World AM News Briefs For Tuesday, 17 May 2016
Good Morning Australia!! - Sinead O'Connor is reportedly safe after a scare near Chicago - The European Refugee Crisis is bringing out the worst in nations - UK Prime Minister David Cameron has no time for Trump's BS - And more in your CareerSpot Global News Briefs:
Irish singer Sinead O'Connor is reportedly in hospital somewhere in the Chicago area, after going missing for more than a day. The 49-year old went cycling at 6:00 AM on Sunday in the tony town of Wilmette, and police put out the missing persons report on Monday morning. Officers did locate her and she was transported to hospital to deal with her ongoing battle with depression. Sinead had recently relocated in the Chicago area to volunteer at a home for retired military members, and to escape her terrible year 2015 which had included suicide threats and rows with her family in Ireland. She burst onto the music scene in 1987 with the powerful album "The Lion and the Cobra", had an international hit with Prince's "Nothing Compares 2U", and recorded ten solo albums including 2012's "comeback" album "I'm Not Bossy, I'm The Boss".
Actress Angelina Jolie-Pitt, who moonlights as a Special Envoy for the United Nations refugee agency, is warning that the international humanitarian system for refugees is breaking down. And she says regional demagogues are worsening the situation: "It has created the risk of a race to the bottom, with countries competing to be the toughest in the hope of protecting themselves whatever the cost or challenge to their neighbors, and despite their international responsibilities," Ms. Jolie-Pitt said. The Syrian and Iraq wars have put millions of refugees on the move, creating Europe's largest crisis since the end of World War II; nations have responded by closing borders and in the US fascist demagogue and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has called for ending Muslim immigration.
UK Prime Minister David Cameron is standing by his criticism of Trump as "stupid, divisive and wrong" over the blowhard property developer's call for a ban on Muslims entering the US. Trump replied by warning he may not have a "very good relationship" with Mr. Cameron if he enters the White House. Trump also got into a twitter spat with London's first Muslim Mayor, Sadiq Khan, who told Trump and his advisors that "your views on Islam are ignorant". If you thought that the world wasn't in danger of Trump in charge of the world's most powerful army and nuclear arsenal, a poll last week put him neck-and-neck with Hillary Clinton.
The US wants to lift the international arms embargo against Libya, and sell weapons to the UN-backed "unity" government to fight Islamic State's growing influence. Libya since the ouster and killing of dictator Muammar Gaddafi has degenerated into a lawless land with different parts ruled various by the government, Islamic State, and Salafist groups and militias with shifting alliances. "We urge the international community to assist us," said Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj. "We are not talking about international intervention, we are talking about international assistance in training, equipping our troops and training our youths." US Secretary of State John Kerry predicted the world powers would go along with this.
The fake bomb that led authorities to cancel Manchester United's match against Bournemouth over the weekend was not a dry run by terrorists or a bad joke - it was a dummy left in a public toilet from an earlier security exercise. Chris Reid of Security Search Management & Solutions Ltd took responsibility for the debacle, which caused the first cancellation of Premiere League match because of security reasons. Police want a full inquiry.
A group of 800 academics and intellectuals have signed on to a statement condemning the right-wing ouster of Democratically-elected Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff. "Humanity Against the Coup in Brazil" says the suspension of President Rousseff on 11 May is an "imposed coup d’etat by a questionable and corrupt Congress". Rousseff is not charged with any crime, but rather accused of accounting practices to hide deficits on some ministries. Interim president Michel Temer and most of the cou-- oh, I mean "ouster" leaders are charged with or implicated in serious financial crimes.
The other coup attempt in Venezuela met a setback, when Vice President Aristobulo Isturiz ruled out a recall election against President Nicolas Maduro. Mr. Isturiz says the opposition had "acted too late, had done it wrong and had committed fraud" in handing in 1.85 petition signatures of dubious authenticity. President Maduro says the nation's 180 percent inflation rate is being stoked from abroad and last week claimed special emergency powers to deal with the problem - although it's not yet clear what it will involve.
Pakistan could wipe out Polio within a few months. The UN World Health Organization and Pakistan have launched a mass vaccination drive with 70,000 medical staff mobilized to treat almost 10 million children. Past efforts have been hampered by Islamist extremists who wrongly believe the vaccines to be a Western plot to sterilize the country. "The challenges we have are both logistics and security," said WHO's representative for Pakistan, Dr Michel Thieren.
A 64-year old Massachusetts man has a new Penis. Thomas Manning went public with his pubic to eliminate the stigma and fear that comes with the loss of a penis, which is his case was caused by a rare form of cancer. Doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital say Manning's manhood - which was donated by a dead man matching his physical characteristic - is functioning properly, blood is flowing, et cetera. The doctors had been developing reattachment techniques and practicing on cadavers for three years prior to the operation earlier this month. This is only the third successful such transplant in the world. The first was in South Africa to help a man who lost his John Thompson to a botched circumcision.