Trump Won’t Take Back 9/11 Claims

Trump Won’t Take Back 9/11 Claims, Billionaire Donald Trump is defending his disputed claim that “thousands” of Muslims in New Jersey cheered the fall of the twin towers on 9/11.

“You’re running for president of the United States. Your words matter. Truthfulness matters,” said Chuck Todd, host of NBC’s “Meet The Press,” after Trump claimed that comments by people on Twitter and at his events validated his 9/11 assertion.

“Take it easy, Chuck. Just play cool,” responded Trump, the GOP front-runner.

“This is people in this country that love our country that saw this, by the hundreds they’re calling, and they’re tweeting,” he added.

“And there’s a lot of people. In Sarasota, people were telling me yesterday they used to live in New Jersey. They remember it vividly. They thought it was disgusting.”

At one point in the interview, a frustrated Todd said: “But Mr. Trump, this didn’t happen in New Jersey. There were plenty of reports. And you’re feeding that stereotype.”

Trump, speaking over Todd, referred again to unverified reports in The Washington Post of tailgate parties being held in New Jersey to celebrate the 9/11 attacks.

Trump said his campaign team is searching for more evidence.

“We’re looking for other articles. And we’re looking for other clips,” he said.

“And I wouldn’t be surprised if we found them, Chuck. But for some reason, they’re not that easy to come by.”

“I saw it,” Trump insisted. “So many people saw it, Chuck. And, so, why would I take it back? I’m not going to take it back.”

ISIS Has Executed Over 3,500: Report

ISIS Has Executed Over 3,500: Report, The Islamic State group has executed more than 3,500 people in Syria, including nearly 2,000 civilians, since declaring its “caliphate” in June last year, a monitor said Sunday.

In the last month alone IS executed 53 people — including 35 civilians — in areas it controls in Syria, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The new figures from the Britain-based Observatory bring to 3,591 the number of people executed by IS in Syria since it declared its Islamic “caliphate” after seizing control of large parts of the country.

The new toll includes 1,945 civilians, including 103 women and 77 children, with civilians defined as those who are not taking part in the fighting.

Some were executed for alleged witchcraft, homosexuality and collaborating with the US-led coalition that has been bombarding IS in Syria since September 2014.

© Provided by AFP The Islamic State group comprises tens of thousands of fighters and carries out abductions, rapes, beheadings and stonings in the areas under its influence Members of Sunni Shaitat tribe account for around half of the civilians killed. IS killed 930 members of the clan in the northeastern Deir Ezzor province last year after they opposed the extremist Sunni Muslim group.

The monitor also documented 247 IS executions of rival rebels and Kurdish fighters, as well as the executions of 975 members of regime forces.

IS has also executed 415 of its own members it accused of crimes including spying, many of them captured as they were trying to desert the group, according to the Observatory, which relies on a network of activists, medical staff and fighters on the ground.

IS controls large swathes of Syria and neighbouring Iraq.

In Syria, it controls areas in the Homs and Hama provinces in the centre, Deir Ezzor and Hassakeh in the northeast, as well as Raqa and Aleppo in the north.

The jihadist group counts tens of thousands of fighters and carries out abductions, rapes, beheadings and stonings in the areas under its influence.

The United Nations has accused it of “crimes against humanity”.

More than 250,000 people have been killed and more than four million have fled the country since the Syrian conflict erupted in 2011.

Diamond fetches $48.5M: Blue Moon Diamond

Diamond fetches $48.5M: Blue Moon Diamond, A Hong Kong billionaire spent a record $48.4m buying an 12.03-carat diamond dubbed “Blue Moon” for his seven-year-old daughter in an auction in Geneva.

Property tycoon Joseph Lau bought the rock at a Sotheby’s auction on Wednesday and immediately renamed it “Blue Moon of Josephine” after his daughter.

The sale comes the day after he spent $28.5m buying a rare 16.08-carat pink diamond – the largest of its kind to ever go under the hammer – from rival auction house Christie’s, which he rebaptised “Sweet Josephine”.

A Hong Kong-based spokeswoman for Lau confirmed the two purchases. “The first was the pink one, ‘Sweet Josephine’, and the second one was the ‘Blue Moon of Josephine’,” she said.

David Bennett, the head of Sotheby’s international jewellery division, said the “Blue Moon” sale broke several records and made the gemstone the most expensive diamond, regardless of colour, and the most expensive jewel ever sold at auction. It also fetched the highest-ever price per carat, he said.

The previous world record for a jewel sold at auction was held by the 24.78-carat “Graff Pink” diamond, which was sold by Sotheby’s for $46.2m in November 2010.

This is not the first time Lau has bought rare jewels for his daughter. In 2009, he reportedly spent $9.5m on another blue diamond, which he renamed the “Star of Josephine”.

Josephine is his daughter with girlfriend and former aid Chan Hoi-wan, according to local media. The 64-year-old also has two children with long-time partner Yvonne Lui.

In March 2014, Lau was found guilty of bribing a former minister in the gambling enclave of Macau in an attempt to purchase a prime development site. Lau, who was not in Macau for the sentencing, is unlikely serve time because the two semi-autonomous Chinese cities do not have an extradition agreement.

He was locked in a telephone bidding war for eight minutes for “Blue Moon” before the hammer went down, with the precious jewel staying within its pre-sale estimate of $35m-$55m.

The diamond was discovered in South Africa in January 2014 and was the largest cushion-shaped blue stone in the fancy vivid category to ever appear at auction.

Experts say the market for coloured diamonds has grown increasingly robust and both the blue and pink diamonds garnered a lot of attention in the run-up to this week’s jewel sales in Geneva.

New One Direction song: One Direction ‘Love You Goodbye’

New One Direction song: One Direction ‘Love You Goodbye’, One Direction‘s Louis Tomlinson gives insights into “Love You Goodbye,” the band’s new song about break-ups and last chances at love.

“Love You Goodbye” was released on iTunes on Tuesday (Nov. 10) to the delight of fans who can’t wait until Friday for the album.

Tomlinson, who wrote the song, described the inspiration for the song that he looks forward to performing.

“‘Love You Goodbye’ is probably the most personal for me,” Tomlinson said in a video posted to the band’s Twitter account. “It was one of those moments when the song was starting to come together, you felt a real excitement for it.”

He went on to describe the feeling he tried to convey in the song, which concerns matters of the heart.

“Just the idea of the song is interesting to me, he continued. “Everybody has that time after a break-up that you do have to see your ex again, and it’s kind of about that. We’ve been kinda waiting for that song really. It would be a good one to perform for sure.”

“Love You Goodbye “is the latest in a line of Made in the A.M. songs such as “Drag Me Down,” “Infinity,” “History,” “Perfect” and “End of the Day.”

Made in the A.M. is drops on Friday (Nov. 13). Check out the interview with Louis Tomlinson below.

US! Tune into @SiriusXMHits1 on 11/12 @ 8pmET for an exclusive #MadeInTheAM album premiere & track-by-track from 1D. amp.twimg.com/v/8edec0dd-6ff

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One Direction (@onedirection) November 10, 2015