Belgium to appeal against order to repatriate Islamic State families

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Belgium will appeal against a judge’s order forcing it to repatriate two Belgian women convicted of being Islamic State militants and their six children from Syria, the migration minister said on Sunday. A judge said on Wednesday that Belgium had to bring back Tatiana Wielandt, 26, Bouchra Abouallal, 25, and the children they had with militants, from the Al-Hol camp where they were being held in a Kurdish-dominated part of Syria.

Maggie De Block, the minister in charge of migration policy, told broadcaster VTM that a distinction had to be made between the mothers and the children. “The children have not chosen to be born in such circumstances … Four of the six are Belgian children, they have grandparents here, one child is reportedly very ill. We are responsible for seeing what we can do,” she told VTM. She did not specify what the country might do about the other two children. “The mothers, that’s a different story. They have been convicted here. They have contributed to the planning of terrorist attacks here. I think we have to assess the risks and not just willingly accept them.” Both women were convicted in absentia of being members of Islamic State, and each sentenced to five years in jail by an Antwerp court in March.

Hundreds of European citizens, many of them babies, are being held by U.S.-backed Kurdish militias in three camps since Islamic State was ousted from almost all its territory last year, according to Kurdish sources. European nations have been wrestling with how to handle suspected militants and their families seeking to return from combat zones in Iraq and Syria.

France is working to bring back children held by Syrian Kurdish forces, but will leave their mothers to be prosecuted by local authorities, French officials have said. Paris is concerned that if these minors are left in Syria, they could eventually also become militants.

The Kurds say it is not their job to prosecute or hold them indefinitely, leaving the women and children in legal limbo. The judge said on Wednesday that Belgium must organize the travel within 40 days after being notified of the decision or pay a daily penalty of 5,000 euros ($5,718) for each child, up to a maximum 1 million euros. ($1 = 0.8744 euros)

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-security-belgium-syria/belgium-to-appeal-against-order-to-repatriate-islamic-state-families-idUSKCN1OT0H9?il=0

U.N. says Yemen Houthis' redeployment in Hodeidah should respect Stockholm deal

DUBAI (Reuters) - The United Nations welcomed on Sunday any redeployment of Yemen’s Houthi forces away from the port city of Hodeidah, but said this should be independently verified to ensure it is in line with the Stockholm ceasefire agreement. On Saturday, the Iranian-aligned movement said it had started to leave the port of the Red Sea city as part of a U.N.-sponsored ceasefire signed in Sweden this month with the Saudi-backed government. The group said its fighters were withdrawing as specified in the agreement, handing control to local units of Yemeni coastguards who were in charge of protecting ports before the war. These will be under U.N. supervision.

But the Saudi-led military coalition, which intervened in Yemen in 2015 to restore President Abd-Rabu Mansour Hadi, dismissed the move as it fears that the coastguards may remain loyal to the Houthi-controlled Sanaa government after the withdrawal. “Any redeployment would only be credible if all parties and the United Nations are able to observe and verify that it is in line with the Stockholm Agreement,” the United Nations said in a statement.

The United Nations said on Friday both parties had agreed to begin opening humanitarian corridors, starting with the key coastal road between Hodeidah and the Houthi-held capital, Sanaa. However, it said in Sunday’s statement that the opening did not take place. Retired Dutch general Patrick Cammaert, the head of a U.N. advance team charged with monitoring the ceasefire, “expressed his disappointment” in a meeting with the Houthis at the port of Hodeidah on Saturday. Houthi spokesmen could not be reached immediately for a comment.

The international community has been trying for months to avert an all-out government assault on Hodeidah, the entry point for most of Yemen’s commercial goods and aid supplies, and a lifeline for millions of Yemenis on the verge of starvation. Under the Stockholm agreement, both parties agreed on a ceasfire in Hodeidah province and to withdraw their respective forces. International monitors are to be deployed in Hodeidah and a Redeployment Coordination Committee (RCC) including both sides, chaired by Cammaert, will oversee implementation. The committee started its meetings this week. Both parties are due to present detailed plans for a full redeployment to Cammaert at the next RCC meeting on Jan. 1, the United Nations said in a statement.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security/u-n-says-yemen-houthis-redeployment-in-hodeidah-should-respect-stockholm-deal-idUSKCN1OT0GG?il=0

U.S. judge dismisses suit versus Google over facial recognition software

(Reuters) - A lawsuit filed against Google by consumers who claimed the search engine’s photo sharing and storage service violated their privacy was dismissed on Saturday by a U.S. judge who cited a lack of “concrete injuries.” U.S. District Judge Edmond Chang in Chicago granted a Google motion for summary judgment, saying the court lacked “subject matter jurisdiction because plaintiffs have not suffered concrete injuries.”

The suit, filed in March 2016, alleged Alphabet Inc’s Google violated Illinois state law by collecting and storing biometric data from people’s photographs using facial recognition software without their permission through its Google Photos service. Plaintiffs had sought more than $5 million collectively for the “hundreds of thousands” of state residents affected, according to court documents. Plaintiffs had asked the court for $5,000 for each intentional violation of the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, or $1,000 for every negligent violation, court documents said.

Attorneys for the plaintiffs as well as officials with Google could not immediately be reached to comment. Google had argued in court documents that the plaintiffs were not entitled to money or injunctive relief because they had suffered no harm.

The case is Rivera v Google, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois, No. 16-02714.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-google-lawsuit-illinois/u-s-judge-dismisses-suit-versus-google-over-facial-recognition-software-idUSKCN1OT001?il=0

PDF Here: https://cases.justia.com/federal/district-courts/illinois/ilndce/1:2016cv02714/323329/60/0.pdf?ts=1488277301