Top News Stories –

Has history been made at COP21? –
I’m not a fan of hyperbole, but it would be churlish to say the adoption of the Paris Agreement [at the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference or COP21] was anything other than a globally, historic moment. This carefully worded document that balances the right of countries to develop with the need to protect the planet is a truly world changing instrument. It sets out, for the first time, a global approach to a problem of humanity’s own making: the recent rapid warming of the Earth that science says is mainly down to the use of fossil fuels. The deal sets out a firm goal of keeping temperature rises well below 2C, and will strive for 1.5C. This is no easy task as researchers say that this year 2015, the world has gone through 1C above pre-industrial levels. The agreement text means that emissions of greenhouse gases will have to peak globally and reduce rapidly thereafter, in accordance with the best possible science. This phrase is crucial according to observers, meaning that the Paris deal will be guided by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. And the IPCC say that carbon emissions will have to go to zero by the end of this century. [BBC] See Top Twitter Trends
2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference logo

Elon Musk launches $1bn fund to save world from AI –
Elon Musk has unveiled his latest big-money project: saving humanity from destruction by artificial intelligence. The man who made his billions from PayPal and who has gambled a chunk of his fortune on the race for space, has warned frequently that AI represents humanity’s greatest existential threat. He is joining forces with other tech entrepreneurs to establish a $1 billion investment fund for researchers to pursue applications with a positive social impact and to try to stay one step ahead of the technology. Along with his Paypal co-founder, Peter Thiel, and backing from Indian tech giant Infosys and Amazon Web Services, he has set up OpenAI, a nonprofit company that will back research into novel uses of AI and share the findings. [Daily Telegraph] In May 2015 Musk’s firm SpaceX won long-waited approval from the US Air Force to launch military satellites
Elon Musk

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The Galapagos – Calling Home from Andrew Norton on Vimeo.

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Armed conflicts and attacks

• Iraqi Civil War (2014–present)
  • A suicide bomber attacks an Iraqi Army post in Al Anbar Governorate on the border with Saudi Arabia, killing at least six guards. (Ahram Online)
• Syrian Civil War
  • Sixteen people are killed and many more injured by a car bomb and a second, delayed explosion near a hospital in Syria’s mainly Alawite, government-controlled neighborhood of al-Zahra, east of Homs’ old city, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rightsreports. The attack comes just five days after the government and rebels agreed on a local ceasefire in the western al-Waer suburb. (Reuters) (EuroNews)
• 2015 Burundian unrest
  • Burundi’s army reports 87 people, including eight government defenders, were killed, and 45 attackers captured in Friday’s clashes at three military sites in Bujumbura. Police have not identified the gunmen. Witnesses report some of the victims’ arms were tied behind their backs while others were killed at close range. This was the worst violence since this spring’s attempted coup d’état. One of the generals behind the failed coup says his rebel group still wants to oust the president. (Reuters) (AFP via Global Post)
• Yemeni Civil War (2015)
  • All sides in the Yemeni civil war announce a seven-day ceasefire will start on Monday. (Al-Arabiyah)
• Nigerian soldiers kill at least 12 people and injure dozens more in a clash with followers of Shi’a cleric Ibrahim Zakzaky’s Islamic movement in the northern town of Zaria. The army says the crowd surged towards General Tukur Buratai’s convoy, some firing and attempting to kill Buratai. Afterward, the Nigerian Army and the Islamic Movement accuse each other of instigating the attacks. (EagleOnline) (AP) (Premium Times)
• War in Afghanistan (2015–present)
  • Battle of Kunduz
    • The United Nations mission in Afghanistan reports 289 civilians were killed and 559 injured during fighting in Kunduz between Taliban militants and Afghan National Security Forces in September and October. These numbers include casualties from the friendly-fire attack on the Doctors Without Borders hospital. The U.N. noted the numbers were likely to rise as more information is available. (Reuters) (Radio Free Europe)

International relations

• 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference
  • Delegates from 196 countries approve an agreement that seeks to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Paris. (BBC) (Washington Post)
• Japan and India sign an agreement on high-speed rail, defence technology and a memorandum of understanding on civil nuclear cooperation. (AFP via Daily Mail)
• North Korea’s all-female Moranbong Band, which was formed by leader Kim Jong-un, surprisingly cancels tonight’s concert at Beijing’s National Centre for the Performing Arts, and two others and returns to Pyongyang. Rumors for the sudden change abound, but no reason has been given. The sudden cancellation could hurt Chinese-North Korean relations, cooler since between Kim assumed power in 2011. (AP via Huffington Post) (Reuters via Asian Times)

Law and crime

• A Wisconsin gun shop, which a jury found negligently sold the gun an assailant used to injure two Milwaukee police officers to a straw buyer, reaches a $1 million settlement with the officers. (AP via seattlepi.com) (Reuters)

Politics and elections

• President Yahya Jammeh of Gambia declares the country an Islamic republic. (The Guardian)
• Saudi Arabian municipal elections, 2015
  • Voters in Saudi Arabia go to the polls for municipal elections, with women voting and standing for election for the first time. (Los Angeles Times)
• Houston mayoral election, 2015
  • Residents in the United States’ fourth largest city are voting in a runoff election to choose the new mayor of Houston, Texas. The race is between the top two finishers in November’s non-partisan election: Sylvester Turner, a veteran lawmaker seeking to expand economic opportunities; and, Bill King, a businessman pledging to fix city finances. (Reuters) (KPRC-TV)
• Thirty-three people are arrested in Moscow in Constitution Day protests against alleged human rights abuses. (Al Jazeera)
• Poland protests: Thousands march against Law and Justice party. (BBC)

Sports

• 2015 Heisman trophy
  • In American football, running back Derrick Henry of the Alabama Crimson Tide football team wins the Heisman Trophy for best college football player. (CNN)

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