Turkey shoot

November 25, 2015 - Daily News Briefing

The downing of a Russian warplane over Syria marks a dangerous escalation.

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The US State Department has issued a rare global travel alert for possible travel risks due to “increased terrorist threats.” In a message posted on its website, the State Department said: "Current information suggests that [Islamic State], Al Qaeda, Boko Haram, and other terrorist groups continue to plan terrorist attacks in multiple regions." Noting that extremists have targeted “large sporting events, theatres, open markets, and aviation services,” the travel alert tells travelers to “exercise vigilance” while in public and “avoid large crowds or crowded places. Exercise particular caution during the holiday season and at holiday festivals or events." The travel alert will remain in place until Feb. 24, 2016.

As tensions between Cuba and the United States begin to thaw, thousands of Cubans are crossing dangerous South and Central American territories to flock to the US, afraid that their special immigration privileges will soon end. But with their social networks easily accessible on smartphones, the migrants are now better prepared than ever to endure the many obstacles in their exodus. Historically, Cubans have had an automatic right to legal residency as political refugees once they touch US soil, because of the Caribbean country’s ties with communism. But that right could vanish, as diplomatic relations between the two countries improve. Since President Obama announced last December that the two countries will begin to reconcile, the number of Cuban immigrants has spiked dramatically – the highest since the 1980s.

A US appeals court has ruled that a Wisconsin law requiring that abortion providers have admitting privileges at a local hospital is unconstitutional. The law in question said doctors who provide abortions must have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of where they carry out the procedure. Abortion providers, Planned Parenthood, and Affiliated Medical Services sued the state, arguing that the law effectively restricted access to abortions in Wisconsin. Supporters of the law argued that requiring doctors performing procedures to have local admitting privileges would ensure that patients receive continuous care should complications arise that warrant hospitalization.

Tropical Storm Sandra has formed in the eastern Pacific, well south of Mexico and is expected to later strengthen to a hurricane. The storm's maximum sustained winds Tuesday morning were near 45 mph. The US National Hurricane Center says Sandra is expected to become a Cat. 1 hurricane (74-95 mph winds) on Wednesday. The storm is centered about 570 miles south of Manzanillo, Mexico, and is moving west near 13 mph. Sandra is the 18th named storm of the 2015 eastern North Pacific hurricane season.

Private spaceflight company Blue Origin has successfully launched and returned its New Shepard space vehicle in a test flight that could revolutionize spaceflight. The New Shepard rocket is reusable, meaning spaceflight could become significantly more affordable. The spacecraft reached an altitude of 329,839 feet, just passing through the internationally-recognized threshold of 62 miles for space in a test flight Monday. The capsule, which can hold six people but was unmanned Monday, slid into space once released from the booster before descending back toward Earth with the assistance of parachutes.

Planetary rings swirl around all the gas giants: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. But the little Red Planet might join the ringed ranks. Mars’ largest moon, Phobos, is on track for destruction as the Red Planet’s gravity pulls the moon towards it. That event could produce a disk of debris forming a ring for its host planet, according to a new study.

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