U.S. State Department Issues Worldwide Travel Alert

The U.S. State Department has issued rare a worldwide travel alert due to ongoing terrorist threats from the Islamic State of Iraq and Great Syria (ISIS) and other groups.

The travel alert urges caution for any Americans traveling abroad, coming in the wake of a terrorist attack in Paris on Nov. 13 that killed 129 people.

The alert, posted Monday, says, “Current information suggests that ISIL (aka Da’esh) [ISIS], al-Qa’ida, Boko Haram, and other terrorist groups continue to plan terrorist attacks in multiple regions… Authorities believe the likelihood of terror attacks will continue as members of ISIL/Da’esh return from Syria and Iraq. Additionally, there is a continuing threat from unaffiliated persons planning attacks inspired by major terrorist organizations but conducted on an individual basis. Extremists have targeted large sporting events, theatres, open markets, and aviation services.”

The alert will remain in place until February 2016, the State Department said.

BBC to launch Pidgin service

The BBC has announced it will be launching a digital service in Pidgin and Yoruba in Nigeria, Africa's most populous state. 

"Pidgin is a popular language among young people in Nigeria and across West Africa," said Liliane Landor, controller of languages at the World Service.

The BBC will also launch a TV service in Somali, and radio and digital services for Ethiopia and Eritrea, said BBC Africa editor Solomon Mugera.

Details of which languages the BBC will broadcast in to Ethiopia and Eritrea will be announced later.

The announcement comes after the UK government agreed to invest around $128m (£85m) a year in enhancing BBC services around the world.

Ahmed Mohamed’s Family Demands $15 Million

An attorney for the family of teen clockmaker Ahmed Mohamed is demanding $15 million from Texas officials, along with an apology for how Mohamed was treated when he brought his homemade clock to school.

Mohamed is the 14-year-old Texas ninth-grader-turned-celebrity who was arrested at school after a homemade clock he brought in was mistaken for a bomb. He has since been honored everywhere from Google to the White House.

Mohamed’s attorney sent letters to the City of Irving and the Irving Independent School District adding new details and accusations to the story, with the family alleging that authorities “sought to cover its mistakes with a media campaign that further alienated the child at the center of this maelstrom,” the Dallas Morning News reports.

The Mohamed’s are asking for $15 million in damages, as well as apologies from key players—the school district, MayorVan Duyneand Police Chief Larry Boyd, alleging “They stoked the flames. They tried to push responsibility off on the victim—Ahmed.”

Lesley Weaver, spokeswoman for the Irving school district, said in a statement Monday that the school district’s attorneys “will review the information and respond as appropriate, as with any legal matter,” reports the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram.

Attorneys for the family said they would give the school district and the city 60 days to comply before filing a civil lawsuit.

Pope set for Africa visit

All signs are that Pope Francis will receive a rock-star welcome as he prepares for his first visit to Africa.

Millions of people across Central and East Africa are already talking about the "historic visit" to the continent, and hundreds of thousands more are expected to turn out to catch a glimpse of the pontiff when he arrives in Kenya, the first stop in his three-country tour.

Francis is scheduled to travel to Kenya, Uganda, and the Central African Republic (CAR) - a travel itinerary that has raised eyebrows but also endeared him to the region.

Religious tolerance 

Father Anthony Gichure, a theologian and Catholic Church expert based in Nairobi, told Al Jazeera the timing of Francis' trip was important considering the high level of corruption and repeated violent attacks in the country.

"By coming [here] he can suggest to us ways and approaches to tackle these problems in a human way," Father Gichure said.

"I think he will talk about relations between Muslims and Christians - that terrorists can be from any religion. ... I think he will encourage us to avoid consumerism and materialism that encourages corruption."

The Pope will be particularly welcome to Kenya because he has displayed, during his papacy, a capacity to look beyond Europe and embrace the concerns of people around the world. Editorial in Daily Nation, Kenya

In a visit expected to  focus  on social inequality, religious tolerance and coexistence at a time of rising political instability and extremism in the region, organisers have been quick to assert that they have pulled out all the stops in ensuring nothing untoward takes place. Many in the foreign press have referred to Francis' trip as "his most dangerous" trip to date.

"As we welcome the pope, we stand in unity to secure our nation," CS Joseph Nkaissery, Kenya's interior minister, said in a message broadcast over Twitter on Monday.

Likewise, Joseph Boinnet, Kenyan police inspector general, said in a  statement  on Sunday: "Security arrangements have been made and put in place right from arrival to coverage of all the routes that he will be using, the venues and the residences including providing security for the visitors who will be coming into this city."

There is still some doubt over Francis's visit to the CAR, due to the ongoing Muslim-Christian violence and instability in the country.

However, all indications are that Francis is determined to make the trip.

Interest in Francis' visit has already dominated social media in parts of the continent, with #PopeinKenya or #TellthePope trending on Twitter, underscoring the keen sense of anticipation among the faithful.

On Monday, a new poll published by Infotrak showed that nine out of 10 Kenyans, Catholic or otherwise, were looking forward to Francis' visit.

The poll, conducted between October 3 and November 20, had a sample size of 777 individuals representing 19 million adult Kenyans.

"Pope Francis' humility has endeared him to both Catholics and non-Catholics," Infotrak's Angela Ombitho was quoted as having said. 

Likewise, Kenya's Daily Nation said in an  editorial   on Monday that a visit "from this particular pope is a moment to savour".

"The pope will be particularly welcome to Kenya because he has displayed, during his papacy, a capacity to look beyond Europe and embrace the concerns of people around the world."

Father Gichure said people of all faiths were looking forward to the visit, " because they see in him a message of hope, and this message cuts across divisions". 

It is a sentiment that  Sheikh Khalfan Khamist Ismail, chairman of the Muslim Council of Kenya, agrees with.

"We are looking forward to hearing his message of peace. Kenya is a country of many religions and important for the rest of the world," he said. 

Gay activists in Uganda have said they hope Francis will address the discrimination of the gay and lesbian communities on a continent where being gay is still a crime in most countries.

"I would like the Pope to at least make people know that being LGBT [lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender] is not a curse," Jackson Mukasa, 20, a Ugandan in Kampala, told Reuters news agency on Monday.

Mukasa was imprisoned in 2014, on suspicion of committing homosexual acts, before charges were dropped for lack of evidence.

Last week a spokesperson at the Vatican refused to say whether Francis will enter the debate, adding that he is unlikely to go against the wishes of his local bishops. 

According to a report this year by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, a research centre affiliated with Georgetown University in the US, the proportion of African Catholics in the world population of Catholics increased from seven percent to 16 percent between 1980 and 2012.

Blast at Japan's Controversial War Shrine Injures No One

An explosion Monday damaged a public restroom at a controversial shrine in Tokyo that honors Japanese war dead, with police suspecting foul play. No one was injured.

The Yasukuni shrine, which honors 2.5 million Japanese war dead, including executed war criminals, has been the target of criticism from China and South Korea, which suffered from Japan's World War II atrocities and aggression.

Tokyo police said in a statement that they received a call about an explosion and smoke at Yasukuni. They said they suspected a "guerrilla" attack, implying some kind of subversive activity, but declined to elaborate.

Firefighters were also called to the scene and found the ceiling and walls of the restroom had been damaged, said an official at the Tokyo Fire Department, who spoke on condition of anonymity. But the fire was out by the time they arrived.

It was unclear what caused the explosion, but a timing device and wirings were found near the spot of the explosion, according to Kyodo News service. Police will be reviewing footage on security cameras for clues, TBS TV news said. Footage on TV Asahi showed a bomb squad in protective gear entering the shrine premises.

The person in charge of media at Yasukuni was not immediately available for comment.

The shrine is a focal point for lingering tensions with Japan's neighbors over the country's aggression before and during World War II. Some Japanese lawmakers have insisted on making official visits in the name of patriotism, while other lawmakers say such visits glorify Japan's historical mistakes.

Emperor Akihito has not visited Yasukuni. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has also avoided making official visits over the last two years.

While views on the shrine have divided the Japanese public, it holds emotional significance for some because during the war soldiers promised each other they would reunite at Yasukuni if they died.

The shrine has a grandiose gate, giant cherry trees and a museum that pays homage to those who died in Japan's wars, including kamikaze pilots.

Many families and tourists visit Yasukuni. Monday was a national holiday, and shrine officials said the grounds remained open for the rest of the day.

‘NRA’s Sick Jihad'

A New York tabloid is calling the National Rifle Association's platform "sick jihad" and the organization's leader "Jihadi Wayne" after the organization fought legislation that would prohibit people on the government's watch-list for terrorists and suspected terrorists from purchasing guns.

The New York Daily News, a longtime NRA adversary, has published two front-page stories during the past week calling out the NRA and its "gun-loving Republican cohorts" for opposing legislation that would block people on the watch-list from purchasing firearms.

The tabloid's response comes after The Washington Post and others reported that, over the past decade, more than 2,000 terror suspects legally purchased guns in the United States — and a bill to put an end to it had hit NRA resistance.

"These bills have rarely made it out of committee, in part due to vehement opposition from the National Rifle Association and its allies in Congress," Wonkblog's Chris Ingraham wrote last week.

The Daily News wrote about the issue first last week, claiming in its cover story that people on the list who were able to buy firearms had gotten away with it "because gun nuts are blocking law that would end this madness."

On Monday, it ran a follow-up with the headline, "Nowhere to hide, Jihadi Wayne" — saying NRA chief executive Wayne LaPierre had been "conspicuously silent" about the story.

Under U.S. law, people on the FBI's consolidated terrorist watchlist — typically those under "reasonable suspicion" as known or suspected terrorists — can buy firearms.

When the bill, "Denying Firearms and Explosives to Dangerous Terrorists Act of 2015," was introduced earlier this year to prohibit that practice, the NRA put its foot down. It said that the bill, which was "sponsored by gun control extremists," was "aimed primarily at law-abiding American gun owners," and that "prohibiting the possession of firearms doesn’t stop criminals from illegally acquiring them."

The recent terror attacks in Paris only added fuel to the debate, highlighting American gun laws and questioning who the legislation serves.

The NRA's Institute for Legislative Action responded late last week, stating that it does not want to put guns in the hands of terrorists.

"While some media sources did ruefully acknowledge that Paris already has highly restrictive gun control and that the firearms used in the attacks were obtained illegally," it said, "attention soon focused on supposed loopholes in American laws that critics claim make the U.S. a virtual arms bazaar for terrorists. One tabloid went so far as to characterize NRA’s Second Amendment advocacy as a 'sick jihad.'"

Jennifer Baker, NRA director of public affairs, said that the organization is against denying Second Amendment protections only to those who were wrongly put on the government watch list. There are approximately 750,000 people on the terrorism watch-list. Some civil liberties experts have complained that the watch-list is too broad, potentially including lawful relatives or acquaintances of suspected terrorists.

“The NRA does not want terrorists or dangerous people to have firearms, any suggestion otherwise is offensive and wrong,” she said in a statement to The Post. “Under the current system, law enforcement is notified every time a person on the list attempts to purchase a firearm. Law Enforcement then makes a case by case decision on the appropriate follow-up for each circumstance.

"The NRA’s only objective is to ensure that Americans who are wrongly on the list are afforded their constitutional right to due process."

Indeed, this is not the first time the Daily News has come after the NRA. After the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting, the tabloid called the NRA La Pierre the "craziest man on earth."

"Just 90 minutes after moment of silence for Newtown victims," the headline read, "vile NRA nut blames everyone and everything except the guns."

Zimbabwe's Mr Ugly Is 'Not Ugly Enough'

Mison Sere, 42, was chosen by judges over 35 other Mister Ugly contestants for his missing front teeth and wide range of revolting facial expressions.

Former champion William Masvinu, a veteran with four previous Mister Ugly titles, cried foul, however, saying that Mr Sere's ugliness should not count because it was not natural.

"I am naturally ugly. He is not. He is ugly only when he opens his mouth," Mr Masvinu said, gesturing at his rival.

Another contestant, Patrick Mupereki, asked: "Do we have to lose our teeth to win? This is cheating."

When Mr Sere was announced the winner of the competition in Harare, Mr Masvinu and his supporters mobbed the judges, claiming he was "too handsome" to win.

The mob then began pushing and shoving and hurling insults at the judges. Luckily, the chaos did not result in injuries.

Competition organisers had previously said disabilities and enhancements would see a contestant disqualified from the pageant, which was to focus on "natural ugliness".

But judge Abigail Mataranyika, a university student, said Mr Masvinu simply had not tried hard enough to make the most of his ugliness.

"Sere made tremendous effort to enhance his ugliness by pulling facial stunts but Masvinu thought he is so ugly that he didn't need to try hard. That cost him the crown."

Unemployed Mr Sere described his critics as "sore losers" who "should just accept I'm uglier than them".

Happily pocketing his $500 prize money, he said he was now hoping for a television contract.

He said: "I already moved around schools performing and showcasing my ugliness, so this is a chance to make it on TV."

Zimbabwe has a history of controversial beauty - or otherwise - pageants.

Earlier this year, Miss Zimbabwe winner Emily Kachote was bullied on social media by angry pageant fans saying she was ugly and did not deserve to win the competition.

She gave up the title two weeks into her reign after the publication of nude photos - the same thing that saw the undoing of her predecessor.