Refuge and safety

November 17, 2015 - Daily News Briefing

As if Syrian refugees haven't suffered enough, now they face fears about terrorists infiltrating with them.

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The likely mastermind of the Paris attacks on Friday is 27-year-old Abdelhamid Abaaoud, say French authorities. Mr. Abaaoud also has been linked to at least two other unsuccessful recent terror attacks: one against a Paris-bound train that was thwarted by three Americans in August, and the other against a church in the city's suburbs in April.

The terrorist attacks in Paris Friday have ignited Republican opposition to letting Syrian refugees secure asylum in the United States – with two governors speaking out against resettling Syrians in their states. Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley both issued statements Sunday announcing that their states would be closed to any refugees out of Syria. As of press time Monday, at least 13 other states had declared Syrian refugees would not be welcome.

The removal of two people from a Boston-bound flight from Washington Sunday is emblematic of heightened security at airports and other public places nationwide in the wake of the Paris attacks Friday and the crash of a Russian airliner in Egypt in late October. The incident, which involved the delay of an American Airlines flight scheduled to leave Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Sunday afternoon, reflects stepped-up security measures in major US cities over the weekend, including Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, and New York. Authorities have not identified any specific dangers.

A highly anticipated UN climate conference scheduled to start in Paris in two weeks will go on as planned, though many of the side events, like marches and concerts, will likely be canceled as France tries to balance a “business-as-usual” approach with increased security concerns. The terrorist attacks in Paris left some people worried that the French government and United Nations might cancel the COP21, where countries are expected to map out a global accord to limit greenhouse gas emissions.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s latest tally of hate crimes in the United States suggests some progress towards combating such offenses as the nation struggles with tensions around race, religion, and sexual orientation. In a report released Monday, the FBI found that hate crimes fell 8 percent in 2014 compared to the previous year – though the incidents still number in the thousands (5,462), with racially-motivated crimes still the biggest category. Critics also say the FBI numbers are vastly lower than the actual total of hate crimes in the country (since not all crimes are reported), and that crimes against Muslims and blacks continue to rise.

Protesters camped out in front of a Minneapolis police precinct on Monday demanding the release of any police video footage that might show the shooting of Jamar Clark, a 24-year-old black man who they say was fatally shot by police while unarmed and handcuffed early Sunday morning. Black Lives Matter Minneapolis said in its statement that the protesters won’t leave until video and the name of the officer are released, and Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges secures an independent federal investigation.

Marriott International is buying rival hotel chain Starwood for $12.2 billion in a deal that will secure its position as the world's largest hotelier. The stock-and-cash deal, if completed, will add 50 percent more rooms to Marriott's portfolio and give it more unique, design-focused hotels that appeal to younger travelers. The new company would have 5,500 properties with more than 1.1 million rooms around the world, uniting Starwood's brands, which include Sheraton, Westin, W and St. Regis, with Marriott's two dozen brands including Marriott's Courtyard, Ritz-Carlton and Fairfield Inn.

Researchers from the University of Warwick in Britain have measured wind speeds of more than 5,400 miles per hour in the atmosphere of an exoplanet 60 light years away, according to a study published last week in the Astrophysics Journal Letters. The figures – 20 times faster than the fastest speeds ever recorded on Earth, and seven times swifter than the speed of sound – represent the first time scientists have measured and mapped weather phenomena on a planet outside the solar system. The technique, the researchers say, could further studies of weather conditions on Earth-like planets.

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