BANGKOK, Thailand -- The United Nations granted refugee status January
9 to a Saudi teenager who fled her country and barricaded herself in
Bangkok's international airport, claiming she would be executed for
renouncing her belief in Islam, disobeying her brutal family, and
trying to fly to Australia.

Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun's repeated statements that she had renounced
her belief in Islam may have been the strongest reason for her to
qualify as a refugee because punishment in Saudi Arabia could result
in lengthy imprisonment or execution by beheading.

"She said she has made a decision to renounce Islam. And I knew once
she said that, she is in serious trouble," Human Rights Watch's
Bangkok-based representative Phil Robertson tweeted.

"It's confirmed #UNHCR has determined #Rahaf is a refugee, & her case
has been referred to #Australia for protection & resettlement," Mr.
Robertson tweeted on January 9.

Australia's Foreign Minister Marise Payne was scheduled to arrive in

It’s common to refer to a flick as a good “date movie,” but Nate Rufus Edelman’s Desert Rats is a great “date play.” Another thing I’ve never written before in a theater review is that this 90 minute tense drama with sharp dialogue and behavior featuring underclass criminal characters would make for a perfect film directed by Quentin Tarantino, such as Reservoir Dogs. Indeed, the dramatis personae are very Tarantino-esque, and all of the twists and turns in this underworld milieu are reminiscent of an Elmore Leonard novel.

Tuesday, January 8, 6:30pm
Columbus Mennonite Church, 35 Oakland  Park Ave.
Join us for our community action meetings on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month at 6:30pm. We discuss strategies to expand Edith's community of support, and we plan actions to support of Edith in her fight against ICE to stay in Columbus. All are welcome.

BANGKOK, Thailand -- China is constructing seaports at two sites where
the U.S. 6th Fleet deploys, in Haifa next to Israel's main naval base
and Ashdod near Tel Aviv, prompting concerns about China's military
potential in the Mediterranean Sea and Middle East.

"The civilian [Chinese] port in Haifa abuts the exit route from the
adjacent [Israeli] navy base, where the Israeli submarine fleet is
stationed and which, according to foreign media reports, maintains a
second-strike capability to launch nuclear missiles," Israel's Haaretz
media reported.

"No one in Israel thought about the strategic ramifications," Haaretz
said in September.

The guided-missile destroyer USS Arleigh Burke visited Haifa on
October 25 in support of the 6th Fleet which is headquartered in
Naples, Italy.

Shanghai International Port Group (SIPG) signed the Haifa contract in
2015, began construction in June, and is to operate the Bayport
Terminal for 25 years starting from 2021.

SIPG signed memorandums of understanding with U.S. ports in Seattle,

Monday, Jan 7, 6-8pm
Lincoln Cafe, 740 E. Long St.
Let’s Celebrate Kent’s 2nd term and Celebrate Kent’s HB 137
becoming law to make Ohio Law Enforcement Officers
mandated reporters of child abuse as in the other 49 States.