Canadians Save The Day While Gambia Tries To Be Patient

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Watch out, fake news sites. Facebook is finally coming after you. But critics say it’s too little, too late. Let us know what you think.

 IN A NUTSHELL: MUST READ

 Dylann Roof Found Guilty Of Everything

No surprises here: Dylann Roof, the 22-year-old avowed white supremacist, was found guilty on all counts for killing nine black parishioners at a church in Charleston, South Carolina. Roof’s guilt was never in dispute and after six days of chilling testimony, the jurors only took two hours to deliberate. Guilty verdicts were read on all 33 charges of federal hate crimes resulting in death, obstruction of religion and firearms violations. The panel will return on January 3 to decide whether he will be sentenced to death or life in prison.

Aleppo: Evacuations Are Underway

The latest deal brokered by Turkey and Russia seems to be working, knock-on-wood. So far, more than 2,000 people have been evacuated from east Aleppo, and thousands more are expected to be moved in the coming days. The Red Cross is overseeing the operation, shuttling civilians and rebels out using ambulances and green buses. What with all the hospitals destroyed, many are in desperate need of medical attention. More than 1,000 people are thought to have been killed in President Bashar al-Assad’s last campaign in Aleppo and by UN estimations, another 30,000 civilians will still need to be evacuated in the coming days.

 NUTS AND BOLTS: SHOULD READ

 Gambia’s President-Elect Is Trying To Be Patient With President Jammeh

Trying to stay calm, Gambia’s President-elect Adama Barrow said he will declare himself president on January 18 whether current President Yahya Jammeh likes it or not. Barrow’s team is already prepping for inauguration and urged Jammeh to respect the election commission… the same election commission whose headquarters Jammeh seized when he didn’t win. Trying his best to ensure a smooth transfer of power, Barrow said that Jammeh will not be prosecuted if he steps down. Barrow just wants to get the transition over with, so he promises to direct the new government’s attention on “truth and reconciliation.”

Fearing American Incompetence, Canada Will Save US Climate Data

Our friendly neighbors to the north are at it again. Toronto-based environmentalists, climate scientists and academics are collaborating to protect the US government’s climate data, fearing some resources might get “lost” during Trump’s presidency. These “guerrilla archivists” (which has to be a term they made up) are rushing to preserve America’s environmental research like the super hero geek squad we need. And in what they’re calling a “race against time,” our knights will be locating inaccessible environmental databases and building a project toolkit for any group interested in preserving the estimated 75,000 publications from the Environmental Protection Agency.

China To Trump: Pride Goeth Before the Fall

Tensions were heightened this week after one of China’s state-run tabloids said China could invade Taiwan given Trump’s position to possibly re-evaluate the One China policy. This is the same tabloid that earlier this week parroted a Bible verse warning Trump that “Pride goes before a fall.” Proverbs isn’t a commonly cited source in tabloids, but what with smog now being reclassified as a meteorological disaster in China, why not sound a little apocalyptic? Sino-US relations seem to be moving from cold to hot so quickly that even the French foreign minister chimed in and said Trump is “not very clever” for his approach to China. 

 KEEPING OUR EYES ON

Craig Sager: The beloved sports sideline reporter died at age 65. Sager was known for his colorful and wacky outfits and was loved by athletes and fans alike. He passed away after battling acute myeloid leukemia.

Egypt: Traces of explosives were found on victims of the EgyptAir flight MS804 that crashed on May 19. Now that Egyptian investigators have found evidence of explosives, the civil aviation ministry said it would begin a criminal investigation into the crash.

 LOOSE NUTS: FOR YOUR ENJOYMENT

 Cuba Wants To Pay Back Czech Debt With Rum

The Czech Finance Ministry says Cuba offered to pay its Cold War-era debt using rum. Worth a shot, they guessed. Cuban authorities allegedly proposed to use their trademark rum as a means to pay back the $276 million they owed to the Czech Republic from their communist bloc days. If the Czech government actually accepts Cuba’s offer to pay their bar tab, the Czech would have enough Cuban rum to last a century. Still, Finance Ministry spokesman Michal Zurovec says the country would still prefer the debt was at least partly paid in cash.