Missing Durham University Student

Wide-scale searches are underway for Euan Coulthard, a missing Law student at 

Durham University. 

Euan Coulthard

Euan is 19 years old an disappeared on Thursday night after a night out with friends. He is about 5ft 9in with light brown hair; he is of average build.

Euan in Durham city centre, where he was last seen

He was last seen leaving the Love Shack nightclub in the city centre.

Police searching were joined by 200 students who wanted to help search for the 'model student'.

Lee Murray, 18 who is also studying at the University has said "We all want to do our best to find Euan, he is a lovely lad."

"It's so tragic. We're handing out leaflets to the people of Durham to ask if they have seen Euan and if anyone has any information it would be appreciated."

Police searching the river bank of the River Wear near the city for Euan

Professor Simon Hackett, principal of St Mary's college at the University said "Euan is doing exceptionally well with his degree. He is well-liked and this is completely out of character for him."

Anyone with any information has been asked to call 101.

IS sympathisers hack CENTCOM Social Media

Social media accounts managed by the United States Central Command have been hacked by a group of IS sympathisers. 

CENTCOM manages key theatre-level operations within the US. 

The group has hacked into the Youtube and Twitter accounts are are releasing what seems to be confidential documents to the public online. 

A post on Twitter the group tweeted after they gained control of the account.

The group also tweeted this warning to American soldiers.

The Central Command has orchestrated US-led air-strikes against the Islamic State Iraq and Syria ad is beginning to train up Iraqi troops to be able to respond to the threat in the region.

In an official statement Central Command said that their Twitter account has been "compromised" and that it is "taking appropriate measures to address the matter." The statement did not elaborate on how they managed to hack into the systems or what the 'appropriate measures' are but the Twitter account was disabled by around 1:10pm.

The Press secretary from the White House, John Earnest has said that the Obama administration is "examining and investigating the extent of the incident."

Two IS propaganda videos have been posted on the Youtube channel before that too was disabled.

As of 2pm the CENTCOM Facebook page still appeared to be operated by Central Command.

As of 19:22pm GMT the story is still developing...

Is Britain next?

Following the three attacks by Islamist militants over the past week, leaving 13 people dead, Head of MI5 (British Intelligence) has warned that Britain could be the next European target.

Andrew Parker, Head of MI5 has said that a "mass-casualty attack" by Al-Qaeda could be a growing possibility, the Telegraph reports.

The British security chief has said that his agency has stepped up surveillance of fanatics who might want to replicate the attacks in France.

"Although we and our partners try our utmost, we know we cannot stop everything." He added, "Although three terrorist plots have been thwarted in the past few months, it is difficult to track online communications make it inevitable that one of them will succeed. 

Prime Minister, David Cameron is flying to Paris on Sunday to join the Unity Rally along with other world leaders.

Following this warning, the Chancellor George Osborne has handed the security services with a £100 million anti-terrorism fund.
Osborne said the cash has been handed over in the past few weeks amid fears of a "mass-casualty" attack on British soil. 

He said the Government would provide MI5 and MI6 with "all the resources and legislation" to protect Britain from a terrorist atrocity.

British security officials are also keeping track of the 600 British extremists who have gone to Syria to join terror groups, around 300 of whom have returned.

Armed British Transport Police have are now being much more vigilant whilst patrolling the London train stations, particularly those who have Eurostar service to Paris.

Armed Police standing outside the Houses of Parliament

"It's a huge worry for us," said Sir Peter Fahy, chief constable of Greater Manchester Police

The Interview is to receive UK release date

After the total success of the satirical comedy, The Interview. Sony have announced that it will have a "wide release" of the film in the UK and Ireland.

 

The film, which involves a US plot to kill the North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, will be shown in UK cinemas from the 6th February.

The film has so far made more than $31 million (£20.5 million), just from digital distribution, and it's limited theatrical release made about $5 million (£3.3 million).

North Korea's state-run KCNA news agency dubbed the film "a blatant act of terrorism".

Islamists open fire at French Satirical Magazine office - 12 dead

Gunmen have opened fire in the office of the French satirical magazine, Charlie Hebdo in central Paris. 12 people were killed including the editor and four celebrated cartoonists. 

The hunt is on all over Paris for the three suspects, presumed to be Islamist militants. And security warnings have been introduced across France, with Paris on the highests level of alert.

It is the deadliest terror attack in France since 1961 during the Algerian War. And the nature of the attack has sparked protests not just all over France, but all over the world.

A protest in the centre of Paris after the attack.

The attack has also sparked a worldwide trend on Twitter #JeSuisCharlie to protest and share their shock at what has happened today.

President Hollande said it was an act of "extreme barbarity" and many foreign leaders have also condemned the attack that took place today.
He also added, "We will win. Nothing will make us renounce our determination. Long live the republic. Long live France."

President Hollande has also marked a national day of mourning on Thursday. 

Many believe the attack was a result of the 2011 incident when the publication named the Prophet Muhammad as it's 'editor-in-chief'. 

Google has added a black ribbon to it's homepage, following the attacks.



Many people protest all across the globe because of what they say is "a violation of free speech."
This is why in many protests, particularly in Paris, people stand silently holding pens in the air.

In London, people have gathered in Trafalgar Square and sing the French national anthem. 

However, BBC Correspondent Frank Gardener notes that this attack did not come out of the blue for the magazine. "The journalists behind Charlie Hebdo had many enemies, and it's decision to publish a string of deemed offensive by some Muslims has essentially made it a target for Islamist extremists.
Witnesses said they heard the militants say "We have avenged the Prophet Muhammad."

Also the United Nations security council has condemned the attack, calling it "barbaric and cowardly."

The BBC has been looking into Charlie Hebdo's mysterious last tweet, which was tweeted around the time of the attack. The BBC have tried to get in contact with Honore, the illustrator who worked on this particular cartoon, but have not heard back yet.

This was Charlie Hebdo's last post on Twitter.

Le Monde, Radio France and France Television stations will help Charlie Hebdo to continue working after the attack.

Hassan Chalghoumi, an imam of the Paris suburb of Drancy visited the site of today's attack. He has too condemned the violence. Of the attackers he said "Their prophet is satan. There is no connection between Islam and this minority."

The Queen has also made a statement, condemning the attack.

At 2pm the French Government sent troop to guard public spaces across Paris.

Also two police officers were killed near the publication's headquarters. This took place after the gunmen fled the building and exchanged shots with the two officers before they fled by car. 

They later abandoned this car and hijacked another. 

Italian Coastguards board abandoned migrant ship

The Ezadeen is being towed to an Italian port by an Icelandic ship that is part of an EU mission in
                                                                    the area

Italian authorities have taken control of a migrant ship that was abandoned with 450 passengers, thought to be Syrian, off the Italian coast.

After a rescue team managed to board the ship it is being towed to an Italian port.

It comes after another migrant ship was abandoned earlier this week, with around 796 passengers, also off the Italian coast.

Italian coastguard Cmdr Filippo Marini told reporters that the vessel was being towed to a port by an Icelandic ship, as part of an EU Frontex Control Mission.

"Children and pregnant women were among the immigrants."

He added that "The 73-metre (240ft) Ezadeen was believed to have set sail from Turkey, although earlier reports suggested it was sailing from Cyprus."

The alarm was raised on the vessel by one of the immigrants using the onboard maritime radio, who told the Italian coastguard. "We are without crew, we're heading towards the Italian coast and we have no-one to steer."

The Ezadeen was built almost 50 years ago and is a livestock carrier. It appears to have been registered to a Lebanese company, who has come under the control of human traffickers.

Rob Watson, BBC analyses the journey to Italy on the Mediterranean "The Ezadeen and the plight of its unfortunate passengers are part of an often unreported wave of human misery and hardship that sees hundreds of people try to cross the Mediterranean every day to reach Europe.
Last year it is estimated that nearly 3,500 refugees died trying to attempt the crossing, while another 200,000 were rescued."

The first ship, the Blue Sky M, carrying 796 people, was abandoned and left on autopilot by its crew, believed to be people-traffickers.

Italian coastguards brought it under control and safely docked it at the Italian port of Gallipoli on Wednesday.

US impose sanction against North Korea over SONY hacks

US President Barack Obama signed an executive order to impose sanctions on three North Korean organisations and 10 individuals. This came after the US determined that North Korea was behind the recent Sony hacks.


                   Barack Obama has said the hacks are North Korea 
                           trying to restrict free expression

The White House said that the new rules would prevent North Korean leaders from accessing property and entering the US. In an official statement, the White House said that the move was a response to North Korea's "provocative, destabilising and repressive actions".
Interestingly, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has maintained that North Korea was behind the broad computer breach at Sony, despite evidence from some technology experts that points instead to former employees of the studio.

US sanctions are already in place over North Korea's nuclear programme. But today's actions are the first to punish Pyongyang for the cyber-attacks. 

The entertainment giant was embarrassed after a group called the 'Guardians of Peace' leaked data including personal details and emails of employees.

The group later threatened cinema chains who showed the satirical North Korean comedy - The Interview - set for release on the 25th December. Oblique references to the 9/11 attack meant that Sony cancelled the theatrical release of the film. 

Theatrical poster for The Interview

However after Obama said publically that scrapping the film was a mistake, Sony have released it in limited cinemas across the US. It has made 15 million US Dollars on its first four days, which is impressive considering it was only released in a tenth of the expected cinemas.

These additional sanctions imposed on North Korea suggest that the US will not back down about North Korean involvement.

"We take seriously North Korea's attack that aimed to create destructive financial effects on a US company and to threaten artists and other individuals with the goal of restricting their right to free expression," the White House said in a statement.


Some of the organisations and individuals under sanctions are:

• The Reconnaissance General Bureau - North Korea's primary intelligence organisation
• North Korea's primary arms dealer, the Korea Mining Development Training Corporation (Komid)
• Korea Tangun Trading Corporation - supporting North Korea's defence research
• Jang Song Chol - named by the US Treasury as a Komid representative in Russia and a government official
• Kim Yong Chol - an official of the North Korean Government, according to the US, and a Komid representative in Iran.
• Ryu Jin and Kang Ryong - Komid officials and members of the North korean Government who are operating in Syria, according to the US.

As of yet, it is uncertain how those entitled relate to the Sony hacks. 

Is it possible that the US is using the hacks as an excuse to go against North Korea, as they have ignored evidence provided by technological experts?

What does it mean for the rest of the world if the, arguably, most powerful nation goes up against the most secretive nation?

Buckingham Palace had denied sex case allegations

Buckingham Palace has recently released a statement regarding the allegations about a sex case in the US. 
The case has been filed in a Florida court by a woman, claiming that Jeffrey Epstein - American investment banker who has been previously convicted in court of sexual offenses - had loaned her to his rich an powerful friends. prince Andrew was named as one of those friends.

Prince Andrew went on holiday with the 

convicted sex offender

In the court documents she stated that "she was forced to have sexual relations with the Prince when she was a minor in three separate geographical locations: in London, New York and on Epstein's private island in the US Virgin Islands in an 'orgy' with numerous other underage girls. Epstein instructed her to give the Prince whatever he demanded and required her to report back to him on the details of the sexual abuse" 

The Prince himself, hasn't had the opportunity himself to deny this in court yet but Buckingham Palace have given a statement in response, " This related to long-standing and ongoing civil procedures in the United States to which the Duke of York (Prince Andrew) was not a party. As such we would not comment on the detail. However for the avoidance of doubt, any suggestion of impropriety with underage minors is categorically untrue."
It is rare for the Palace to comment on an ongoing court case however, they are denying Prince Andrew's association in this case.

Peter Hunt, BBC royal correspondent has said that "This is a long-running, complicated legal action which began in 2011. Prince Andrew did, in 2011, have to apologise for his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein."

"It is strange that the Palace should comment on allegations like this, in the past they have ignored them. 
Given it was on the Politico website and many national newspapers, I think they felt they had no choice but to make it clear that this denial was "absolute, total and emphatic," as one of the people close to him said to me."


The court documents stated that "Epstein's purposes of 'lending' girls to such powerful people were to ingratiate himself with them for business, personal, political and financial gain, as well as to obtain potential blackmail information."



Rajini Vaidyanathan, BBC Washington correspondent has told us that "While accusations are levelled against Prince Andrew, it's important to note that he is not party to the accusations."

Two women (known as Jane Doe #1 and Jane Doe #2) are suing the US government, saying it failed to protect their rights when it entered into a plea deal with Epstein.
Another two women (Jane Doe #3 and Jane Doe #4) want to join the case; it's Jane Doe #3 who has made claims against Prince Andrew as part of this.



Jane Doe is not the names of the women. It is the name given in US legal proceedings to people with anonymity.

Steven Gerrard to leave Liverpool

Captain Steven Gerrard has confirmed that he will be leaving Liverpool at the end of the 2014-2015 season. 

Gerrard told the club's website that, "This has been the toughest decision of my life and one which both me and my family have agonized over for a good deal of time." Gerrard has played 695 times for Liverpool.
He later added that, "I am making the announcement now so that the manager and the team are not distracted by stories or speculation about my future."

Gerrard will continue to play football, just not in the English premier league. Italian journalist Gianluca di Marzio reported that U.S. club LA Galaxy are interested in signing the Liverpool midfielder.

"I'm going to carry on playing and although I can't confirm at this stage where that will be, I can say it will be somewhere that means I won't be playing for a competing club and will not therefore be lining up against Liverpool -- that is something I could never contemplate."

Tributes from other professionals have made news, particularly that from Kenny Daglish - a fellow Liverpool icon - has shared his thoughts.
"When I think about Steven Gerrard's career at Liverpool, I am filled with gratitude. I don't want to single out one goal or one performance. I just want to say I feel lucky that he was a Liverpool player and that I saw him play." He wrote in his column in the Daily Mirror

Tweets from fans, other players and his teammates have flooded twitter; it is now a trending topic in Belgium (all cities), Paris, United Kingdom (all cities), Denmark (all cities), Norway (all cities), Austria (all cities), Australia (all cities), New Zealand (all cities), Madrid, Mexico (all cities) and Barcelona.

Italian captives in Syria "We could be killed."

Two young female Italian captives appear in a video wearing an Islamic garb, with only their faces showing. They are seated against what appears to be a wall; one of the captives reads a short statement in English, which includes. "We are in danger and we could be killed."

The two Italians as seen in the video.

The statement read by one of the captives identifies the  two Italians as Greta Ramelli and Vanessa Marzullo. Two young Italians by those names went missing as they travelled to Syria in late July they are believed to have been kidnapped.

Vanessa's father, Salvatore Marzullo said "I have no doubt that it's them." to CNN of the video posted online on Thursday. 
Some believe it is the work of al Qaeda affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra. 

One of the young girls holds up a piece of paper suggesting that the video was shot on the 17th December. The paper reads "17-12-14 WEDNESDAY."

The other girl reads this as part of the statement. "We supplicate our government and its mediators to bring us back home before Christmas. We are in big danger and we could be killed. The government and its mediators are responsible of our lives,"

Italian intelligence sources consider the video to be authentic according to the state run ANSA News Agency.

Laura Boldrini, speaker of the Italian Chamber of Deputies said that "These women are shouting for help, they are sending out an SOS." She added, "We do not know how reliable this video is, but the situation of these two women is distressing.


The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs declined to comment on the video.

But an Italian intelligence source told ANSA that authorities are in a "very delicate moment that requires maximum discretion."

The two Italian women were working for Italian aid group, Horryaty.

AirAsia QZ8501: More bodies are found at sea

The Air Asia flight QZ8501 disappeared whilst en route from Surbaya, Indonesia to Singapore crashed into the Java Sea. Five days later the number of bodies rescued has reached 30. The operations by Indonesian rescuers continue but no survivors have been found.

The cause of the crash is not yet known.

However it has also emerged that AirAsia did not have permission to fly aircraft on this route on the day of the crash - Sunday - but was licensed during four other days of the week. Indonesian transport ministry has now suspended the route for Indonesian AirAsia. The suspension is effective from today, but the outcome will depend on the Governments investigation, reported Berita Satu Online earlier today. 

There were 155 passengers and 7 crew members on board flight QZ8501 when it crashed into the Java Sea in the early hours of 28 December, 2014.







After the search area was extended, 20 bodies were found bringing the total bodies rescued to 30. 
Some bodies were still strapped into their seats.
The fuselage of the aircraft has not yet been found; it is believed that the majority of the passengers will be in this area of the plane. 

Finding the Fuselage and the plane's "black boxes" are a priority



All the bodies taken from the plane are being returned to Surbaya in numbered coffins.

Mr Fernandes - the company's boss - tweeted earlier: "I cannot describe how i feel. There are no words." and "My heart is filled with sadness for all the families involved in QZ 8501. On behalf of AirAsia my condolences to all. Words cannot express how sorry I am."


Recent bad weather in the search area has meant that finding the plane visually have minimised dramatically. The search team are now having to use scans of the sea floor to find the debris of the plane.

Earlier today it was said that the bodies and debris are spread over 5km of the Java Sea. 
The search currently, covers an area 1,575 nautical square miles of the Java Sea near Borneo.

Some investigators of the crash believe that the plane may have gone into an aerodynamic stall after a steep climb to avoid a storm. The plane was travelling at 32,000 ft when it requested to climb to 38,000 ft to avoid the storm. After air traffic control allowed the plane to climb to 34,000 ft, they received no reply.

This was the last time anyone contacted flight QZ8501.

A source quoted by reuters said that radar data showed that the planes "unbelievably" steep climb may have been beyond the limits of the Airbus A320.

Previous to the 28 December 2014, AirAsia had an excellent safety record, with no fatal accidents involving its aircraft.

Welcome

I'm not sure if my view on World News is either needed or relevant, but i'm going to give it anyway. I'll be posting up to date news stories and how they affect the rest of the world and my reaction as a Brit.
Thanks