New IS video threatens attack on White House

 Islamic State militants released a video on Thursday threatening the White House with suicide bombings and car blasts and vowing to conduct more attacks on France. File photo

Reuters, Washington

Islamic State militants released a video on Thursday threatening the White House with suicide bombings and car blasts and vowing to conduct more attacks on France.
The six-minute video released by Islamic State fighters in Iraq applauds last week's Paris attacks, according to a translation of the Arabic provided by the Maryland-based SITE Intelligence Group.
The latest threat comes one day after the militant group put out a video showing scenes of New York City, which suggested it was also a target.
Islamic State, which controls a large territory in Syria and Iraq, has claimed responsibility for last Friday's attacks in Paris in which 129 people were killed.
FBI Director James Comey said on Thursday he was not aware of any credible threat of a "Paris-type attack" in the United States.
State Department spokesman John Kirby told CNN that Thursday's video was being examined to determine its "veracity."
"Everybody here in the United States government are taking these threats seriously," he said.

The US Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the video.
The video opens with television news clips of the Paris attacks and then shows two militants separately speaking to the camera.
Titled "Paris Before Rome," the video shows an Islamic State fighter threatening to "pound" French monuments and vowing to strike at the White House.
"We will blow it up, the same as we blew up the idols in this good land," one fighter says, referring to the White House.
The second fighter threatens US President Barack Obama and French President Francois Hollande. "We will grill them ... with (explosive) belts and car bombs."

How to quit smoking for good!

It is never easy to give up something with which you’re habituated, therefore quitting cigarettes, after years of ‘togetherness’ must be extremely difficult. Star file photo.

Sumaiya Zaman

It is never easy to give up something with which you’re habituated, therefore quitting cigarettes, after years of ‘togetherness’ must be extremely difficult.
The good news is: nothing is impossible in this world just like quitting cigarettes. To give up smoking, you need determination, they say. To complement from your strength of mind in giving up this terrible habit, The Daily Star brings you some foolproof professional tips after talking with doctors and successful ex-smokers.
Pick up a technique: To quit smoking is not an easy task but with a particular technique it can be easier to quit said Dr Mujahidul Islam Nipun, medical officer at Care Specialized Hospital. One proven way to eventually quit smoking is to cut down on the numbers of cigarettes every day, he added. All that is needed is a habit of ‘smoking less’ every day, which will eventually help to quit. But, irrespective of the technique opted, the most important and crucial issue is to ‘stick to smoking less’, said Kawsar, a middle aged businessman, chain-smoker for 20 years who managed to get rid of his habit.
Exercise: Study reveals that exercise can cut the cravings of nicotine. It is normal to have severe cravings for nicotine after you give up smoking, however, to control that longing, exercise helps the most because during exercise body reveals anti-craving chemicals that plays a role in controlling the desire to smoke, Nipun said. Any form of exercise should be sufficient, including basic stretches or walks, said Fahad, chain smoker, who gave up after he was diagnosed with lungs infection.
Alteration in food/drinks: A study in the US has revealed that alteration in eating habits can affect the taste of cigarette. For example, a cigarette feels more satisfying followed by meat but that same cigarette feels terrible if it is consumed after eating fruits, vegetables or cheese. Therefore, it follows that eating healthy foods like fruits and vegetables helps a person to quit smoking. Also, the same study revealed that fizzy drinks and caffeine in tea and cigarettes accelerates the urge of smoking, thus it is advisable to replace fizzy drinks and alcohol with water and fruit juices and cut down the caffeine intake, said Nipun.
Friends/Family: Friends and family play a major role in our lives’ endeavors, thus they can always help to quit, said Fahad, adding that, his wife and daughter played the major role while he decided to quit. Avoid hanging around with friends during their smoking breaks at school or work, or avoid going into the ‘smoking zone’ as it always smells of cigarettes. Rather, during breaks sit around with those friends who are non smokers or play an computer game – to divert your mind, he advised
Determination: At the end of the day, the most effective and realistic way to quit is ‘determination to quit’, said Nipun. The feeling that ‘I cannot quit smoking’ is nothing but a psychological condition or dependency of the smoker – which is curable. A person can make a list of reasons why he wants to quit smoking, and look into it every time his determination trembles, said Faiza, who was a smoker, till she conceived her first child. “I gave up the day I learned that I was pregnant and whenever I crave nicotine, I look into my son’s face and tell myself I will not smoke for his sake” she said adding that reminders about the reason to quit always strengthen determination and eventually help to come out of the habit.

Malaysia police note terrorist threats against Asean summit

Malaysian military personnel patrol at the 27th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Thursday, Nov. 19, 2015. Photo: AP

Star Online Report

Malaysian authorities say already tight security has been increased at and near the venue of the ASEAN summit following a reported, but unconfirmed, terrorist threat, reports Voice of America.
At least 2,000 army personnel are stationed in Kuala Lumpur and another 2,500 are on standby, according to General Zulkifeli Mohd Zin, chief of Malaysia’s defense forces.
Outside the Kuala Lumpur Convention Center, the main venue for the summit, police are posted in tandem with red beret Malaysian paratroopers armed with M4 carbines.
US President Barack Obama, one of 18 leaders expected to join the meetings, arrived in Malaysia aboard Air Force One on Friday afternoon after a flight from Manila where he attended the APEC summit, Voice of America reported.
“There have been reports of imminent terrorist threats in Malaysia,” Malaysia’s police inspector-general Khalid Abu Bakar said in a statement. “I would like to underline that they have yet to be confirmed.”
The statement was released after police confirmed that they had circulated an alert about a meeting last Sunday in the southern Philippines autonomous province of Sulu among elements of the so-called Islamic State, the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group and the Moro National Liberation Front.
The communique, issued by Sabah (Malaysia) police said the militants had dispatched suicide bombers to Sabah and Kuala Lumpur.

In addition to President Obama, leaders from China, India, Japan and Russia are also among those scheduled to hold discussions with the heads of government of the ten ASEAN members, and U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
In Malaysia, where the majority of the population is Muslim, the militant jihadi movement has been growing for decades, according to analysts.
Malaysia Defense Minister Hishammuddin Hussein on Monday noted increased concerns about militants in the region.
“I see certain areas in this region are not being managed well, particularly well, particularly southern Thailand and southern Philippines, not to mention the free movement of peoples and smuggling of weapons,” he said. “These are all issues which need to be taken seriously based on recent developments in Europe and the Middle East.
The Philippines’ Jolo island, in the Sulu archipelago northeast of Malaysia’s Sabah province, is a stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf group, known for its bombings and kidnappings of foreigners for ransom.
Authorities on Jolo say a severed head was left in a bag in front of a police station there on Tuesday, after Abu Sayyaf claimed to have beheaded a Malaysian engineer who was abducted in May.
Earlier in the week, Malaysian authorities said they had doubled security for the ASEAN events following the bombings and shootings in Paris by Islamic State terrorists.
The regional fight against terrorism is taking a more prominent place on the agenda for leaders meeting here, as it was at the G-20 and APEC gatherings this past week.