Iraq gets support from Turkey against IS

Iraqi President Fuad Masum asked for additional military and humanitarian support from Turkey in the fight against the Islamic State militants during the official visit to Ankara.

“This virus can pass from this region to other regions,” he was referring to the IS threats at a joint press briefing on Wednesday with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

“The countries in the region have serious responsibilities,” he added.

Speaking to the Turkish press after wrapping up his talks with Turkish officials, the Iraqi leader said Turkey is ready to support Iraq.

“Turkey said it is ready to do whatever required for training Iraqi troops and provide arms to Baghdad,” Masum noted.

Turkey has been playing a role in helping both the Iraqi central government as well as Kurdistan regional government beat back the IS by providing logistical and arms support.

In March, Turkey had delivered two C-130 cargo planes full of arms and ammunition to Baghdad.

Turkey has also been providing training to Iraqi federal army troops and the Kurdish peshmerga forces.

The Iraqi president said that it will take at least two years to restructure Iraqi national army.

Masum kicked off his three-day visit to Turkey from Tuesday, on the eve of an anticipated offensive by Iraqi national army and peshmerga forces to recapture Mosul, the country’s second largest city. Mosul has been under IS’ control since June last year.

Masum stressed that Iraq does not need the help of foreign ground troops to retake Mosul, saying “if required, we may ask Turkey for help.”

Turkey already announced in March that it would support Iraq in the operation to take back Mosul from the IS.

Turkish President Erdogan said the battle against the IS cannot be won simply by air raids, and ground offensive is also required.

The Iraqi president also talked about his country’s economic hardships due to the recent oil price plunge.

Speaking at an event with Turkish Parliament Speaker Cemil Cicek, Masum said “our need for economic support has increased especially after a decline in the oil price which is our main source of revenue.”

For his part, Erdogan said the low oil prices have created economic difficulties in Iraq, and Turkey planed to purchase natural gas from Iraq to help Baghdad overcome.

In addition, Turkey has sent 750 truck-loads of humanitarian supplies to Iraq and will continue to dispatch more, said Erdogan, adding that his country has been sheltering some 300,000 refugees from Iraq and administering three refugee camps in Iraqi territory as well.

As for the disputes between federal government and Kurdistan regional authorities, the Iraqi president downplayed their differences, saying that “both sides are conforming to the articles of the agreement, and there is no dispute between them.”

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(UPDATED) Jonathan, Buhari in closed-door meeting

President Goodluck Jonathan and the President-elect, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), on Friday met  behind closed-doors at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The meeting which lasted about 30minutes started at about 3pm with the arrival of the President-elect and members of his entourage.

A few minutes before his arrival, Jonathan walked a distance of about 100 metres from his office to the new Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa where the meeting was held.

He was accompanied by his Principal Secretary, Ambassador Hassan Tukur, and a few security aides.

Buhari who was decked in a white ‘agbada’ was accompanied by the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, another chieftain of the party, Abdulrahman Dambazau, and a couple of aides.

He was driven to the front of the venue in a black Toyota Landcruiser marked Abuja ABC 329 KJ.

He was received by Tukur who ushered him into one of the small halls inside the building where Jonathan was already waiting.

About 30 minutes later, they emerged from the meeting, holding hands and beaming with smiles.

They waited for a few minutes in front of the national flag placed in the centre of the building’s lobby to allow photojournalists take shots.

As they made their way out of the venue, Jonathan told State House correspondents that the meeting was in continuation of the conversation that the two of them have been engaging in.

When probed further, the President said although he would not disclose the details of the meeting, the parley was in the interest of the country.

He said a date  would be chosen when the President-elect would come and he (Jonathan) will show him round the Presidential Villa.

The President’s  encounter with journalists was characterised by intermittent loud laughter by Buhari and members of his delegation as well as the journalists.

The following conversation ensued:

President: Thank you gentlemen. We have nothing to tell you today, formally we will take a date where the President (Buhari) will come and I will show him round the State House.

But today is not for that. Today, we are continuing with our conversation, so we don’t need to worry the President (Buhari), you don’t need to also worry the President (referring to himself).

Journalists: How did the conversation go?

President: But you see that we are smiling.

Journalists: So, the meeting was a fruitful one?

President: Yes.

Journalists: What did you discuss?

President: I will not tell you, but the meeting was for the interest of the country.

When State House correspondents turned to Buhari for his comment, he simply said, “The President (Jonathan) has said it all.”

His response also  elicited another round of laughter from those present.

That was the second time that Jonathan and Buhari would be meeting publicly since the March 28 presidential election which the incumbent lost to the APC candidate.

The first meeting which was described as “private” was held on April 3 without media presence.



President Goodluck Jonathan and the President-elect, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), are currently meeting behind closed-doors.

The meeting is holding inside the new Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Buhari arrived for the meeting at exactly 3pm.

Shortly before his arrival, Jonathan moved from his office to the venue in company of his Principal Secretary, Hassan Tukur.

Details later…

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IS Clearly Want War With The Vatican :IS Video To shows murder of Christians

The Islamic State jihadist group has released a video purportedly showing the slaughter of around 30 Ethiopian Christians in Libya.

The 29-minute film purports to show militants holding two groups of captives, described in text on screen as "followers of the cross from the enemy Ethiopian Church".

A masked fighter in black brandishing a pistol makes a statement threatening Christians if they do not convert to Islam.

The video then switches between footage of one group of about 12 men being beheaded by masked militants on a beach and another group of at least 16 being shot in the head in a desert area.

It was unclear who the captives were or exactly how many were killed.

Before the killings, the video shows purported footage of Christians in Syria explaining how they had been given the choice of converting to Islam or paying a special tax, and had decided to pay.

Bearing the logo of IS' media arm, the video is similar to footage the group released in the past.

Several Libyan jihadist groups have pledged allegiance to IS, the extremist organisation which has seized control of large parts of Syria and Iraq over the past year and declared an Islamic "caliphate".

In February IS released video appearing to show the beheading of 21 Egyptian Christians in Libya.

The murders prompted Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al Sisi to order airstrikes against IS targets in Libya.

The new video emerged as Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby was making a visit to Egypt in support of the Christian minority there.

He handed over letters of condolence from the families of British terror victims to the leader of the largest Christian minority in the Middle East.

The letters are believed to include correspondence from the family of murdered British aid worker David Haines, and were given to Bishop Tawadros, the Pope of Egypt's Coptic Christians.

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White House fence jumper arrested

A person carrying a suspicious package scaled a White House fence Sunday night, but was quickly apprehended.

The person climbed the fence on the south side of the White House complex about 10:25 p.m., said Brian Leary with the United States Secret Service.

The individual is in custody and charges are pending, Leary said. The person's name or gender wasn't released.

The package was being examined and later deemed to be harmless, a Secret Service source told the social media .

Last week, a U.S. official told the social media  that temporary steel spikes may be added to the tips of the White House perimeter fence to help deter jumpers.

If done, this will be a temporary measure to protect the grounds until a new permanent one is constructed.

The official said that the proposal is not in place yet.

The Secret Service has come under heavy criticism after two incidents compromised the security of the grounds.

On March 4, two senior Secret Service agents who were reportedly intoxicated allegedly drove their car into a White House barrier. Last September, a man jumped the White House fence and made it to an unlocked door on the grounds.

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Revenge! Assassins! Reunions! Game of Thrones Season 5 Finally Heats Up In "The House of Black and White"

Warning: major spoilers below! Do not read until you have watched the Game of Thrones season five episode 2, "The House of Black and White."

Now this is a Game of Thrones episode! While the season five premiere, "The Wars to Come," served as a proper opening for the game-changing season, setting up each character's journey over the next 10 episodes, it lacked a certain something that all fans love about the HBO series.

No, we're not talking about massive battle scenes or anything like that. We're talking a specific reason, or more accurately, a specific person...Arya!

Our favorite pint-sized killer finally made her season five debut, and with her arrival brought forth what is going to be one of our favorite storylines of the season as she begins her training at the House of Black and White in Braavos, mentored by a face-shifting Jaqen H'ghar whose name isn't actually Jaqen H'ghar...

The episode begins with Arya's storyline, and don't lie, you let out an audible "Yaaaassss!" when you saw the young Stark girl's face after her absence in the season five premiere. Her boat journey finally ends when she arrives in Braavos, and she gets dropped off at the House of Black and White, where she's told that's where she'll find the man she's seeking with her iron coin. She tries to use that coin to get in the black and white doors, but the old man who answers her knocks refuses to let her in. Frustrated and out of options, she simply sits on the steps, repeating her hit list over and over again, all through the night and the rain, until she finally gives up and throws her iron coin into the sea.

After their near-miss in the premiere, Brienne and Pod find themselves in the same inn as Sansa and Littlefinger, and THANK THE OLD GODS AND THE NEW because Pod notices her! Brienne approaches her and swears her loyalty to Sansa, but Littlefinger manipulates Sansa into not trusting her. She tells Brienne to leave, and come on, that is rough when you think about how dedicated Brienne has been in locating both Stark girls, only to get rejected by both. She and Pod free all the horses and make their escape, but Pod loses control of his horse and gets dumped in the river. Brienne saves him from their attackers, and tells him they are going to follow Sansa and Littlefinger to protect her even if she doesn't want help.

Back in King's Landing, Cersei receives a threat in the form of a gift from Dorne: a snake's head holding her daughter Myrcella's necklace in its mouth. She fears for Myrcella's life, rightfully so, since they just had Oberyn publically killed during a trial by combat. Jaime vows to go to Dorne and bring "their" daughter back, for the first time openly talking about she's his and not Robert's. When Cersei worries that asking for Myrcella back when she's betrothed to a Dorne prince won't work, he simply says he doesn't plan to "ask."

Out in the country, a bromance-less Bronn is  settling into his new home, with his new, plain but enthusiastic betrothed. He seems happy and content with his new life . But then Jaime shows up, with a letter saying his new fiancé is now betrothed to someone else. Ouch? He tells Bronn that if he comes with Jaime, he'll be rewarded with a much better girl and castle. And thus, a new bromance is born!

And now the moment Game of Thrones fans have been waiting for: Dorne! South in the warm city, Oberyn's lover is pissed that his brother isn't doing anything to avenge Oberyn's death in King's Landing. She says the Sand Snakes agree with her and will get revenge for Oberyn if he won't. She even wants to kill Myrcella (so Cersei wasn't worried for nothing...), but he won't let her. Something tells us Myrcella still isn't safe in Dorne...

In Mereen, the hunt for the Sons of the Harpy heats up, as Daario takes Greyworm to a hideout his men learned about and they find a mask-wearing Son hiding in the wall. But surprisingly, it turns out they aren't rich families after all. They're poor, young men who are in turn
paid by the rich families to fight to bring back slavery. Dany holds a council to figure out what to do with the captured Son. When it seemed as if she wasn't going to show mercy, her advisor stepped in to warn her not to become her father, the mad king...and he tells her all the rumors of his cruelty were true.

That alone motivates her to give the Son of the Harpy a fair trial. But before she can, one of her former slave subjects kills him, believing he did her a favor. Dany then has Daario execute him publicly for his crime of murder, and the act sets off a brutal mob between the freed slaves and their old masters since tensions had been building for a while. The unsullied safely whisk her away from the violence but it's clear that things are not well in Mereen. Later that night, she hears a noise on her balcony and goes outside...to see Drogon! He came back! As she tentatively reaches out in happiness to her full-grown dragon, her happiness turns to fear as he snaps at her and flies away over the city.

Unaware that their new champion to take over the iron throne is currently dealing with unrest among her people and dragons, Varys and Tyrion continue their journey to Valantis, and onward to Mereen. They need to keep hidden (and Tyrion is not happy about being back in a small wooden box for the trip) because Cersei is currently offering lordship to whoever brings her Tyrion's head. While Tyrion isn't worried about being recognized this far away from King's Landing, it's clear that he does indeed need to be careful, as dwarves everywhere are being hunted and slaughtered in a race to curry favor with the queen mother.

Back in King's Landing, Cersei appoints herself as Tommen's advisor (Does he know what she's doing in his name? Doubt it.) essentially serving as the Hand of the King until he comes of age and appoints one himself. As each man on the council objects and offers to be the Hand instead, she interrupts them and offers them each new titles and bribes. But they still don't recognize her authority in place of the king's...and we're pretty sure that's a good idea on their part. Cersei with unlimited power? That's what nightmares are made of.

Up north at Castle Black, Stannis' daughter is teaching Gilly how to read, and it's actually a sweet scene. But her mother scolds her, warning her to stay away from any Wildlings. Stannis tells Jon Snow he showed weakness when he killed Mance, essentially flouting Stannis' orders, and Jon tells him the Wildlings will never follow him. Stannis again tries to cut a deal, promising Jon that he'll be Jon Stark, Lord of Winterfell, if he follows him. Even though it's all Jon ever wanted, to no longer be a bastard Snow, he tells Sam he's going to refuse it because he swore his life and sword to the Night's Watch. Now this is a true Night's Watchman, virgin or not!

And it seems as if his men agree, because during the vote for the new Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, Sam nominates Jon and everyone claps. The vote ends in a tie and the maester casts the deciding vote in favor of Jon! Meet your new Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, Jon Snow. That smile on his face is everything.

And bringing the episode back full circle, we end in Braavos, as Arya almost kills some boys in the streets when they try to steal the dinner she had just hunted with Needle, but the old man who refused her entry into the House of Black and White shows up and they fled. When she wonders why the boys were afraid of one man, he simply gives her back her iron coin, aka the one she tossed into the sea, and he changes his face to show it's Jaqen! When she asks why he previously told her that there was no Jaqen H'ghar at the House of Black and White, he says that Jaqen H'ghar does not exist. "A man is no one, and that is who a girl must become."

Say it with us once again: "Yaaasssss!" We are totally here for Arya training to become a nameless, faceless assassin. Finally, a way for her to channel her badassness hmmmm watch  more on Sunday 9pm Hbo

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