Archive for November, 2015
BAMAKO, Mali — At least 3 were killed Friday after apparent Islamic extremists stormed the Radisson Blu hotel and took some 170 people hostage.
Friday, November 20th, 2015Tel Aviv & West Bank: A shooting and a separate, earlier knife attack leaves at least five people dead
Friday, November 20th, 2015** One victim was identified as an American.
** Two suspects – both identified as Palestinians — were in custody.
Police in Italy and Sweden hunted suspected militants and increased security around public buildings on Thursday after receiving reports that attacks might be planned on their soil following last week’s mass killings in Paris.
Friday, November 20th, 2015** Rome’s underground train operator temporarily closed lines on three separate occasions during the day due to suspicious packages, which all proved to be false alarms.
** The U.S. Embassy in Rome said in a message to its citizens that big tourist sites, churches, synagogues, restaurants, theaters and hotels in Italy’s two main cities might be targets.
** It urged Americans to be vigilant as militant groups “may possibly utilize similar methods used in the recent Paris attacks”.
FBI: Dozens of suspected radicals in the United States are under “tight surveillance.”
Friday, November 20th, 2015** The suspected radicals have been under watch for months
** There are now fears that they might try to imitate last week’s attack in Paris.
ADVISORY GROUP ON REFORM OF WHO’S WORK IN OUTBREAKS AND EMERGENCIES
Friday, November 20th, 2015Report: WHO-Emerg-Outbreak-Advisory-2015
“….. The Advisory Group recommends the expansion of the current Emergency Response Framework to cover all phases of the emergency management cycle – preparedness, alert, response, recovery and prevention. The Framework should incorporate six critical functions that WHO must address when working on outbreaks and emergencies – (i) leadership for the health of all people; (ii) engagement with political leaders (when necessary, beyond the Minister for Health); (iii) coordination (iv) scientific and technical expertise (backed by research and development); (v) information and communications; and (vi) facilitation of access to essential health services for people whose urgent needs are not being met by any other provider…..”
The United Nations General Assembly’s human rights committee on Thursday adopted a resolution condemning North Korea’s bleak human rights situation and encouraging the Security Council to refer the North to the International Criminal Court.
Friday, November 20th, 2015
November 19, 1824: A flood on the Neva River in St. Petersburg claims an estimated 10,000 lives.
Thursday, November 19th, 2015
An ISIS video released Wednesday warns of an impending attack on New York City.
Thursday, November 19th, 2015** The video mentions Times Square
** It purports to show an explosive device being put together and a bomber zipping his jacket over a suicide belt.
Global Peace Index
Thursday, November 19th, 2015The Global Peace Index ranks nations of the world according to their level of peacefulness. The index is
composed of 23 qualitative and quantitative indicators from highly respected
sources and ranks 162 independent states, covering 99.6 per cent of the
world’s population. of militarization.
The Global Terrorism Index: Boko Haram killed more people — 6,644 — in terror attacks during 2014 than any other group.
Thursday, November 19th, 2015** The Islamic State follows closely behind, at 6,073 deaths in 2014.
** The Global Terrorism Index: An annual report by the New York City-based Institute for Economics and Peace.