Daesh (IS) Burns 43 Iraqis Alive in Anbar

Baghdad: Daesh militants burned up to 43 people alive in Iraq’s western province of Anbar, a provincial security source said on Saturday.

Earlier, Daesh fighters captured the 43 Iraqis from the Albu Obeid Sunni tribe in the battlefield town of Al Baghdadi, some 200 km northwest of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, Xinhua news agency reported citing the source.

Those abducted were believed to be local police and government-backed Sahwa paramilitary group members, and were later transferred to the nearby militants-held town of Heet, the source added, adding that the terrorists put the victims in iron cages and set fire to them.

The executions came after the killing of some 70 others during the past 10 days when Daesh militants carried out major attacks in Al Baghdadi and the nearby air base of Ain Al Asad which houses hundreds of US Marines.

However, their attacks on the air base were repelled by security forces and US aircraft, while fighting continued in the town after Iraqi troops regained control of large parts of it.

Meanwhile, the militants laid siege to a neighbourhood in Al Baghdadi town housing dozens of families of security members and Sahwa fighters, said the source, who confirmed that the residents were facing acute shortage of food and drinking water, as well as weapons and ammunition.

Why are families still in this town? It has been surrounded for months by IS. Did people actually think this would end well?

Ain Al Asad military base is used by Iraqi military forces, as well as roughly 300 US Marines deployed there as military trainers and advisers.

Daesh has seized around 80 percent of Iraq’s largest province of Anbar and has tried to advance towards Baghdad, but several counter-attacks by security forces and Shia militias pushed them back from western areas of the capital.

Since December last year, there have been insurgent attacks in the Sunni Arab heartland west of Baghdad which stretches through the Anbar province.

RCMP Officer Guilty of Perjury at Inquiry into Death of Polish Immigrant

Const. Kwesi Millington

Const. Kwesi Millington, the RCMP officer who fired a Taser the night Robert Dziekanski died eight years ago at the Vancouver Int'l airport, British Columbia, Canada, has been found guilty of perjury and colluding with his fellow officers before testifying at the inquiry into the Polish immigrant's death. 

A B.C. Supreme Court judge ruled today that Millington "patently" lied at the Braidwood inquiry into the fatal confrontation at Vancouver International Airport in 2007.

Millington fired his Taser multiple times after he and three other officers were summoned over calls that Dziekanski, who spoke no English, had been throwing furniture in the international terminal.

Each of the officers was compelled to explain his actions at the inquiry and all four were later charged with perjury. Millington was accused of lying 10 times at the inquiry, including about whether he thought Dziekanski was standing or on the ground after the first shock from the Taser.

Judge William Ehrcke said it was "preposterous" that the Mountie claimed Dziekanski was standing while he was stunned a second time, when it's clear from bystander video that Dziekanski was already on the ground.

"The Crown has proven beyond a reasonable doubt that Const. Millington gave oral evidence under oath which he knew at the time to be false, and he did so with the intention to mislead the inquiry," Ehrcke said Friday as Millington listened from the prisoner's dock.

Dziekanski's mother, Zofia Cisowski, sat quietly in the public gallery as the judge read the verdict.

Perjury charges were laid against Const. Gerry Rundel, Const. Bill Bentley,
Cpl. Monty Robinson and Const. Kwesi Millington, clockwise from top left
in connection with their testimony at the Braidwood inquiry

​Millington's verdict marks the first time a judge has concluded that one of the officers in the Dziekanksi affair lied. It's also the first time a judge has agreed with the prosecutors who argued that Millington and his fellow officers conspired to lie and exaggerate the threat Dziekanksi posed in order to justify their use of force.

One of the other officers charged with perjury, Const. Bill Bentley, was acquitted of perjury in 2013, but the Crown is appealing that verdict.

A witness connected to Bentley testified at Millington's trial and said officers met at her home. But the defence presented telephone records, credit card receipts and other evidence to portray her testimony as unreliable and motivated by acrimony.

However, Ehrcke concluded the officers must have spoken to each other before providing statements to homicide investigators.

"This the only rational inference available," he said.

Millington testified at his trial that he made mistakes in describing what happened, but insisted they were the product of a fast-moving and traumatic situation.

His lawyer argued the officer had no reason to lie, because the moment Dziekanski picked up a stapler, it became a weapon that justified the use of force.

Former corporal Benjamin (Monty) Robinson is awaiting a verdict and Const. Gerry Rundel's trial, which proceeded in another courtroom on Friday, is almost finished.

Millington has remained on duty with the RCMP, but has been sidelined from regular duties. His next court appearance will be on March 19.

Criminal Justice Branch spokesman Neil MacKenzie said the special prosecutor will decide whether to ask for jail time. He also said it's unclear what effect the Millington conviction will have on Bentley's appeal.

"I had always hoped … I could jump to the sky," said Cisowski after the verdict was handed down.

She said it was the first time she has been happy since her son died.

"I am pleased to hear the judge found him guilty of six of the 10 perjury charges. Even with six, I am not satisfied, but it's better than nothing."

She added she would like to see Millington end up in jail, because "they killed" her son, even though Millington was only found guilty of perjury.

"I am very concerned because they didn't find criminal charge for killing Robert," she said.

She now lives in Kamloops, B.C., where Dziekanski had planned to move after immigrating to Canada.

Saskatchewan Dad Charged After Son Suffers Seizures from Eating Marijuana Cookies

Edible marijuana products on display at medical marijuana dispensary in Denver

Children who consume food containing marijuana are at serious risk, according to a Regina consultant on drug and alcohol addictions.

Rand Teed, from Regina, says the effects of marijuana on children can be damaging.

"It's very harmful to kids, no matter how you do it," Teed said.

"An overdose causes anxiety, panic attacks. It can cause hallucinations," he added. "[For] a little kid, if that kind of stuff starts to happen to them, they're going to have no idea what's going to go on. So that becomes very frightening."

Rand Teed, a Regina-based consultant on drug and alcohol addictions, warns
that  eating marijuana-laced cookies can easily lead to an overdose for a child

Teed's observation follows a report from Swift Current RCMP that a toddler suffered seizures and spent two days in intensive care in January after eating cookies made with marijuana.

RCMP said the 20-month-old boy survived and the father is facing charges.

Teed noted that cookies made with marijuana taste like regular cookies.

"So you can eat yourself into an overdose situation before you even realize that there's anything happening," Teed said..

The effects of the marijuana can harm brain development, he said.

"Kids that ... use it accidentally are risking changing how their brain is going to develop," he said. "It can cause comas and seizures."

Teed said marijuana could be compared to alcohol when it comes to keeping it away from children.

"You wouldn't leave a glass of alcohol where a toddler get it and drink it because we know that it is toxic," he said. "And marijuana is equally toxic, but in a different way."

RCMP did not provide details on how the Swift Current youngster came to ingest the marijuana cookies beyond stating the toddler "was given access to the cookies."

Last fall, an elementary student brought marijuana cookies to school and shared them with classmates.

RCMP in Dawson Creek, British Columbia, are investigating an incident in which a child brought cookies suspected of containing drugs to a local elementary school, and then shared them with classmates.

Officials with the Peace River South School District confirm the incident happened at École Frank Ross at the end of October, but are saying little else, refusing to confirm how many students ate the cookies in question, or whether any of them became ill as a result.

Police, however, admitted that several children were made sick and had to be taken home.

Islamic State Gains Libya Foothold

Egypt is bombing Islamic State targets in its stronghold of Derna

The Islamic State (IS) has wreaked havoc in the Middle East, seizing vast areas of Iraq and Syria and now it is taking advantage of Libya's collapse into anarchy.

It has gained a foothold in key towns and cities in the mostly lawless North African state, prompting Egypt - seeing itself as the bulwark against Islamists in region - to launch air strikes against the group.

Last August I reported on IS in Libya, and in September I reported that IS was popping up all over the place. As limited in numbers as they are I think it will be impossible to stamp them out. There is too much money behind them and the extreme ideology is a literal adherence to the Quran. There may be ebbs and floes in the IS tide, but eventually it will become a tsunami.

After the two war-ravaged Middle Eastern states, IS has launched its most high-profile attacks in Libya, bombing an upmarket hotel in the capital, Tripoli, in January, and releasing a video earlier this month showing the beheading of 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians it had kidnapped.

For UK-based Libyan academic, Mohamed Ahdash, the emergence of IS affiliates in Libya is not surprising.

"There is a study which shows that after Saudi Arabia, most of the fighters who went to Syria were from Libya," he told the BBC.

'Magnet for African jihadists'
Libya's UN-backed government believes the fighters are now returning, following a shift in IS thinking to promote local jihad, and are under the command of a Tunisian named Abu Talha.

A fighter of Libya's Fajr Libya group (Libyan Dawn) fires his gun during clashes
in the hill village of Kikla, southwest of Tripoli on 21 October 2014
Libya descended into anarchy after the fall of Col Gaddafi

Libya, analysts say, is an obvious target for IS - it has been chaotic since the overthrow of long-serving ruler Muhammar Gaddafi in a Nato-backed offensive in 2011.

A Libyan woman walks past the rubble of a building in the Mediterranean
 city of Sirte on 13 October 2012. The militants have built a presence in Sirte,
which was heavily bombed during the campaign to oust Gadaffi

There are currently two rivals governments, dozens of groups armed with weapons looted from the former regime's arsenal, and smugglers who roam freely across porous borders in the desert region.

Moreover, Libya is rich in oil and earlier this month, gunmen claiming to represent IS raided a French-run oil facility in al-Mabruk, south of Sirte city, killing at least 11 guards.

Libyan oil is a potentially lucrative source of funding for IS, though it will find it difficult to export it because of the foreign navies patrolling the Mediterranean coast.

Mr Ahdash says Libya has become a magnet for jihadis from other parts of Africa - especially those who fled northern Mali after a French-led military operation recaptured territory from them in 2013.

"They are under one umbrella, but they are very different and very divided. It is difficult to work out who is who," he says.

He says Islamists had a presence in Libya during Col Gaddafi's rule, but they were heavily suppressed.

The late Strongman Col Muammar Gadaffi

So it does not surprise him that they have now gained a foothold in cities like Benghazi, the cradle of the 2011 revolution that overthrew Col Gaddafi, and Derna, the coastal town being targeted by Egypt's military and where the first IS affiliate emerged in October.

But what surprises him, Mr Ahdash says, is that they have secured a presence in Sirte, the birthplace of Col Gaddafi, which had been seen as hostile towards Islamists.

'Aspirational'
He says either foreign jihadists have infiltrated the city or Gaddafi loyalists, including military officers, have joined the militants, just as they did in Iraq after Saddam Hussein was overthrown by US-led forces in 2003.

"I'm worried that could happen in Libya; that there could be a marriage of interest," says Mr Ahdash, pointing out that Ahmed Gaddafi al-Dam, an influential cousin of the former ruler, has publicly hailed IS as "pure".

An image posted online by militants who claim to be part of the Islamic State
group showing them destroying statues in Derna - 1 February 2015

Nevertheless, he does not believe IS or its affiliates have a huge presence in Libya.

"Most Libyans are moderate Muslims, and they hate Daesh," Mr Ahdash told the BBC, referring to the name by which IS is known in the Arab-speaking world.

A Coptic clergyman shows a picture of a man whom he says is one of the
 Egyptian Coptic Christians purportedly murdered by Islamic State (IS)
group militants in Libya. Egypt intervened after its nationals were killed.

Patrick Skinner, a former CIA case officer, is quoted by Foreign Policy magazine as saying that there are an estimated 1,000 to 3,000 fighters loyal to IS in Libya, many of whom acquired combat experience in Iraq and Syria.

IS-linked fighters operate in Tripoli, the south-western region of Fezzan, and the eastern region of Barqa, which includes Benghazi and Derna.

However, Thomas Joscelyn, senior editor of the Long War Journal, says that while IS has grown in Libya, its strength should not be exaggerated.

"These zones are more aspirational than they are real," Mr Joscelyn told Foreign Policy.

Even if IS control in Libya is limited to a few small areas, it still has the potential to make the country's desperate situation even worse, threatening regional stability.

Canada's Smart Gun: DND Wows the World With New High-Tech Assault Rifle

The Canadian army has actually made the gun from Halo

Of all the many things our county is known for producing – maple syrup, hockey stars, ketchup chips, snow — "firearms" have never really been associated with Canadian innovation.

Canada did not invent the gun, nor do its citizens even have the constitutional right to carry one without a license, proper training and a thorough background check.

Heck, if media stereotypes have taught us anything, most Canucks would rather throw down with hockey gloves than wave around a glock.

So why is Canada being credited this week for shaping "the future of firearms?"

Because it appears to be true, that's why.

Canadians may not be huge on carrying guns, but when it comes to building insanely cool next-generation assault rifles, our government is leading the game.

Tech and innovation enthusiasts have been buzzing about Canada's new "smart gun" since a prototype video (seen above) was released earlier this month by Defence Research and Development Canada, a civilian agency of the Department of National Defence.

Developed in partnership with Colt Canada for the Canadian Armed Forces, the headline-grabbing integrated assault rifle concept boasts "more firepower, improved accuracy and smart integrated accessories that connect to command and control networks" according to a DRDC press release.

It also includes "a firing mechanism to shoot lightweight cased telescoped ammunition, a secondary effects module for increased firepower and a NATO standard power and data rail to integrate accessories like electro-optical sights and position sensors."

Oh — and an M203 grenade launcher.

Watch video

"In the medium term, this weapon concept represents a lethal, flexible general-purpose platform,” said Lieutenant-Colonel Serge Lapointe, from the Soldier Systems group in Director Land Requirements – Soldier Systems (DLR 5) of the Canadian Army. “It will be able to operate in all theatres of operations in the most complex terrain including urban areas, mountains, jungles, deserts and the Arctic.”

These features, and the fact that this "smart gun" would allow soldiers to generate or receive data from their command networks is exciting to many — but what's really got the internet paying attention is the promise of a gun that can shoot on its own.

Several international media outlets have run with the angle that Canada's new smart gun, which has been in development since 2009, can "find, aim and shoot at a target all by itself," sparking even more interest in the project.

The DRDC did not actually mention this set of features in its official release, however.

What the agency did share was that its team "studied how to increase the rifle’s accuracy using technology that can automatically detect targets and assist with engaging them."

"In the next phase of development, automated target detection and assisted target engagement will be the subject of an in-depth study in the Future Small Arms Research (FSAR) project," reads the Feb. 9 release on DRDC's website.

The evolution of the smart gun
February 9, 2015 More firepower, improved accuracy and smart integrated accessories that connect to command and control networks are the headline features of the new integrated assault rifle concept that Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) and Colt Canada have developed for the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF).

Self-shooting or not, many are impressed by what they've seen of the Canada's future weapons thus far.

Calling the prototype a "smart gun worthy of a Schwarzenegger movie," Gizmodo's Adam Clark Estes wrote "the new Colt-made Canadian smart gun is a glimpse into the future of firearms."

"America's friendly neighbor to the north has designed and tested a new smartgun with foreboding firepower for its military," wrote Dylan Love for The Daily Dot. "That's right, Canada has made a digital killing machine."

Who'd a thunk it? Since most other countries are making kazillions of dollars on the arms trade - often supplying weapons to both sides of a war, Canada might just as well join in. 

Hundreds of Thousands Rally in Argentina Over the Death of Alberto Nisman

Plazo de Mayo, Buenos Aires where the presidential palace is located

Hundreds of thousands of people have taken part in a march in the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires, to mark one month since the death of prosecutor Alberto Nisman.

The protest was called by federal prosecutors and attended by Mr Nisman's family and opposition politicians.

They defied torrential rain to demand justice for Mr Nisman, who had been investigating the government.

The prosecutor was found dead in his apartment on 18 January.

It is still not clear whether he killed himself or was murdered.

Mr Nisman was investigating Argentina's deadliest terrorist attack, the 1994 bombing of the Amia Jewish centre.

The silent march was called by prosecutors demanding a full investigation.

Mr Nisman's ex-wife, federal judge Sandra Arroyo Salgado, and their two daughters joined the demonstration, which lasted nearly two hours.

Similar protests took place across the country.

Murdered prosecutor Alberto Nisman

Argentines living in Spain, France, Israel and other countries also gathered to demand justice for Mr Nisman.

Officials have denounced the march as a political move to weaken the government.

Mr Nisman was found with a bullet wound to the head and a gun was lying next to him.

Days earlier, he had published a 300-page report in which he accused President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner and Foreign Minister Hector Timerman of covering up Iran's alleged role in the bombing.

President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner

His body was found just hours before he was due to appear before a congressional committee to present more details of his allegations.

News of his death and its timing led to speculation among some Argentines that the government may have played a role in it.

The government has strongly denied both allegations.

'Rogue agents'
In an open letter published on her website, President Fernandez suggested rogue intelligence agents had fed Mr Nisman false information in order to destabilise her government.

She also said she was convinced Mr Nisman's death was not suicide.

Days later, she announced she planned to dissolve Argentina's intelligence service, SI.

Critics said the move was aimed at diverting attention away from Mr Nisman's death.

In fact, it was a good move by the much beleaguered, but always elegant President. If rogue elements had been involved in planting false information, or even in the death of Mr Nisman, then they had to be cut down. 

On the other hand, if they had been acting on behalf of the President (whether she knew it or not), and murdered Nisman, they did such an amateur job of it, they deserved to be fired. I would think a country the size of Argentina would have a secret service capable of doing a better job of murdering someone.

Earlier, President Fernandez and her cabinet attended an unrelated event at the Atucha power plant, in the city of Zarate, 90km (55 miles) north of the capital.

Ms Fernandez said she would not bow to internal or external pressure and would remain in office until December, when her term ends.

"This government will not allow anyone else to impose their rules on us," she said in a speech that was broadcast on national television.

One Officer Charged, 16 More Under Investigation in Small City Police Force

Abbotsford Police Department spokesman Const. Ian MacDonald speaks to reporters
about the investigation into a number of officers for offences under the Police Act

A constable with the Abbotsford Police Department in British Columbia, Canada is facing criminal charges and 16 other officers are under investigation for allegations related to the integrity of statements used in a number of criminal cases to obtain search warrants.

Const. Christopher Nicholson has been charged with  breach of trust, obstruction of justice and conspiracy to traffic a controlled substance, the Office of the Police Complaints Commission (OPCC) said in a statement released Wednesday.

Nicholson was arrested and charged in May 2013, but the OPCC said disclosure of the charges was delayed until now in order to complete a number of "sensitive investigative steps." The officer has been suspended without pay.

At a news conference Wednesday, Abbotsford police Chief Bob Rich said the probe started after information was received that a police officer was supplying information to a drug dealer so the dealer could avoid being arrested.

"In the fall of 2012, two of our members came forward and said they thought we had a problem with one of our members and their integrity showed that day, and we immediately took their concerns seriously and ended up asking Vancouver [Police Department] to take on an investigation into the conduct of Const. Nicholson," Rich said.

Abbotsford, PD

The chief pointed out that the investigation into the other 16 officers is for alleged misconduct under the Police Act, not the Criminal Code.

"We have a large number of members under investigation under the Police Act. I need you to understand that if I did not have confidence in the integrity of these members, I would have suspended them. I have not done that," he said.

Vancouver Police Department Chief Jim Chu said his force's eight-month investigation determined an Abbotsford police officer was supplying false information to other officers in order to obtain search warrants for private homes.

"He [Nicholson] also allegedly conspired with a confidential informant to have drugs delivered to a residence and have other police officers conduct a search warrant soon after," Chu said.

Court cases may have been compromised

The OPCC said the Vancouver Police Department investigation uncovered further allegations of misconduct against 16 other members of the Abbotsford Police Department, which has 217 officers.

It also determined many of the allegations against officers deal with the information provided to judicial officials in order to obtain search warrants.

The Office of the Police Complaints Commission says it's trying to determine whether prosecutions were compromised by unreliable search warrant information.

​"Furthermore, what remains an active concern to the OPCC is the extent to which the search warrants in issue may have contributed to potentially unsafe prosecutions," said the statement.

The OPCC said it has not been able to adequately determine the extent to which prosecutions may have been compromised "due to the lack of adequate disclosure from the police."

It said that delay is due to legal impediments arising from the complexity of the case and the sheer magnitude of investigative materials.

"Several investigations have been suspended pending the disclosure of the investigative materials in order to ensure that the related criminal proceedings are not prejudiced," said the OPCC statement.

After he was charged in May 2013, Nicholson made his first appearance in B.C. Supreme Court in July. His trial date has been set for May 26, 2016, and his next scheduled court appearance is Aug 28.

The OPCC will release a summary of its final report on the investigation to the public once its probe is complete.

This is a shocker to me. As a resident of Abbotsford, I have great respect and admiration for the city police. It's a bit shaken now, but with men like the two who came forward, it should not be shaken for long.