Syria crisis: US attacks Moscow welcome for Assad
The White House has strongly condemned a visit to Moscow by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
A spokesman criticised Russia for putting on a "red carpet welcome".
The Syrian leader's trip on Tuesday came three weeks after Russia began air strikes in Syria against Islamic State militants and other forces.
It was Mr Assad's first overseas trip since civil war broke out in Syria in 2011. The conflict has claimed more than a quarter of a million lives.
On Thursday, a team of Russian MPs is due to meet President Assad and the head of the Syrian parliament in Damascus.
While in Moscow, Mr Assad made a point of expressing his gratitude for Russia's military intervention in the conflict.
He said Russia's involvement had stopped "terrorism" becoming "more widespread and harmful" in Syria.
Three days to save the euro
With Greece on the brink of expulsion from the euro, there was one final chance to avoid catastrophe. Ian Traynor tells the inside story of a dramatic showdown
Late on the afternoon of Friday 10 July, as European finance ministers were packing their bags for Brussels to attend yet another meeting on the Greek debt crisis, a shocking email from Berlin landed in the inboxes of a very small number of top officials. Earlier that week, the Greek prime minister, Alexis Tsipras, had been given an ultimatum by his fellow European leaders: deliver a radical new blueprint for economic reform and spending cuts – or face bankruptcy.
Tsipras had delivered a new set of proposals, but before officials could meet in Brussels to discuss them, the German finance minister, Wolfgang Schäuble, delivered a preemptive strike: if the Greek government would not undertake more drastic reforms, the German email said, “Greece should be offered swift negotiations on a time-out from the eurozone.” There had been speculative talk that Greece might have to quit the single currency – and sentiment among other euro members had hardened against Athens in the six months since Syriza, Tspiras’s leftwing movement, came to power – but until now, no one had formally proposed pushing the country out.
Gun owners in America now have eight weapons on average - double what it used to be
Domestic firearm production and imports of firearms have risen sharplyChristopher Ingraham
There are nearly twice as many guns in the average gun-owning household today as there were 20 years ago, according to new Wonkblog estimates based data from surveys and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. In 2013, there were an estimated 8.1 firearms in the typical gun-owning household, according to these data. In 1994, the average gun-owning household owned 4.2 guns.
These numbers comport with what survey research has shown for several years now: the share of gun-owning households has been declining over the past 20 years and possibly more, according to numbers from Gallup and the General Social Survey. On the other hand, domestic firearm production and imports of firearms have risen sharply, particularly in recent years. If those numbers are correct, it follows that increasing gun purchases are being driven primarily by existing owners stocking up rather than first-time buyers.
Saving books from the Syrian war
A group of young Syrian people have built a secret library, hidden in a basement in Daraya, a city located south of Damascus. Their goal is to save Daraya’s books, as the city is currently under the control of local Islamist groups and has been under siege by Bashar al-Assad’s army for the past three years.
Daraya is located near the Mezze military airport, a strategic site for the Assad regime. The city is under the control of Ajnad Al-Sham Islamic Union and the Martyrs of Islam Brigade (Chuhada al-Islam), both Islamist groups working with the rebels of the Free Syrian Army.
Constant bombing has halted any kind of cultural activities or schooling, which is why a group of young Syrians decided to create a library, providing locals with a place to read and study. The activists say that that their library contains close to 11,000 books saved from the rubble of destroyed buildings.
Facebook warns users of 'state-sponsored' hacking
New system alerts users when a government has hacked their accounts, part of Facebook's efforts to regain user trust
October 21, 2015 5:00AM ET
by Michael Pizzi @michaelwpizzi
Facebook has announced a new system for alerting users when their accounts have been compromised by “state-sponsored actors,” the latest measure taken by the social network to convince users that it is a partner against unlawful government surveillance and espionage.
Alex Stamos, Facebook’s Chief Security Officer, said in a post over the weekend that a warning message will now pop up any time a user tries to log into an account believed to be targeted by a “nation-state.” According to a screenshot of the new warning, it reads: “We believe your Facebook account and your other online accounts may be the target of attacks from state-sponsored actors.” It then instructs the user to switch on login approvals, which require the user to enter a security code sent by phone.
Seoul’s plan to control history textbooks sparks academic fury
on inSEOUL–A plan by the government to mandate the use of a single state-approved history textbook in schools has sparked a growing backlash within academia in a country where the past is often a source of controversy and partisan strife.
Earlier this month, the administration of President Park Geun-hye announced its intention to take control of the history curriculum at secondary schools to correct what it has called left-wing and even pro-North Korean biases in some textbooks. The plan, due to go into effect in 2017, would replace the current system where schools can choose textbooks from among eight private publishers.
Controversial since its announcement on October 12, the plan has in recent days ignited a groundswell of opposition from academia and liberal politicians. They fear the conservative government plans to manipulate history for its own ends, such as by deifying late dictator Park Chung-hee, the current president’s father.
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