International News Coverage
U.S. Fusion Program Must Have Energy Mission
Caroline Von Wurden and Andrew Holland | The Hill
Fusion energy research holds the promise of clean, safe, and secure energy. It is not an exaggeration to say that developing fusion energy would revolutionize America’s energy security, climate policy, and global scientific leadership.
Middle East, Terrorism and Counterterrorism
143 Boko Haram Fighters Killed in Clashes with Cameroon’s Military
Krishnadev Calamur | NPR
More than 140 fighters from Boko Haram fighters, the Islamist group that is waging a deadly war in Nigeria, were killed in clashes with Cameroonian troops, Cameroon’s government said today.
Egypt: Hosni Mubarak Fraud Conviction Overturned
BBC
A court in Egypt has overturned the convictions for embezzlement of former President Hosni Mubarak and his two sons and ordered a retrial. Mr Mubarak was jailed for three years in May after being found guilty of fraudulently billing the government for $14m (£9.3m) of personal expenses.
Reprisals Feared as Charlie Hebdo Publishes New Muhammad Cartoon
Alan Cowell and Kareem Fahim | The New York Times
Muslim groups and scholars in France and elsewhere voiced concerns on Tuesday that a satirical newspaper’s first cover since the attack on its journalists last week could ignite dangerous new passions in a debate pitting free speech against religious doctrine.
France Approves Extending Air Strikes Against ISIS
The Associated Press
France’s lower house of Parliament approved extending French airstrikes against the Islamic State group in Iraq. France quickly joined the United States in conducting airstrikes against the Islamic State last year. French law requires a vote on extending such operations after four months.
The Americas
Haiti Marks Fifth Earthquake Anniversary
Al Jazeera
Haiti has marked the fifth anniversary of the massive earthquake that devastated an already impoverished nation, as officials struggle to resolve a political standoff that has stalled elections for three years.
Cuba Frees 53 Prisoners, U.S. Says
Elisabeth Malkin and Victoria Burnett | The New York Times
The Cuban government has released 53 dissidents it had promised to free under the accord with Washington to restore diplomatic relations and step up economic exchanges, United States officials said Monday.
Obama, Congressional Leaders Meet on Economy
Colleen McCain Nelson | The Wall Street Journal
In his first meeting with leaders of the new Congress, President Barack Obama said Tuesday that he wants to work with lawmakers from both parties on economic and national-security issues including trade, taxes and cyber attacks.
Asia
Divers Retrieve Crashed AirAsia Jet’s Cockpit Voice Recorder
Charlotte Greenfield and Nilufar Rizki / Reuters
Indonesian divers pulled out the cockpit voice recorder from the sunken wreckage of an AirAsia passenger jet on Tuesday, a key step towards determining the cause of the crash that killed all 162 people aboard.
11 Dead in Bus Attack That Could Doom Ukraine’s Shaky Truce
Mstyslav Chernov and Peter Leonard | The Associated Press
An attack on a passenger bus in eastern Ukraine Tuesday killed 11 people, likely dealing the final blow to hopes that a short-lived and shaky cease-fire could take hold.
Illegally Brewed Liquor Kills Dozens in India
Al Jazeera
A bad batch of unlicensed bootleg liquor has killed at least 31 people out of more than 100 who had been admitted to a trauma centre in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, the local government said.
Energy Security, Science and Technology, Climate Change
Australia’s Rising Solar Power ‘Revolution’
Royce Kurmelovs | Al Jazeera
Australian researchers broke the world’s solar power efficiency record last month with their design of a novel commercial energy system, raising hopes the fossil-fuel dominated country may someday switch off its reliance on coal.
Low-Energy Urbanisation ‘Can Help Climate Goals’
Mark Kinver | BBC
A study of 274 cities has helped shed light on energy consumption in urban areas and what can be done to make future urbanisation more efficient.
IRENA Unveils REsource- “Google” for Renewable Energy Information
Zachary Shahan / Clean Technica
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)* is about to launch an awesome new tool called REsource. The program will serve as a search engine for renewable energy information.
On Our Flashpoint Blog
CENTCOM Hack- A Big Deal? Yes, but not in the way you think.
Paul Hammill
Today CENTCOM’s twitter and YouTube accounts were hacked by an ISIL affiliated group. The hack, claimed by the ISIL affiliated group CyberCaliphate, resulted in offensive messages, distribution of already published documents that the hackers dubbed as “secret” and postings of office contact details of several generals. During the same time of the hack, the President was speaking on the need for stronger cyber-security.
Taking Action on Infrastructure
Luke Lorenz
Don’t call it traffic. Call it congestion. An excessive accumulation consolidating in one artery with no possibility of swift passage. At a minimum, we are subjected to this malady of the American causeway twice daily regardless of mode of transportation.
Threat of Disease Could Rise with Climate Change
Philip Rossetti
As global temperatures rise, disease vectors are changing. While it is still too early to predict how bad future disease patterns will be, the WHO claims that, “changes in infectious disease transmission patterns are a likely major consequence of climate change.”
President Obama Speaks at Auto Plant Idled by Low Gas Prices
Andrew Holland
One would hope that the American consumer wouldn’t be so short-sighted as to base a major purchase – one that could affect their personal economic health for five years or more – on short term fluctuations in gas prices.
What if it happens here? It’s not “if” – it’s “when”
Paul Hamill
While not widely reported in the U.S. media, there have been a number of much smaller terrorist incidents in France over the last few weeks, in which the French Government even deployed military personnel all over the country to help contain these attacks.
Upcoming Events
Economic Diplomacy: How Economic Ties Can Strengthen National Security with Amb. Rivkin
January 15 @ 12:30pm – 1:30pm
Join ASP on January 15, 2015 as we welcome Assistant Secretary for Economic and Business Affairs Charles H. Rivkin for Economic Diplomacy: How Economic Ties Can Strengthen National Security.
Conference – Energy Security in the Caribbean: Unique Challenges
February 4 @ 12:00pm – 5:00pm
Join ASP as we host a conference on February 4, 2015, discussing the challenges facing the Caribbean in securing their energy future and how to move forward in the years to come.
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