Top News Stories for Today – Dec 17, 2018
Top News Stories for Today – Dec 17, 2018
Saudi rejects US Senate on Khashoggi
Saudi Arabia has hit back at a US Senate resolution to end US military support for the war in Yemen and blame the Saudi crown prince for the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. “The Kingdom condemns the latest position of the US Senate that was based on unsubstantiated allegations and rejects the blatant interference in its internal affairs,” the foreign ministry said in a statement released by the official Saudi Press Agency.
The Senate delivered a rare double rebuke to US President Donald Trump on Saudi Arabia last week, voting to end American military support for the war in Yemen. VOA
Hungarians call on lawmakers to end slave law
Since Wednesday, thousands of demonstrators have filled the streets of Budapest at night, protesting against Viktor Orban, the country’s right-wing nationalist prime minister, and new laws ushered in by his Fidesz party. Sunday’s protest was the largest, with at least 10,000 people gathering to walk from Heroes’ Square to parliament.
On Wednesday, Fidesz lawmakers approved a measure that critics have dubbed the “slave law,” which lets employers ask staffers to work up to 400 hours in overtime every year. Under the law, their pay could be delayed for up to three years. The protests are being organized by unions, students, and opposition parties. In addition to the law being changed, these demonstrators are calling for a free press and an independent judiciary. The Week
Russia used social media to help Trump win
Russia used every major social media platform to target voters with misinformation to try to get Donald Trump elected president, according to a new report that was prepared for the US Senate and seen by The Washington Post. The report says Russians working for a group called The Internet Research Agency (IRA) began experimenting with social media to influence local elections in 2009 and expanded its operations to US elections in 2013 using Twitter.
It gradually added other popular social media sites to its campaign, including YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. For the 2016 presidential campaign, the report says Russians attempted to stir up conservative voters to back Trump by stressing such issues as gun rights and immigration. At the same time, the Russian operatives sent black voters messages and other information aimed at confusing them about the electoral process, including misleading information on how to vote. VOA
Philippines contestant wins Miss Universe
The Philippines’ Catriona Gray was named Miss Universe 2018 in a competition concluding Monday in Bangkok, besting contestants from 93 other countries and delighting her home country. The 24-year-old Gray wore a sparkling red dress she said is inspired by a volcano in the Philippines as she was handed the crown to the delight of a roaring crowd that generally favored Southeast Asian contestants.
She said she wore red because “when I was 13 my mom said she had a dream that I would win Miss Universe in a red dress.” She said her mom cried when they saw each other after she won the competition. VOA
Nations at UN climate talks back universal emissions rules
After two weeks of bruising negotiations, officials from almost 200 countries agreed Saturday on universal, transparent rules that will govern efforts to cut emissions and curb global warming. The deal agreed upon at U.N. climate talks in Poland enables countries to put into action the principles in the 2015 Paris climate accord. But to the frustration of environmental activists and some countries who were urging more ambitious climate goals, negotiators delayed decisions on two key issues until next year in an effort to get a deal on them.
The talks in Poland took place against a backdrop of growing concern among scientists that global warming on Earth is proceeding faster than governments are responding to it. Last month, a study found that global warming will worsen disasters such as the deadly California wildfires and the powerful hurricanes that have hit the United States this year. Associated Press
Survey finds teen vaping is on the rise
Nearly 21 percent of high school seniors say they vaped within the past 30 days, up from 11 percent one year ago, a new survey out Monday says. The Monitoring the Future survey has been in existence for 44 years, asking teenagers whether they use drugs, drink alcohol, or smoke, and this was the most dramatic spike in its history.
The survey is funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and its director, Nora Volkow, said the report is “very worrisome. We are very concerned about the increase in vaping.” Vapors from e-cigarettes contain high levels of nicotine, and doctors fret about how this affects brains that are still developing. The Week