Germany Joins Campaign Against IS

Up to 1,200 soldiers will be sent in support roles. File pic

Germany will commit up to 1,200 soldiers to support the international coalition fighting the militant group under the plan, which requires parliamentary approval.

It also intends to send Tornado reconnaissance aircraft, tanker planes and a warship in support roles - but will not actively engage in combat.

Chancellor Angela Merkel's governing coalition has a large majority and approval looks assured. The parliament will hold a vote on Wednesday.

France had requested Germany's help in the fight following the 13 November terror attacks in Paris which killed 130 people.

The German cabinet's approval comes a day before British MPs vote on airstrikes against IS targets in Syria.

US, French and Australian warplanes are already taking part in coalition airstrikes in Syria.

Russia has also been bombing IS targets - but there has been concern it has mainly been targeting foreign-backed Syrian rebels.

German foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier acknowledged it could be a protracted fight.

"We are doing what is militarily necessary, what we can do best, and what we can back politically," he told the Bild newspaper ahead of the cabinet vote.

"We need patience against an enemy like IS."

Last week, defence minister Ursula von der Leyen indicated a German frigate would help protect the French flagship Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean from where fighter jets carry out bombing runs.

She said the tanker aircraft could refuel the jets mid-air.

Ms von der Leyen, however, ruled out German forces working with Syrian leader Bashar al Assad. 

"The top line is: there will be no cooperation with Assad and no cooperation with troops under his command," she told ARD television.

Germany previously resisted a direct involvement in Syria, but had been providing training and weaponry to Kurdish forces battling IS in the war-torn country.

The Weapons Britain Could Use Against IS

A Royal Air Force Reaper drone at Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan

If the green light is given, military action could begin within days.

But what sort of weapons are at Britain's disposal?

A rocket-propelled, radar guided weapon that could be used to hit smaller targets - such as vehicles at long range.

A tandem charge warhead is detonated upon impact to ensure penetration of armour.

Parts of the RAF are already equipped to fly with the missiles and they were used when Tornado fighter-bombers carried out airstrikes on IS targets in Iraq.

Described as "arguably the most advanced weapon of its kind in the world" by the RAF, the cruise missiles were used during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

The long-range air-launched missiles feature an integrated GPS to navigate their way to targets at low level.

The RAF's Tornado GR4 can usually carry a handful of Paveway IV bombs or two Stormshadow "bunker busters", which could be dropped on IS buildings or compounds.

These would be launched from Royal Navy attack submarines, which have been equipped with the missiles since the late 1990s.

HMS Astute fires a Tomahawk cruise missile during testing

The missiles have a range of well over 1,000 miles and can be redirected to a new target whilst in the air.

They can also beam back images to the submarine

An RAF Tornado GR4 equipped with Brimstone missiles

Unmanned drones currently deployed in Afghanistan could be redirected to attack targets in Syria.

The UK has a number of Reaper drones, which can be used for reconnaissance and ground attack missions.

In October, David Cameron announced the Government would double the number of drones in the British fleet by buying 20 Protectors and scrapping the existing Reaper model.

However, the drones may just be used for surveillance, gathering information about key targets and IS strongholds, rather than carrying weapons.

Woman dies after 'terror drill' at Kenya's Strathmore University

Image copyright

Image caption

Staff member Esther Kidemba died from severe head injuries, Strathmore University confirmed in a statement. 

Panic spread after security officials fired gunshots as part of the drill at midday on Monday, local media report. 

Several students said they had not been given advance warning of the security exercise. 

Most of the injuries were caused by people jumping from windows, a medical source told AFP news agency. 

"We were not informed... we just heard gunshots and had to run for our dear lives," one student told the local Capital FM news website.

Strathmore University said in an official statement that the drill had been carried out to test "the preparedness of the university community and emergency team in the event of an attack". 

It added that teams of students and staff had been trained in "evacuation, assembly points and exit points", but did not elaborate on whether people had been notified about the timing of the drill. 

"Unfortunately some students and staff panicked and got injured," it said in a statement released before the news of Ms Kidemba's death was confirmed. 

Many Kenyans have taken to social media to condemn the university over the apparent mishandling of the exercise and for putting the lives of students and staff at risk. 

"What happened today at Strathmore University was an attack, not a drill!," commented one twitter user. 

The university has said it will cover the medical costs of those injured as a result of the exercise. 

Nairobi police chief Japheth Koome said all the proper procedures were followed for Monday's drill, Reuters news agency reports. 

In April. the Kenyan government instructed the country's higher education institutions to provide training to teach students how to respond in the event of a terror attack. 

It followed the killing of at least 148 people, mainly students, in an attack by Islamist militant group al-Shabab on Garissa University College in north-eastern Kenya.

This Country Has the Best Internet in the World

Bloomberg—Bloomberg via Getty ImagesJeong Se Hyun, a professional video-game player, uses a computer keyboard as he competes against Yang Jin Hyeob, not pictured, during the final round of the Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) Sports FIFA Online Championship at the Nexon Co. e-Sports Stadium in Seoul, South Korea, on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2015.

It's not the U.S.

Where should you travel if you want the best Internet connection in the world? A new report says you should book a ticket straight to South Korea.

The East Asian nation topped a ranking of countries by their communications infrastructure released Monday. The ranking, which comes by way of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), tracks a variety of metrics to come up with a benchmark for measuring telecom developments across countries.

South Korea, which also led the ITU’s list back in 2010, is considered by many to be home to the fastest Internet connections in the world.

Coming in second and third place are Denmark and Iceland, respectively. The United States, meanwhile, is sitting in fifteenth place, a one-place improvement from five years ago.

ITUITU IDI Rankings

Head to the ITU’s website for the full report, which is full of other interesting data about global connectivity.

Burkina Faso elects new leader after historic election

Roch Marc Christian Kabore has been elected Burkina Faso's new leader, the second civilian to become president since the West African country won independence in 1960, according to preliminary results released by the country's electoral commission.

Kabore will replace the transitional government put in place after a popular uprising in October 2014 [Virginie Lefour/EPA]

The Independent National Electoral Commission said on Tuesday morning that results showed that Kabore, from the Movement of People for Progress party, won 53.5 percent of the vote, just enough to secure a first round victory.

Kabore, 58, will now replace the transitional government put in place after Blaise Compaore, Burkina Faso's longtime leader, was toppled in a popular uprising in October 2014.

Zephirin Diabre came in second place with 29.6 percent of the vote, and Tahirou Barry came in third with three percent.

Barthelemy Kere, electoral commission president, said 60 percent of the country's 5.5 million registered voters participated in Sunday's election.

Fourteen candidates took part in the elections to replace the transition government set up after Compaore was forced into exile in October 2014 after a 27-year rule.

The poll, originally scheduled for October, was postponed after a coup by the presidential guard in September.

Michel Kafando, transitional president, and the prime minister were restored to power after a week, and the guard was disbanded.

Hundreds of supporters gathered on Monday night at Kabore's campaign headquarters as early results showed him likely to win. Diabre joined and congratulated him.

Candidates have seven days to contest the results before the constitutional court finalises them.

Kabore was the prime minister and speaker of parliament under Compaore.

In January 2014, Kabore and others broke with Compaore to oppose a proposed constitutional amendment that would have allowed him to extend his power.

Compaore seized power in a coup, ruled for 27 years and won four elections, all of which were criticised as unfair.

How Climate Change Could Drown Cities Around the World

This week, 150 nations have gathered together in Paris for the 21st Conference of the Parties to discuss combating climate change. But the global leaders aren’t the only ones voicing concern.

The research group Climate Central released images of an artist’s impression of climate change’s possible effect on cities across the globe. Before and after pictures predict that cities such as Mumbai and Rio de Janeiro could be heavily immersed in water if the world was four degrees warmer.

How Steve Jobs Masterfully Handled Criticism

It’s 1997, and Steve Jobs has just returned to the company he was fired from 12 years before.

On stage at Apple’s World Wide Developers Conference, Jobs was holding a rare Q&A with developers when one audience member stood up and lobbed an insult at Jobs.

“Mr. Jobs, you’re a bright and influential man,” he starts out with a flat tone. The audience laughs in the pause.

“Here it comes,” Job responds with a smile.

“It’s sad and clear that on several counts you’ve discussed, you don’t know what you’re talking about. [Audience laughter]. I would like, for example, for you to express in clear terms how, say, Java and any of its incarnations addresses the ideas embodied in OpenDoc. And when you’re finished with that, perhaps you can tell us what you personally have been doing for the last seven years,” he says.

David Paul Morris—BloombergSteve Jobs at the Apple World Wide Developers Conference 2011 in San Francisco on June 6, 2011.

At that point, the audience fell quiet and someone is heard saying “Ouch.” (Jobs had spent the last seven years not at Apple.)

“Mistakes will be made”

Jobs’ response in the five minutes that follows is a masterclass in how to gracefully turn an insult into an impromptu speech on vision.

First, Jobs politely responds.

“You know, you can please some of the people some of the time, but…,” Jobs paused. “One of the hardest things when you’re trying to effect change is that people like this gentleman are right in some areas.”

He acknowledges that there are things OpenDoc does that he’s not even familiar with, but that doesn’t stop him in planning Apple’s future.

“The hardest thing is: how does that fit in to a cohesive, larger vision, that’s going to allow you to sell 8 billion dollars, 10 billion dollars of product a year? And, one of the things I’ve always found is that you’ve got to start with the customer experience and work backwards for the technology.” You can’t start with the technology and try to figure out where you’re going to try to sell it. And I made this mistake probably more than anybody else in this room. And I got the scar tissue to prove it. And I know that it’s the case,” Jobs said.

“And as we have tried to come up with a strategy and a vision for Apple, it started with ‘What incredible benefits can we give to the customer? Where can we take the customer?’ Not starting with ‘Let’s sit down with the engineers and figure out what awesome technology we have and then how are we going to market that?’ And I think that’s the right path to take,” Jobs continued.

He apologizes for killing off some of the software, but passionately stands by his employees who were working hard to get Apple back to the place where he could hold up a box and people would go “Whoa! Yes!” and want it. (Think about what Apple events are like today.)

“Mistakes will be made, some people will be pissed off, some people will not know what they’re talking about, but I think it’s so much better than where things were not very long ago. And I think we’re going to get there,” Jobs concludes.

This article originally appeared on Business Insider