Syrian groups: Russian strikes kill over 400 civilians

Russian air strikes in Syria have killed over 400 civilians since September this year, monitoring groups say.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said the death toll from September 30 - when the strikes were launched - until November 20 stood at 403 civilians, a figure that includes 97 children.

What the bombing has caused

Over 400 civilians killed since September this year, including 97 children. The Syrian Network for Human Rights puts the figure at at least 526, including 137 children.  Since last October, at least 42,234 air strikeshave been documented. Over 22,370 'barrel bombs' have also been dropped in that period resulting in death of 6,889 civilians, including 1,436 children, and injuring another 35,000 civilians. At least 100,000 people have fled from Aleppo, while another 1,000 fled an Atma displaced camp in Idlib suburbs. The Syrian conflict has killed at least 250,000 people, according to the UN. Sources: Syrian Observatory for Human Rights & Syrian Network for Human Rights

Meanwhile, the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR), another monitoring group, said at least 526 were killed, including 137 children, since Russia launched its first air strikes.

Since last October, at least 42,234 air strikes that targeted farms, villages, towns and cities have been documented, according to SOHR.

It said over 22,370 so-called barrel bombs were dropped across the country in that period resulting in a total of 6,889 civilians deaths, including 1,436 children.

Another 35,000 civilians have been injured.

At least 100,000 people fled from Aleppo due to Russian air strikes, SNHR said, while another 1,000 fled a camp for the displaced in Atma, in Idlib city's suburbs.

Russia says the goal of its military operation in Syria is in response to a request by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and on the basis of a decision granted by its parliament.

On Friday. Russia fired cruise missiles from the Caspian Sea for a fourth day against what it described as ISIL targets.

Russian and Syrian officials said their jets hit 50 ISIL targets in Deir Az Zor province, the most intense air raids since Russia began its air strikes.

For its part, SOHR said at least seven civlians were killed in government air strikes in Aleppo on Saturday.

The Syrian conflict has killed at least 250,000 people, according to the UN, and more than half of Syria's pre-war population of 22.4 million has been internally displaced or fled abroad.

Mark Zuckerberg to take 2 months of paternity leave

Sept. 11, 2013: Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks during the 2013 TechCrunch Disrupt conference (AFP, Justin Sullivan)

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg said Friday he's planning on taking two months of paternity leave when his daughter is born.

He said in a Facebook post that "outcomes are better for children and families" when working parents take time off to be with their newborns. He called the decision "very personal."

He announced in July that he and wife Priscilla Chan were expecting a baby girl following three miscarriages.

In his post Friday, Zuckerberg said the couple is "starting to get ready" for their daughter's arrival but didn't indicate when she is due.

Facebook Inc., which is based in Menlo Park, California, offers its U.S. employees up to four months of paid parental leave. It's among several high-tech companies that offer generous benefits around childbirth.

Netflix Inc. said in August it was giving U.S. workers up to a year of paid leave following the birth or adoption of a child. Adobe Systems Inc. and Microsoft Corp. bolstered their parental benefits following the move.

Turkish Flight Diverts After Bomb Threat

The plane had 256 passengers and crew on board. (File pic)

The plane landed safely at Halifax airport and police were searching it using dogs trained in explosives, the Nova Scotia branch of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said on Twitter.

The police force tweeted: "Investigation into bomb threat is in its early stages. Threat was received at 10.50pm this evening.

"#RCMP will not be commenting on the details of the bomb threat. This will form part of the investigation.

"#RCMP is looking to establish the origin of the threat and identify the person or persons responsible."

Separately, Halifax airport tweeted that the transfer of the 256 passengers and crew on the flight to the terminal was going smoothly and all were safe.   

The airport tweeted that the flight was bound for the Turkish capital of Ankara, while the RCMP had initially tweeted that it was headed to Istanbul.

Turkish Airlines did not immediately respond to a request for comment and Halifax airport officials could not immediately be reached to clarify.

On 17 October, Air France Flight 55 from Dulles International Airport outside Washington was diverted to Halifax after an anonymous bomb threat was phoned in after the plane had taken off.

The FBI said authorities had investigated and found no credible threat, while the RCMP said investigators found no evidence of an explosive device.

That threat came after the Paris attacks that killed 130 people and heightened security concerns worldwide.

What is ‘electronic mail’? A guide to ‘computerbabble’ from 1985.

We know that computers have led to a whole army of developments and changes in the English language. “Friend” is now both a noun and a verb, a “sandbox” can be for developers, and a “tablet” is no longer just an ancient relic.

But not all of these changes are recent: The word “e-mail” has been in the Oxford English Dictionary since 1989, and some basic technological jargon began moving toward mainstream English even earlier than that.

For example, take the following entries from a “Layperson’s guide to ‘computerbabble,'” published in a 1985 edition of the Toronto-based Financial Post.

The guide promises to allow readers to “cut expertly through the jungle of computerbabble,” and gives a rundown of plain language definitions for the words and phrases that were, at that time, starting to escape into wider use but that were not widely known outside of computer scientist circles.

Although often funny in retrospect, the guide is also surprisingly comprehensive. The definitions of many of these terms will be second nature to most 2015 readers. Others are more technical. The definitions here speak to how much assumed knowledge of computer technology has changed over time

Here are selections from how the Financial Post instructed its readers to talk about computers in the mid-’80s. We’ve condensed and organized their alphabetical list into a few, easier to read, categories.

The Basics
Alphanumeric
“Anything containing letters of the alphabet and numbers, such as a typewriter keyboard.”

Analog
“A continuous signal, along which all information, such as voice and data, travels at the same time. The human voice, for example, is a continuous (analog) signal. Analog is slower and less precise than digital.”

Digital
“Unlike analog, this sends information in a series of discrete pulses, much like a machine gun firing bullets at a target. Much faster and more accurate than analog.”

Hardware
“A computer, smart telephone, word processor or other electronic device.”

Software
“Instructions to the computers to enable you to carry out specific functions – such as data analysis, spreadsheets or word processing. Usually in the form of small magnetic floppy disks, which are inserted into the computer and instruct it how to process the information entered into it.”

QWERTY
“A standard typewriter keyboard, after the layout of the first six letters in the top line. Computers, smart telephones, and word processors have this basic keyboard, often with additional keys.”

Getting “on line”
Modem
“Short for modulate/demodulate, this is used to attach a computer to the telephone network. It changes computer digital signals to analog for sending, and reconverts the analog signal at the other end so the receiving computer can understand it.”

On line
“Direct access to the processing power of a computer. A computer timesharing service, in which a number of subscribers share the same central computer, is an example. When subscribers call up and connect their terminals to the system, they are on line.”

Off line
“No longer connected. When subscribers in the example above finish using the the central computer, they are said to be off line.”

Electronic mail
“All the ways of sending and receiving messages using computers. Hooking a computer into the telephone network gives access to such services as word processing, database, stock market quotations, provided by electronic mail companies.”

Full-duplex
“A modem that can send and receive information while connected to the telephone line. If it can only handle these functions one at a time it is half-duplex. Full-duplex is sometimes just called duplex.”

Learning about computers
Architecture
“A building is made up of many parts. So is a computer’s brain, or central processing unit (CPU). Architecture refers to how the CPU is assembled, which affects how it is programmed.”

Baud
“Often referred to as ”bits per second,” the numbers of characters per second that can be sent across a telephone line. Baud rates are expressed in multiples of 10. A personal computer with a baud rate of 300 can send messages at a speed of 30 characters per second.”

Bit
“Short for binary digit, the smallest unit of information in computers. Bits are usually bundled together in groups of eight, called bytes.”

Black box
“Converts the signals of one machine into signals another dissimilar machine (such as a telephone) can understand. It is attached to these machines by cables.”

Buffer
“A separate device or space set aside in a computer’s memory to store information temporarily. For example, most printers hooked up to computers can’t print as fast as the information arrives, so they must store the information while they catch up.”

Byte
“The equivalent of one letter or number in a computer’s memory, usually measured in increments of 1,000.”

Database
“Anything stored electronically in a computer. Database is also a special program that enables you to sort through these lists for information.”

Dedicated
“A telephone, computer, word processor or other piece of equipment used for a specific purpose is said to be dedicated – a telephone line used only for transmitting data is a dedicated telephone line.”

Firmware
“The built-in operating program (also read only memory, or ROM) of a computer or smart telephone, so called because you cannot erase it. Also applied to electronic devices containing this program.”

Kilobyte
“From the Latin, kilo, for 1,000. Often, just the letter K appears after a number, describing the size of a computer’s memory – 64,000 bytes-worth would be 64K.”

Protocol
“The rules of operation built into a computer and its programs.”

Extra credit
Fibre optics
“The technology that combines tiny infrared lasers with glass fibres made up out of the purest silica sand to send information. A century ago, telephone inventor Alexander Graham Bell discovered light could transmit soundwaves, but it is only today optical fibre cables are being harnessed for business communications. Eventually, these hair-thin strands of glass will replace all copper wire cables.”

Integration
“The latest buzzword. The functions of different equipment, such as telephones, word processors and computers, are combined in one machine, or linked together in a network. Not true integration if the combination doesn’t improve efficiency or is impractical. A digital watch/calculator combination is not an integrated system because the functions aren’t directly related to each other.”

User-friendly
“PhD in computer engineering not required. The machine and the software programs are easy to use and understand.”

Landslide in Northern Myanmar Kills About 70; 100 Missing

A landslide near a jade mine in northern Myanmar killed up to 70 people and left more than 100 missing, most of them villagers sifting through a huge mountain of tailings and waste, a community leader and businessman said Sunday.

The collapse occurred Saturday afternoon in Kachin state, said Brang Seng, a jade businessman, describing rows of bodies pulled from the debris.

"There were more than 70," he said. "This is awfully bad."

More than 100 others were missing, said Lamai Gum Ja, a community leader who also has interests in the mining business.

Myanmar only recently started moving from a half-century of dictatorship to democracy. Hpakant, the epicenter of the country's jade boom, remains desperately poor, with bumpy dirt roads and constant electricity blackouts.

The region bordering China is home to some of the world's highest quality jade, bringing in billions of dollars a year, though researchers say most of that money goes to individuals and companies tied to Myanmar's former military rulers.

Informal miners risk and often lose their lives digging through scraps of the giant mines.

"Large companies, many of them owned by families of former generals, army companies, cronies and drug lords are making tens or hundreds of millions of dollars a year through their plunder of Hpakant," said Mike Davis of Global Witness, a group that investigates the misuse of revenue from natural resources.

He said that "scores of people at a time are buried alive in landslides."

Why It Takes Two Years for Syrian Refugees to Enter the U.S.

Syrians must pass many layers of security checks before being admitted to the United States, a process that can take two years or longer. In most cases, the refugees do not enter the United States until the very end. They are also subject to an additional layer of checks beyond those for refugees of other nationalities; after the Paris attacks, the House voted to further tighten screening procedures. Since 2011, the United States has admitted fewer than 2,000 Syrian refugees.

1. Registration with the United Nations.

2. Interview with the United Nations.

3. Refugee status granted by the United Nations.

4. Referral for resettlement in the United States.

The United Nations decides if the person fits the definition of a refugee and whether to refer the person to a country for resettlement. Only the most vulnerable are referred, accounting for fewer than 1 percent of refugees worldwide. Some people spend years waiting in refugee camps.

5. Interview with State Department contractors. 

6. First background check.

7. Higher-level background check for some.

8. Another background check.

The refugee’s name is run through law enforcement and intelligence databases for terrorist or criminal history. Some go through a higher-level clearance before they can continue. A third background check was introduced in 2008 for Iraqis but has since been expanded to all refugees ages 14 to 65.

9. First fingerprint screening; photo taken.

10. Second fingerprint screening.

11. Third fingerprint screening.

The refugee’s fingerprints are screened against F.B.I. and Homeland Security databases, which contain watch list information and past immigration encounters, including if the refugee previously applied for a visa at a United States embassy. Fingerprints are also checked against those collected by the Defense Department during operations in Iraq.

12. Case reviewed at United States immigration headquarters.

13. Some cases referred for additional review.

Syrian applicants must undergo these two additional steps. Each is reviewed by a United States Citizenship and Immigration Services refugee specialist. Cases with “national security indicators” are given to the Homeland Security Department’s fraud detection unit.

14. Extensive, in-person interview with Homeland Security officer.

Most of the interviews with Syrians have been done in Jordan and Turkey.

15. Homeland Security approval is required.

If the House bill becomes law, the director of the F.B.I., the Homeland Security secretary and the director of national intelligence would be required to confirm that the applicant poses no threat.

16. Screening for contagious diseases.

17. Cultural orientation class.

18. Matched with an American resettlement agency.

19. Multi-agency security check before leaving for the United States.

Because of the long amount of time between the initial screening and departure, officials conduct a final check before the refugee leaves for the United States.

20. Final security check at an American airport.

Brussels in lockdown

Many in Brussels continued to go outside despite the threats [AP Photo/Virginia Mayo]

Belgium's state of emergency has entered a second day amid concerns that a "Paris-style" attack involving explosives is imminent in Brussels, which is on lockdown with the army on the streets.

Shops in the Belgian capital are closed, the city's metro system has been shut down, and residents have been urged to say at home in the face of a "serious and imminent threat".

Warnings on movement remained in place on Sunday as authorities continued their efforts to track down one of the men believed to be involved in the attack on the French capital last week that killed 130 people.

Salah Abdesalam, a Belgian national, is suspected to be hiding in the Brussels area and carrying what might be an explosive device.

Charles Michel, Belgium's prime minister, moved to increase the state of alert in Brussels to the highest level early on Saturday in response to the threat.

Metro services and major events have since been suspended as hundreds of police officers and soldiers fanned out across the city.

Residents have been asked to stay indoors and avoid crowded areas amid the alert, which is in force only in Brussels.

Emergency phone lines have been set up to report suspicious activity, as well as sightings of Abdesalam.

Ongoing threat

Belgium has been at the forefront of efforts to track down those involved in helping execute the November 13 attacks in Paris, which targeted a concert hall, football stadium, cafe and shopping mall.

On Thursday, the country's security services launched raids in the Molenbeek and Jette neighbourhoods of Brussels and made further arrests on Saturday.

The attacks were blamed on the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group, and several of the attackers are believed to have received training in Syria. 

The apparent ringleader, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, was a Belgian national who fought with ISIL and is suspected of helping to inspire or direct previous attacks targeting France.

Since the start of October, ISIL has launched a number of attacks against targets outside the territory it primarily operates in, including in France, Lebanon, and Turkey.

The group has also claimed credit for bringing down on October 31 a Russian airliner in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula by smuggling a bomb on board.