We begin with threats, first from the UN News Center:
UN rights report points to ‘increasing regularity’ of attacks on girls seeking education
A new United Nations human rights report seeking to analyse the problem of attacks against girls trying to access education found that schools in at least 70 different countries were attacked in the five years between 2009 and 2014, with many attacks specifically targeting girls, parents and teachers advocating for gender equality in education.
“Attacks against girls accessing education persist and, alarmingly, appear in some countries to be occurring with increasing regularity,” the background paper notes. “The educational rights of girls and women are often targeted due to the fact that they represent a challenge to existing gender and age-based systems of oppression.”
The background paper, which will be presented to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) to contribute to the development of its general recommendation on access to education, and which will also be published in advance of the 2015 High-level Review of Security Council resolution 1325, points to significant progress made towards guaranteeing education for all in many countries, while noting that girls still face barriers to full enjoyment of rights to, within and through education.
The report notes several recent cases of attacks against girls accessing education, which have highlighted the fragility of achievements in increasing accessibility, availability, adaptability, acceptability and quality of education for all.
Among the examples are the murder in December 2014 of more than 100 children in a Pakistani Taliban attack at an army school in Peshawar, the abduction of nearly 300 schoolgirls in April 2014 by the Boko Haram movement in northeast Nigeria and the 2012 shooting of education activist Malala Yousafzai by members of the Taliban in Pakistan.
It also points to several incidents of poisoning and acid attacks against schoolgirls in Afghanistan between 2012 and 2014, the reported forced removal of girls from schools in Somalia to become ‘wives’ of Al-Shabaab fighters in 2010, and the abduction and rape of girls at a Christian school in India in July 2013.
Another threat, via Science:
Could a wireless pacemaker let hackers take control of your heart?
Internet security experts have been warning for years that such devices are open to both data theft and remote control by a hacker. In 2007, Vice President Dick Cheney’s cardiologist disabled the wireless functionality of his pacemaker because of just that risk. “It seemed to me to be a bad idea for the vice president to have a device that maybe somebody on a rope line or in the next hotel room or downstairs might be able to get into—hack into,” said the cardiologist, Jonathan Reiner of George Washington University Hospital in Washington, D.C., in a TV interview last year.
Medical devices such as insulin pumps, continuous glucose monitors, and pacemakers or defibrillators have become increasingly small and wearable in recent years. They often connect with a hand-held controller over short distances using Bluetooth. Often, either the controller or the device itself is connected to the Internet by means of Wi-Fi so that data can be sent directly to clinicians. But security experts have demonstrated that with easily available hardware, a user manual, and the device’s PIN number, they can take control of a device or monitor the data it sends.
Medical devices don’t get regular security updates, like smart phones and computers, because changes to their software could require recertification by regulators like the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). And FDA has focused on reliability, user safety, and ease of use—not on protecting against malicious attacks. In a Safety Communication in 2013, the agency said that it “is not aware of any patient injuries or deaths associated with these incidents nor do we have any indication that any specific devices or systems in clinical use have been purposely targeted at this time.” FDA does say that it “expects medical device manufacturers to take appropriate steps” to protect devices. Manufacturers are starting to wake up to the issue and are employing security experts to tighten up their systems. But unless such steps become compulsory, it may take a fatal attack on a prominent person for the security gap to be closed.
Trust him, he says, via the Associated Press:
Obama asks Germans for ‘benefit of the doubt’ on NSA
President Barack Obama is asking Germans to give the United States “the benefit of the doubt” on National Security Agency surveillance, given U.S. history.
Obama says “there’s no doubt” that NSA leaker Edward Snowden’s revelations about the U.S. spying programs damaged the impression of U.S. intelligence operations among Germans. He says that’s understandable, given Germany’s history.
He says he’s trying to work through the issues to create greater transparency. But Obama also tells reporters Monday the U.S. wants to prevent attacks like the ones that occurred last month in Paris.
He’s asking Germans to recognize that the U.S. has a history of promoting civil liberties and has been a consistent partner to Germany for decades.
The Atlantic Monthly covers oversight undersight:
The CIA Lawyer Who Led a Secret Effort to Spy on the Senate
An insider’s account of why the intelligence agency monitored its overseers
When the CIA got caught spying on Senate staffers working on the 6,000 page torture report, John Brennan, who heads the agency, denied the transgression. “As far as the allegations of the CIA hacking into computers, nothing could be further from the truth,” he said on March 11, 2014. “That’s beyond the scope of reason.” Four months later, the CIA Inspector General found that the CIA did, in fact, improperly spy on the Senate intelligence committee. After that, Brennan apologized.
Now the public can read an extraordinary, recently released memo written by the unnamed CIA lawyer who led the effort to improperly monitor Senate overseers, outraging Senator Dianne Feinstein and prompting calls for a new CIA director. The document gives insight into the CIA’s tortured logic for its actions and it raises new questions about Brennan’s truthfulness in March of last year.
The memo states that on January 13, 2014, the unnamed CIA lawyer met with Brennan and at least a half-dozen others. They briefed Brennan on their efforts to clandestinely probe a computer system used by the Senate intelligence committee staff. They wanted to see if it contained a review of CIA torture ordered by former CIA Director Leon Panetta. “I informed the Director of my view that the conduct in question could be criminal, and that the Agency—based solely on its current understanding, that unauthorized documents existed on the SSCI side of the system and had been repeatedly accessed—had an obligation to answer the question of whether there had been a security violation or potential violation of law that should be referred to the Department of Justice,” the unnamed lawyer writes.
From The Hill cybersharing:
Obama to unveil cyber data-sharing unit
The White House is expected to reveal on Tuesday a new unit tasked with integrating the intelligence communities’ cyber data and sharing it with civilian agencies, according to an industry source with knowledge of the announcement.
The unit, dubbed the Cyber Threat and Intelligence Integration Center (CTIIC), will fall under the Office of the Director of National Intelligence’s (DNI) purview. It’s expected to serve as the main portal for intelligence agencies to share cyber threat data with agencies like the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and FBI.
The announcement is part of the White House’s broader strategy to enhance cybersecurity information sharing both among federal agencies and between the government and private sector.
Virtual war, via USA Today:
Pentagon seeks new war games to combat cyber threats
The Pentagon think tank that has funded studies into whether Russian President Vladimir Putin has Asperger’s syndrome is expanding its research to futuristic war games and investigating the effects of embargoes and trade restrictions, newly released military documents show.
The Office of Net Assessment wants to research the effects of trade interruptions, including those caused by blockades and trade embargoes, and “the economic dimension of military crises and warfare, including the character of economic warfare in a range of contexts and the implications for the United States, allies and adversaries.”
Economic sanctions, including those targeting the Russian oil industry, are a critical component of the allied response to Russia’s annexation of Crimea last year from Ukraine and the continuing Russian support of separatists in eastern Ukraine.
From the Intercept, what every parent sometimes suspects:
Is Your Child a Terrorist? U.S. Government Questionnaire Rates Families at Risk for Extremism
Are you, your family or your community at risk of turning to violent extremism? That’s the premise behind a rating system devised by the National Counterterrorism Center, according to a document marked For Official Use Only and obtained by The Intercept.
The document–and the rating system–is part of a wider strategy for Countering Violent Extremism, which calls for local community and religious leaders to work together with law enforcement and other government agencies. The White House has made this approach a centerpiece of its response to terrorist attacks around the world and in the wake of the Paris attacks, announced plans to host an international summit on Countering Violent Extremism on February 18th.
The rating system, part of a 36-page document dated May 2014 and titled “Countering Violent Extremism: A Guide for Practitioners and Analysts,” suggests that police, social workers and educators rate individuals on a scale of one to five in categories such as: “Expressions of Hopelessness, Futility,” “Talk of Harming Self or Others,” and “Connection to Group Identity (Race, Nationality, Religion, Ethnicity).” The ranking system is supposed to alert government officials to individuals at risk of turning to radical violence, and to families or communities at risk of incubating extremist ideologies.
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/1657824-cve-guide.html
From the Independent, another Snowden revelation:
Edward Snowden revelations: GCHQ ‘using online viruses and honey traps to discredit targets’
Britain’s GCHQ has a covert unit which uses dirty tricks from “honey trap” sexual liaisons to texting anonymous messages to friends and neighbours to discredit targets from hackers to governments, according to the latest leaks from whistleblower Edward Snowden.
Documents released by the American former CIA employee claim that the Cheltenham-based intelligence agency is at the forefront of efforts to develop “offensive” online techniques for use against criminals, and individuals and regimes considered to pose a threat to national security.
The revelations on Sunday sparked criticism that GCHQ is adopting tactics used by illegal hackers, such as so-called denial of service (DoS) attacks to disable chatrooms, which have no clear authority under British law and may have infringed the rights of other internet users.
The Snowden documents, obtained by American broadcaster NBC, also provide evidence that GCHQ has moved beyond its role as a surveillance agency and now occupies operational territory more traditionally associated with its confreres, MI6 and MI5.
From PandoDaily, France extends Internet censorship powers:
The French government can now force ISPs to block websites without a court order
France will now be able to force Internet service providers to block access to websites related to terrorism or child pornography without ever having to receive a court order.
ISPs will have to block access to offending websites within 24 hours of being told to do so. It’s not clear how affected companies will be able to contest these government orders.
The Guardian reports that the list of blocked websites will be reviewed “quarterly” to see if the ban remains necessary. ISPs will also be reimbursed for the cost of blocking the sites.
After the jump, Netanyahu exults in his congressional platform, Obama gets ready to open up the arms pipeline to Ukraine, the star of the French hard right blames Obama for promoting a European, British cops apologize for a reading habits probe, an Italian mosque-burning threat, a row over refugee children treatment could topple Norway’s government, accused Dutch jihadis acquitted, a spooky courtroom recognition Bahrain explains censorship of a new news channel, a healthcare data breach exploited, a leaker exposes plutocratic Swiss wealth concealment, on to the battlefront and urban warfare risks, Afghani police tied to the Taliban, an Afghan drone strike claims an ISIS leader, Afghan casualties double, Pakistan tries Twitter blocks, on to Boko Haram and a car bomb in Niger plus a Cameroonian kidnaping, threats to Colombian journalists, a former South Korean spy chief imprisoned, Australian doubts over a Japanese submarine deal, And a Chinese billionaire gangster executed. . .
From The Hill, stickin’ it to Obama:
Netanyahu doubles down on speech to Congress
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday doubled down on his intention to speak to a joint session of Congress next month, despite criticism from Democrats who say they will boycott the event.
Netanyahu said he fully intended to make the speech and that he will use the moment to criticize negotiations the Obama administration is holding with Iran, which he argues are endangering Israel.
“A bad deal with Iran is forming in Munich that will endanger Israel’s existence,” Netanyahu said at an event for his Likud Party, according to The Associated Press. “Therefore, I am determined to go to Washington and present Israel’s position before the members of Congress and the American people.”
Obama gets ready to open up the arms pipeline to Ukraine, via BBC News:
Ukraine conflict: US ‘may supply arms to Ukraine’
President Barack Obama says the US is studying the option of supplying lethal defensive arms to Ukraine if diplomacy fails to end the crisis in the east.
Russia had violated “every commitment” made in the failing Minsk agreement, he added, after talks with the German chancellor on a new peace deal.
Mr Obama has come under pressure from senior US officials to supply arms, despite objections from Angela Merkel.
And Obama gets a dressing down from Paris, via RT:
Le Pen says Washington attempting to start ‘war in Europe’
The leader of France’s rightwing Front National (FN), Marine Le Pen, has called Brussels “American lackeys” over the EU’s Ukraine policy. She further accused Washington of attempting to start a “war in Europe” and expand NATO towards Russia’s borders.
“European capitals do not have the wisdom to refuse to be dependent on US positions on Ukraine,” Le Pen told French journalists on Sunday.
“Regarding Ukraine, we behave like American lackeys,” she said, before warning that “the aim of the Americans is to start a war in Europe to push NATO to the Russian border.”
From the Associated Press, British cops apologize for a reading habits probe:
UK police sorry for asking shop to name Charlie Hebdo buyers
A British police force has apologized after an officer asked a store for the names of people who had bought copies of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.
Wiltshire Police said the inquiries were part of “an assessment of community tensions” after the deadly Jan. 7 attack on the offices of the publication, which had run cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad.
It said the officer visited a store in the town of Corsham and, while talking to the shopkeeper, “requested information about subscribers to the Charlie Hebdo magazine.”
An Italian mosque-burning threat, via TheLocal.it:
Italy’s Muslims in ‘burn in mosques’ letter threat
An Islamic centre in northern Italy has received a letter warning Muslims they will “burn in the mosques” if they don’t leave the country.
The anonymous, typed letter was sent from Turin to the Islamic centre in Imperia, Liguria, Il Secolo XIX reported. “Go back to your pigsty or you’ll all burn in the mosques,” the letter said.
The special branch of the Italian police are investigating the death threat, Il Secolo reported.
Row over refugee children treatment could topple Norway’s government, via TheLocal.no:
‘Norway gov could fall over refugee kids’
A senior figure in Norway’s anti-immigrant Progress Party has warned that a no-confidence motion against Justice Minister Anders Anundsen over refugee children, if carried out, would “automatically” cause the ruling right-wing coalition to collapse.
Christian Tybring-Gjedde, one of the most outspoken anti-immigration figures in Norwegian politics, issued his threat on Monday in an article published in the left-wing Klasskampen newspaper.
“If they submit a no-confidence motion against the Justice Minister it will automatically cause the whole government to collapse,” he warned. “If the Liberals keep harassing him in this way, there will not be a government sitting for much longer.”
Anundsen has been fighting for his political survival after an investigation by Bergens Tidende newspaper revealed in December that his ministry had never instructed Norway’s immigration police to soften the country’s policy towards children seeking asylum, making it look as if the ruling two-party coalition had reneged on the post-election deal it struck with the minority Christian Democrat and Liberal Parties.
Accused Dutch jihadis acquitted, via DutchNews.nl:
Court finds Arnhem jihadi suspects not guilty
Decorative Scales of Justice in the CourtroomA court in Arnhem has found two men not guilty of preparing to carry out murder, arson and terrorist attacks by joining radical Islamic groups in Syria.
Judges said the public prosecution department had not proved the two men wanted to join the armed struggle in Syria. The two were arrested in Germany in August 2013 in cars containing camouflage clothing, balaclava helmets, a large quantity of cash and solar chargers.
The public prosecutor said at their trial last month that Mohamed el A and Hakim B should both be jailed for two years and that Skype conversations, email and Whatsapp messages proved both men wanted to take part in jihad.
A spooky courtroom recognition halts the 9/11 Gitmo trial, via the Miami Herald:
Guantánamo hearing halted by supposed CIA ‘black site’ worker serving as war court linguist
The 9/11 trial judge abruptly recessed the first hearing in the case since August on Monday after some of the alleged Sept. 11 plotters said they recognized a war court linguist as a former secret CIA prison worker.
Alleged plot deputy Ramzi bin al Shibh, 42, made the revelation just moments into the hearing by informing the judge he had a problem with his courtroom translator. The interpreter, Bin al Shibh claimed, worked for the CIA during his 2002 through 2006 detention at a so-called “Black Site.”
“The problem is I cannot trust him because he was working at the black site with the CIA, and we know him from there,” he said.
This week’s is the first hearing for the five men accused of conspiring in the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks — that killed nearly 3,000 people in New York, the Pentagon and Pennsylvania — since the public release of portions of a sweeping Senate Intelligence Committee study of the agency’s secret prisons known as “The Torture Report.”
From the Guardian, Bahrain explains censorship of a new news channel:
Bahrain says Alarab channel suspended for not fighting extremism
Broadcaster owned by Saudi prince Alwaleed shut down to ‘ensure impartiality’ after it aired interview with leader of movement opposing Manama government
Bahrain has suspended the operation of a new satellite news channel owned by a Saudi prince shortly after its launch because it had not done enough to combat “extremism and terrorism”.
Bahrain’s statement, carried by state media on Monday, was the first official comment since the new Alarab channel was shut down on its first day of broadcasting after it interviewed a Bahraini opposition politician.
Bahrain’s information affairs authority (IAA) said Alarab, which is owned by the billionaire Saudi prince Alwaleed bin Talal, a nephew of King Salman, had not obtained the licence it needed to start broadcasting from the country.
From PandoDaily, a healthcare data breach exploited:
The phishers have arrived, look to profit from Anthem’s data breach
Criminals might benefit from Anthem’s data breach after all.
Phishers have started contacting Anthem customers with emails and phone-calls purporting to be from the company, within hours of the breach being reported.
Here’s what the company says about the phishing attempts on its website:
Members who may have been impacted by the cyber attack against Anthem, should be aware of scam email campaigns targeting current and former Anthem members. These scams, designed to capture personal information (known as “phishing”) are designed to appear as if they are from Anthem and the emails include a “click here” link for credit monitoring. These emails are NOT from Anthem.
A leaker exposes plutocratic Swiss wealth concealment, via the Guardian:
HSBC files show how Swiss bank helped clients dodge taxes and hide millions
Data in massive cache of leaked secret bank account files lift lid on questionable practices at subsidiary of one of world’s biggest financial institutions
HSBC’s Swiss banking arm helped wealthy customers dodge taxes and conceal millions of dollars of assets, doling out bundles of untraceable cash and advising clients on how to circumvent domestic tax authorities, according to a huge cache of leaked secret bank account files.
The files – obtained through an international collaboration of news outlets, including the Guardian, the French daily Le Monde, BBC Panorama and the Washington-based International Consortium of Investigative Journalists – reveal that HSBC’s Swiss private bank:
Routinely allowed clients to withdraw bricks of cash, often in foreign currencies of little use in Switzerland.
Aggressively marketed schemes likely to enable wealthy clients to avoid European taxes.
Colluded with some clients to conceal undeclared “black” accounts from their domestic tax authorities.
Provided accounts to international criminals, corrupt businessmen and other high-risk individuals.
On to the battlefront and urban warfare risks, via the Washington Post:
U.S.-backed Iraqi forces face risky urban warfare in battle against Islamic State
The Obama administration has touted the modest successes in recent months of Iraqi forces and paramilitary fighters, backed by U.S. air power, as they have fought to wrest towns, villages and parts of Iraq’s rugged countryside from the Islamic State.
Now, the renewed U.S. campaign in Iraq faces a greater challenge as American advisers scramble to prepare Iraqi forces for an offensive to reclaim some of Iraq’s most important cities, which remain under the militant group’s control.
Attempting to take back the city of Mosul, the country’s -second-largest, as well as Tikrit and Fallujah, will test not only the fighting power of Iraqi forces and the country’s fragile sectarian compact but also President Obama’s indirect strategy for containing the Islamic State.
Afghani police tied to the Taliban, via the New York Times:
Police Force in Afghanistan Is Studied for Ties to Taliban
When Mullah Mujahid, a Taliban commander in Kunduz Province, was arrested last month, there was little reason to think it would have much consequence, either for him or for the government of Afghanistan.
On two previous occasions that Mullah Mujahid had been arrested, tribal elders had intervened and gotten him released. But this time it turned out differently.
Under interrogation, Mullah Mujahid began describing how police officers helped Taliban fighters, sometimes selling them ammunition, other times tipping them off to impending police operations, a member of Parliament from Kunduz, Abdul Wadud Paiman, said in a telephone interview.
Then the captured Taliban leader began naming names, Mr. Paiman said.
And an Afghan drone strike claims an ISIS leader, via BBC News:
Afghanistan drone strike ‘kills IS commander Abdul Rauf’
A drone strike in Afghanistan has killed a militant commander who recently swore allegiance to Islamic State (IS), officials say.
The police chief of Helmand said that former Taliban commander Mullah Abdul Rauf had died in the Nato strike. It emerged last month that Rauf had sworn allegiance to IS after falling out with the Taliban.
Tribal elders in northern Helmand say a car carrying up to six people was destroyed while crossing the desert.
From Reuters, Afghan casualties double:
Red Cross saw twice as many dead Afghan fighters in 2014, fears worse to come
The International Committee of the Red Cross removed more than twice as many dead combatants from Afghan battlefields in 2014 than in the previous year as fighting intensified, the charity said on Monday.
The ICRC retrieved the remains of 1,372 dead fighters in the 12-month period, up from 620 the year before.
The Red Cross, a neutral party in the war, retrieves casualties mainly for the Afghan security forces and the militants they fight. U.S.-led foreign forces, who officially ended their combat mission in Afghanistan at the end of 2014, mainly use their own evacuation and health services.
Tweet stops sought, via the Express Tribune:
Pakistan sought to block content from 125 Twitter accounts in 2014: Report
Even as governments around the world increasingly requested micro-blogging site Twitter for information on user accounts and sought to have specific tweets and users taken down, such requests from Pakistan saw a considerable drop in the second half of 2014, but still managed to see 16 requests for removing content with 125 accounts specified in the year.
According to a transparency report released by Twitter on Monday for requests received between July to December 2014, the Pakistan government sought no information on specific accounts. In comparison, Pakistan had made two request for two accounts between January-June 2014.
Between July-December 2013, the Pakistan government had request information for one account.
The social networking website, however, said that Pakistani government agencies had made four requests for removing content with 24 accounts specified. Twitter, however, did not comply with any of the requests.
On to Boko Haram and a car bomb in Niger, via the Associated Press:
Car bomb explodes in Niger town targeted by Boko Haram
The Nigeria-based Islamic extremist group Boko Haram escalated its attacks in neighboring countries Monday, as a car bomb exploded in one Niger town repeatedly targeted by the militants and residents said other fighters in Cameroon had abducted 20 people aboard a public bus.
A huge explosion rang out in the Niger town of Diffa about 3 p.m. Monday, according to Hassan Maina, who said casualties were seen being taken to a hospital. There was not immediately a toll for the attack, which was near a customs office.
Boko Haram is well known for car bombings and suicide bombings within Nigeria during its five-year insurgency, but the group had not carried out such assaults within neighboring countries.
And a kidnapping in another country, via BBC News:
Nigeria’s Boko Haram ‘kidnaps 20′ in Cameroon bus hijacking
Suspected militants from Nigerian Islamist group Boko Haram have hijacked a bus in northern Cameroon, abducting at least 20 people, residents say.
Militants reportedly seized a bus carrying market-goers and drove it toward the border with Nigeria. Some reports put the total number kidnapped in Cameroon as high as 30.
Boko Haram has escalated its attacks outside Nigeria in recent weeks, targeting neighbouring Cameroon and Niger.
Via Journalism in the Americas, threats to Colombian journalists:
Threats to Colombian journalists continue amid peace talks
Advocates are reporting that criminal gangs and paramilitary groups in Colombia, one of the most dangerous Latin American countries for journalists, have been issuing death threats for journalists and human rights defenders for the past two months. Media and government representatives have called for investigation to find the sources behind these threats.
The Colombian Minister of the Interior, Juan Fernando Cristo, recently announced that threatened journalists and human rights defenders will be provied protectiont and emphasized the importance of finding out who is behind the threats.
“It is not acceptable that every day in Colombia pamphlets are appearing against various leaders of public life and we need to find those responsible for these actions,” Cristo said.
From the New York Times, a spy imprisoned:
Former Spy Chief in South Korea Sentenced in Election Case
In a political blow to President Park Geun-hye, a South Korean appeals court on Monday convicted a former government intelligence chief on charges of intervening in the 2012 vote that elected her president.
The former intelligence chief, Won Sei-hoon, was arrested at the Seoul High Court and taken to jail after the court sentenced him to three years in prison.
The court did not comment on whether Mr. Won’s intervention helped Ms. Park get elected. But it said that agents from the government’s National Intelligence Service, under Mr. Won’s instruction, began an online smear campaign against Ms. Park’s political rivals ahead of the December 2012 vote, often depicting the rivals as North Korean sympathizers.
Australian doubts over a Japanese submarine deal, via the Japan Times:
Abbott pledge puts Japanese submarine deal in doubt
Officials in Australia and Japan on Monday expressed skepticism and confusion over a pledge by Prime Minister Tony Abbott to give an Australian state-owned shipbuilder the option to tender for a major submarine contract, heightening the uncertainty around the project.
Sources have said Australia is strongly considering buying a version of the 4,000-ton Soryu-class submarine built by Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Kawasaki Heavy Industries to replace its aging Collins-class fleet.
But Abbott on Sunday promised shipbuilder ASC Ltd. the option to bid for the next-generation submarines, worth as much as 40 billion Australian dollars ($31 billion), in an attempt to shore up support ahead of a challenge to his leadership from within the ruling Liberal Party. He survived the revolt during a vote earlier Monday.
And a Chinese billionaire gangster executed, via the New York Times:
China Executes Billionaire Who Ran ‘Mafia-Style’ Criminal Gang
A Chinese billionaire who was building a mining empire in Australia was executed Monday after a court last year sentenced him to die for running a “mafia-style” gang that engaged in murder and extortion.
Liu Han, 49, his brother Liu Wei, and three associates were executed on Monday, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported, citing the Xianning Intermediate People’s Court in the central Chinese province of Hubei. The men had been sentenced last May for running a criminal syndicate that killed at least eight people, ran extortion schemes, trafficked weapons and operated gambling dens.
Their crimes were “deeply evil and particularly cruel,” Xinhua cited the court as saying.
