in a joint communique that they were ready to provide lethal assistance to Libyan security forces fighting the Islamic State.” Iraq Reuters: Iraq PM Tells Kurds Not To Use Mosul Battle To Expand Territory “Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi asked Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani not to exploit the war on Islamic State to expand the Kurds' territory, according to a government statement published after their meeting on Thursday in Baghdad. The meeting discussed the preparation for the battle to dislodge Islamic State from Mosul, the largest city under the ultra-hardline Sunni group's control, in northern Iraq. Kurdish Peshmerga forces are expected to take part in the assault on the city that Abadi wants to retake this year, with the backing of a U.S.-led coalition. ‘The aim of the battle should not be territorial conflicts but to free the citizens from the persecution of Daesh,’ said Abadi, according to the statement. Barzani's Kurdish Regional Government has already expanded its control to Kirkuk, an oil-rich region historically claimed by the Kurds, after the Iraqi army collapsed in the face of Islamic State's sweeping advance two years ago.” Reuters: U.N. Says May Struggle To Accommodate Refugees From Mosul Battle “More than a million people could flee the Islamic State stronghold of Mosul when the Iraqi army launches an assault on the city, the United Nations said, warning it lacked facilities to house about 400,000 of them. Bruno Geddo, chief of the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR in Iraq, said Emergency camps would include 18,000 tents in open areas, and those not lucky enough to get a tent might get one of 50,000 emergency shelter kits. The Iraqi government plans camps to accommodate up to 150,000 more. But that leaves about 400,000 places lacking, and the U.N., lacking time and available land, is ‘frantically’ preparing to set up emergency camps close to the battle.” Turkey Voice Of America: Turkey Intensifies Anti-IS Campaign “In the month after a suicide bomber killed dozens of people attending a mostly Kurdish wedding in southeastern Turkey, the government has ramped up its military campaign against Islamic State (IS) militants, arresting 40 IS suspects in Istanbul and another two suspects in Sanliurfa, according to a Turkish official who spoke to VOA. ‘We are moving forward,’ said another high-level Turkish official. ‘We will continue to take all necessary steps to defeat IS.’ Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who imposed a state of emergency in July after a failed coup attempt, has been under increasing pressure to crackdown on terrorists.” NPR: Turkey's President Recommends Extending State Of Emergency “Turkey's national security council is recommending a three-month extension of the state of emergency imposed following a failed coup attempt in July. The council is chaired by the Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has presided over tens of thousands of dismissals and arrests of opposition leaders, journalists and others since the initial state of emergency went into effect on July 20, NPR's Peter Kenyon reports. He reports for NPR's Newscast unit: ‘When the state of emergency was imposed after the coup was put down, officials said they hoped it would be a one-time, three-month override of the protections in Turkey's constitution,’ but that ‘critics say the emergency powers have been used not just to go after coup plotters, but to silence dissenting voices and enact measures Erdogan's party was unable to get through parliament previously.’” Associated Press: 4 Dead, 23 Missing After Boat Sinks Off Southwest Turkey “Turkey's state-run news agency says the coast guard has rescued four people and recovered four bodies after an inflatable raft carrying 31 foreign nationals sank off the southwestern resort town of Bodrum. The incident occurred Thursday, with Anadolu Agency reporting several boats, a helicopter and jet conducting search and rescue operations for the 23 missing passengers. Officials told Anadolu none of the bodies which were recovered wore life vests. More than a million people reached Europe in 2015, with nearly 3,800 migrants not making it, losing their lives in the Mediterranean after their overcrowded boats sunk.” Afghanistan Reuters: United Nations Says U.S. Drone Strike Kills 15 Civilians In Afghanistan “At least 15 civilians were killed and another 13 wounded in a U.S. drone strike in eastern Afghanistan, the United Nations said late on Thursday, calling for an independent investigation into the incident. The airstrike occurred in the early morning on Wednesday, hitting what U.S. officials said was an Islamic State target in Achin district of Nangarhar province. The U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said some militants may have been killed in the strike, but many of the victims were civilians, including students, a teacher, and members of families considered to be ‘pro-government’.” Saudi Arabia Deutsche Welle: Saudi Arabia Warns Of 'Consequences' Over US 9/11 Law “In a statement, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Ministry urged the US Congress to ‘take the necessary steps to correct this legislation in order to avoid the serious, unintended consequences that may ensue.’ The plea came after the US Senate and House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday to override President Barack Obama's veto of the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA). The law gives relatives of those killed in the 2001 attacks the right to seek damages from the Saudi government in US federal courts. Although 15 of the 19 hijackers involved in the 9/11 terrorist attacks on American soil were Saudi citizens, there is no evidence that connects the government to the perpetrators. Riyadh, a key ally to the US, has vehemently denied allegations that it was involved in the attacks, which left nearly 3,000 people dead.” Egypt Reuters: Egypt Court Suspends Annulment Of Red Sea Island Deal With Saudi Arabia “Egypt's Court of Urgent Matters has ordered the suspension of an earlier court ruling that annulled a deal to hand over two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia, judicial sources said on Thursday. Egypt announced in April a maritime border accord with Saudi Arabia, which could see it lose control of two Red Sea islands. The accord caused a public uproar and rare protests by Egyptians, many of whom said they were taught at school that Tiran and Sanafir were Egyptian. An administrative court voided the accord in June after a lawsuit was filed against it, saying Egyptian sovereignty over the islands held and could not be given up. Egyptian authorities lodged a formal appeal with the Higher Administrative Court, part of the Council of State, a high-level judicial body that gives legal advice to the government, drafts laws and oversees legal cases involving public entities.” Middle East The Jerusalem Post: Gazan Terror Tunnel Collapses, Kills 3 “A terror tunnel in the northern Gaza Strip collapsed on Thursday. According to reports, three Hamas activists were killed and several others were injured. Channel 2 reported that since the beginning of the year, 19 Hamas activists have been killed by collapsed terror tunnels. Eight Palestinian tunnel operatives were wounded in a tunnel collapse in August in the northern Gaza border town of Shuja’yya, according to Ma’an News Agency. A number of tunnels have collapsed on Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad tunnel operatives in the past year. Israel's views the tunnels as a major security threat and have reportedly drawn up plans to protect Israel's southern communities.  Israel’s defense establishment plans to build a concrete wall that goes tens of yards underground as well as above ground along the Gaza Strip border.” The New York Times: Mahmoud Abbas To Attend Shimon Peres Funeral, But Thaw With Israel Is Unlikely “In death as in life, Shimon Peres will bring together longtime adversaries. But no one expects reconciliation when Israeli and Palestinian leaders both attend his funeral on Friday. Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, announced on Thursday that he would attend the funeral, putting him in proximity to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel when the two have been jousting over who is to blame for their failure to sit down and talk. The tension between Mr. Abbas and Mr. Netanyahu, in fact, underscores just how far the two sides have separated since the 1990s, when Mr. Peres helped negotiate the Oslo Accords, which created the framework for peaceful Israeli and Palestinian coexistence.” The Times Of Israel: Fearing Disturbances, Police Nab Extremists Ahead Of Peres Funeral “Police rounded up several people known for extremist affiliations and shut the state funeral of former president Shimon Peres to the public as they sought to secure the nearly unprecedented Friday ceremony that will see dozens of world leaders in attendance. Police Commissioner Roni Alsheich told journalists on Thursday that as part of the preparations for one of the largest security operations in Israeli history, police detained several individuals who may pose a threat to the funeral or to visiting dignitaries. The suspects include both right-wing extremist Jews and Arabs, he said. Alsheich told a press conference that police had put several suspects who they thought could threaten the event in preventative detention, including individuals involved in ‘terror, provocation or threats against individuals.’” The Wall Street Journal: In Israel, A Symbol Of Jewish-Arab Unity Stands Amid Deep Divisions “In this ancient port city on shores of the Mediterranean, Shimon Peres built a futuristic glass-and-cement edifice that embodied his vision for peaceful coexistence between Israeli Arabs and Jews. But high real-estate prices in the neighborhoods adjacent to the gleaming building—aptly named Peace House—have pushed out many Arab residents, underscoring an economic divide as wide as the political one that separates the two peoples. Along the streets near the 75,000-square-foot Peace House complex, which is bordered by an old Arab cemetery on the south and by the white sands of Jaffa beach on the west, developers are renovating rundown Ottoman and British Mandate-period buildings to create plush apartments with ocean views.” United Kingdom BBC: Birmingham Men Deny Giving Money To Terror Suspect “Two men have denied giving money to a man suspected of being involved in the Brussels and Paris terrorist attacks. Mohammed Ali Ahmed and Zakaria Boufassil allegedly met Mohamed Abrini - known as the ‘man in the hat’ - in Small Heath Park in Birmingham in July last year and handed over £3,000. They appeared at the Old Bailey with Soumaya Boufassil, who denied collecting cash for terrorist purposes. The trio, all from Birmingham, will stand trial in November. They all deny the preparation of terrorist acts between June 1 2014 and April 16 2016.” Germany Deutsche Welle: Babyn Yar: Germany Remembers Victims “Gauck, who is close to ending his four-year term as German head of state, made his eighth foreign trip to past sites of Nazi atrocities on Thursday by visiting the ravine where Nazi troops, including SS commandos, shot dead 33,771 Jews, including children, in just two days. He told an evening ceremony marking the 75th anniversary on the outskirts of Kyiv, that Germany's then-Wehrmacht army ‘played the largest role in this mass murder’ that cause ‘inexpressible suffering.’ On September 29 and 30, 1941 - just weeks after Hitler-ruled Germany began an disasterous invasion of Stalin's Soviet Union, German troops herded Kyiv Jewish residents to the ravine where they were shot dead, row after row. Just 29 people escaped execution. In the past, President Gauck (pictured center, to the left of Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko ) has visited Nazi atrocity sites in Italy and Greece.” Deutsche Welle: Dresden Counters Right-Wing Extremism Following Bomb Attacks “ It is still not entirely clear what spurred the attacks, although police suspect a xenophobic motive. In the annual ‘Report on German unity,’ the federal government identified a cluster of right-wing extremist violence in east German states. Most of the incidents occurred in the state of Saxony, where foreigners make up about 3 percent of the population. The region has the highest proportion of organized neo-Nazis in Germany. Markus Kemper has been dealing with racist hot-spots in Saxony for 15 years. His mobile advisory team from the Saxon cultural office helps, for example, clubs and associations who have Neo-Nazis amongst their members and don't know what to do about it. ‘In the last two years the number of right-wing extremist assaults in Saxony has increased by 90 percent - it's because of the heated atmosphere and the demonstrations by the Pegida movement,’ Kemper tells DW.’ France Newsweek: France Launches Airstrikes Against Isis In Mosul: Reports “French fighter jets have reportedly taken off from an aircraft carrier and are due to take part in an attack against Mosul, the Islamic State militant group’s (ISIS’s) main hub in Iraq. Several Rafale fighter planes took off from the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier—which is stationed in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea—early on Friday, AFP reported. An officer on board was quoted as saying that the jets would take part in a mission against Mosul, which has been under ISIS control since June 2014. A total of 24 aircraft will take part in the operation, with a sortie on average every three minutes, according to French radio station RTL. The jets were armed with four 250kg laser-guided bombs each.” Europe Reuters: Bulgaria Detains French Terrorism Suspect “Bulgaria has detained a French citizen suspected of links to terrorism on Paris's request after he tried to cross into Turkey, the Bulgarian prosecutors' office said on Thursday. The French authorities demanded the detention of 18-year-old Clement Michel after he breached a restriction to leave France, the prosecutors' office spokeswoman Rumiana Arnaudova said. Le Figaro newspaper and other French media said Michel was a Muslim convert who had visited jihadist websites. Bulgarian authorities, who detained Michel on Wednesday at the border with Turkey, expect to receive a European arrest warrant in Bulgarian, not only in French, thereby opening a procedure for the extradition of the suspect.” Daily Mail: Stop Young Turning To Terror...With Classical Concerts! EU Vote To Spend €1m On Events Sparks Ridicule From Eurosceptics “Brussels is seeking to prevent violent extremism by putting on classical music concerts for young people. MEPs have voted to spend one million euros (£860,000) on the ‘promotion of EU values through music’ despite calls to cut spending. Member states had been seeking to reduce the total budget for next year to 156.4billion euros (£135.4billion). But the European Parliament’s budget committee has reversed all planned cuts, pencilling in an extra £4.7billion in spending.  Among the additional projects to get funding is a scheme aimed at ‘preventing radicalisation leading to violent extremism through music’.” The Wall Street Journal: Hungary Referendum Tests EU’s Migrant Policy “Mr. Punk’s tavern is a microcosm of the wider forces shaping Hungary’s society and economy ahead of Sunday’s referendum on immigration. Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who opposes Muslim immigration, wants voters to say no to an EU policy to impose ‘the obligatory resettlement of non-Hungarian citizens.’ Although Hungary’s working population is expected to shrink by more than 10% over the next four years, according to a central-bank estimate, Mr. Orban objects to allowing large numbers of refugees to settle in the country, saying they would threaten its ethnic cohesion. The prime minister argues migrants also represent a security threat because some Islamist radicals have made their way into the EU by posing as refugees.”