Russia's new 'brain drain'

October 28, 2014 - Daily News Briefing

Vladimir Putin's policies are driving out the very people the country most needs.

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South Korean prosecutors on Monday demanded the death penalty for the captain of a ferry that sank earlier this year, killing more than 300 people, blaming his negligence and failure to rescue passengers in need for the massive loss of life, a court official and news reports said. Prosecutors also requested life sentences for three other key crew members during a trial at the Gwangju District Court in southern South Korea, a court official said on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak to the media about the sentence requests. He said prosecutors asked for sentences of up to 30 years for 11 other crew members.

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff was re-elected by the narrowest margin in three decades, handing her left-leaning Workers' Party its weakest mandate as it confronts some of the country's biggest challenges in years. After scraping by with 51.6 percent of the vote in a runoff against center-right challenger Aecio Neves on Sunday, Rousseff spoke of national reconciliation as she seeks to restart a stagnant economy, push political reform through a fragmented congress where she now has less support, and respond to widespread popular demands to improve woeful public services. These frustrations sparked angry street demonstrations just a year ago.

South African prosecutors will appeal the verdict and sentencing of Oscar Pistorius, who was handed a 5-year prison term after being convicted of culpable homicide, the country's National Prosecuting Authority said Monday. Pistorius started serving his prison sentence on Oct. 21 after he was acquitted of murder by a judge and found guilty of a lesser charge of culpable homicide, or manslaughter, for shooting girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp through a toilet door in his home last year. Under the current terms, the Olympic runner is eligible for release after 10 months and would then complete his sentence under house arrest.

A gunman who shot and killed a soldier at Canada's national war memorial and then stormed Parliament before he was gunned down had prepared a video recording of himself that police say shows he was driven by ideological and political motives, police said Sunday. Prime Minister Stephen Harper has called Wednesday's shooting a terror attack, and the bloodshed raised fears that Canada is suffering reprisals for joining the US-led air campaign against Islamic State extremists in Iraq and Syria. Police are investigating Michael Zehaf-Bibeau's interactions with numerous individuals in the days leading up to the attack and whether they could have contributed or facilitated it.

A 14-year-old girl died two days after a student opened fire inside a Washington state high school, raising the death toll in the shooting to three, including the gunman who killed himself as a teacher tried to stop him. Gia Soriano died Sunday night, officials at Providence Regional Medical Center Everett said. "We are devastated by this senseless tragedy," her family said in a statement, read at a news conference by Dr. Joanne Roberts. "Gia is our beautiful daughter, and words cannot express how much we will miss her."

Officials say molten lava from a Hawaii volcano has been flowing steadily in an area where residents have been warned they might have to evacuate their homes. Dozens of residents in the flow path have been told to complete all necessary preparations by Tuesday for a possible evacuation. The timeline could change, based on the flow rate. Janet Babb, a geologist and spokeswoman for the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, said the lava flow is setting off methane explosions in the area. She said decomposing vegetation produces methane gas that can travel subsurface beyond the lava front in different directions, accumulating in pockets that can ignite.

Chiquita Brands International Inc. has agreed to sell itself to two Brazilian companies for approximately $681 million. The deal comes just days after the fresh produce company's shareholders rejected plans to merge with Irish fruit importer Fyffes. Chiquita said Monday that it will be acquired by the investment firm Safra Group and the juice company Cutrale Group for $14.50 per share, a 2 percent premium to its Friday closing price of $14.16. The companies put the transaction's value at about $1.3 billion, including the assumption of Chiquita's debt.

“The object of the Monitor is to injure no man, but to bless all mankind.” – Mary Baker Eddy

The Daily News Briefing is published Monday through Friday by The Christian Science Publishing Society in Boston, Massachusetts.

“The object of the Monitor is to injure no man, but to bless all mankind.” – Mary Baker Eddy

The Daily News Briefing is published Monday through Friday by The Christian Science Publishing Society in Boston, Massachusetts.

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