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Contents contributed and discussions participated by jongardner04

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jongardner04

Afghan suicide bomber targets Jalalabad elders, killing 13 - BBC News - 0 views

www.bbc.com/...world-asia-35337869

afghan taliban

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  • A suicide bomber has killed at least 13 people at the Jalalabad home of a prominent local politician who backs President Ashraf Ghani's peace talks.
  • Tribal elders had gathered at the home of Obaiduallah Shinwari to celebrate his brother's release from months of captivity by the Taliban.
  • The Afghan government has been locked in a bloody conflict with Taliban militants for more than a decade.
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  • However, the Taliban, who are divided by factional infighting, did not attend that session.
  • Peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban collapsed last year, after news emerged that Taliban leader Mullah Omar had in fact died in 2013.
  • In December, the militant group launched an attack on the strategic district of Sangin. It later seized and blew up the police headquarters and governor's compound.
  • And in September, the Taliban briefly overran the northern Afghan city of Kunduz, in one of their biggest victories since 2001.
jongardner04

Israeli woman stabbed to death in Otniel settlement house - BBC News - 0 views

www.bbc.com/...world-middle-east-35339520

israeli

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  • An Israeli woman has been stabbed to death by a Palestinian who broke into her house, Israel's army says.
  • Troops are searching for the attacker who fled the scene in the Jewish settlement of Otniel near Hebron.
  • Some 155 Palestinians - mostly attackers, Israel says - have been killed in that period of unrest.
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  • Roadblocks have been set up, residents were told to lock themselves inside their homes and flares lit the night sky as the manhunt went on.
  • The assailant at a base near Nablus was Wissam Qasrawi, 21, from Mesilyeh village near the city of Jenin, in the northern West Bank, the Associated Press news agency quoted Palestinian officials as saying.
jongardner04

US Democratic debate: Candidates spar on gun control - BBC News - 0 views

www.bbc.com/...world-us-canada-35340061

gun control bbc

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  • Candidates for the Democratic race for the White House are taking part in a TV debate, with gun control and healthcare among the main topics
  • Mr Sanders' universal healthcare plan, announced two hours before the debate started, would see citizens pay what he called "a 2.2% income-based premium" towards healthcare. Companies would pay an extra 6.2% of an employee's income towards the plan.
  • Polls indicate Ms Clinton and Mr Sanders are neck-and-neck ahead of the caucus in Iowa, where voters will decide who they want as their preferred candidate. She had once commanded a large lead.
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  • Clinton said any moves to scrap the current Affordable Healthcare Act risked plunging the Democrats into "contentious debate". Instead, the party should work on improving the programme, known as Obamacare.
jongardner04

Iraq: US confirms Americans kidnapped in Baghdad - BBC News - 0 views

www.bbc.com/...world-middle-east-35339840

iraq americans

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  • The US embassy in Baghdad has confirmed that "several" Americans have been kidnapped there.
  • "We are working with the full co-operation of the Iraqi authorities to locate and recover the individuals," said a state department official.
  • An attack on a Baghdad shopping centre last week, claimed by so-called Islamic State militants, brought to an end a relative lull in violence that had seen no major bloodshed in the city in months.
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  • Since then, BBC Iraq correspondent Ahmed Maher says, there has been no claim of responsibility and the fate of those kidnapped remains unknown - a sign of how secretive and complicated the negotiation process is.
jongardner04

Short Answers to Hard Questions About Zika Virus - The New York Times - 0 views

www.nytimes.com/...what-is-zika-virus.html

health virus Zika

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  • The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned pregnant women against travel to several countries in the Caribbean and Latin America where the Zika virus is spreading. Infection with the virus appears to be linked to the development of unusually small heads and brain damage in newborns. Here are some answers and advice about the outbreak.
  • The Zika virus is a mosquito-transmitted infection related to dengue, yellow fever and West Nile virus. Although it was discovered in the Zika forest in Uganda in 1947 and is common in Africa and Asia, it did not begin spreading widely in the Western Hemisphere until last May, when an outbreak occurred in Brazil.
  • Although the virus is normally spread by mosquitoes, there has been one report of possible spread through blood transfusion and one of possible spread through sex.
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  • There is no vaccine against the Zika virus. Efforts to make one have just begun, and creating and testing a vaccine normally takes years and costs hundreds of millions of dollars.
jongardner04

Venezuela Declares Emergency as Its Economy Falters - The New York Times - 0 views

www.nytimes.com/...cy-as-its-economy-falters.html

venezuela emergency economy

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  • The Venezuelan government on Friday declared an emergency to address the country’s deteriorating economy.
  • The plan was short on specific policy changes but sought to give President Nicolás Maduro the power to bypass the National Assembly on spending matters, among other measures. But any expansion of executive power would have to be approved by the National Assembly, which is controlled by Mr. Maduro’s rivals who took control of the chamber in January with their own promises to address Venezuela’s economic problems.
  • Also on Friday, Venezuela’s central bank announced some grim economic figures, noting that the economy contracted by 4.5 percent during the first nine months of 2015 and that inflation reached 142 percent during the 12-month period ending in September.
jongardner04

How El Chapo Was Finally Captured, Again - The New York Times - 0 views

www.nytimes.com/...l-chapo-sinaloa-sean-penn.html

el chapo mexico

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  • MEXICO CITY — Stripped to his undershirt and covered in filth, the world’s most notorious drug lord dragged himself out of the sewers and into the middle of traffic.
  • Disoriented from his long trudge underground, with gun-toting marines on his heels, he found himself standing across the street from a Walmart. Joaquín Guzmán Loera, the kingpin known across the globe as El Chapo, would have to improvise. His cavalry was not coming.
  • The Mexican marines had been on Mr. Guzmán’s trail for more than six months, ever since he humiliated the nation by escaping its most secure prison through a tunnel that led into the shower floor of his cell.
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  • During the 17 months Mr. Guzmán was locked up, he met often with associates, not only to plan his legal defense, but also to plot his escape, Mexican officials said. His men purchased land within sight of the prison, constructing an outer wall and an unfinished building on the site. From there, a mile away, the digging began.
jongardner04

Bolivia Makes Child Labor Legal, In An Attempt To Make It Safer : NPR - 0 views

www.npr.org/...in-an-attempt-to-make-it-safer

bolivia child labor

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  • A new law in Bolivia allows children as young as 10 to work legally, and has led to sharp criticism from many international human rights groups who note that it goes against a United Nations convention setting a minimum age of 14.
  • A 2013 report from the U.S. Department of Labor reported that more than 20 percent of Bolivians between the ages of 7 and 14 worked, while a U.N. agency reported a figure nearly three times that high in 2008, according to The Associated Press. Both reports note that Bolivian children work in some of the country's most dangerous working conditions.
  • We're talking about children in Bolivia doing all sorts of work. You'll see young people in the countryside working on family farms, herding sheep, herding llamas. Young people participate in the sugar cane harvest. In the city, people are shining shoes, they'll go out with their families to sell flowers on the street. And you'll even see young people — teenagers — working in silver and tin mines under really extreme working conditions.
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  • Mining remains the worst form of child labor, and the government does not permit it legally for a child of any age. But despite that it remains a job where a young person — say, 14, 15 years old — can make a lot more money than at other jobs. And it retains its attraction because of that, despite how dangerous it is.
jongardner04

Persian (or Arabian) Gulf Is Caught in the Middle of Regional Rivalries - The New York ... - 0 views

www.nytimes.com/...an-gulf-iran-saudi-arabia.html

persian gulf Arabian Iran geography

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  • Tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia have been escalating on many fronts — over wars in Syria and Yemen, the Saudis’ execution of a dissident Shiite cleric and the Iran nuclear deal. The dispute runs so deep that the regional rivals — one a Shiite theocracy, the other a Sunni monarchy — even clash over the name of the body of water that separates them.
  • Iran insists that it be called the Persian Gulf, and has banned publications that fail to use that name. Yet this riles Arab nations, which have succeeded in pushing various parties to use their preferred term — Arabian Gulf.
  • his may be among the most minor of the disputes, but it speaks to the level of hostility and competition between the two, and is taken quite seriously by many with an interest in the region — including the United States Navy, which, for fear of alienating its regional allies, uses the term Arabian Gulf.
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  • Persian Gulf has been used throughout history, in maps, documents and diplomacy, from the ancient Persians, whose empire dominated the region, to the Greeks and the British.
  • The push to call it the Arabian Gulf gathered steam during the Pan-Arab nationalist movement of the late 1950s, propelled by President Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt, the historian Lawrence G. Potter wrote in the “The Persian Gulf in History.” In the 1960s, Arab countries made Arabian Gulf compulsory, and the Gulf Cooperation Council uses it.
  • “It’s deeply emotional; it’s not simply semantic,” said Frederic Wehrey, an expert on gulf politics at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
  • Google Maps shows both terms, with Arabian Gulf in parentheses. But Google will show either Arabian or Persian Gulf to local users, depending on geolocation and language settings.
jongardner04

Netanyahu Asserts Israel Will Be Iran's Watchdog - The New York Times - 0 views

www.nytimes.com/...el-will-be-irans-watchdog.html

netanyahu israel iran

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  • Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel warned on Sunday that his nation would ensure that Tehran never obtains nuclear weapons, while also taking credit for keeping Iran from already having them.
  • Mr. Netanyahu has been an open and vocal opponent of the deal with Iran.
  • “Israel’s policy has been and will remain exactly what it has been: not to allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons.”
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  • “What is clear is that Iran will now have more resources to dedicate to their terrorism and aggression in the region and in the world, and Israel is prepared to deal with any threat,” he said.
  • Mr. Netanyahu believes, as he said in a statement issued late Saturday, when it became clear that the United Nations would accept Iran’s partial dismantling of its nuclear infrastructure in what has been called “implementation day,” that “Iran has not relinquished its ambition to obtain nuclear weapons.”
jongardner04

U.S. Condemns Attacks in Burkina Faso - White House - The New York Times - 0 views

www.nytimes.com/...urkina-attacks-whitehouse.html

US

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  • The White House on Sunday said the United States "condemns in the strongest terms" the recent attacks in Burkina Faso, and mourns for those killed, including American citizen Michael Riddering.
  • "Acts of terrorism will not stop efforts by brave Americans and others from around the world who travel far and wide to support governments, civil society groups, and others working to strengthen democracy, improve healthcare, and increase economic opportunities for all," said White House National Security Council spokesman Ned Price.
jongardner04

Donald Trump: 'I have a great relationship with God' - CNNPolitics.com - 0 views

www.cnn.com/...donald-trump-relationship-god

donald trump religion politics

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  • Donald Trump spent decades as a premier New York tabloid curiosity, a billionaire real-estate developer whose marital misadventures routinely filled the city's scandal sheets.
  • But he told CNN's Jake Tapper in an interview that aired Sunday on "State of the Union" that those wild days are past and that he now enjoys a "very great relationship with God" and "a very great relationship" with the evangelical Christian voters so important to candidates in Iowa.
  • "I live a very different life than probably a lot of people would think," Trump said. "I'm talking about over the last number of years, I'm leading a very good life. I try to lead a good life and I have. And frankly, (it's) the reason I'm doing so well in Iowa."
jongardner04

Donald Trump Ramps up Attacks on Ted Cruz, Says 'He's a Nasty Guy' - ABC News - 0 views

abcnews.go.com/...story

donald trump politics

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  • With two weeks left before voters in Iowa cast the very first votes in the 2016 presidential election, Republican front-runner Donald Trump is turning up the heat on his fiercest rival in the Hawkeye State -– Sen. Ted Cruz.
  • On the campaign trail, Trump is now questioning the freshmen Texas senator for a loan, first reported by The New York Times, that Cruz took out from Goldman Sachs during his 2012 Senate run that he failed to disclose in federal campaign finance documents.
  • Stephanopoulos told Trump that some legal scholars have suggested Trump himself would have standing to sue Cruz. "Oh, that's an interesting case. Wow, that sounds like a very good case. I'd do the public a big favor," Trump responded, but he would not say whether he'd actually file such a suit. "It's a good idea-- maybe I'll talk to them about it. I'd like to talk to Ted about it, see how he'd feel about it. 'Cause you know, when I file suits, I file real suits."
jongardner04

State of the Union 2016: What Obama wants to do about guns - Jan. 12, 2016 - 0 views

money.cnn.com/...e-of-the-union-2016-obama-guns

obama state union guns US

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  • President Obama's State of the Union speech Tuesday night happened at a time of heightened awareness about guns in America, but it was barely mentioned during his address.
  • The topic of gun control has been incessantly frustrating for Obama. Gun advocates still fear he wants to take their guns away, even though he says he doesn't. Every time he mentions gun control, gun sales surge.
  • But he only mentioned gun control once, as part of a list of actions he plans to take in his last year as president. "And I'll keep pushing for progress on the work that still needs doing. Fixing a broken immigration system. Protecting our kids from gun violence," Obama said.
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  • And he wants to scrutinize those who are selling guns without a federal license. Are they really just collectors who are trying to unload a couple of guns? Or are they clandestine gun dealers operating under the radar?
jongardner04

Iran: US imposes new sanctions over missile test - BBC News - 0 views

www.bbc.com/...world-us-canada-35338901

iran oil

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  • The US has imposed fresh sanctions on Iranian companies and individuals over a recent ballistic missile test.
  • The move came after international nuclear sanctions on Iran were lifted as part of a deal hailed by President Barack Obama on Sunday as "smart".
  • They were triggered by Iran conducting a precision-guided ballistic missile test capable of delivering a nuclear warhead last October, violating a United Nations ban.
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  • ran has always maintained its nuclear programme is peaceful, but opponents of the deal say it does not do enough to ensure the country cannot develop a nuclear bomb.
jongardner04

Why Ethiopia is making a historic 'master plan' U-turn - BBC News - 0 views

www.bbc.com/...world-africa-35325536

ethiopia bbc

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  • A controversial plan by the Ethiopian government to expand the capital, Addis Ababa, is set to be scrapped after a key member of the ruling coalition withdrew its support.
  • Rights groups say that at least 150 protesters have died and another 5,000 have been arrested by security forces. Similar protests in May 2014 left dozens of protesters dead.
  • Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn had vowed on 16 December that his government would be "merciless" towards the protesters, who he described as "anti-peace forces".
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  • It is unclear what impact the move will have on the economy, which is one of the fastest growing in Africa.
  • Despite the impressive development, Ethiopia is ranked 173 out of the 187 nations surveyed in the last UN Human Development Index and has high poverty indexes, mainly related to the rising population.
jongardner04

Japanese shares hit one-year low after falls in the US - BBC News - 0 views

www.bbc.com/...business-35340296

japanese economics

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  • Japanese shares hit a one-year low early on Monday following big falls in the US and as oil prices dropped below $28 for the first time since 2003.
  • China, analysts said they expected markets to be hurt further this week by falling oil prices, together with continued worries about the mainland's economic growth. The country's latest quarterly gross domestic product numbers are out on Tuesday.
jongardner04

Wealth of richest 1% 'equal to other 99%' - BBC News - 0 views

www.bbc.com/...business-35339475

bbc equal wealth

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  • The richest 1% now has as much wealth as the rest of the world combined, according to Oxfam.
  • Oxfam also calculated that the richest 62 people in the world had as much wealth as the poorest half of the global population.
  • And it wants governments to take action on lobbying, reducing the price of medicines, taxing wealth rather than consumption and using progressive public spending to tackle inequality.
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  • It calls for an end to the gender pay gap, compensation for unpaid care and the promotion of equal land and inheritance rights for women.
jongardner04

Police Seek Three Possibly Tied to Gunman Who Shot Philadelphia Cop - NBC News - 0 views

www.nbcnews.com/...-shot-philadelphia-cop-n494376

philadelphia police ISIS

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  • "The threat to police is not over," the tipster said, adding that the men frequent a block around the corner from where the officer was shot and across the street from where Archer lives.
  • Archer, 30, is charged with walking up to Philadelphia Police Officer Jesse Hartnett's patrol car and opening fire on him using a stolen gun. Hit three times in the arm, the five-year veteran managed to return fire and wound Archer, who confessed and said he had pledged allegiance to ISIS, according to police.
jongardner04

Bernie's ISIS Strategy Is A Disaster - The Daily Beast - 0 views

www.thedailybeast.com/...is-strategy-is-a-disaster.html

bernie strategy politics

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  • Sen. Bernie Sanders wants Iran and Saudi Arabia to send ground troops into Syria as part of a coalition of Muslim nations to fight ISIS, an idea he’s pressed multiple times as a strategy to fight Islamic extremism in the region.
  • It’s the Middle East policy equivalent of a COEXIST bumper sticker. Sanders’ proposal might sound promising to foreign policy lightweight—but those with expertise in the area know that the concept is deeply troubling.
  • Sanders has repeatedly said the United States should not take the lead in the fight against ISIS. But the unserious part of his proposal is the suggestion that he suggests Saudi Arabia and Iran should work together to fight Islamic extremism—seemingly oblivious to the schisms in the region.
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  • “Sanders statements portend that he would outsource U.S. foreign Policy in the Middle East to Iran,” Pregent said. “Iran is not in Iraq and Syria to defeat ISIS—they are there to grow influence and ensure their proxies are emboldened and empowered.”
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