Environmental progress

October 15, 2015 - Daily News Briefing

Why a "sober, optimistic view" on climate change might be warranted.

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Iran has sent hundreds of troops into northern and central Syria, its first such deployment in the country's civil war, joining fighters from its Lebanese ally Hezbollah in an offensive against rebels and taking advantage of cover from Russia's air campaign, a regional official and Syrian activists said Wednesday. Their arrival is almost certain to fuel a civil war in Syria which has already claimed the lives of more than 250,000 people and displaced half of the country's population. It also highlights the far-reaching goals of Russia's military involvement in Syria.

Hong Kong airline Cathay Pacific said Wednesday it has stopped flying over Iran and the Caspian Sea following an air safety agency warning about Russian missiles fired at Syria. The airline's decision to reroute flights comes after Russia stepped up its military campaign against Islamic State group fighters in Syria. It started firing cruise missiles from its military warships in the Caspian Sea on Sept. 30.

After contentious videos were released suggesting Planned Parenthood officials received profits for fetal tissue, the organization announced Tuesday it will no longer accept reimbursements of any kind. Cecile Richards, the president of Planned Parenthood, testified before Congress in September that the videos were deceptively edited and the organization has never sought reimbursement from researchers for post-abortion fetal tissue outside of what is legally permissible. But a new policy, outlined in a letter Tuesday from Ms. Richards to Francis Collins, the director of the National Institutes of Health, says the controversy has led the organization to cover the costs of the program itself and reject even legal reimbursement.

Apple Inc could be facing up to $862 million in damages after a US jury on Tuesday found the iPhone maker used technology owned by the University of Wisconsin-Madison's licensing arm without permission in chips found in many of its most popular devices. The jury in Madison, Wisconsin also said the patent, which improves processor efficiency, was valid. The trial will now move on to determine how much Apple owes in damages.

Americans increased their spending at auto dealers, restaurants and clothiers in September, but cheaper gasoline prices suppressed overall retail sales growth. Retail sales rose just 0.1 percent last month, after being unchanged in August, the Commerce Department said Wednesday. Over the past 12 months, sales have climbed 2.4 percent. Auto purchases shot up 1.8 percent last month, while spending at restaurants advanced 0.7 percent and shopping at clothiers improved 0.9 percent.

Over 70 million light-years away from Earth lies a galaxy called NGC 4639. Despite this distance, the Hubble Space Telescope captured a spectacular – and remarkably clear – image of the spiral galaxy. On the surface, the photo appears to be an excellent example of a barred spiral galaxy with a visual bar running through the core of the galaxy – no small feat in and of itself. But researchers also found that the image held a surprise hidden in that bright core: a massive black hole.

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