CEP Mentions
Vox News Albania: Inside The House Of The Head Of Auschwitz, Rudolf Hoss' Daughter Speaks: He Was A Loving Parent, We Didn't Know What He Did
“... On Sunday, coincidentally, I was among the first journalists allowed inside the house since it was taken over by the International Counter-Extremism Project, led by Mark Wallace, the former US ambassador to the United Nations. Returning from Ukraine with my friend David Fox-Pitt, founder of the Scottish charity HopeFull, we decided to stop in the Polish city of Krakow and visit the camp, but discovered that the entire complex had been closed for security reasons on the eve of the anniversary.”
The Spectator: Why Do Home Office Staff Think Talk Of Two-Tier Policing Is ‘Extremist’?
“How do you create a low-trust society? One way to do so is to have an administrative class which seems to treat the views of ordinary people with contempt. Today’s news of a leaked Home Office report on counter-extremism is a classic of the genre. The report, commissioned by the Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, in the wake of the August 2024 riots, says that claims of ‘two-tier policing’ are a ‘right-wing extremist narrative’.”
The Times Of Israel: New Auschwitz Research Centre To Use Rudolf Höss's House
“Given the number of world leaders and diplomats who visit the house on the edge of the Auschwitz concentration camps, once occupied by Nazi commandant Rudolf Höss, the property is eerily quiet. The house, which was once a luxurious "paradise" where Auschwitz's longest-serving commandant lived from 1940 to 1944, has been transformed into a research center against anti-Semitism and extremism, run by the nonprofit Counter Extremism Project (CEP). The CEP recently purchased this vast property, whose rooms are still empty, except for several exhibitions arranged in the house. Journalists walk quietly through the rooms, read the articles on the walls and talk to the representatives.”
United States
Reuters: Rubio Told Egypt About Need To Stop Hamas From Governing Gaza Again, US Says
“U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Egypt's foreign minister on Tuesday it was important to ensure Hamas can never govern Gaza again, the State Department said, with their call coming after President Donald Trump suggested Egypt and Jordan should take more Palestinians. Trump on Saturday floated a plan to "clean out" Gaza, where Israel's war has killed tens of thousands and caused a humanitarian crisis, in comments that echoed long-standing Palestinian fears of being permanently driven from their homes.”
Syria
The Guardian:IS Fighters In Syria Could Break Free Amid Trump Aid Cut, Terrorism Expert Warns
“Donald Trump has thrown into doubt the security and administration of the main two detention facilities in north-east Syria that hold thousands of Islamic State fighters, the former counter-terrorism director of M16 Richard Barrett says. The state of limbo has been caused in the short term by the US president unexpectedly suspending all USAid funding for 90 days, and by long-term uncertainty over his willingness to retain troops in Syria. It emerged that all security and administration around al-Hol and al-Roj, the main two detention facilities, was withdrawn for the several days after funding of the camp’s humanitarian and security work was suddenly cut. It appears funding as a stopgap has been transferred from the frozen US aid budget to the Global Coalition to Defeat Isis, a military alliance of dozens of countries including the US.”
Iran
The Economist: Iran’s Alarming Nuclear Dash Will Soon Test Donald Trump
“”It would really be nice if that could be worked out without having to go that further step,” declared Donald Trump on January 23rd, speaking with the insouciance of a man complaining to a waiter about his meal. In fact Mr Trump was referring to Iran’s nuclear programme. The “further step” was an Israel strike. And whether it can be “worked out” is perhaps the biggest question in the president’s in-tray. The past year was painful for Iran. Its president died in a helicopter crash. It was twice hit by Israeli missiles, which wiped out its best air defence and missile facilities. And three of its regional allies—Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria, Hizbullah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza—have crumbled. Its nuclear programme is a rare area where Iran might claim to retain the initiative.”
Afghanistan
Amu TV: Rights Group: Taliban Rapidly Expanding Jihadi Madrassas Across Afghanistan
“The Afghanistan Human Rights Center has reported an unprecedented surge in the construction of jihadi madrassas under Taliban rule. The 30-page report highlights how these institutions have become a tool for power consolidation among Taliban leaders and warns of their potentially harmful impact on the mindset and future of the country’s younger generation. According to the report, the Taliban’s Ministry of Education has allocated a significant portion of its budget to developing religious-jihadi madrassas. In 2023 alone, the Taliban established more than 21,000 such schools nationwide, compared with only 106 regular schools constructed during the same period, the report says. Each province now hosts at least one large-scale jihadi madrassa, accommodating up to 2,000 students and equipped with comprehensive facilities.”
EFE: Women, Children Among 10 Family Members Killed In Afghanistan’s Khost
“Ten members of a family, including women and children, were killed in a brutal attack in Khost province in the southeast of Afghanistan, official sources told EFE on Wednesday. Unidentified armed men broke into a residence at around 9 pm on Tuesday and opened fire, killing everyone inside the house, the spokesperson for the provincial governor, Musaghfir Gurboss, said. The attack occurred in the Bokhana area of Alishir District, according to the official. Taliban security forces have launched an investigation into the attack but have yet to identify the attackers or their motives.”
Middle East
Reuters: Israeli Drone Strike Injures 5 People In Southern Lebanon, Health Ministry Says
“Five people were injured in an Israeli drone strike targeting the southern Lebanese town of Majdal Selm on Wednesday, the Lebanese health ministry said. On Tuesday night, Israeli airstrikes injured 24 people in Nabatieh, a major town in south Lebanon. The Israeli military said in a statement it had struck Hezbollah vehicles that were transporting weapons on the edge of Nabatieh. Following the strikes on Nabatieh, senior Hezbollah official Mohammad Raad said that the Lebanese people's right to resist Israeli attacks is a "sacred and legitimate right. He emphasized that this right should be exercised at the time and place deemed necessary to protect the country's security.”
Voice Of America: Jordan Engages With Syria’s HTS Leaders To Tackle Terrorism
“Jordan, which faces new regional challenges in dealing with Syria’s transitional Islamist regime, is pursuing a strategy of containment through engagement to secure its long, shared border, analysts say. Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi told the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland, last week that Jordan has engaged “very deeply” from day one with Syria’s new Hayat Tahrir al-Sham leaders to tackle challenges both countries face. Jordan and other countries want to see inclusive governance in which all of Syria’s religious and ethnic minorities are represented.”
Somalia
Voice Of America: Puntland Blocks Illegal Entry Of Foreigners In Is Crackdown
“Authorities in Somalia’s Puntland region this week banned the illegal entry of foreigners and ordered telecom companies to deactivate SIM cards linked to undocumented people and Islamic State terrorists. The moves are an attempt to disrupt Islamic State financial networks as the military continues an offensive against IS fighters hiding out in the region. Authorities recently launched military operations against IS fighters in the Alimiskaad and Al-Madow mountains in Puntland’s Bari region. Security forces seized camps and defensive positions and pushed the fighters further into the mountains.”
Africa
Associated Press: 3 Coup-Hit West African Nations Formally Leave ECOWAS Regional Bloc
“The junta-led West African nations of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso have formally withdrawn from the regional bloc known as ECOWAS, the body said Wednesday, the culmination of a yearlong process during which the group tried to avert an unprecedented disintegration. The withdrawal of the three countries, first announced a year ago, “has become effective today,” ECOWAS said in a statement. The bloc, however, said that it has also decided to “keep ECOWAS’ doors open,” requesting member nations to continue to accord the trio of nations membership privileges, including free movement within the region with an ECOWAS passport.”
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