Syria Tries Another Ceasefire While China Feels Like Third Wheel
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IN A NUTSHELL: MUST READ
Syria Attempts Another Ceasefire And Hopefully Means It This Time
Opposition fighters said that deal to evacuate eastern Aleppo is back on, just one day after the previous agreement fell through. Under the new deal, evacuations will also take place in Fua and Kefraya, two Shia villages in Idlib, as a concession to Iran, who had opposed the previous ceasefire. Assuming that this new truce won’t collapse, rebel groups and civilians should begin evacuating early Thursday morning. However, there hasn’t been an official confirmation from the Syrian government or its main ally, Russia.
NUTS AND BOLTS: SHOULD READ
China Feels Like Third Wheel In The Russia-US Bromance
While Trump is being labeled The Moscow-ian Candidate thanks to his budding bromance with Putin, Sino-US relations are getting chilly, which may lead to weakened ties between Russia and China. Adding to that concern is Trump’s pick for Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, the ExxonMobil Chief who is buddies with Putin and likely to bring Russia closer to the United States. China’s press, much of it state-censored or sponsored, has responded by treating the Trump ascendancy as the decline of the West. One scholar notes that “Trump’s victory, like ‘Brexit,’ is seen as an opportunity for the official media to teach the public they have no reason to envy the West.” Meanwhile in the South China Sea, China seems to be militarizing its manmade islands. We hope this conflict doesn’t move from cold to hot.
Hackers Were Able To Ruin The DNC Thanks To A Typo
This is one way to encourage your employees to proofread. A New York Times investigation revealed that Russian hackers were only able to access thousands of emails from Democrat John Podesta because an aide typed the word “legitimate” instead of “illegitimate” by mistake. Podesta, who was the chairman of Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, received numerous phishing emails in the weeks leading up to the election. His aide Charles Delavan spotted one message on his private account and immediately forwarded it to a computer technician. The only problem is that he made a typo, writing “This is a legitimate email. John needs to change his password immediately.” That tiny blunder gave Russian hackers access to 60,000 emails on Podesta’s private Gmail account. According to US intelligence, Moscow then gave the emails to WikiLeaks, who released them in October, creating the email scandal that dominated the news cycle.
FARC Splits With Former Commanders Over Peace Deal
Making peace is hard to do, even when you already have the Nobel Peace prize in the bag. Five mid-level FARC commanders were expelled from their group after they refused to demobilize and join the new peace deal. The guerrilla group seems just as eager as President Juan Manuel Santos to end the 52-year-war, and released a statement saying they “cannot be blocked by a group of foolish people… who throw themselves off a cliff of personal ambition wrapping up their ignoble purpose in apparent revolutionary rhetoric.” Though FARC managed to reinforce their commitment to peace with the most dramatic imagery possible, experts calculate that about 10% of FARC’s nearly 6,000 troops could still go rogue. That is a concern especially in Guaviare, where cocaine-trafficking is still strong and former FARC members might be tempted to start their solo careers. FARC is now asking its troops to distance themselves from the exiled members and instead think about how much fun it will be to transition into a political party.
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KEEPING OUR EYE ON
Gambia: UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is now warning President Yahya Jammeh that Gambia will be “strongly sanctioned” if Jammeh tries to remain in power. The leaders of Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone also tried to convince Jammeh to give up power after his electoral defeat, but instead he seized the electoral commission office.
California: State regulators have adopted the nation’s first mandatory energy efficiency rules for computers and monitors. Although those devices only account for 3% of home electric bills, the Energy Commission said that once implemented, the plan will save consumers $373 million a year.
LOOSE NUTS: FOR YOUR ENJOYMENT
Chilean Minister Apologized For Sex Doll Gift
Chile’s Economy Minister Luis Felipe Cespedes apologized for his joyous reaction to receiving an inflatable sex doll at an industry dinner. The wildly inappropriate gift came from the head of Chile’s Manufacturers’ and Exporters’ Association, Roberto Fantuzzi, who probably tells me he’s “great at parties” but always turns out to be that guy who “forgot” to bring his own wine and aggressively hits on all the female guests. Cespedes was seen laughing and applauding the generous gift, but later explained that he was merely “caught by surprise” and not that excited. Chilean citizens were even more outraged upon realizing that the sex doll had a sign pasted over its mouth that said, “To stimulate the economy.” Needless to say, everyone thought it was in poor taste.
