ECM WORLD WATCH: NATIONAL AND GLOBAL NEWS

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November 23, 2015 (San Diego's East County)-- East County Magazine's World Watch helps you be an informed citizen about important issues globally and nationally. As part of our commitment to reflect all voices and views, we include links to a wide variety of news sources representing a broad spectrum of political, religious, and social views. Top world and U.S. headlines include:

U.S.

INTERNATIONAL

Europe

Middle East – Arab world

Israel

Mexico, South and Central America

Asia

Africa

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.

U.S.

ISIS releases a video threatening attack on NYC (USA Today)

The Islamic State released a new propaganda video threatening attacks on New York City, city officials confirmed Thursday.

Gas prices to fall below $2 a gallon for Thanksgiving  (USA Today)

Thanksgiving travelers will pay less for gasoline than they have in more than a decade…The global energy industry is facing a massive surplus in oil production, which has led many oil companies to shed thousands of jobs and slash investment plans. But U.S. producers have continued pumping oil even as the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) maintains production a high rate. That has depressed prices.

Travel warning: guard your boarding pass (NBC)

As many people gear up for the busy holiday traveling season, experts are warning travelers to guard their boarding passes, which could be targets for identity thieves to steal your frequent flier miles or even your return flight.

Mayors strike back against governors in refugee fight (CNN)

Democratic mayors across the country are clashing with mostly Republican governors who say their states shouldn't accept Syrian refugees.More than half -- 31 -- of the nation's governors, most of the Republicans, say they oppose letting Syrian refugees into their states…"It sends a horrible message to the world. It means we're turning our backs on the people who are the victims of terrorism," New York Mayor Bill de Blasio told CNN's Wolf Blitzer on Wednesday. "We're not going to turn our backs on children and families. It's not the American way. It's certainly not the New York City way."

Revealed: The enemy within. .Nearly 70 arrested in America over ISIS plots (Daily Mail)

US authorities have charged at least 66 men and women with ISIS-related terror plots on American soil – including a handful of refugees.

5 Syrians arrested in Honduras trying to reach U.S. with stolen Greek passports (NY Daily News)

Honduran authorities have detained five Syrian nationals who were trying to reach the United States using stolen Greek passports, but there are no signs of any links to last week's attacks in Paris, police said. The Syrian men were held late on Tuesday in the Honduran capital, Tegucigalpa, on arrival from Costa Rica, and had been planning to head to the border with neighboring Guatemala.

INTERNATIONAL

High death tolls: Terror attacks in perspective (U-T)

Nearly 33,000 people were killed in almost 13,500 terrorist attacks around the world in 2014; 200+ assaults since 9/11.

 U.N. backs ‘all necessary measures’ against IS (BBC)

The UN Security Council has unanimously adopted a resolution to "redouble" action against Islamic State, following last week's deadly attacks in Paris.

Europe

Paris attacks: 21 arrests in Belgium (BBC)

Brussels enters third day of lockdown on highest level of alert;  Belgian police arrest 21 people in raids after Paris attacks;  Suspected Paris gunman Salah Abdeslam still at large

Britain to close all of its coal-fired power plants by 2025 (CS Monitor)

The move is seen as a major win for the environment ahead of climate talks in Paris.

The British family helping thousands of refugees on Lesbos (Ch. 4 news)

Eric Kempson and his family live on the Greek island of Lesbos. For months they have struggled to give the most basic of humanitarian assistance to thousands of desperate people arriving in boats from Turkey. This is their story. (Dramatic video)

Africa’s 10th richest man still waiting to buy a Greek island to house refugees (Forbes)

Back in September Egyptian billionaire Naguib Sawiris took to Twitter to propose buying an island from Greece or Italy to house migrants and refugees. The tweet went viral and his proposal received such a positive response that Sawiris…announced plans in September to receive public donations for the project by establishing a joint-stock company…The billionaire seems more optimistic about moving forward with the plan to buy an island, according to a Nov. 18 email from Sawiris’ spokesperson.

Belgian police arrest 16 in anti-terror raids (BBC)

Belgian police have made 16 arrests in anti-terror raids, but suspected Paris attacks gunman Salah Abdeslam remains at large, the authorities have said….Brussels remains on the highest level of terror alert. Universities, schools and the metro system will stay closed on Monday.

Authorities missed many 'red flags' before Paris shootings (Reuters)

There were multiple chances to stop the men who attacked Paris.

Putin says wants global anti-terrorism fight after 19 killed in Mali attack (Reuters)

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday global cooperation was need to confront terrorism in the wake of an Islamist militant attack targeting foreigners in a luxury hotel in Mali that killed 19 people.

Crimea without power from Ukraine after electricity pylons 'blown up'



Crimea was left without electricity supplies from Ukraine on Sunday after pylons carrying power lines to the Russia-annexed peninsula were blown up overnight.

Sweden raises threat level, citing 'concrete information' (Reuters)

 Sweden's security police raised on Wednesday their terrorist threat assessment by one step, to four on a scale of five, issuing an arrest warrant for one person and saying there was "concrete information" of a possible attack in Sweden days after the Paris killing spree.

Report: FBI tips Italy to possible targets in Rome, Milan (AP)

The State Department is warning that St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, Milan's cathedral and La Scala opera house, as well as "general venues" like churches, synagogues, restaurants, theaters and hotels have been identified as "potential targets" in those two cities for terrorist attacks.

Several Paris attackers were on U.S. watchlists: officials (Reuters)

At least four of the Paris attackers were listed in a central counter-terrorism database maintained by the U.S. intelligence community, five U.S. officials said on Thursday.

Spain issues arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu (CS Monitor)

The Spanish national court has reopened a 2010 case against seven current and former top Israeli leaders for a naval incident that resulted in the death of 10 Turkish activists. 

Over 1,200 European jihadis have returned in past 2 years (AP)

More than 1,200 Europeans who joined Islamic extremists in Syria and Iraq have returned home in the past two years, an Associated Press count shows… All five Frenchmen linked to Friday's attacks in Paris — four strapped with suicide vests and the fifth on the run — are among them....

Hungarian couple uncovers last records of murdered Jews in apartment wall (JPost)

A couple renovating their apartment in Hungary’s capital happened upon thousands of pages of census records documenting Budapest’s Jewish population culled for the purposes of ghettoizing them during the Holocaust, media reports said….While most of the census still remains missing, “the content and scale of the finding is unprecedented,” Kenyeres said. “It helps to fill a huge gap in the history of the Holocaust in Budapest.” 

Middle East – Arab world

Russia denies having ground forces in Syria, but a Russian military map shows otherwise (Agence France Press, republished on RawStory)

A map shown by the Russian military on state television appears to show that some Russian artillery contingents could be operating on the ground in central Syria’s Homs region.

The fearless father who threw himself on a suicide bomber, saving ‘hundreds’ of lives in Beirut (Washington Post)

A father, with his young daughter watching, sacrificed himself to save others when terrorists struck Beirut last week.  The day before the horrific massacre in central Paris left the world reeling, two attacks during rush hour in Lebanon’s capital city killed 45 and wounded more than 200 others.

Syria fighters may be fueled by amphetamines (CNN)

Islamic State fighters may be fueled not only by ideological fervor, but also by a black-market amphetamine popular in the Middle East. One 19-year-old fighter named Kareem, who said he fought alongside ISIS for more than a year, last year told CNN's Ivan Watson, "They gave us drugs, hallucinogenic pills that would make you go to battle not caring if you live or die."

Where ISIS gets its money (APM Marketplace)

ISIS derives most of its funds from activities inside the territories it now controls, said Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, a senior fellow with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. 

Israel

Thousands of Iranian soldiers stage mock siege of Temple Mount (JPost)

Thousands of Iranian paramilitary forces participated in mock drills and exercises simulating the capture of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, Iran's semi-official Fars news agency reported Friday.  

Jewish tombs now Muslim sites?

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) passed a resolution last Wednesday, Oct. 21, listing Ma’arat HaMachpelah, the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron—the world’s most ancient Jewish site and the second holiest place for the Jewish people and Kever Rachel, Rachel’s Tomb in Bethlehem—Judaism’s third holiest site—as Muslim sites.

New fundraising campaign: Buy a weapon to kill a Jew in Israel (JPost)

A campaign to fund terrorist attacks against Jews in Israel was launched a few weeks ago on Twitter and Telegram, the instant messaging service, The Middle East Media Research Institutehas reported..../The fundraiser, called al-Aksa Nafeer, meaning mobilization for jihad, seeks to collect funds for weapons and other military gear needed by the mujahadeen in Palestine in order to target the Jews and so far, a statement released by the campaign said, it has been "successful." 

Israel bans Islamist party, says it's inciting violence (AP)

The Israeli government has banned an Islamist party, saying it's been inciting violence among Israeli Arabs over the past two months.

Mexico, South and Central America

Costa Rica detains Syria migrant (Reuters)

A Syrian migrant's been detained in Costa Rica travelling on a bogus passport, days after similar discoveries in Honduras. Paul Chapman reports.

Impacts To Health, Livelihood Continue 1 Year After Toxic Mine Spill In Mexico (KPBS)

Thousands of people were impacted by a 2014 mine spill that polluted the Sonora River. It's been called one of the worst environmental disasters in Mexico's history, and could hold lessons of what to expect after this year's spill from a mine in southern Colorado.

Asia

Islamist militants kill 19 in attack on hotel in Mali's capital (Reuters)

Islamist militants killed 19 people in an attack on a top hotel in the capital of Mali on Friday before Malian commandos stormed the building and rescued 170 people, many of them foreigners.

Southeast Asian countries just formed their own version of the EU (CS Monitor)

At the East Asia Summit Sunday in Kuala Lumpur, the new organization, called the “ASEAN Community,” said its members will collaborate to allow more unrestricted movement of capital and labor in a region that’s home to upwards of 600 million people, more populous than North America or the European Union, reports Voice of America (VOA). / The ASEAN member countries are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. 

China says 28 foreign-led 'terrorists' killed after attack on mine (Jerusalem Post)

Chinese security forces in the far western region of Xinjiang killed 28 "terrorists" from a group that carried out a deadly attack at a coal mine in September under the direction of "foreign extremists," the regional government said on Friday.

Africa

Explosion blamed on Nigeria's Boko Haram kills 32, wounds 80 (AP)

A night-time explosion blamed on Boko Haram extremists killed 32 people and wounded 80 Tuesday at a truck stop in northeastern Nigeria, an emergency official said.

Putin says Russian plane brought down by bomb (Reuters)

Russia says a bomb onboard a Russian airliner was responsible for the deaths of some 224 people in Egypt last month.


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