German neo-Nazi terror cell linked to 10 murders

On November 4 in Berlin, two alleged terrorists, believed to be from an organized right-wing terror cell, were found dead in a burning motor home.  A third terrorist came forward on the fourth day, saying that she had set off the bomb and then fled.  When she turned herself into police, weapons that had been used in other attacks had been found.  On Sunday, another alleged terrorist was arrested near Hannover. Authorities believe that the four were acting together but do not currently believe they were part of any larger group.

The four were believed to be the neo-Nazi terror cell involved in killing at least 10 people of mostly Turkish and Greek descent.

In a video which seemed to be intended for the German media, the alleged terrorists claim to have killed eight Turks, one Greek and a police officer between 2000 and 2007.  The attacks occurred all over Germany and became known as the "Doener Murder Series."  Until these arrests, police had not believed that the attacks had been committed by the same people.  In addition to the video, pro-Nazi materials have been found.  Der Spiegel, a German magaizine, is calling the group the "Brown Army Faction," referring to the brown shirts worn by Adolf Hitler's Nazis and to Germany's well-known left-wing terror group, the Red Army Faction.  No one has been charged with a crime at this point.  The news has sparked outrage among Germans.

 -Amelia Hernigle

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/11/14/world/europe/germany-arrest/index.html?hpt=ieu_c2

Big Human Trafficking Bust!

      On November 7, 2011, after a year-and-a-half long investigation, Spain finally made it's biggest trafficking bust after months of preparation and dozens of operations. The bust included thirty nine arrests, seventeen brothels busted, and thirty women who were freed. The investigation began when detectives started looking, and paying closer attention at newspaper ads for Chinese brothels. Recently, the Chinese population has really been seen in Barcelona. In Europe, prostitution is not illegal under the Spanish law, but forcing someone to sell themselves is. In Spain it is very easy to find prostitutes anywhere like on busy city streets, in local bars, or on sidewalks. Detectives say that the new Chinese prostitution has been operating from apartments, and in just two years it has knocked out any other competitors in the brothel business. It knocked out the competitors because they offered people a larger amount of sex for really low prices compared to the rest of the market. The competitors has to close because of the big client drop. Since you can prostitute yourself in Spain, but you can't become a licensed prostitute, it makes the investigation of prostitution really tricky.

Link to Video:
   http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/international/2011/11/08/cfp-catalonia-part2.cnn

Turkish Boat Hijacker Killed

On Saturday, November 12th, Turkish commandos stormed a ferry off the coast of Istanbul. The soldiers were able to approach the boat without alerting the hijacker, and boarded the ship. Wearing civilian clothing, they were able fool the attacker long enough so they could assassinate the robber, without any casualties. The explosives which he carried with him were successfully disarmed as well. After the threat was successfully eliminated, the hijacker was identified as Mensur Guzel. Guzel was the head of the Kurdistan Workers' Party youth wing.

The Kurdistan Workers' Party, also known as the PKK is slowly becoming a more prominent threat in the region of Turkey and countries also in it's area. An article on this blog went over another attack carried out by a Kurdish rebel, linked here. There has recently been an increase of attacks carried out by these rebels has caused unrest in Turkey. There have been attacks that have reportedly killed over twenty six Turkish soldiers, possibly more. In response to these terrorist acts carried out by these rebels, the Turkish army has launched attacks throughout several Middle Eastern countries, specifically Iraq. They have also increased their military competence, as shown though their reaction to today's attacks. While neither side seems to be ready to fold, hopefully a treaty will be able to come between Kurdish people and the countries they seek autonomy from.

-Nate

Sources:
Foreign Press
Washington Post
BBC News
CNN

M5 crash: Firework organisers 'to work closely with police

There was a 34-vehicle accident on the northbound carriageway at junction 25, near Taunton in South Wales on Friday night.  Approximately 51 people were injured in the crash and 7 people were killed.

Police do not yet know what caused the pile-up, but a “bank of smoke” had been visible at the time.  Eye-witnesses said that this smoke was very significant and stretched across the carriageway.  It caused a bank, similar to a fog bank, which distracted drivers and caused unsafe driving conditions.

The local rugby club had held a fireworks display that evening.  This has become the focus for an investigation. Avon and Somerset Police Assistant Chief Constable Anthony Bangham said people who had attended the fireworks display will be interviewed by officers.  Whether or not the rugby club can be held accountable is a major question.  It is unclear so far if there was a license required for the fireworks display. 

Police said 131 feet of the carriageway had been damaged by spilled fuel and 197 feet was charred by intense fire. The vehicles involved in the crash took 2 days to be removed from the scene. The motorway was closed between junctions 24 and 25 after the crash, but was reopened on Sunday night.

The medical examiner for West Somerset, Michael Rose, said he planned to conduct autopsies of the seven victims of the crash on Thursday.

The rugby club said its thoughts and prayers were with the families of those affected by the accident. Hundreds of people have paid tribute to the dead and injured and their families on Facebook.

-Amelia Hernigle

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-15615992

Protests in Italy, G20 Summit Ends

Today, in Rome, Italy, protesters marched through the central square to attest decisions which the government, specifically Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, has been making. The protest was mainly caused by the Prime Minister's announcement at the G20 summit that the International Monetary Fund will be looking over Italy's austerity program. The G20 summit, for those unaware, was held this past week to address the European Union's budget crisis. The monitoring process will consist of quarterly evaluations carried out by IMF employees. There were several other important financial announcements at the multi-country meeting, such as that France and Germany will stop their financial support to Greece until certain requirements. These further cuts will be devastating for the country of Greece, which has already gone through numerous public spending reductions. For more on the Greek financial crisis, click on the link here.

This summit has brought up many discussions in many different media on how European countries should handle this economic downfall. There have been many talks of how the Greek government may have to give up their position in the European Union. Thanks to irresponsible spending by Greece as well as other countries, the value of the Euro has declined. This caused many other EU countries, such as Germany, to request that Greece either leave the EU, or cut back on various public funding. There is also the impending doom that Italy's economy may also begin to crumble under the economic struggle of the 21st century. However, they made the proper decision and looked to the IMF for assistance. Overall, the choices made throughout the G20 summit will hopefully begin to bring back the European, as well as the world's, economy.

-Nate

Sources:
EFT Daily News
Business Today
Telegraph UK
CNN

Crash Landing in Newark! Landing gear fails!

 Video Link: Emergency Landing!

It was a chaotic day for Poland's Frederic Chopin International Airport on Tuesday. A Boeing 767 that originally took off from Newark, New Jersey made an emergency crash landing at the airport after it's landing gear failed. Now the good news. None of the passengers on the plane were injured. Also no one was injured outside of the plane. The plane, however, did not do quite as well. Huge holes were carved into the lower fuselage, or belly, of the plane. Luckily, the extra layers of protective steel and insulation kept everything except for loud scraping noises from reaching the passengers. 

The 767 circled around the Warsaw airport for about an hour after it's pre-scheduled land time before it landed at about 4:40 in the afternoon. LOT, the company that owns the 767 had this to say: "After noticing a central hydraulic system failure the standard procedure for emergency landings at Warsaw airport were implemented." There was a grand total of 231 people on the flight, 220 of them passengers and 11 crew, none of which were injured. The airline company said they will now begin construction of a new 767 that will now take this one's place.

Reporter Jake Grider signing off.

Source: http://edition.cnn.com/2011/11/01/world/europe/poland-plane/index.html?hpt=ieu_c2