Wednesday, August 20, 2014
TERRORISTS CLAIM EXECUTION OF U.S. JOURNALIST
The jihadist terror group ISIS has claimed to have killed James Foley, an American journalist captured in Syria two years ago. A video the group posted online, but later removed, purported to show the man being beheaded, The Washington Post reports. U.S. intelligence is said to be working to verify the video’s authenticity, but British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said in televised comments that “all the hallmarks point to it being genuine” and acknowledged that the alleged killer sounded British. At the end of the video, the jihadist threatens to kill another American journalist who has been missing for a year, TIME magazine’s Steven Joel Sotloff, saying “the life of this American citizen, Obama, depends on your next decision.”
Meanwhile, the mother of James Foley expressed in a Facebook post Wednesday the pride she felt for her son, adding “he was an extraordinary son, brother, journalist and person.”
GAZA STRIKES RESUME
Israel resumed airstrikes on Gaza after the collapse of a temporary ceasefire and alleged rocket fire from Gaza towards Israel. Hamas denied firing rockets, while the head of the Palestinian delegation in ceasefire talks accused Israel of wanting “to sabotage the negotiations.” Eleven Palestinians are believed to have died in one particularly violent attack. Among the victims is a child of Mohammed Deif, leader of the Hamas military wing and the apparent target of the strikes, the BBC reports. It is unclear whether Deif is among the victims.
35
This is how many days it would theoretically take the world to complete the Ice Bucket Challenge. Find more about it in our By The Numbers feature.
A QUIETER NIGHT IN FERGUSON
Forty-seven people were arrested overnight in Ferguson, Mo., as a group of protesters threw bottles at police officers, but it was otherwise a relatively quiet night of peaceful protests, USA Today reports. This came after yesterday’s fatal shooting of a man brandishing a knife and apparently threatening the police with it. An online fundraising campaign for Darren Wilson, the officer who shot unarmed black teenager Michael Brown 10 days ago, has already raised over $58,000.
WORLDCRUNCH-TO-GO
As Les Echos reports, the reality TV show Where Are We Going, Dad?, released in China in late 2013, is a popular hit. The series features young fathers — all well-known actors — taking adventures with their children in remote areas across China. While viewers are becoming more nostalgic for their rural roots, the show also brings major benefits to the villages they film.
Read the full article, The Reality TV Show Reviving The Chinese Countryside.
HIROSHIMA HIT BY DEADLY LANDSLIDES
At least 27 people have died and 10 are missing in Western Japan after a month’s worth of rain fell in a single night in Hiroshima. The downpour caused devastating landslides that buried dozens of houses, AFP reports. “We could hear the earth rumbling, and all of a sudden, things roared past us,” one man said.
PAKISTAN ARMY CALLS FOR DIALOGUE AMID PROTESTS
The Pakistani army called for talks between the government and the opposition after week-long protests climaxed yesterday with thousands of anti-government demonstrators marching on Parliament in the capital of Islamabad. The protest movement, led by Imran Khan, a former cricket star and leader of the country’s third political party PTI, is demanding that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif step down, accusing him of vote-rigging during last year’s election.
BREAKING BAD DUO REUNITED
Breaking Bad’s famous duo Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul reunited for a short video ahead of the 66th Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony on Monday. But be warned, they’re not playing Walter White and Jesse Pinkman. Or at least, not exactly.
