Kai-fu Lee, Google's former China boss, has a massive following in China He says Chinese companies are among the world's most innovative But China's education system doesn't foster free thinking, he says Kai-fu Lee, one of the most influential figures on China’s tech scene, is mobbed by fans when he arrives in Zhongguancun – Beijing’s answer to Silicon Valley. A selfie with the former Google China boss turned angel investor is an opportunity not to be missed for the young entrepreneurs at techie hangout and start-up incubator People Squared. “I thought they would want my money, but they just want photos,” Lee quips. Born in Taiwan, Lee trained a generation of Chinese engineers during his career working for Microsoft and Google. He quit Google in 2009 and founded Innovation Works, which invests in early stage start-ups. He’s also built up a 50-million strong fan base on Chinese social media platform Weibo – that’s more followers than Justin Timberlake has on Twitter. Lee has witnessed China’s tech scene evolve from a place where coders used paper to a breeding ground for some of the world’s most innovative companies. What follows is an edited Q&A with the tech pioneer: Related video On China: Is China now an innovator? A: People were able to use PCs, had heard a little bit about Bill Gates and there were one or two little startups like Lenovo. But I think the concept of founding a Chinese company was still very, very new. I remember seeing students marching out of their dorm at 11:00 p.m. with their books. I asked my colleague what was going on, and he said the dorm shut down the electricity every night, so people went out under the public lighting to read their textbooks. In 1998, I joined Microsoft. One of my first Chinese colleagues told me that where he studied there were no computers. He learned how to program on paper and his professor graded programs on how they ran in his head. That’s how amazing, hardworking and dedicated people were. A: The last six years have seen more measurable change than any other period for China’s entrepreneurial spirit. A few things have happened. Chinese engineers were once years, if not decades, behind their American counterparts. They caught up. There are now great entrepreneurial role models. I saw many of my top proteges leaving and starting companies. These were really smart people that saw China as the next emerging market for the Internet. They came to Google and learned what they needed to know. They came up with ideas and then they left, and I was struck by the rate at which they were successful. Alan Guo founded (e-commerce specialist) LightInTheBox. Si Shen launched PapayaMobile and Andy Tien’s (social gaming) company was acquired by Zynga. There’s many, many others. A: The Internet is an environment with great rewards for people with strong execution skills. It’s not just for Steve Jobs-like brilliance. Facebook was iterated (evolved gradually) and became great and many other companies were that way. And while China may need a little room before it can have its own Steve Jobs, I think a Chinese Mark Zuckerberg is very doable. And if we measure it on creating valuable, innovative products that generate economic value, I think China will soon equal Silicon Valley. I would go further to say that most Silicon Valley companies don’t have Steve Jobs’s either. They have great CEOs that love their jobs, who lead and are focused on executing. Related video On China: China's role in innovation A: Tencent’s culture of innovation is not as famous as that of Google or Apple, but the product WeChat has changed hundreds of millions of people’s lives in more profound ways than Facebook or Google. They were able to look at user needs and gradually push out new things one on top of the other. Chinese users can now connect with all their friends, interact simultaneously, have group discussions–  and use it to buy cabbage at the market. Even my wife, she’s not a big technology lover. I couldn’t get her to use Google, email. She has almost lived a technology-free life – I almost envy her. But the moment she discovered WeChat, she’s on the phone more than me. Related video Shenzhen: China's Silicon Valley? A: I think potential limitations are in two areas. One, a lot of the drive to make innovation possible is wealth. I think there should be people who do it for love. The other limitation is the education system. It’s about individuality. It’s about people needing to be taught with an emphasis on critical thinking and curiosity. And the Chinese education system, or I should say the Asian education system, is largely black and white. There’s always a right answer, and the teacher or the textbook will tell you what it is so don’t challenge it. A: There’s a big transition from Weibo to WeChat. At first social media was about the dissemination of information, it was more media than social. But nowadays, the hours people spend, including myself, is way higher on WeChat than Weibo. If you really want to follow someone you can follow their public account, but mostly things worth knowing are likely to get circulated by your friends or groups. It’s like Facebook’s dominance over Twitter. READ: China: Innovator or copycat? READ: Shenzhen: China’s start-up city defies skeptics


Man, 41, reunites with his biological mother in Chile after four decades His mother was told that her baby died shortly after birth, but he was instead adopted by U.S. couple Chile has thousands of cases of illegal adoptions from the 1970s and 1980s under dictatorship It was a hug kept on hold for more than 41 years. The hug of a mother and son whose lives were abruptly separated four decades ago. Nelly Reyes had been waiting for hours in the international arrivals lounge at Arturo Merino Benitez International Airport in Santiago, holding a hand-made red poster board sign that said “Lovingly waiting for Travis, your mother Nelly and family.” A granddaughter in her early 20s and a 10-year-old grandson keep her company. On the other side of the terminal, going through immigration and customs, Travis Tolliver was anxious and nervous.  Up until the last minute, mainly because of a language barrier, he didn’t know if anybody would show up to greet him. When he finally came out of the terminal, no words were needed. They rushed to each other’s arms and held on for a long hug. Few relatives knew the real story. Tolliver had tears of joy. “I don’t know how I feel. It’s crazy! I never thought this could happen,” he said. Reyes, 61, could barely talk. “I’m going to hug him every day. I love him so much,” she said. The emotions released in that hug at the airport were the culmination of four decades of heartbreak, lies, deception, criminal acts and an injustice that separated mother and son at birth. The newborn baby ended up living thousands of miles away, being raised in Tacoma, Washington, by a couple who had no knowledge of what had happened, while his biological mother cried and desperately tried to find her son. Tolliver says he always knew he was adopted. What the 41-year-old supervisor at an imports distribution center didn’t know was that he was stolen as a baby in his native Chile, only hours after his birth. He hopes that knowing the truth about his past will now allow him to overcome a psychological trauma he has suffered for as long as he can remember. He says he has “abandonment issues.” “You know, I wasn’t given up willingly like I thought for all these years, so that makes my heart feel wonderful; but it’s just coming to terms with that. This whole thing still seems unreal to me,” Tolliver said. Reyes says she had a normal pregnancy with no medical issues. The mother of six children, including Tolliver, says she gave birth to a healthy baby boy at 4 p.m. on November 15, 1973. She was 19. But her joy quickly turned to sadness when a nurse told the baby was born with a heart condition and was unlikely to survive. “Hours later they told me he had died,” Reyes said. Despite her multiple pleas, Reyes says she was never shown a body and was never given a death certificate. Tolliver’s case is not unique in Chile, according to Marcela Labraña, the director of the country’s child protection agency (SENAME, by its Spanish acronym). “This is no longer a myth. We know nowadays that this happened and it was real. It’s not a tale that a couple of people were telling,” Labraña said. Her agency is currently investigating hundreds of cases, but Labraña says there could be thousands of cases of illegal adoptions from the 1970s and 1980s, when the country was ruled by a repressive dictatorship. Tolliver and Reyes believe he was stolen. He is now working with authorities to find out what exactly happened to him. In Chile they call them “Children of Silence.”  Some babies were stolen and sold. Other newborns were given away by their grandparents who conspired with doctors, priests and nuns to hide a daughter’s socially embarrassing pregnancy. ‘Children of Silence’ seek truth Prosecutor Mario Carroza investigated Gerardo Joannon, a priest accused of acting as a secret liaison between well-to-do families in Chile and adoptive parents as a part of a scheme also involving doctors, nurses and nuns in the 1970s. Carroza says the priest, who belongs to the Sacred Hearts congregation, was investigated for the crimes of theft of minors, falsification of documents, and usurpation of identity. To the dismay of those seeking answers, Carroza determined that even though Joannon might have committed those crimes, it was so long ago that he couldn’t be prosecuted. “In this case we’re talking about a period between 15 and 20 years ago, which means the statute of limitations has run out,” Carroza said. The congregation to which Father Joannon belongs also conducted an internal investigation last year into the allegations and sent its findings to the Vatican. The Holy See later determined that even though the priest had made ethical and moral mistakes, none of his actions had risen to the level of a violation of canon law. In his only on-camera interview in April 2014 with Chile’s Channel 13, Joannon denied all the accusations, including telling women their children had died in order to give the babies to other couples. “I never told anybody the babies had died because I didn’t even know if they had been born, or if they were male or female,” he said on Channel 13. “I never knew anything.” In Tolliver’s case, it’s not clear who took him from his mother or whether there was any money involved. Tolliver says his U.S. adoptive parents never knew he had been stolen. They were told he was an abandoned baby. Tolliver also says he tried to find his biological parents when he was in his 20s but didn’t have the connections to make it happen. It was not until last year, he says, that he determined he needed to find the truth about his past not only for himself, but also for his two children. He says the decision was, in part, motivated by seeing several news stories about stolen children in Chile, including CNN’s “Children of Silence.” The news that he was matched to his biological mother through DNA testing has been difficult to digest, Tolliver says, especially for his adoptive mother. “But she’s always going to be my mom –  it’s just that I have two now – she raised me. I am who I am because of what she did for me. She’s always going to have a place in my heart and it’s not like I’m replacing her or anything like that,” Tolliver said. Since reuniting with his biological mother, Tolliver has been busy meeting four brothers and one sister and seeing the sights of the country. “Now I’m back here in my homeland I guess. I’m going to explore and see what the country is all about,” he said. One of his stops was the site where the hospital where he was born once stood. The Enrique Deformes Hospital in the coastal city of Valparaíso has since been demolished and Chile’s main congressional building now sits in its place. As to why he would travel such great distance from his home in Yelm, Washington, and spend so much money – some of it raised through a GoFundMe appeal – to find the truth about his past, Tolliver is unequivocal. “To become whole,” he says choking up and fighting back tears. “I’ve always felt incomplete, always kind of the outsider. My adoptive parents have blonde hair blue eyes. I just kind of stood out like a sore thumb.” Reyes, his biological mother, has been cooking for him daily and going out of her way to make him feel welcome.  He doesn’t speak Spanish and she doesn’t speak English. But more than anything, she’s been showing him her love, giving her son the hugs and kisses that she was unable to give him all of the years gone by.


When German Chancellor Angela Merkel visited the White House back in March, she and President Donald Trump didn’t shake hands.  And it was suuuuuuper awkward. Don’t believe me? Just watch. The lack of a handshake – particularly given Trump’s handshake history – was taken as a sign of the tensions between the two leaders. As CNN’s Julia Manchester wrote at the time: “The tense moment between the American and German leaders comes after Trump repeatedly bashed Merkel on the campaign trail and accused her of ‘ruining Germany,’ citing the nation’s policies allowing refugees into the nation.” All of which made Thursday’s meeting between Trump and Merkel ahead of the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany all the more anticipated. Would they shake hands? Would they not? If they did, would it be awkward? Let’s cut to the chase. It happened. And the picture it produced was epic. It’s amazing, right? Both Merkel and Trump look stunned that they are having their picture taken while shaking hands. They also both have an “am-I-doing-this-right” look mixed with a “when-is-the-soonest-possible-moment-in-time-this-can-be-over” look on their faces. Other pictures taken of the moment suggest it was a bit more mundane with both leaders just happy to have successfully executed the handshake and survived it. By all accounts, the handshake went smoothly. “There was no signs of that [March] awkwardness on Thursday, as Trump offered Merkel a firm handshake, warm body-language and a smile before the two disappeared into a meeting at the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany,” wrote the New York Post’s Ruth Brown of the grip and grin. MSNBC’s Jesse Rodriguez tweeted of the moment: “Merkel extended her hand first and then Trump shook it.” So, the first Merkel-Trump photo above is rightly understood as a snapshot in time – literally. But what a snapshot!

Donald Trump and Angela Merkel handshake interaction


The world's only Flying Eye Hospital is a jet converted into a fully equipped eye hospital Eye specialists treat patients and train local doctors to ensure long-term benefit It has flown to 78 countries and trained thousands of doctors Flying hospital treats diseases such as cataracts and glaucoma From the outside, the DC-10 jet parked on the airport runway looks like any ordinary plane. But if you step inside, you’ll notice something is not quite right. Instead of rows of seats, you’ll find a fully equipped operating theater; rather than uniform-clad flight attendants, you’ll see a group of doctors in blue coats gathered around a microscope. This is the world’s only “Flying Eye Hospital” – a converted plane that has been landing at airports in the developing world for the last 30 years. Its mission is to treat people suffering from blinding diseases – many of whom are children. But it’s not just about treatment; the plane is also designed to train local ophthalmologists. Cameras inside the operating room broadcast eye surgeries to a 48-seat classroom at the front of the plane, where local doctors watch to learn new skills and techniques. A two-way audio system lets the observers ask the surgeons questions while they operate. Related video Doctor heals broken hearts Related video Health advice by text message Related video Doctor heals broken hearts Inspiring students In October 2013, the Flying Eye Hospital landed in Cameroon, and its doctors visited the Yaounde Central Hospital in the country’s capital. It was a revealing experience for everybody present, said Dr. Emilienne Epee, senior lecturer of ophthalmology at the University of Yaounde. “Officials, lecturers and senior staff were exposed to what is available and what can be done in a realistic way, easing the advocacy for ophthalmologists,” she said. Epee added that the visit got many medical students interested in ophthalmology, and she hopes that this will increase the number of ophthalmologists in Cameroon. However, the country still faces many problems when it comes to eye health. “Equipment is an issue and for the time being we do not have the latest or high-tech facilities in our services,” said Epee. “Nevertheless we can attend to the basic need and avoid blindness with what is available to us.” Read this: Birth advice by text message ORBIS, a U.S.-based non-profit organization that works in developing countries worldwide to prevent blindness and treat visually impaired people, is the organization behind the remarkable plane. “It’s truly remarkable to see people regaining their eyesight every day,” said Flavia Draganus, communications manager on board the Flying Eye Hospital. “When we take the patches off after the surgery we see them smile because they can see again, although they thought they’d never be able to.” When we take the patches off after the surgery, we see them smile because they can see again. Flavia Draganus An estimated 285 million people worldwide are blind or visually impaired according to the WHO – 90% of them live in low- and middle-income countries, yet 80% of them could be treated or cured with the right medical care. Flying Eye Hospital doctors treat blinding diseases like cataracts, glaucoma, trachoma and diabetic retinopathy; many of them are easily treatable with the right medical care, which developing countries often lack. During their stay, doctors also leave the plane to go to local hospitals to train doctors with the hospitals’ existing equipment. Read: The doctor healing children’s broken hearts Bruce Johnson, director of aircraft operations at ORBIS, said: “The main deficits in the eye care industry in the developing world are a lack of ophthalmologists and the right equipment as well as very few specialist hospitals. Also, often parents can’t afford the surgery for their children.” Johnson has been with ORBIS for nine years and has been on dozens of overseas programs. “We can take our hospital anywhere to reach people in remote regions that don’t have access to the right eye care treatment,” he said. The organization says the Flying Eye Hospital has so far carried out 925,000 surgeries and trained 92,000 doctors. Local knowledge It is the training that offers long-term hope for better eye care. “There is a huge appetite for training among doctors in the developing world, as we’ve recently seen on a trip to Cameroon,” Draganus said. “We leave knowledge behind and make sure that these doctors sustain the skills even after we left.” ORBIS has been asked to build a pediatric eye care unit as part of the planned Yaounde Vision Institute. The institute would mark a step forward for eye health care in Cameroon, but a lack of training nationwide remains a challenge. At present at most 25% of people needing cataract surgery in Cameroon do indeed get it. Dr Henry Nkumbe, secretary general  African Ophthalmology Forum Dr Henry Nkumbe is an ophthalmologist based in Yaounde, and secretary general of the African Ophthalmology Forum. He said: “No center in the country has the necessary skills set and equipment to regularly perform corneal grafts, advanced glaucoma surgeries. So Cameroon, through out-of-pocket payments by patients or covered by the Ministry of Health budget, spends a lot on medical evacuations abroad, for specialist eye care services currently not available in Cameroon.” Nkumbe added: “At present at most 25% of people needing cataract surgery in Cameroon do indeed get it.” More than 30 years ago, the American ophthalmologist Dr. David Paton created ORBIS based on the idea of using aviation to deliver medical education around the world. In 1980, United Airlines donated a plane to the project and after it was converted into a fully functional teaching eye hospital, it went on its first trip to Panama in 1982 and has so far visited 78 countries worldwide. A program in each country lasts around two to three weeks and there are up to 24 people on board including doctors, nurses, anesthesiologists and aircraft mechanics. In 2010, FedEx donated an MD-10 aircraft, which is currently being turned into the next flying hospital. Johnson said: “I never imagined that there are so many people out there that need treatment and whose blindness can easily be prevented, with just the right care.” Read this: The free water helping hydrate Africa Read this: Flying doctor takes to the skies after sister’s death Read this: How African doctors can cure medical ‘brain drain’


Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Barack Obama spoke on Wednesday, congratulating each other on reaching a nuclear agreement with Iran. The Kremlin issued a statement following a telephone conversation between Putin and  Obama, a call the White House also confirmed. “Both sides stressed that the comprehensive agreement on the Iranian nuclear program meets the interests of the entire international community, helping strengthen the nuclear non-proliferation regime and decreasing tensions in the Middle East. In this respect, the presidents emphasized the role of Russian-U.S. dialogue in ensuring security and stability in the world,” according to the statement. RELATED: Iran nuclear deal highlights Putin and Obama “expressed a mutual intention to continue joint work in the interest of sustainable implementation of the Vienna agreements, as well as certain other current international matters, including countering international terrorism,” according to the Kremlin statement. The two leaders also “congratulated one another on a special date in Russian-American relations: the 40th anniversary since the Soyuz-Apollo orbital flight.” READ: Why did Obama praise Putin? The White House announced the call on Wednesday. In a readout of the conversation, the White House said Obama thanked Putin for Russia’s role in the Iran nuclear negotiations. “The leaders committed to remain in close coordination as the (deal) is operationalized and also expressed a desire to work together on reducing regional tensions, particularly in Syria,” according to the White House.


Here’s what you might have missed on CNN today: – House Republicans passed their version of the tax bill, pushing a key agenda item for President Donald Trump and GOP lawmakers. – The Senate plan’s fate remains unclear, after GOP Sen. Ron Johnson came out against the bill, saying it wouldn’t give small businesses a “fair shake.” – Sen. Al Franken has apologized after a radio host alleged he groped and kissed her without her consent in 2006. – US Senate candidate Roy Moore published an open letter to Fox News host Sean Hannity in which he again denied sexual abuse allegations regarding a minor. – About $15 million has been spent settling sexual harassment lawsuits on Capitol Hill since 1997. Amid recent sexual abuse news, lawmakers want to know how much of those funds were used to settle sexual harassment allegations in Washington. – Catch up on all the details from DC here. Researchers published what they describe as the first case of CTE found in a living person. The Old Vic theater in London says it has uncovered 20 allegations of inappropriate behavior involving Kevin Spacey. In a medical first, doctors tried to gene-edit a living patient’s DNA to cure a disease. The Trump administration will end an Obama-era policy that banned the imports of elephant trophies. US officials say the shift will create revenue for conservation, but critics say the endangered animals still need protection. – Toys “R” Us, which filed for bankruptcy in September, wants to pay its top executives $16 million in bonuses this holiday season. – Walmart’s big bet on digital is paying off. The retail giant is killing Target and its same-day delivery services has Amazon sweating. – Watch as rapper Drake pauses a live performance in Sydney to confront a fan who was allegedly groping women in the audience. – Rapper and YouTube star Lil Peep has died at the age of 21.


Effects of psychotherapy and sessions of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy were studied One year later, 67% of all participants no longer qualified for a diagnosis of PTSD MDMA – the active ingredient in the banned street drug ecstasy –  is safe and enhances the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder when administered during psychotherapy, according to a new clinical trial. More research is needed to fully assess the drug, caution the authors of the US Food and Drug Administration-approved experiment. The study included just 26 patients, all of them veterans, firefighters and police officers who developed PTSD as a result of trauma in the line of duty. MDMA – or 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine – has been illegal in the United States since 1985. “MDMA has some stimulant effects as well as psychoactive effects,” said Dr. Michael C. Mithoefer, lead author of the study and a psychiatrist in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Medical University of South Carolina. The drug is sometimes described as an “empathogen” or “entactogen,” he added, because it “rarely causes hallucinations or disorientation and tends to increase feelings of empathy and trust and increased awareness of inner experience.” Related article 5 things you may not know about post-traumatic stress “We obtained FDA approval for our first clinical trial in 2001,” Mithoefer said. “We began our first phase two clinical trial here in Charleston in 2004 treating mostly crime-related PTSD such as childhood abuse or rape in individuals who had failed to respond to psychotherapy and medications.” Promising results from previous trials led to the new study, published Tuesday in the journal The Lancet Psychiatry, he said. PTSD, a disorder that develops in some people who have experienced a shocking or dangerous event, affects about 8 million American in any given year. Continuing symptoms, including flashbacks and frightening thoughts, may lead to substance abuse, unemployment, family disruption and even suicide. Existing treatments for PTSD include various forms of psychotherapy, such as exposure therapy and cognitive processing therapy, and/or prescription drugs, such as antidepressants. Up to 72% of veterans who receive psychotherapy retain their PTSD diagnosis and frequently drop out of their treatment programs, according to a previous unrelated study. The need for improved PTSD therapies is clear, Mithoefer and his co-authors say, adding that the “development of new treatments should address the common reasons for treatment avoidance, failure, and dropout.” The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, a nonprofit research organization, funded Mithoefer’s study of 22 veterans, three firefighters and one police officer, all with service-related PTSD lasting longer than six months. “We only included people who had received prior treatment but still had clinically significant PTSD,” Mithoefer said of the study, which followed the FDA’s strict guidelines for a phase two trial. Related article Veterans' grass-roots movement shares health benefits of marijuana All 26 participants received a course of treatment that consisted of about 13 hours of non-drug psychotherapy plus two eight-hour sessions of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy. Participants were randomly assigned to receive MDMA (orally) in one dose of either 30, 75 or 125 milligrams for each of the two MDMA-assisted psychotherapy sessions. One month after the second MDMA session, 68% of patients in the two higher-dose groups no longer qualified for a diagnosis of PTSD, while the same was true of 29% of patients in the lowest-dose group. One year later, 67% of all participants no longer qualified for a diagnosis of PTSD, the study results indicate. Those participants who still met the criteria for PTSD experienced a reduction in symptoms, the researchers noted. The most frequently reported immediate side effects of MDMA were anxiety, headache, fatigue and muscle tension. One week after treatment, some participants experienced anxiety, fatigue and insomnia. Four serious side effects were reported during the course of the study, though three of these events – suicide ideation, major depression and appendicitis – were not attributed to MDMA. Related article Veterans aren't always getting mental care they urgently need, report finds One participant experienced premature ventricular contractions – extra beats in one chamber of the heart – at the outset of the study and during the study. After an overnight stay in a hospital, the patient recovered fully, the researchers reported. Dr. Neil Greenberg, a professor of defence mental health at King’s College London, said the study may be “interesting” but does not “fundamentally change” the services offered for PTSD treatment. Greenberg, who was not involved in the study, noted that 22 of the 26 participants had been recruited from the internet, “and one has to assume they were interested in taking a psychedelic drug.” He also said that some of the participants received prior treatments that were either not evidence-based or known to be effective with PTSD; a sample “bias” such as this weakens the quality of any analysis. Overall, he said, future research of the effects of MDMA on patients with PTSD might be watched with interest, but he does not recommend any stronger actions, “given the controversial nature of the medication, the risk of serious side effects and the small and biased sample” of participants. Related article Resilience, suffering and silver linings after a disaster But David Nutt, a professor of neuropsychopharmacology at Imperial College London, said the new study is “the biggest breakthrough in medicinal PTSD treatment for two decades” and “opens a potential new era in the treatment of PTSD.” According to Nutt, who was not involved in the study, the results suggest that “MDMA should be fast-tracked to clinical acceptance” since the evidence is now sufficient to warrant its wider use in treating PTSD. In his own research, Nutt explored the neurological effects of MDMA in healthy participants. His work showed that MDMA “reduces fear responses, which probably explains how it works to aid psychotherapy in PTSD,” he said. Nutt will be conducting a study of MDMA in alcoholics who drink in an attempt to deal with prior trauma. MDMA was first synthesized in 1912 by a German pharmaceutical company that intended to use it as a blood clotting agent. In the 1970s, a small number of psychotherapists made use of it in couples’ therapy, where it was shown to help traumatized clients address repressed emotional memories “without being overwhelmed by the negative affect that usually accompanies such memories,” Nutt wrote in a report. In the 1980s, MDMA lost its legal status around the world under a United Nations agreement, having fallen into disrepute as a street drug. Related article 9 things everyone should know about the drug Molly However, some scientists remained convinced of its potential and persisted in their research. In the early 1990s, the FDA approved experiments in which MDMA was used as an adjunct to psychotherapy. Ongoing research in a similar vein resulted in the new study, among others, in addition to the FDA agreeing in 2017 to expedite its review of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD. Phase three clinical trials of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD, involving 200 to 300 participants across 16 sites in the United States, Canada and Israel, will begin in the summer, according to Mithoefer. If these trials demonstrate sufficient efficacy and an acceptable safety profile, FDA approval of the treatment is expected by 2021. See the latest news and share your comments with CNN Health on Facebook and Twitter. “Unlike most other drug studies, MDMA is not being used as a daily drug,” Mithoefer said. Using the drug as a catalyst to psychotherapy means it is used only a few times, at monthly intervals, which is appealing to psychiatrists, he noted. “Taking it only a few times decreases side effects compared to daily dosing,” he said, and it “eliminates the possibility of abuse, since it is administered directly by the therapists.” “If it is approved by FDA for clinical use, it will likely be restricted to specialized clinics with properly trained therapists, not as a take-home medicine that people get from the pharmacy,” Mithoefer said.


The Senate vote on Tillerson is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. ET. Cardin also noted a number of his Democratic colleagues have shared similar views on the nomination. Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Maryland, said he does not support Donald Trump’s secretary of state pick, Rex Tillerson, hours before a Senate committee is set to vote on his confirmation, citing Tillerson’s potential conflicts of interest and his position regarding Russian aggression. “I will not be supporting his confirmation for secretary of state,” Cardin said on CNN’s “New Day.” “During the confirmation hearings he raised me many questions as to whether his business interests would compromise his ability to speak out for US leadership on human rights and good governance.” Cardin also noted a number of his Democratic colleagues have shared similar views on the nomination. “I think many members are troubled by the fact that Mr. Tillerson refused to comment as to whether Russia’s activities should be considered war crimes – what they’ve done in Aleppo. Or what happened with extra judicial killings in the Philippines is a violation of human rights,” Cardin said. .@SenatorCardin explains why he is not voting for Rex Tillerson & his concerns about Mike Pompeo. https://t.co/vcWt3mjhSe Tillerson was considered by some a controversial choice because of his ties to big business and Russia. The former ExxonMobil CEO was awarded Russia’s Order of Friendship in 2013. “I thought that his business background and the way that he responded to questions that he would allow the business interest have too much influence on whether we need to lead, America needs to lead on human rights, good governance, our basic core values,” Cardin said. Friday, Trump’s first two nominees were confirmed and sworn in. The Senate vote on Tillerson is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. ET.

Rex Tillerson's nomination as Secretary of State


Fast cars thunder down tree-lined avenues. Luxury yachts sway in the sparkling marina, while diners in trendy beach-side restaurants clink Champagne glasses, enjoying the gentle ocean breeze. This isn’t Miami or the French Riviera, but Luanda, the capital of Angola. The city is a poster-child for the extraordinary economic boom experienced by many African nations since the early 2000s, its crane-filled skyline testament to the breakneck speed of construction seen in recent years. But it’s not just Luanda. From million-dollar mansions dotted along Mozambique’s coastline, to high-end shopping emporiums in Nigeria’s metropolises, oases of affluence have sprung across the continent which has been home to seven of the 10 fastest-growing economies in the world. For a section of the population, these favorable statistics have translated into enormous gains. Numbers of multimillionaires in Africa are predicted to rise by 59% in the next 10 years – the highest growth of any region in the world. Nigeria is now one of the top markets for Champagne and, as growth stagnates in Europe and slows in China, purveyors of luxury goods increasingly look to Africa as their next frontier. Many have dubbed this reversal in fortunes “Africa Rising,” a term encapsulating the continent’s jubilant ascent to prosperity after decades of post-colonial strife marred by civil wars and sluggish growth. Predicted growth of ultra-high net worth individuals – worth more than $30 million – in different regions for the next 10 years. False calculation But parallel to this triumphant narrative, a startling number of people still live in abject poverty. Almost one out of every two Africans survives on $1.25 a day or less, and the continent hosts six out of 10 of the world’s most unequal countries. Africa’s population is projected to triple to 1.25 billion by 2050, but youth prospects remain dire across the board. In Ethiopia and Nigeria, the continent’s largest economy, the majority of young people get by on less than $2 a day. “On the one hand you hear glowing stories of growth and prosperity, shiny new buildings being built, big cars, nice homes, and lots of consumption. But Africa is producing bigger and bigger numbers of poor people, so poor so desperate” says Ali Mufuruki, CEO of Tanzania’s Infotech Investment Group and member of the International Monetary Fund’s Group on sub-Saharan Africa. He adds that the growth statistics measure only those who are active participants in the economy, leaving out the marginalized masses who often find themselves in sporadic, informal employment. Rich getting richer Reasons for these diametrically different realities are complex, but the main culprit seems to be the nature of the growth pattern which enabled the already wealthy to get richer, without a significant impact on the rest of the population. Rakesh Rajani, a Tanzanian civil society activist, says that a lot of the growth has been driven by industries like mining, oil and gas and, to some extent, tourism – all of which don’t employ a huge number of people. “You can grow by 7 or 8%, but it’s not a broad-based growth, so most people don’t benefit from it. So at the same time that you have growth, there is also a growing inequality between a small elite which is benefiting from this – sometimes literally only a few thousand people – and millions of the population who are stuck,” he adds. Colonial legacy has long cast a dark shadow over the continent, and in South Africa, the world’s most unequal country, it continues to cause lasting damage to its prospects. “Everything was skewed racially – education, access to finance, access to land,” says Haroon Bhorat, professor of economics at the University of Cape Town. “When we tried to encourage growth post 1994 (end of apartheid), it was only those who already had capital and good education that gained from it,” he adds. Knowledge is power Yet. it’s not all doom and gloom. Experts say that Africa can start closing the inequality gap with the right set of policies, out of which producing a skilled workforce comes as a top priority. “[The] education that Africa needs is one that is skills-based, technologically grounded and globally competitive,” says Said Adejumobi, head of the governance and public administration division at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. Extractive industries like mining are susceptible to tax avoidance which, even when legal, stops the host country from getting the best deal in exchange for its natural resources. A report by Tax Justice Network-Africa and ActionAid International estimates that Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda lose up to $2.8 billion a year from all tax incentives and exemptions. The charity Christian Aid highlights the example of Sierra Leone whose tax expenditure – the amount of revenues lost by granting of tax incentives and exemptions – amounted to more than eight times the health budget and seven times the education budget in 2012. “In a knowledge driven world, a colonially-molded education which litters the entire continent can hardly play that role. It’s a law and order educational system meant to serve a specific form of political regime and society.  Africa needs to reinvent its educational system towards a modern competitive age,” he adds. Enforcing transparency in government deals is also crucial says Rajani, calling on both governments and international companies to be more open about their dealings, and start publishing contracts online for the public and journalists to scrutinize. With Africa predicted to be home to nearly 40% of the global population by the end of the century, the pressure is mounting to find employment for the millions entering the labor market every year. “Africa’s population boom can be an asset or liability depending on the way it is managed,” says  Adejumobi. “If carefully planned, it would be Africa’s greatest resource of economic transformation,”  he explains. “However, if poorly managed, they can be foot soldiers for deviant groups like Boko Haram and other anti-social forces on the continent.” When it comes to the much trumpeted “Africa Rising” term, Rajani says the reality is much more complex: “It doesn’t make sense to speak in generalities, people who do that take Africa as one country. Africa has some amazing things happening and some awful things happening all at the same time.”


Editor’s Note: Raul A. Reyes is an attorney and member of the USA Today board of contributors. Follow him on Twitter @RaulAReyes. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author. The cruelty of the Trump administration continues. Friday, it announced that it was ending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Hondurans. Honduran TPS holders will have until January 2020 before their protections expire, giving them 18 months to leave the country or be at risk for deportation.  According to a statement, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen “carefully considered conditions on the ground” before reaching the decision. While not unexpected, this decision reflects the Trump administration’s callous disregard for the lives of immigrants. It ignores the harsh realities that Honduran TPS holders could face if they return to their homeland.  Not only will it probably increase the size of our undocumented population, but the decision will upend the lives of tens of thousands of people who are legally living, working, and raising their families in this country. Related article Trump administration's new immigration decision is shortsighted and cruel Temporary Protected Status is a classification created by Congress under the Immigration Act of 1990. It allows the secretary of Homeland Security to designate a foreign country for TPS due to conditions that temporarily prevent its nationals from returning home, such as a natural disaster, ongoing armed conflict or other extraordinary circumstances. Basically, it is an acknowledgment that a country cannot safely reabsorb its own citizens, so the US government allows them to remain here. A TPS designation can be made for six, 12 or 18 months, and is subject to periodic renewals by the Homeland Security secretary. Honduran nationals in the United States received TPS in 1998, after Hurricane Mitch devastated Honduras and left it lacking basic infrastructure, sanitation services and safe water supplies. The country is still struggling with gang violence, poverty, and a breakdown of civil order; Honduras regularly makes lists of the world’s most dangerous nations. Now, thanks to the Trump administration, nearly 90,000 TPS holders will be expected to leave the United States and return to Honduras. But conditions there have not improved. If anything, the residual problems since Hurricane Mitch have been compounded by a recent three-year drought and continued political unrest. Sixty percent of the population in Honduras lives in poverty, and The Guardian reports that unemployment is 56%. Violent crime is rampant. Related video This pregnant mom is the first migrant in line for asylum It is unconscionable that the Trump administration would choose to send people back to such grim circumstances. The administration does not seem to care that Honduran TPS holders have lived here an average of 22 years, or that they have 53,000 US-born children, according to the Center for American Progress. Sadly, this decision follows others by the administration ending TPS for more than 250,000 people from Nepal, El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua and Sudan. Besides the humanitarian concerns, the Trump administration is overlooking other consequences of its decision to end TPS for Hondurans. Consider that many Hondurans with TPS will likely stay here and risk deportation, rather than return home and risk their lives in a devastated country. Injecting turmoil into the lives of Hondurans here will have effects on their homeland, too. In 2017, Honduras received about $4.3 billion from family members living abroad, amounting to 19% of its GDP. Related video Mother: 'I have nightmares about going back' Most of this money came from the United States, so cracking down on Hondurans here could potentially hurt the country’s economy. Indeed, the net result of ending TPS for Hondurans – when taking into account the drop-off in remittances and the increase in economic uncertainty – could well be an overall increase in illegal immigration to the United States. This means we could see more humanitarian crises like the recent migrant caravan at our southern border, which was predominantly made up of Hondurans. As immigration restrictionists like to point out, by definition TPS is not meant to last forever. Yet it should not be ended when the countries in question are not ready or capable of absorbing more people. TPS is not about allowing just anyone into the United States; it applies only to certain foreign nationals who are already here. Nor does it give just anyone a green card or put them on a path to citizenship. It is not amnesty, because it does not permanently change anyone’s immigration status. TPS simply allows people from dangerous or unstable countries to temporarily live and work in the United States without fear of deportation. Sign up for CNN Opinion’s new newsletter.Join us on Twitter and Facebook It seems pretty clear that the decision to end TPS for Hondurans was made for political reasons. No one will be safer because we expelled thousands of productive workers. Like terminating DACA and proposing a “Muslim ban,” ending TPS is more about this administration’s xenophobia than national security. And what is the policy rationale for adding to the instability in Honduras? There isn’t one. Friday marked another step in the Trump administration’s ongoing war against immigrants. The decision to end TPS for Hondurans is mean-spirited, shortsighted and wholly unnecessary.


Trump has repeatedly questioned the purpose of America's continued involvement in Afghanistan He also made contradictory statements about whether the war should have been fought President Donald Trump will outline the United States’ path forward in Afghanistan in a speech Monday night – but he’s been speaking out on the Afghanistan War for years. Trump’s address, scheduled for 9 p.m. ET Monday at Fort Myer in Arlington, Virginia, comes after Trump and Secretary of Defense James Mattis said a decision has been made on a new US strategy in Afghanistan. Related article Afghanistan in grip of one of most violent periods of its recent history Trump has often commented about the situation in Afghanistan, where the US led an invasion of the country in 2001 to topple the Taliban from power and eliminate a “safe haven” for al Qaeda. The war eventually became the United States’ longest in history, and in 2014 President Barack Obama declared an end to combat operations. But US support for the new Afghan government continued, and as of 2017 the Taliban remained a powerful force in the country. Gen. John Nicholson, commander of US forces in Afghanistan, said in February that the US and Afghanistan were at a stalemate with the Taliban. Over the years, Trump repeatedly questioned the purpose of America’s continued involvement in Afghanistan, but he also made contradictory statements about whether the war should have been fought in the first place. Related article Afghanistan: 16 years, thousands dead and no clear end in sight Trump’s most recent tweet on the topic was a quick recap of his military team’s discussions on how to move forward in Afghanistan – and he said that a decision had been made. Here’s a look back at what Trump has said about Afghanistan in the past: “When will we stop wasting our money on rebuilding Afghanistan? We must rebuild our country first,” he tweeted in October 2011. When will we stop wasting our money on rebuilding Afghanistan? We must rebuild our country first. “It is time to get out of Afghanistan. We are building roads and schools for people that hate us. It is not in our national interests,” he tweeted in February 2012. It is time to get out of Afghanistan. We are building roads and schools for people that hate us. It is not in our national interests. “Afghanistan is a total disaster. We don’t know what we are doing. They are, in addition to everything else, robbing us blind,” he tweeted in March 2012. Afghanistan is a total disaster. We don't know what we are doing. They are, in addition to everything else, robbing us blind. “Why are we continuing to train these Afghanis who then shoot our soldiers in the back? Afghanistan is a complete waste. Time to come home!” he tweeted in August 2012. Why are we continuing to train these Afghanis who then shoot our soldiers in the back? Afghanistan is a complete waste. Time to come home! “I agree with Pres. Obama on Afghanistan. We should have a speedy withdrawal.  Why should we keep wasting our money – rebuild the U.S.!” He tweeted in January 2013. I agree with Pres. Obama on Afghanistan.  We should have a speedy withdrawal.  Why should we keep wasting our money -- rebuild the U.S.! “We should leave Afghanistan immediately. No more wasted lives. If we have to go back in, we go in hard & quick. Rebuild the US first,” Trump tweeted in March 2013. We should leave Afghanistan immediately. No more wasted lives. If we have to go back in, we go in hard & quick. Rebuild the US first. “We continue to lose our nation’s finest in Afghanistan almost daily. The Rules of Engagement are costing lives.” he tweeted in May 2013. We continue to lose our nation’s finest in Afghanistan almost daily. The Rules of Engagement are costing lives. “Afghanistan leaders want the U.S. to keep 20,000 troops there for many more years, fully paid for by the U.S., but first they want apology.” he tweeted in November 2013. Afghanistan leaders want the U.S. to keep 20, 000 troops there for many more years, fully paid for by the U.S., but first they want apology. “Now Obama is keeping our soldiers in Afghanistan for at least another year. He is losing two wars simultaneously,” Trump tweeted December 2014. Now Obama is keeping our soldiers in Afghanistan for at least another year. He is losing two wars simultaneously. Trump said he believed that invading Afghanistan in 2001 was a “terrible mistake,” but he added US troops need to stay in order to avoid a collapse of the government. “We made a terrible mistake getting involved there in the first place,” Trump said. “It’s a mess, it’s a mess and at this point we probably have to (leave US troops in Afghanistan) because that thing will collapse in about two seconds after they leave.” While Trump has long called the Iraq War a mistake, this interview on CNN’s “New Day” appears to be the first time Trump has described the US war in Afghanistan in the same terms. Trump said the US was right to invade Afghanistan after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks – a reversal of his position earlier in October 2015 when he called the war a “mistake.” “We made a mistake going into Iraq. I’ve never said we made a mistake going into Afghanistan,” Trump told CNN’s Alisyn Camerota on “New Day” when pressed about his comments. “A suicide bomber has just killed U.S. troops in Afghanistan. When will our leaders get tough and smart. We are being led to slaughter!” Trump tweeted in 2015. A suicide bomber has just killed U.S. troops in Afghanistan. When will our leaders get tough and smart. We are being led to slaughter! “Important day spent at Camp David with our very talented Generals and military leaders. Many decisions made, including on Afghanistan,” Trump tweeted last week. Important day spent at Camp David with our very talented Generals and military leaders. Many decisions made, including on Afghanistan.

United States' involvement in Afghanistan


Editor’s Note: Keir Giles is an associate fellow of the Russia and Eurasia Programme. He is also a director of the Conflict Studies Research Centre, a group of subject matter experts in Eurasian security. The opinions in the article belong to the author. Keir Giles: Each week brings new evidence of Russia's lack of restraint in pursuing its own security agenda Russia sees that it is already in conflict with the West in every domain except direct and deliberate military clashes, he says Russia, of late, has been demonstrating not only increased confidence in its own abilities and capabilities, but also a sense of urgency in being as well prepared as possible for open conflict. Russia’s ramping up of hostile actions reflects not so much a disregard for its international reputation, as some commentators have suggested, as an urgent concern in Moscow at the prospect of impending conflict with the West. Each week brings startling new evidence of Russia’s lack of restraint in pursuing its own security agenda. Opinions differ on the underlying objectives, but it is almost always a mistake to look for a single reason for Russian actions. Russia does care what the world thinks of it, but not in the same way as Western nations. Instead, it wants the world to be alarmed at the consequences of antagonizing Russia. The increase in tempo and urgency of Russian preparations for conflict has meant leaving caution behind. The move to overt, even blatant, intelligence gathering and probing for vulnerabilities has led to the activities of Russian hackers, spies, submarines and satellites that previously were conducted in deep secrecy now being commonly reported in open media. Targeting and intimidation of individual servicemen from NATO nations that come within Russia’s reach can be expected to increase with the stationing of NATO’s new multinational battalions in the Baltic states and Poland. In fact, Russia sees that it is already in conflict with the West in every domain except direct and deliberate military clashes. With sanctions and “information war,” meddling in elections and referendums in the West, and disregarding or walking away from treaties and agreements,economic, intelligence, propaganda and cyber confrontation  by Russian definitions are already well established. Related video How did the Cold War affect relations with Russia? According to the general in charge of Russia’s NATO-facing Western Military District, Russia’s new definition of war “is never declared, and never ends”. What is more, it can achieve its aims without using armed force at all. But Russia is preparing for the worst. The ongoing process of rearming and transforming the military, and mobilizing government and society, reached a new peak this week with the announcement of a massive civil defense exercise accompanied by rhetoric on surviving nuclear attack. Meanwhile, Russia’s actions in Syria have provided an unwelcome reminder of the Russian way of war. For the West, the notions of disregard for collateral damage, of terrorizing an opponent into submission by targeting the civilian population and soft targets like hospitals, of bomb and missile strikes intended to cause mass casualties in reprisal for the deaths of Russian servicemen, all belong in previous centuries. For Russia, once open conflict begins, they remain the most effective means to an end. And despite Russian military brinksmanship displayed in the air and at sea along its Western periphery, Syria risks being the trigger for an even more dangerous confrontation. Lack of cooperation due to incompatible priorities and a failure to agree on the enemy increases the risk of Russia directly causing greater U.S. casualties in airstrikes - or vice versa. Related article Syria: France submits draft UN resolution over Aleppo crisis In both Ukraine and Syria, Russia’s active intervention successfully averted a situation that, viewed from Moscow, appeared potentially disastrous. But whether Russia sees its actions as self-defense is unfortunately irrelevant to those suffering the consequences in both conflicts. Russia will push as far as it can to achieve its objectives – without risking damaging counterattack. At present, Russia can set both the tempo of the confrontation and its limits. Moscow knows it will lose this control if it pushes the United States too far, in Syria or elsewhere. But as yet, Russia has not found the limits of what it can get away with. Several years of testing boundaries – and pushing further when meeting no resistance other than words – have taught Russia that it can be confident of little meaningful response from the current U.S. administration; and so, Russian behavior becomes more and more outrageous. A continuing lack of challenge can only mean that this process will continue, and Russia will become ever bolder and more ambitious in what it seeks to achieve. Russia’s latest demands for rolling back U.S. and NATO defensive preparations to how they were in 2010 would seem laughable, if it were not for Moscow’s recent solid track record in manipulating the West to its advantage. Sign up for CNN Opinion’s new newsletter.Join us on Twitter and Facebook The refusal of the current U.S. administration to recognize the problem, extending to attempts to suppress congressional reporting on Russian hostile actions, is an abdication of responsibility for mitigating the long-term consequences of failing to deal with Russia. The next administration will be left to pick up the pieces and do whatever possible to bring the Russia relationship back under control. If it fails to do so swiftly, the consequences are likely to be severe.


Correspondent Jim Sciutto explores “The Mystery of Michael Flynn” in Friday’s CNN Special Report at 10 p.m. ET. Here's a look back at a critical 48-hour period It offers a fresh window into some of the early thinking and actions of the new Trump team The answer to one of the most critical questions at the heart of the Russia investigation may well lie in the grand hallways of Mar-a-Lago. Did President Donald Trump know Michael Flynn talked about sanctions during his conversations a year ago with the former Russian ambassador? Or did the President’s small circle of advisers keep it from him? A look back at a pivotal 48-hour period – inside the President’s Palm Beach estate – offers a fresh window into some of the early thinking and actions of the new Trump team, the consequences of which are now front-and-center in the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. Flynn pleads guilty to lying to FBI, is cooperating with Mueller When Trump strode into Mar-a-Lago’s Grand Ballroom last December 29, neither he nor his aides could imagine that day would come to haunt his presidency. But the decisions made during that period, as the President basked in the comfort of his retreat, still resonate a year later. It’s now clear that Flynn’s lies to the FBI were rooted in his telephone call that day to the former Russian ambassador and his subsequent call to Trump advisers at Mar-a-Lago. The answers may ultimately come from special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation, but the questions begin during that critical period in Florida. Here’s a look back at what is known – and what’s still to be determined – about what transpired Mar-a-Lago on December 28 and 29 last year: Doing my best to disregard the many inflammatory President O statements and roadblocks.Thought it was going to be a smooth transition - NOT!


The war in Yemen is now the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, with more than 22 million people – three-quarters of the population – in desperate need of aid and protection,United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres said. As the conflict enters its fourth year, millions are without access to clean drinking water and the country is at high risk of a cholera epidemic, Guterre said at a donor conference in Geneva on Tuesday. Related article She's only 12, but her father is already planning her wedding He said over 8 million people in the country “did not know where they will obtain their next meal,” and that “every ten minutes, a child under five dies of preventable causes.” With many struggling to support their families, child marriage rates have also risen. “Nearly two-thirds of girls are married before the age of 18, and many before they are 15,” said Guterres. More than half of the required funds needed for the UN’s humanitarian response plan  – $2.96 billion – have not been met, Guterres told the conference. However he added that Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have already provided $930 million for the UN’s plan, and had pledged to secure an additional $500 million for the region. Since March 2015, neighboring Saudi Arabia has been leading a coalition of Gulf states against Houthi rebels in Northern Yemen, after the rebels drove out the US-backed and pro-Saudi government. Often called the “forgotten war” amid Western media focus on Syria, Yemen’s situation is now catastrophic, with “nearly half of all children aged between six months and 5 years old  chronically malnourished,” according to Guterres. Both sides of the conflict have used food as a weapon of war, but the crisis is caused primarily by a brutal air, land and sea blockade imposed by a Saudi Arabia-led coalition. In principle, the coalition says the purpose of the blockade is to stop Iranian weapons from entering Yemen to supply the Houthi rebels who are in control of much of the north, including the capital Sanaa. But in practice, it has also cut the amount of desperately needed food, medicine and fuel getting into the country, according to aid groups. Read more: In Yemen, the markets have food, but children are starving to death The Yemen war began in early 2015, when Houthi rebels – a minority Shia group from the north of the country – drove out the US-backed government, led by President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi, and took over the capital, Sanaa. The crisis quickly escalated into a multi-sided war, which allowed al-Qaeda and ISIS to grow stronger amid the chaos. The Houthis are backed by Iran and its members follow the Shia Islamic branch of Zaidism. Zaidis make up around a third of Yemen’s population and ruled the country’s north for almost 1,000 years until 1962. The Saudi-led coalition began its air raids in support of Hadi’s government in March 2015.


Yulia Skripal, the daughter of former Russian spy Sergei Skirpal, has been discharged from the British hospital where the pair were being treated for a nerve-agent attack just over a month ago. The medical director of Salisbury District Hospital, Chrisine Blanshard, said Yulia Skripal would require further treatment but that the development was a “significant milestone.” Her father was making “good progress,” Blanshard said. The Skripals were found slumped on a bench on March 4 in the city of Salisbury after being exposed to a military-grade nerve agent, British authorities said. The UK government blames Russia for the attack, but Moscow has denied any involvement. Yulia Skripal, 33, regained consciousness in late March and released a statement last week thanking those who treated her and father and those who had sent “messages of goodwill.” “Yulia has asked for privacy from the media and I want to reiterate that request,”  Blanshard said in a statement delivered outside the hospital on Tuesday. Blanshard made no mention of Skripal’s present location, and London’s Metropolitan Police refused to comment on whether she was receiving police protection. “I also want to take this opportunity to wish Yulia well,” Blanshard said. “This is not the end of her treatment, but marks a significant milestone.” Blanshard added that the condition of Sergei Skripal, 66 was still improving, albeit at a slower pace than that of Yulia. “Her father has also made good progress,” she said. “On Friday, I announced that he was no longer in a critical condition. Although he is recovering more slowly than Yulia, we hope that he too will be able to leave hospital in due course.” Blanshard said victims of nerve-agent attacks typically suffered symptoms such as sickness and hallucinations. Medical staff at Salisbury were able to draw on support from “world-leading experts” in the field of nerve agents and the Skripals had responded “exceptionally well” to treatment. We congratulate Yulia Skripal on her recovery. Yet we need urgent proof that what is being done to her is done on her own free will. Russia says it has offered consular assistance to Yulia Skirpal, but Britain says she declined it. In a tweet, the Russian embassy in the UK said: “We congratulate Yulia Skripal on her recovery. Yet we need urgent proof that what is being done to her is done on her own free will.”


Editor’s Note: Lina Khatib is director of the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut. Previously, she was the co-founding head of the Program on Arab Reform and Democracy at Stanford University’s Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law. The views expressed in this commentary are solely hers. The past two weeks have witnessed two significant advances for rebel groups – and for ISIS – in Syria. ISIS recently took over most of the Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp near Damascus. A week before that, a rebel coalition calling itself Jaysh al-Fateh – mainly composed of ISIS rivals Ahrar al-Sham and Jabhat al-Nusra – took over the northern city of Idlib, making it the second urban center lost by the Syrian regime after Raqqa, where ISIS is headquartered. But the two advances are wildly different: While the fall of Idlib is a clear loss for the regime of embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the ISIS takeover of Yarmouk is a regime-blessed tactic, if not necessarily a successful one. And they are both signs that the position of the Syrian regime is not as solid as it used to be. The regime, following the loss of Idlib, is now concerned it could also lose the southern city of Daraa, where more moderate Free Syrian Army (FSA) rebels have been making significant gains. The regime has started to move its administrative bureaus out of the area as it did just before Idlib’s fall. Yarmouk is only 100 kilometers away from Daraa. If ISIS, now in control of the camp, uses it as a base to attack the FSA in Daraa, it would save the Syrian regime from having to fight that battle itself. Related video UNRWA chief: What I saw shattered, devastated me This tactic is not new. ISIS has been attempting to gain a foothold in FSA-controlled southern Syria for several months, relying on local recruitment of Syrians and Palestinians to have a presence in an area. Throughout this time, the Syrian regime has also been indirectly enabling ISIS access to the south because this serves the regime’s aim of crushing the moderate opposition in the area. But the Yarmouk scenario is also about countering the gains of al-Nusra in Idlib. Unable to overwhelm al-Nusra militarily, the Syrian regime tried to indirectly use Yarmouk as a way to discredit al-Nusra through facilitating the access of ISIS to the camp. After ISIS was provoked by a Palestinian brigade in the Yarmouk camp, Aknaf Bayt al-Maqdis – a group which had threated ISIS after accusing it of murdering one of its leaders – the regime did not stand in the way of ISIS fighters who raided the camp. The regime had already besieged Yarmouk for several months and starved its residents, so it was no regime stronghold. Allowing ISIS to take over the camp was only a small sacrifice for Assad. In return, the regime calculated that ISIS’ takeover of the camp would achieve a much bigger gain: sparking a rift within al-Nusra. Although the group is officially an enemy of ISIS – the latter has declared al-Nusra an apostate – some al-Nusra brigades in southern Syria have personal connections with ISIS leaders. The ISIS advance in Yarmouk pushed the al-Nusra brigades that are sympathetic to ISIS to help it on the ground. The attack also forced the al-Nusra brigades opposed to ISIS to stay out of the battle so as not to spark a hot war between the two groups that would detract them from achieving their objectives (establishing a caliphate in the case of ISIS, and fighting the regime in the case of al-Nusra). The regime’s calculation was that this contradiction between the actions of some al-Nusra brigades and the “neutrality” of others would embarrass the leaders of al-Nusra and hurt the group’s credibility. Indeed, public criticisms of al-Nusra’s apparent flip-flopping in Yarmouk have already begun to emerge – and rival groups see in the Yarmouk scenario an opportunity to reassert themselves in the face of al-Nusra. Damaging Jabhat al-Nusra’s credibility is crucial for Assad. Unlike ISIS, which has largely refrained from attacking the regime as it concentrates on building its state-within-a-state, al-Nusra in particular has always had fighting Assad its sole raison d’être. In Idlib, Jaysh al-Fateh – which again, is partly comprised of al-Nusra – is now working on creating a joint civilian-military administration similar to the model offered by the FSA in the south. This model is more acceptable to the local population than an Islamist mode of governance, and is a way for al-Nusra as well as the FSA to demonstrate that they can offer a better alternative to the regime. Any further growth of al-Nusra therefore means a growing concrete threat to the Syrian regime. The takeover of the Yarmouk camp has therefore been a wily and tactical maneuver by the Syrian regime. But its success remains to be seen. So far, al-Nusra has released a statement distancing itself from the events in Yarmouk, and has handed over control of the main crossing on the Syrian-Jordanian border near Daraa to the FSA. Whether this indicates that the Islamist Jaysh al-Fateh and the moderate FSA are exploring a pragmatic formula to increase their cooperation in the future is an open question. As the developments in Yarmouk, Idlib, and Daraa show, in the Syrian conflict, the line between friends and enemies is often blurry. But they also signal that the regime is facing graver challenges in the north and the south than ever – threats that it cannot counter on its own. READ: Desperation for Palestinians trapped in Syrian refugee camp


Initially after the strike, the Pentagon adamantly rejected the notion that a mosque was hit Typically any religious structure would be on a so-called no-strike list A US Central Command investigation found that a March US airstrike in northern Syria did in fact strike a building that was part of a “mosque complex,” two US defense officials told CNN Thursday. For days following the March 16 strike, the Pentagon adamantly rejected the notion that a mosque was hit and that there were civilian casualties – even as numerous social media reports showed images of bodies being taken out of the rubble. Instead, in the initial hours following the strike by US drones and aircraft, the Pentagon insisted that it hit only a building some 40 feet away from the mosque, where it said al Qaeda members were holding a meeting. It is that building that the US bombed at the time of the strike, according the defense officials. As a result of the investigation, officials found that the facility had been used for religious purposes in the past. Typically any religious structure would be on a so-called no-strike list, along with hospitals and schools. There are procedures to move structures off the no-strike list if it is clear they have lost their protected status because terrorists are using them and there are no civilians present. At the time of the strike, the US still believed the building was being used by al Qaeda, according to the officials. But neither would say if the building had ever been on a no-strike list, or had been removed from such a list. It is also not clear if the building was listed as a religious site on a database that the mission planners were unaware of. RELATED: US airstrikes hit Syrian mosque, Human Rights Watch says One official said the investigation found that “religious use” was a primary function of the building at times. The day after the strike, Pentagon spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis told reporters: “We do not currently assess there were any civilian casualties.” He continued, “As always, you know, we take extraordinary measures to mitigate the loss of civilian life in our operations.” Davis showed a photo of a still-standing mosque and a larger building a short distance away. Half of that building had been clearly destroyed in an airstrike. At that time, the Pentagon could not say if that larger building had any religious use and would only point out officials were certain a meeting of al Qaeda operatives was underway when it was struck. Defense officials said then that they were convinced the target was legitimate and no civilians were present based on lengthy overhead surveillance before and after the strike.


At least 17 Palestinians were killed and more than 1,400 injured in confrontations with Israeli security forces during protests in Gaza on Friday, according to Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian representative to the United Nations. Israeli officials estimated tens of thousands of Palestinian protesters marched in Gaza toward the border fence between Israel and Gaza during protests called the March of Return. The march quickly turned bloody as Palestinian protesters and Israeli military clashed along the fence. In northern Gaza, CNN witnessed at least two dozen people being taken away by ambulances in the span of half an hour as protests started across Gaza. They witnessed a small number of protesters in the crowd throwing rocks. People were injured by live rounds, rubber bullets and tear gas. The majority were young men – one woman was among the injured. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement that thousands of Palestinians were “rioting throughout the Gaza Strip, rolling burning tires and hurling stones at the security fence and at IDF troops, who are responding with riot dispersal means and firing towards main instigators.” An IDF official warned any breach of Israeli sovereignty will be treated severely, following a week of numerous attempted and successful breaches of the border fence from Gaza. Confrontations escalated into Saturday. Israeli fighter jets targeted three Hamas sites after an IDF position was shot at in northern Gaza, according to an IDF statement. Tank fire also targeted the three sites, following an exchange of fire. The largest protest seen in Gaza in years coincided with Palestinian Land Day, which commemorates the confiscation of Palestinian-owned land in Israel in 1976. Fawzi Barhoum, a Hamas spokesman in Gaza, said the large crowds at the protests reflected the determination and will of the Palestinian people for the right of return, and to “break the siege” of Gaza. Prior to Friday’s protest, organizers said the march would be nonviolent, but they warned of possible military fire from Israeli forces. Ahead of the protests, the IDF increased the troop presence and put snipers along the border fence. An Israeli official told CNN that among those killed Friday were “known terrorists” including two members of Hamas, the political and militant group that controls Gaza. In a statement released Friday evening, the IDF said it blamed Hamas for “all events and incidents taking place in today’s protests.” In a tweet earlier Friday, Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman warned Gaza residents that Hamas is “risking your lives.” He added that anyone who approached the border was “endangering his life.” The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza said 1,416 people were wounded as protesters marched toward the fence that separates Gaza from Israel. By the end of the day, the ministry spokesman in Gaza said there were 758 injuries from live bullets and 148 from rubber bullets, and the rest suffered from gas inhalation and other injuries. Tent cities have been set up to host the marches, which are expected to continue through May 15 when Palestinians mark the anniversary of the “Nakba” (“Catastrophe”), the day after Israel declared independence in 1948. Roughly 700,000 Palestinians were displaced from their homes during the subsequent Arab-Israeli war, which lasted for nearly a year. Today, approximately 1.3 million Palestinians living in Gaza are registered refugees, according to the United Nations. The United States plans to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem around May 14, the 70th anniversary of Israel’s declaration of independence, followed by “Nakba Day,” increasing the potential for further protests and clashes. US President Donald Trump’s controversial decision to relocate the embassy and recognize the contested city as Israel’s capital was slammed by most of the international community and has galvanized Palestinian protests against Israel. Both Israelis and Palestinians claim Jerusalem as their capital, and to many Palestinians, the change was viewed as a further erosion of hope for a two-state solution. The Trump administration said the decision was a “recognition of simple reality” and claimed it was not meant to prejudge final-status negotiations about the city’s final borders, although Trump later said he had taken Jerusalem “off the table” when it came to any future peace negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he is holding Israeli authorities responsible for those killed Friday, and announced Saturday as a day of mourning. CNN’s Ian Lee reported from Gaza. CNN’s Abeer Salman, Amir Tal and Ingrid Formanek reported from Jerusalem. CNN’s Tamara Qiblawi wrote from Beirut, and Natalie Gallon and Jennifer Deaton contributed from Atlanta. Elizabeth Joseph also contributed.


Afghan officials say security forces are clearing Taliban fighters from the city The Taliban overran the city on Monday in an embarrassing setback for the government Civilians have been caught up in the fighting; aid group reports hundreds wounded After days of bitter fighting, the Afghan government says its forces have retaken the major city of Kunduz from Taliban militants. There was no immediate comment from the Taliban, which only a day earlier had claimed their militants were advancing on the  airport on the outskirts of the city, where many Afghan troops were based. Afghan special forces seized control of the city in an operation that began late Wednesday and were still clearing out Taliban fighters from some areas early Thursday, said Sayed Sarwar Hussaini, a spokesman for the Kunduz police chief. The U.S. military helped the Afghan forces during the operation through advisers on the ground and by conducting airstrikes, Hussaini said. Sediq Sediqqi, an Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman, said on Twitter that Taliban insurgents suffered heavy casualties in the fighting. Other Afghan government officials issued statements congratulating the security forces. The government lost control of Kunduz on Monday, an embarrassing setback and the first time the Taliban have taken over a provincial capital since 2001. Related gallery Taliban takes over Afghan city Militants had been building up forces around the city for months, giving the government plenty of warning. Afghan security forces had initially faltered in their attempts to wrest it back, with Hussaini saying Wednesday that the Taliban had blocked reinforcements in the neighboring province of Baghlan. As the fighting raged, civilians were stuck in the middle. Doctors Without Borders said its trauma hospital in the city has been overwhelmed with patients. The aid organization reported that its doctors treated at least 252 wounded people, including 53 children, since Monday. “The majority of patients had sustained gunshot wounds, and surgeons have been treating severe abdominal, limb and head injuries,” Doctors Without Borders said in a statement.  Anticipating more casualties, the organization is rushing medical supplies by road and air to the embattled city. As many as 6,000 civilians are reported to have fled the city because of the violence, the United Nations said Wednesday. “I am deeply concerned about the situation in Kunduz following the Taliban’s attack on the city,” said Nicholas Haysom, the U.N. special representative for Afghanistan. “The reports of extrajudicial executions, including of health care workers, abductions, denial of medical care and restrictions on movement out of the city are particularly disturbing.” Civilians reported frightening scenes. “We don’t know what to do and where to go,” a male resident of Kunduz told CNN by phone before Afghan authorities announced the city was under their control. He spoke on condition of anonymity, fearing retribution. He said shrapnel had struck his hand after he was accidentally caught in a firefight between government and Taliban forces. “I was near the main roundabout of Kunduz when the fight between government forces and the Taliban became intense and the Taliban fighters were firing back meters away from me,” the man said. “I was running to get to a safe place when shrapnel hit my hand I was wounded.” The man said shops are closed, there is a citywide power blackout, and it is becoming difficult to find food. “Kunduz has turned into a ghost city,” he said. Why is the Taliban takeover of Kunduz a big deal? The U.S.-led coalition ended its combat mission in Afghanistan last year, handing over the lead to Afghan forces while remaining in a training and assistance role. Related gallery The Taliban's rise and fall “Obviously, this is a setback for the Afghan security forces,” Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said  Tuesday of the loss of Kunduz. “But we’ve seen them respond in recent weeks and months to the challenges they face, and they’re doing the same thing in Kunduz right now.” In addition to a series of U.S. airstrikes in the area, the NATO-led international mission in Afghanistan said there were “limited coalition forces around Kunduz advising and assisting” Afghan security forces. “We’ve seen U.S. aircraft supporting the Afghan government and the Afghan security forces because they can’t do it alone just yet,” said Mark Hertling, a retired U.S. Army general. “You’re also going to see U.S. special forces – special operating forces – supporting the commandos in Afghanistan as they attempt to reinforce Kunduz.” U.S. and German forces regularly operate in the area, advising Afghan forces. CNN’s Masoud Popalzai reported from Kabul, Greg Botelho reported and wrote from Atlanta and Jethro Mullen reported and wrote from Hong Kong. CNN’s Ivan Watson, Steve Almasy, Holly Yan, Kevin Wang,  Eliott C. McLaughlin, Barbara Starr, Elizabeth Joseph, Nic Robertson and Bex Wright contributed to this report.


Pope Francis has been outspoken on sensitive issues He's talked about sex abuse by priests, climate change, abortion, homosexuality Here's a look at what he has said and done about key issues facing the church As Pope Francis prepares to visit the United States for the first time, the world is waiting to hear what he will say about key issues facing the church. The Pope is known for tackling sensitive topics head on. But for all his surprises and proclamations, what has Pope Francis done to address the issues facing the Roman Catholic Church? “I feel compelled to take personal responsibility for all the evil that some priests, many – many in number, (although) not in comparison with the totality – to assume personal responsibility and to ask forgiveness for the damage caused by the sexual abuse of the children. The church is aware of this damage. We don’t want to take a step back in dealing with this problem and the sanctions that must be imposed.” – Vatican Radio, April 11, 2014 Don’t miss live coverage of Pope Francis’ trips to Cuba and the U.S. on CNN and CNNgo, and see the people and places that shaped Pope Francis in a CNN special report, “The People’s Pope,” Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET. In June 2015, Francis created a church tribunal to judge bishops who fail to protect children from sexually abusive priests. Since then, two U.S. bishops accused of covering up crimes of priests have stepped down. In March 2014, the Pope met with six victims of church sexual abuse – not the first such meeting between a pope and sex-abuse survivors, but it was the first of his papacy. On March 22, Francis appointed the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, headed by Boston’s archbishop, Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley. Previously, Francis had called for “zero tolerance” of sexual abuse by clerics, but critics accused the Vatican of being more talk than action. 5 key questions about the Pope’s trip “The Earth, our home, is beginning to look more and more like an immense pile of filth. In many parts of the planet, the elderly lament that once beautiful landscapes are now covered with rubbish.” – June 18, 2015, Encyclical Laudato Si’: On the Care of our Common Home Pope Francis released a comprehensive statement about the environment, calling for “cultural revolution” to change our lifestyles – ranging from materialistic distraction to our addiction to technology to our treatment of the poor. Related gallery The quotable Pope: Some of his more surprising sayings And the Pope wasn’t only talking to his Catholic flock. Francis said his letter was addressed to “every person living on this planet.” 5 key questions about the Pope and climate change Citing scientific consensus on global warming, “doomsday predictions,” warned Francis, “can no longer be met with irony or disdain.” The Pope criticized big business, oil companies and politicians that he said seek profit over the betterment of life on the planet and called out the media for being shortsighted. He said humanity’s “reckless” behavior has pushed the planet to a perilous “breaking point.” “Yet all is not lost,” Francis said. “Human beings, while capable of the worst, are also capable of rising above themselves, choosing again what is good, and making a new start.” The encyclical was published in at least five languages and was more than a year in the making, church officials said, drawing on the work of dozens of scientists, theologians, scholars and previous popes. “It is not enough to have altar girls, women readers. … Women in the church are more important than bishops and priests,” just as “Mary is more important than the apostles.” – July 28, 2013, press conference In 2013, Pope Francis said, “On the ordination of women, the church has spoken and said no,” and critics say he has been vague about what his pledge of “greater roles” for women in Catholicism would look like. Pope Francis has come out in favor of increasing women’s roles in the church, appointing women to a few powerful Vatican positions, including the committee to combat sex abuse in the Catholic Church, with roughly half of that 17-member committee made up of women. There is also a female member of the supervisory board for the Vatican bank. Sister Donna Markham is the first female president of Catholic Charities – which supports more than 70,000 employees and serves 10 million across the United States – in its 105-year history. According to Vatican Radio, just 18% of the Vatican’s workforce is female, including employees at Vatican museums, post offices and the Holy See that governs the Roman Catholic Church. “The forgiveness of God cannot be denied to one who has repented, especially when that person approaches the Sacrament of Confession with a sincere heart in order to obtain reconciliation with the Father.” – Pope’s letter on the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, September 1, 2015 Pope Francis shocked many this month when he announced that priests will be authorized to forgive the “sin of abortion” when the church begins a “Year of Mercy” on December 8. The catechism of the Catholic Church says that a person who procures an abortion incurs automatic excommunication, a penalty that often only a bishop can lift. But some experts in the Catholic canon law expressed confusion about the practical effects of the Pope’s announcement. “It’s another signal that the Pope wants a church of encounter that journeys with people,” said John Gehring, Catholic program director at Faith in Public Life. “He recognizes the church is anchored in the Gospel when mercy trumps finger-wagging judgment.” “If they accept the Lord and have good will, who am I to judge them? They shouldn’t be marginalized. The tendency (to homosexuality) is not the problem. … They’re our brothers.” – July 28, 2013, press conference Similar to his comments on abortion, Pope Francis has yet to reverse church doctrine on the issues of homosexuality or same-sex marriage, but he has changed the way the church publicly talks about homosexuality. Francis floated the idea that the church could support civil unions in an interview with an Italian newspaper on March 5, 2014. He reiterated the church’s longstanding teaching that “marriage is between a man and a woman,” but said, “We have to look at different cases and evaluate them in their variety” – the first time a pope has spoken on acceptance of civil unions, according to Catholic News Service. CNN’s Daniel Burke contributed to this report.


Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort accused a prominent member of special counsel Robert Mueller’s team of leaking details of the investigation into the political operative to a media organization. Manafort says in a new filing that lead special counsel prosecutor Andrew Weissmann communicated with four journalists from The Associated Press last year to share details of the investigation into Manafort, who at that time had not been indicted. Manafort rests his accusation in the court filing on the writings of freelance journalist Sara Carter. Manafort, who maintains his innocence, claimed the AP briefing – which he says happened around the time the international news agency published stories about payments to him in the so-called “black ledger” and his associations with Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska – was an illegal leak of grand jury secrets and classified material. Manafort alleged the leaks deprived him of his right to a fair trial. “It is the long-standing policy of The Associated Press to refrain from discussing our sources,” a spokesperson for The Associated Press said Monday. Manafort also asked the court to look into leaks coming from the special counsel’s team. The White House has similarly called for an investigation of Mueller’s team due to what President Donald Trump calls conflicts of interest among investigators on the team. Manafort accused officials of leaking details about the Russia probe and the Steele dossier regarding Trump campaign workers’ contacts with Russians. “Not only is leaking classified information a felony, but it was also apparently intended to create the false public narrative that Mr. Manafort was colluding with Russian intelligence officials during the Trump presidential campaign,” Manafort wrote in the court filing Monday night. “In light of the mass media coverage of these leaks in print, on television, radio and the internet, it seems unlikely that there is a jury questionnaire, instruction or change of venue that could cure the irreparable harm to Mr. Manafort’s constitutional rights resulting from leaks by the highest-level government officials.” The judge is set to hold a hearing on Manafort’s case in June, but hasn’t yet indicated if he’ll address the leak accusations. The special counsel’s office has said in the past that Manafort’s accusations of leaks don’t actually involve any protected grand jury activity. The prosecutors add that any bias in a jury can be rooted out at trial during jury selection. The special counsel’s office, for which Weissmann now leads the prosecution against Manafort, did not respond to a request for comment Monday but has addressed Manafort’s request that the court look into leaks in a previous filing.


Editor’s Note: Now you can get “5 Things You Need to Know Today” delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up here. It’s December. Just 30 more days to bid this crazy year goodbye. Here’s what you need to know today to  Get Up to Speed and Out the Door. The death toll from the fires that ravaged the area around Gatlinburg is up to 7 now. That number will probably rise because several people are still missing. Some help is on the way though. Dolly Parton, who grew up in the area and has a theme park there, is giving $1,000 a month to each family left homeless. The cop who killed Keith Lamont Scott won’t be charged. A North Carolina DA said Scott was holding a gun when an officer shot him back in September. The DA’s decision sparked small protests in downtown Charlotte, but nothing like the violent ones that rocked the city for days after the shooting. Colombia’s Congress has OK’d a new peace deal with FARC rebels that it hopes will stick this time. A pact crafted earlier this year was sunk by voters, who felt it wasn’t hard enough on FARC fighters. Critics say changes in the new agreement are really just cosmetic. Get ready for pain at the pump. OPEC’s nailed down a deal to cut production, which means about 1.2 million fewer barrels a day starting in January. The price of crude oil has already jumped by 9% with news of the deal. ISIS is using a new weapon against the civilians trapped in Mosul as it wages its last stand: water. A city official says the group has intentionally cut off supplies in some areas, leaving half a million people with no running water. Why? To force people to retreat with it so it can use them as human shields. People are talking about these. Read up. Join in. Help wanted There’s probably going to be some openings at a Tennessee company. Twenty employees at North American Stamping won a $420 million Powerball jackpot. Good night Do you love your phone? Do you love it enough to buy it a bed … for $100? If you do Arianna Huffington is willing to sell you one. Never again If this police force in Canada catches you driving drunk, it’s going to force you to listen to Nickelback. Talk about cruel and unusual punishment. At least this one won’t sink China is building an exact replica of the Titanic, in a county hundreds of miles from the ocean, because of, you know, tourism. Oh no you didn’t There are traces of animal fat in new British five pound notes, and vegans and vegetarians aren’t having it. Here’s today’s must-read Paradise lost CNN heads to the Pacific’s Midway Atoll, which is literally being taken over by all the plastic that we toss away. Cry baby cry Watching babies crying in slow motion – with sound effects! – is so wrong, and yet so right. (Click to view)


Putin: "We are not going to do this now. We will see how the situation develops" Remarks are the latest in a series of tense diplomatic exchanges between US, Russia Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that Moscow may force the United States to cut an additional 155 of its diplomatic personnel in Russia if tensions persist between the two countries. “We reserve the right to further reduce the number of US diplomats in Moscow,” Putin told reporters at the summit of the BRICS nations in southern China. “But we are not going to do this now. We will see how the situation develops.” Putin’s remarks Tuesday are the latest in a series of tense diplomatic exchanges between the two nations following US allegations that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election. Last week the Trump administration announced it was shuttering the Russian Consulate in San Francisco as well as annexes in Washington and New York in response to mandated staff cuts at the US mission in Russia. The American plan to close the three diplomatic facilities followed Moscow’s order for almost half of US personnel to leave their positions in Russia and the seizure of two US diplomatic properties in response to expanded sanctions passed by Congress. “The fact that Americans have reduced the number of diplomatic representations in the US, well it is their right, but it was done not in a polite manner and that does not give credit to our American partners,” Putin said Tuesday. Putin apparently came up with the 155 figure because he said that 155 of Russia’s staff in the United States were “not really diplomats” but part of its UN mission in New York. In July, Putin sought to reduce the number of US diplomats in Russia to 455, a figure equal to the number of Russian diplomats now in the United States, the Russian Foreign Ministry said. The Russian leader also said Tuesday he could sue US authorities over violating Russian property rights. “This was unprecedented, and I was a graduate of St. Petersburg University school of law, I can tell you that (the) American side has taken away the right to use our property. And this is (a) violation of our rights,” Putin said. “I think to start with, we should go to court and we should go see how effectively (the) American court system works.” Related article Russia summons American diplomat as its US outposts are ordered to close In a statement last week announcing the US plan to close the Russian facilities, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said, “The United States has fully implemented the decision by the Government of the Russian Federation to reduce the size of our mission in Russia. We believe this action was unwarranted and detrimental to the overall relationship between our countries. “In the spirit of parity invoked by the Russians,” she continued, “we are requiring the Russian government to close its Consulate General in San Francisco, a chancery annex in Washington, D.C., and a consular annex in New York City.” Nauert also noted the United States was allowing Russia to maintain additional annexes “in an effort to arrest the downward spiral in our relationship” but was “prepared to take further action as necessary and as warranted.” In late 2016, President Barack Obama ordered the expulsion of 35 Russian diplomats and the seizure of two Russian government compounds in response to alleged Russian meddling in the presidential election. At the time, the Kremlin announced it would not retaliate immediately, but rather, consider further action “based on the policies of the Trump administration.” CNN’s Sarah Faidell and Jill Dougherty contributed to this report.