Dabiq magazine confirms death
IS magazine Dabiq publishes a eulogy for British militant Emwazi, better known in the west as Jihadi John. Emwazi was believed to have been killed in a U. S. air strike in Raqqa in November, but his death was unconfirmed. The publication of the eulogy confirms Emwazi’s death.
Forgives Harvey
Wurtzbach appears on The Steve Harvey Show titled Miss Universe: The Truth more than a month after the Miss Universe 2015 fiasco. Wurtzbach:
Don’t beat yourself up for this anymore. Come on. Let’s move forward, let’s be happy.
Harvey:
I want some healing to be done. for you and for Miss Colombia. I want that more than anything. So, thank you for coming. I thought you were an absolute class act. Absolute class act.
Wolf restoration draws ire
The Fish and Wildlife Service announces plans to restore the Mexican gray wolf in the American Southwest. The plan arouses suspicion among ranchers in the affected areas, who are concerned about economic impacts in their areas and about invasive species.Wolf opponents in Utah and Colorado contend that the Mexican gray wolf is not native to their area. Ranchers are concerned about their herds and about the impact of wolves on the hunting industry. Opponents:
We don’t need to introduce another large predatory carnivore to the state.
Strict borders boost human trafficking
Doctors Without Borders says traffickers are being boosted by strict border policies intended to stop migration in Europe. Many Balkan and central European states have tightened their borders in the wake of the Paris attacks in November 2015.
Our teams have seen, ever since the closure of the border to some nationalities …the return of smugglers in the area…These trafficking networks had disappeared in June with the legalization of the border crossing … but have notably increased again since the new restrictions were implemented.
Threatens Taiwan
After the island elects pro-independence leader Tsai, China warns that Taiwan should “abandon its hallucinations about pushing for independence”.
If there is no peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, Taiwan’s new authority will find the sufferings of the people it wishes to resolve on the economy, livelihood and its youth will be as useless as looking for fish in a tree.
Women Targeted
Amnesty International reports that female refugees coming to Europe face violence and harassment in excess of what is faced by male refugees.The report is based on interviews with 40 women and girls in Germany and Norway last month who had traveled from Turkey to Greece and then across the Balkans. The threat is greatest in Hungary, Croatia and Greece, where facilities are not segregated by sex and women are forced to sleep and shower alongside men. The “ad hoc” nature of receiving refugees is blamed for some of the issues. International Rescue Committee:
One of the challenges we have been facing is that it is taking a long time for the international community, and by that I mean governments, to wake up to this crisis and to realize that it is not something that they can wish away.
Declares State of Emergency
Obama declares an official State of Emergency in the Flint Water Crisis. The move, requested by Gov. Snyder, frees up $5M in federal aid funding. Snyder’s initial request sought $31M, but this was denied on the grounds that the mandates allowing funds on that scale to be released are only available for natural disasters. Obama’s declaration will also free up FEMA to co-ordinate relief efforts in Flint.
First brain-damaged baby in US
The Hawaii State Department of Health says a baby born with an unusually small head and brain in an Oahu hospital had been infected with the Zika virus. The presence of the virus was confirmed by the CDC. The child’s mother was probably infected early in her pregnancy by a mosquito when she lived in Brazil in May in 2015. The virus presumably reached the embryo and damaged its developing brain. Hawaii’s state epidemiologist:
We are saddened by the events that have affected this mother and her newborn. This case further emphasizes the importance of the C.D.C. travel recommendations released today.
Eviction planned
Up to 2000 refugees living in a makeshift camp near Calais face eviction as local authorities announce plans to bulldoze their camp. Authorities say that they have constructed a winter shelter and say that those who are unable to find a bed at the new shelter will be transported to other centers around the country, but residents are skeptical and cite ill-treatment from security guards as one reason for their distrust. Care 4 Calais group:
Someone needs to think of a real solution, not just for these refugees, but for all of the refugees stuck across Europe.
Naim accused
Indonesian police name Naim on suspicion of planning the deadly bombing in Jakarta. Three other men are also arrested in pre-dawn raids. The arrests are in response to attacks that killed seven, including the attackers. Naim is believed to be in Syria fighting for ISIL. Jakarta police chief:
His vision is to unite all ISIS-supporting elements in Southeast Asia, including Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines.
Seeks emergency declaration
Gov. Snyder asks the federal government for declarations of an emergency and a major disaster in the Flint water crisis. The declarations, if granted, would help get federal aid to individuals and public agencies providing people with clean drinking water in the stricken city. Snyder has apologized for the state’s slow handling of the water crisis. Blood lead levels of some children in Flint was found to have doubled in 2015. While the city’s water supply was switched back to Lake Huron in October, lead levels in the tap water remain above levels considered acceptable in many homes.
Liberian epidemic ends
Liberia passes two 21-day incubation cycles with no new Ebola cases, passing the threshold for declaring the country’s epidemic to be over. This has led the WHO to declare West Africa’s Ebola epidemic to be over as well, although the organization cautions that the region may still see flare-ups. Ebola killed more than 11,000 people in West Africa during the epidemic, which began in late 2013. WHO chief Chan:
So much was needed and so much was accomplished by national authorities, heroic health workers, civil society, local and international organizations and generous partners.
Black and Brown Forum debate
Sanders and Clinton debate policy issues during the Iowa Black and Brown Forum, hosted by Drake University. At specific issue were gun control, Wall Street reform, tax policy and immigration issues. Clinton’s campaign released a statement during the forum, related to questions asked during the event:
Our immigration enforcement efforts should be humane and conducted in accordance with due process, and that is why I believe we must stop the raids happening in immigrant communities.
Comes out
Carver comes out as gay in a statement:
Be who you needed when you were younger. As a young boy, I knew I wanted to be an actor. I knew I wanted to be a lot of things! I thought I wanted to be a painter, a soccer player, a stegosaurus… But the acting thing stuck. It was around that age that I also knew, however abstractly, that I was different from some of the other boys in my grade…Over time, this abstract ‘knowing’ grew and articulated itself through a painful gestation marked by feelings of despair and alienation, ending in a climax of saying three words out loud: ‘I am gay’. I said them to myself at first, to see how they felt…I now believe that by omitting this part of myself from the record, I am complicit in perpetuating the suffering, fear and shame cast upon so many in the world.
First US case from Brazil outbreak
The CDC says a traveler in Houston from Latin America, is diagnosed with Zika, the first diagnosis in the United States since an outbreak began in Latin America.
Drug reduces memory problems
Researchers at the University of Southampton might find a way to reduce the memory problems associated with Alzheimer’s disease. The discovery has translated into a drug that has been effective with mice. The drug, still highly experimental, works by blocking the neurological receptor CSF1R, which regulates the immune cells known as microglia. Tissue samples taken from brains of Alzheimer’s patients have been shown to contain more microglia than healthy brain tissue. Study author:
These findings are as close to evidence as we can get to show that this particular pathway is active in the development of Alzheimer’s disease.
Discusses 11.22.63 with Variety
Abrams speaks to Variety about his upcoming Hulu series, 11.22.63. The series is a screen adaptation of the Stephen King novel and stars James Franco, Josh Duhamel, T. R. Knight, and Chris Cooper. While some changes have been made from King’s original novel, Abrams says that the changes have been approved by the author.
They were necessary and he saw that.
Holds gun policy town hall
Obama speaks with gun owners at a televised town hall meeting hosted by CNN. The president explained his measures to make legal products safer, akin to child-proof medicine caps, and sought to reassure gun owners that no one was coming for their property. The NRA chose not to participate. The American Firearms Retailers Association was involved with the meeting. On gun registration:
That’s an area where there’s just not enough national consensus at this stage to even consider it. And part of it is is people’s concern that that becomes a prelude to taking people’s guns away…Part of the challenge of this is that the gun debate gets wrapped up in broader debates about whether the federal government is oppressive and there are conspiracy theories floating around the Internet these days all the time.
Threatens to withdraw $700m Scottish Investment
Trump threatens to withdraw his financial investments in Scotland if he is barred from entering the United Kingdom, as a petition signed by over half a million people has asked. Spokesperson:
Any action to restrict travel would force the Trump Organisation to immediately end these and all future investments we are currently contemplating in the United Kingdom. Westminster would create a dangerous precedent and send a terrible message to the world that the United Kingdom opposes free speech and has no interest in attracting inward investment. [The move would alienate US citizens who] wholeheartedly support Mr Trump. Many people now agree with Mr Trump that there is a serious problem that must be resolved. This can only be achieved if we are willing discuss these tough issues openly and honestly.
The UK government has signaled that it will not bar Trump, regardless of the petition.
Character limit change
Dorsey says Twitter is considering to expand the character limit of tweets from 140 characters to 10 000.
https://twitter.com/jack/status/684496529621557248/photo/1