Nigeria Land Disputes Fuel Surge in Herdsmen Violence

Reuters, 02/06 15:42 CET

By Eromo Egbejule

BENUE, Nigeria (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – When Sarah Adaji’s husband retired as a teacher two years ago, he kept himself busy tending to their farm, hoping to provide food for his family and make some money off the produce.

Three months ago, Adaji returned to their home in Nigeria’s middle belt region to learn that armed herdsmen had stabbed her husband and dragged him through the fields until he died.

“The cattle herders came and wiped out my joy,” the 44-year-old widow told the Thomson Reuters Foundation, recalling how her husband had relished working on the farm after his retirement.

“They wanted to kill every man in my village, and in the area,” she said at Ocholonya village in Nigeria’s Benue state.

Hundreds of people like Adaji’s husband are killed each year in violent clashes over land use between semi-nomadic, cattle-herding Fulani people and more settled farming communities. 

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Source: euronews.

Ukraine’s Corrupt Judges Targeted in Constitutional Reforms

 

Reuters, 02/06 15:34 CET

By Alexei Kalmykov and Alessandra Prentice

KIEV (Reuters) – Ukraine’s parliament approved on Thursday judicial reforms that Western backers say are needed to fight corruption, in the first constitutional vote the ruling coalition has pushed through since an overhaul of the government in April.

Bribery in the court system is seen as a major obstacle to Ukraine’s broader reform effort under a $17.5 billion (12.11 billion pound) International Monetary Fund bailout programme that political infighting has threatened to derail.

The bill, which aims to curb political influence on the appointment of judges and limit their immunity in case of malpractice, was backed by 335 lawmakers, 35 more than the required votes needed for changes to the constitution.

The result was welcomed by Ukraine’s international backers, including the United States and the European Union, which along with the International Monetary Fund have urged Kiev to step up its fight against corruption. 

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Source: euronews.

Mogadishu Hotel Attack: 15 Dead, al-Shabaab Claim Assault

Source: euronews.

Germany Agrees to Refer to 1915 Massacre of Armenians as “Genocide”

Source: euronews.

How to Beat the Economic Low Growth Trap and Iran’s Data Directive

Source: euronews.

Germany and France Face More Rain After Deadly Floods

Source: euronews.

Syria: Pressure Grows for Air Drops of Humanitarian Aid to Besieged Areas

Source: euronews.

MySpace and Tumblr Hacked

Source: euronews.

'Director Brennan': CIA Head Outlines the Threat to America Posed by ISIS

 

In a rare interview, John Brennan, head of the CIA, outlines the threat to America posed by ISIS and discusses other security concerns such as cyber and biological terror. 

This "60 Minutes" segment originally aired on Feb. 14, 2016 and was rebroadcast on May 29, 2016. 

Scott Pelley was the correspondent, and Robert G. Anderson, Pat Milton and Aaron Weisz were the producers.

Click here for video.

Source: CBS News

President Obama on Hurricane Preparedness

 

President Obama speaks to reporters following a briefing on hurricane preparedness at FEMA headquarters. 

Click here for video.

Source: C-SPAN

White House Briefing

 

Spokesman Josh Earnest briefs reporters and responds to their questions on a variety of topics, including former Attorney General Eric Holder’s recent comments about Edward Snowden and White House security following.

Click here for video.

Source: C-SPAN

Donald Trump News Conference on Donations to Veterans' Groups

 

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump held a news conference at Trump Tower in New York City to release a list of veterans' organizations to whom he has made financial donations. 

Click here for video.

Source: C-SPAN

Libertarians and Campaign 2016

 

Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson talked about his candidacy, policy proposals, and the impact he hopes to make in the 2016 election.

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Source: C-SPAN

No Talking, No Drugs—Spec-Ops Vets Pioneer Quiet PTSD Therapy

 

By Kimberly Dozier

With a seemingly endless backlog of cases facing the armed forces, a new treatment—Accelerated Resolution Therapy—is giving new hope for patients.

HOLIDAY, Florida – You feel a little foolish, but you never have to say a word—about remembering your own blood pooling warm around you, with its iron smell, the reek of a thousand matches invading your nose, or the surge of pain, then panic at not being able to move.

That’s what I remembered from 10 years ago, when a car bomb ripped through an army foot patrol, my CBS News television camera team, and me.

You need say nothing out loud. You just keep your body still and your eyes follow the tic-toc of the therapist’s hand going back and forth, while you think silently to yourself about the sights, sounds, and emotions that you want to loosen from your head, heart, and soul.

It’s called Accelerated Resolution Therapy, a new tool to treat acute trauma, post-traumatic stress, anxiety, and depression that is being adopted into the menu of treatments available at Walter Reed and other army centers, and a vanguard of trailblazing veterans groups.

Click here for the full article.

Source: The Daily Beast

SUNY SA President's Statement on Chancellor Zimpher’s Final Year

 

The following statement was issued today by SUNY Student Assembly President and SUNY Trustee Thomas D. Mastro.

"New York State has been lucky to have Nancy Zimpher leading our system of public higher education for the past seven years. Thanks to her leadership, SUNY colleges and universities are more connected with their communities, more integrated with the workforce pipeline, and pursuing a mission of academic excellence more than ever before. Through initiatives like Start-Up NY, TeachNY, Open SUNY, Seamless Transfer, and Applied Learning, the opportunities in higher education for students in the SUNY system have been enhanced under Chancellor Zimpher’s leadership. While she will be difficult to replace, our next Chancellor will inherit a system that is moving in the right direction thanks to Nancy Zimpher. On behalf of the 465,000 students of the State University of New York, I want to thank the Chancellor for all that she has done in making our system of higher education, the greatest in the world." 

About the Student Assembly of the State University of New York: The Student Assembly of the State University of New York (SUNY SA) is an organization comprised of student leaders elected by their peers from across SUNY’s 64 campuses. Empowering students throughout the state, the SUNY SA is committed to student life and ensuring the representation of its members on the state and national level as well as throughout the SUNY system.

Source: SUNY SA

Life Camp, Inc. CEO Decries Gun Violence, Calls for More Personal Responsibility

May 31, 2016 – Erica Ford, CEO of LIFE Camp, Inc. one of New York’s leading anti-violence organizations, has called for increased support and partnerships with crisis intervention teams that lead the City’ on the ground gun-violence prevention efforts. 

Ford also called for heightened anti-violence work in the wake of over 20 people being shot in New York over Memorial Day Weekend in over 15 incidents, including an incident in LIFE Camp’s target zone in South Jamaica, Queens, that interrupted the record set of 539 days with no shootings in that region.   

While LIFE Camp Inc.’s target zone has seen no killings in 541 days, LIFE Camp., Inc. is asking the city to band together as one to prevent further shootings.

“We all have a role to play in defusing incidents and for over 539 days it worked and can continue to work if we recommit to personal responsibility. Violence is a disease and we have the medicine to cure this public health crisis to prevent future incidents,” said Ford.

In 2013, New York State made history by becoming the first state in the country to designate an entire month to the issue of gun violence.

Gun Violence Awareness Month was created in an effort to raise awareness surrounding the issue of needless and senseless gun violence in New York's communities and LIFE Camp., Inc. began the symbolic adoption of orange for peace as a way of life.

The goals of Gun Violence Awareness Month are: to promote greater awareness about gun violence and gun safety, to concentrate annual heightened attention to gun violence during the summer months, when gun violence typically increases, and to bring citizens and community leaders together to discuss ways to make our communities healthier. 

Source: Mercury

Trailblazers in Black History: Alexander Lucius Twilight

 

Alexander Lucius Twilight was an American educator, minister and politician. He is the first African-American known to have earned a bachelor's degree from an American college or university, graduating from Middlebury College in 1823. 

Additional information is available here. 

Source: Wikipedia

First Read: Why Hillary Clinton Needs to Win California

By Chuck Todd, Mark Murray and Carrie Dann

 

First Read is a morning briefing from Meet the Press and the NBC Political Unit on the day's most important political stories and why they matter.

 

Why Hillary Clinton needs to win California next week

Yes, Hillary Clinton is just 72 delegates away from crossing the 2,383 magic number needed for a majority of delegates to win the Democratic convention. Yes, she's likely to hit that milestone before polls even close in California (due to the New Jersey primary and its 126 pledged delegates). And, yes, even if she loses in California by 10 points, her lead over Bernie Sanders in pledged delegates would still be twice the size of Obama's lead over Clinton in 2008. 

Click here for the full article.

Source: NBC News

Libertarian Ticket Seeks Status as Viable Alternative to Clinton, Trump

 

By Vaughn Hillyard

As pundits and political operatives buzz over whether a well-funded, viable Independent candidate will enter the presidential race, there is already a third, alternative ticket to Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump that will appear on ballots in all 50 states this November.

Gary Johnson and Bill Weld, newly minted as the Libertarian presidential ticket this weekend, are in pursuit of waging the most prominent third-party run in two decades. 

Click here for the full article.

Source: NBC News

Trump Lashes Out At Media While Detailing Vets Fundraiser

By Andrew Rafferty

Donald Trump lashed out at the media on Tuesday while announcing that a high-profile fundraiser he held earlier this year raised $5.6 million for veterans.

"I have never received such bad publicity for doing such a good job," Trump said during a press conference at Trump Tower.

In January, a dispute with Fox News prompted Trump to skip a Republican debate in Iowa and instead hold the fundraiser for veterans. But months later, the total amount raised and what organizations received the funds was still unclear. Media organizations reported on the lingering questions about the event Trump frequently talked about on the campaign trail. 

Click here for the full article.

Source: NBC News

Will a New Candidate Enter the Presidential Race?

After conservative writer Bill Kristol hinted at a possible independent bid, Donald Trump fired off a series of tweets calling him a "dummy" and an "embarrassed loser."

Searching for Superbugs: The Lab Looking for the Next Big Threat

By Maggie Fox

SILVER SPRING, Md. — It was a Friday in mid-May, and Erik Snesrud was checking out the first batch of samples under a new directive.

The order had just come in to look for a new gene called mcr-1 that had already achieved global notoriety among microbiologists. It gives germs the ability to withstand the effects of colistin, a last-resort antibiotic used to save the lives of people infected with serious superbugs. 

The sample was loaded into one of the super-fast gene sequencers at the lab inside the bowels of the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. The small team at the Multidrug Resistant Organism Repository and Surveillance Network (MRSN) lab specializes in testing germs for antibiotic resistance, which has become the scourge of hospitals all over the world.  

The results were back in minutes. One of the samples — some E. coli bacteria taken from a woman with a urinary tract infection in Pennsylvania — carried the gene.  

Click here for the full article.

Source: NBC News

WHO Issues Stricter Safe-Sex Guidelines to Prevent Zika

 

GENEVA — People returning from areas where the Zika virus is found should follow safe sex practices or abstain from sex for at least eight weeks rather than just four, the World Health Organization said Tuesday.

The recommendation, which doubles the abstinence period the WHO previously had advised, comes after scientists found the virus lingers longer than previously thought in blood or other body fluids, spokesman Christian Lindmeier told a news briefing.

If the male partner in a couple planning pregnancy has symptoms of the Zika virus, the period of safe abstinence should be six months, he added. 

Click here for the full article.

Related story: 'Natural' Mosquito Repellents Don't Last, Group Finds

Source: NBC News

Italy Arrests 16 Suspected Boat Migrant Traffickers

Reuters, 31/05 15:38 CET

ROME (Reuters) – Italian police have arrested 16 people suspected of trafficking migrants across the Mediterranean from Libya after a week in which thousands were rescued and hundreds drowned trying to make the journey.

As Europe’s worst migration crisis since World War Two continues, more than 2,500 people are thought to have died this year after being packed into rickety boats by traffickers.

Police in Catania, Sicily, said in a statement on Tuesday they had detained 16 men who were rescued in international waters along with hundreds of migrants and brought to the port city on May 28.

On arrival, testimony from the migrants helped police to identify a Gambian man believed to have captained one of the boats from Libya and 15 others who had brought fuel, looked after the engine and supervised the migrants during the journey. 

Click here for the full article.

Source: euronews.

Almost 46 Million People Trapped in Slavery, North Korea and India Key Offenders – Global Index

 

Reuters, 31/05 15:32 CET

By Alex Whiting

LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Almost 46 million people are living as slaves globally with the greatest number in India but the highest prevalence in North Korea, according to the third Global Slavery Index launched on Tuesday with Australian actor Russell Crowe.

The index, by Australia-based human rights group Walk Free Foundation, increased its estimate of people born into servitude, trafficked for sex work, or trapped in debt bondage or forced labour to 45.8 million from 35.8 million in 2014.

Andrew Forrest, founder of Walk Free, said the rise of nearly 30 percent was due to better data collection, although he feared the situation was getting worse with global displacement and migration increasing vulnerability to all forms of slavery.

Forrest, an Australian mining billionaire and philanthropist, urged businesses to check their supply chains for worker exploitation, saying he found thousands of people trapped in slavery making goods for his company Fortescue Metals Group.

“But I’ve had some of some biggest entrepreneurs in the world look me in the eye and say I will not look for slavery in case I find it,” he said at the launch of the index in London.

Crowe, who played Roman emperor-turned-slave Maximus in the 2000 movie “Gladiator”, described the plight of people “in our communities who are stuck, utterly helpless and trapped in a cycle of despair and degradation with no choice and no hope.” 

Click here for the full article.

Source: euronews.

Syria: Civilian Casualties Rise as Air Strikes Hit Aleppo

Source: euronews.

Fears Grow for Missing Japanese Boy Left in Woods as Punishment

Source: euronews.

World No Tobacco Day: Plain Packaging Push to Help Smokers Kick the Habit

Source: euronews.

Five Key Trends in Europe’s Drug Market

 

By Chris Harris

Europe’s drugs agency has today released an 84-page report about the latest developments around narcotics on the continent.

We’ve picked five key trends from the dossier, which has been compiled by the Lisbon-based European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA).

The agency hails its report as a ‘unique insight’ into Europe’s drugs problem. However, a note of caution: data from some countries is not as up-to-date as others, meaning comparison across the continent is not as easy as it could be. 

Amsterdam and Antwerp under spotlight amid MDMA rise 

MDMA, most commonly in the form of ecstasy tablets but also consumed in crystal and powder form, is on the rise in Europe.

Data is by no means comprehensive, but, of countries that have produced new surveys since 2013, nine (75 percent) have reported an increase, says EMCDDA.

Belgium and the Netherlands came under the spotlight over use of MDMA in their countries after a study last year, which looked at traces of the drug found in wastewater. Researchers studied a range of European capitals and major cities, with Amsterdam and Eindhoven judged to have the biggest residue of the drug, per capita. 

Click here for the full article.

Source: euronews.

Migrant Death Toll in Mediterranean Over Past Week ‘Rises to 880’

Source: euronews.

More Transport Chaos in France in Standoff Over Labor Reforms

Source: euronews.

Brazil Anti-Corruption Minister Quits After ‘Trying to Spoil’ Corruption Probe

Source: euronews.

Brazilian Police Make Arrests in Videoed Gang Rape Case

Source: euronews.

EgyptAir Crash: Doomed Plane’s Distress Signal ‘Picked Up by Satellites’

Source: euronews.

North Korea Missile Test Off East Coast ‘Fails’, Says Seoul

Source: euronews.

Iraqi Army Eters Falluja as Assault Approaches Decisive Phase

By Catherine Hardy

Source: euronews.

Cuomo Visits Hospitalized Correction Officer, Updates Media on the Incident

 

This afternoon, Governor Andrew Cuomo visited the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision Correction Officer who is receiving treatment at Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse for injuries sustained upon opening a suspicious package at his home in Oneida County this weekend. 

The Correction Officer is in critical condition and a full investigation is underway.

Audio of Governor Cuomo's remarks following the visit is available here. 

Source: Press Office, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo

Correction Officer Severely Injured After Opening Package in His Home

Statement from Governor Andrew Cuomo

"Earlier today, a Department of Corrections and Community Supervision Correction Officer was severely injured and received serious burns to his body upon opening a suspicious package at his home in Oneida County. The State of New York has no tolerance for any violence of this sort, and I have ordered a full investigation to find those responsible for this horrific incident. The New York State Police and New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision are assisting the Oneida County Sheriff's Office and federal law enforcement agencies.

"On behalf of all New Yorkers, our thoughts and prayers are with this Correction Officer and his family during this difficult time, and we join them in hoping for a full and speedy recovery." 

Source: Press Office, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo

Note: Additional information is available in this news report. 

Memorial Day Tribute 2016

Military Outreach USA honors all who have fallen in service to our nation. Visit the Military Outreach USA website to learn how you can honor those who have fallen.

Video courtesy of Military Outreach USA.

Libertarian Party Presidential Debate

 

The Libertarian Party holds a presidential debate at its presidential nominating convention in Orlando, Florida. 

Click here for video. 

Source: C-SPAN