Bitcoin set for positive Christmas according to latest price prediction  

Cryptocurrency could be on people's wish list to Santa this year

At least 5 dead, with several missing and no signs of life, after volcanic eruption in New Zealand   3%

Several dozen visitors, including some from a Royal Caribbean ship, were on or near White Island when it erupted. More than 30 people were hospitalized.

A $120,000 Banana Is Peeled From an Art Exhibition and Eaten  

As people watched, a prankster removed the banana, which was taped to a wall at Art Basel in Miami Beach.

Opinion: Trump is now forcing children to go it alone in immigration court  

A new Justice Department directive prohibits volunteers from assisting people who don't have lawyers in immigration court.

No signs of life on New Zealands White Island following deadly volcanic eruption   25%

There were 47 people — many from a Royal Caribbean ship — on White Island when it erupted.

As Samoa fights a deadly measles crisis, unvaccinated people are told to mark homes with red flags   -10%

Racing to contain the measles outbreak that has killed 60 people amid low vaccination rates, the government of Samoa has turned to a disease-control tactic going back centuries.

Bombshell review: Charlize Therons transformation into Megyn Kelly is a little frightening to witness   -20%

Jay Roach's Fox News drama celebrates the bravery of individual actions without heroising the people behind them

Why Canada's broken disability support system is needlessly costing millions, harming mental health   -50%

Canada's support system for people with disabilities is flawed, and it's causing people harm as well as needlessly costing millions in tax dollars, writes Dr. Pamela Valentine.

Motive unclear in deadly New Jersey kosher grocery rampage: officials   15%

Investigators are not sure why two people launched a deadly attack at a New Jersey kosher grocery store, state officials said on Wednesday, but a federal law enforcement source said the incident did not appear to be an act of organized terrorism.

New Zealand eruption: Police release list of missing people after White Island volcano disaster  

'Significant' risk of further eruption keeping officials from reaching island

Five dead, eight still missing after New Zealand volcanic island erupts   1%

Eight people were missing and presumed dead on Tuesday after a volcanic eruption covered a small New Zealand island popular with tourists in hot ash and steam, killing five people and seriously injuring around 30 more.

Timeline of a tragedy: How the White Island disaster unfolded   42%

It was a beautiful day for a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. But when disaster struck at White Island, 14 people didn't come home.

St Petersburg metro bombers sentenced to jail   -7%

A Russian court has sentenced 11 people to jail for their roles in a 2017 terror attack. A bomb on a metro train killed 15 people while a second device was discovered before it exploded.

McDonalds latest fast food chain to join vegan craze   9%

The fast food chain will launch its first vegan meal option in the UK as more people cut down on meat.

Multiple fatalities after small plane crashes in British Columbia   -11%

Multiple people were killed when a small plane crashed on Gabriola Island in British Columbia on Tuesday evening, authorities said.

Iran's Rouhani calls for release of 'innocent' protesters detained during country's unrest   -15%

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called on Wednesday for the release of any unarmed and innocent people detained during two weeks of sometimes violent protests against gasoline price hikes.

New Jersey gun battle leaves six dead, including cop and both suspects   -20%

Police waged an hours-long gunfight with two men armed with high-powered rifles on Tuesday in and around a New Jersey cemetery and kosher market, leaving six people dead, including one officer and both suspects, authorities said.

Coping with climate anxiety on a warming planet  

Anxiety and despair over the climate crisis is driving more and more people to psychotherapy. But if the planet is facing disaster, what's the point of talking about your feelings?

Counter-terrorism, de-radicalization proven methods of protecting human rights in Xinjiang   22%

BEIJING, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) -- The most fundamental human right is the right to a safe life, and only by ensuring people's safety can human rights be protected.

It is a fundamental task of any responsible government to remove the malignant tumor of terrorism and extremism that threatens people's lives and security to protect their rights to life, health and development.

The counter-terrorism and de-radicalization efforts in northwest China's Xinjiang, a key battlefield in the fight against terrorism and extremism in China, serve as essential and effective methods to protect the human rights of all people.

Since the 1990s, especially after the Sept. 11 attacks in the United States, the "East Turkistan" forces inside and outside of China have stepped up their collusion as terrorism and extremism spread around the globe, trying desperately to establish "East Turkistan" through "Jihad" (holy war).

In the name of ethnicity and religion, they deceitfully used people's ethnic identities and religious beliefs to instigate religious fanaticism, spread religious extremism and incite common people to join in violent and terrorist activities. Some of the most susceptible followers, no longer possessing any self-control, became extremists and terrorists who heartlessly slaughtered innocent people.

From the 1990s, terrorists, separatists and extremists plotted and carried out several thousand acts of terrorism in Xinjiang, killing many innocent people, leaving several hundred police officers dead and incurring an enormous amount of property loss.

They killed ordinary people, assassinated religious leaders, endangered public security and planned riots.

The Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Regional Government has done what it needed to do to protect society. Worthwhile results have been achieved through counter-terrorism and de-radicalization efforts carried out in accordance with the law.

Since 2014, Xinjiang has destroyed 1,588 violent and terrorist gangs, arrested 12,995 terrorists, and seized 2,052 explosive devices.

Among the efforts to address extremism and terrorism at its source, the local government has taken measures including improving public wellbeing, promoting knowledge of the law through education, and offering education and aid through vocational education and training centers in accordance with the law.

The centers help trainees rid themselves of extremist ideologies who have been deceived by or even joined terrorist forces and committed minor offenses and equip them with better education and vocational skills.

Thanks to these measures, Xinjiang now enjoys social stability, sound economic momentum and harmony between ethnic groups. And more importantly, Xinjiang has not had a single terrorist attack in the past three years.

People of various ethnic groups living in Xinjiang are in a better position than others to judge the human rights situation there.

Republicans believe white people experience same level of racism as black people, report says  

Study finds civil rights progress does 'not seem to coincide with disadvantages for white people'

'Questions to answer' as investigation launched into White Island disaster  

New Zealand police have launched an investigation into the tragedy on White Island that has claimed the lives of six people and put 31 people in hospital.

Hannah Dines on going public with her labia surgery: It started a big conversation  

The Paralympic cyclist wrote about the damage the sport had caused her. The article caused an outcry, others with similar experiences contacted her – and manufacturers finally began designing saddles for women

The day after I wrote in the Guardian about how my life as a female cyclist, and Paralympian, led to me having reconstructive surgery of my vulva – all because saddles are not designed for women – a book arrived in the post. It was The Vagina Bible by Dr Jen Gunter. It was a gift from my mum, who had read the searing details about my labial surgery. She has always had a good sense of humour.

The response from other people was overwhelming. That is the thing when you share – people share back. When the first professional cyclist contacted me to tell me she had gone through the same thing, the relief was so profound that I cried. I can now say with certainty that there are other people like me who, due to the wrong kind of pressure, experienced a cycle of chronic inflammation and swelling. These are people for whom cycling is as necessary to life as breathing and they face an impossible dilemma.

John Kerrys New Bipartisan, Star-Studded War on Climate Change   9%

As for the sordid saga of American politics and climate change, John Kerry has not quite seen it all, but he has seen a whole lot of it.

He was there in 1997 in Kyoto, Japan, when the first global climate treaty was negotiated. Four years later, he was denouncing President George W. Bush from the Senate floor after he withdrew the United States from that pact. In 2009, Kerry was one of three bipartisan senators who tried—and failed—to pass an ambitious climate bill. As secretary of state in 2014, he negotiated the first climate agreement between the United States and China. It cleared the way, in 2015, for the global Paris Agreement, which he also helped negotiate. Somewhere in this two-decade period he also ran for president.

This weekend, Kerry returned to the breach, joining with Arnold Schwarzenegger, the former Republican governor of California, to launch a new bipartisan group that aims to unify the public behind climate action. It is named World War Zero, a reference both to its goal of an American economy with net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, and to the wartime-style mass mobilization that Kerry says can get us there.

[Read: Why solving climate change will be like mobilizing for war]

Other than that mid-century goal, though, World War Zero will not endorse any particular candidate or climate policy. (As The New York Times noted, its supporters are split on the virtues of fracking.) Instead, it aims to offer a unifying story that can anchor other efforts, focused on the economic benefits of climate action and the national-security and public-health risks of climate change.

It will back up that story with star power. Leonardo DiCaprio, Ted Danson, and Sting are all involved, as is John Kasich, the former Republican governor of Ohio. Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Stacey Abrams, and Cindy McCain are also members. Retired leaders, including General Stanley McChrystal, represent at least three branches of the military. Ashton Kutcher, a noteworthy Iowan who now sits on the board of the Washington-based think tank New America, is also involved.

Kerry spoke with me yesterday from Los Angeles. Our conversation touched on whether the Paris Agreement is working, how the next four years could prove “catastrophic,” and how Big Finance could save the world. We also talked briefly about the impeachment proceedings, which have featured several State Department employees whom Kerry knew. Our conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Robinson Meyer: Tell me a little bit about the new group, World War Zero. What can it accomplish that other groups can’t?

John Kerry: First of all, there are some terrific efforts out there by a lot of groups. But I think we bring something very unique to the table, which is the joining of unlikely allies who don’t agree on everything at all, who come from different places ideologically … but all of whom believe that it’s critical to urgently deal with climate change in a very different way from where we are.

We’re not fighting about the difference between fracking, or the carbon fee and who gets what, or the Green New Deal. We’re really focused on getting everybody on the same page: that the goal of 2045, 2050 for a low-carbon, no-net-carbon economy is critical. Let’s get everybody moving in that same direction, agreed that we have to reach that goal urgently—almost treating it like war, literally. Because if we don’t get on a war footing in order to do what we have to do … we’re not going to make it. We’re not going to get the job done—to do what we set out to do in Paris and elsewhere, that the scientists tell us we have to do.

Meyer: Do you think the challenge in climate in the United States right now is getting everyone to accept the problem—or is it getting everyone on the same page about what the policy is going to be? Why do we need this big narrative?

Kerry: Because it’s only by getting people to buy in and recognize the upside options that you’re going to change the other narrative. We’re trapped right now. And so how do you break out of that trap? I believe you break out of that trap by having conversations with people and motivating people to activate themselves … so that it becomes an actionable belief taken into elections and into boardrooms and into stockholder meetings and into the halls of Congress.

Meyer: What’s the biggest part of that trap—is it partisan?

Kerry: No, it’s not partisan. It’s not partisan. The biggest part of it is simply that you’re getting people to believe sufficiently that they can make a difference by working the democracy, and that they are investing in getting the job done.

That means you are ultimately gonna politicize yourself. You’re going to become involved in that system, and you’re going to go out, and most importantly, you’re going to vote your future. We’re not going to tell them who to vote for. We’re not going to back candidates, but we’re going to try to generate enough energy that people are interested in making sure that they get the job done here.  

Meyer: It seems like on the one hand, you’re not backing candidates, and you’re saying climate change isn’t partisan. On the other hand, this is a very specific set of Republicans that you’ve brought together, and they don’t seem like the rising force in the Republican Party right now. Do you really think this is not a partisan issue?

Kerry: I don’t think it’s a partisan issue. I think it’s been made an ideological issue by some people. But I believe that the vast majority of Americans want to deal with facts, and they want to deal with reality. And if they’re presented with that over a period of time, by people who they know are trustworthy and thoughtful and experienced, I believe we will change the conversation.

Meyer: We’re talking about folks eventually voting on this issue. Do you think the survival of the Paris Agreement rests on the 2020 U.S. election?

Kerry: [Pause.] Um, the reason I’m hesitating is that the president, I believe by executive order, has the right to say that he is going to take the government out.

Meyer: Yes.

Kerry: But something extraordinary is happening in America, which is that states have passed renewable-portfolio laws, and so you’ve got [37] states in our country that are locked in already to moving towards Paris, no matter what the president does. You also have the mayor of every major city in America signed on to the mayor’s commitment to try to live by the Paris Agreement. So you have this dichotomy in America, where the president of the United States has said I’m out, but, frankly, the majority of the American people are still saying, We’re in.

Meyer: Do you think that dichotomy is powerful enough to counteract the U.S. leaving?

Kerry: No. It’s not counter enough; it’s not powerful enough. It’s powerful enough to continue to mitigate to some degree. But ultimately, not having a president committed to this is going to be a disaster globally. We’re losing the momentum, and actors in the world are using the American absence and lack of commitment as an excuse to cover for their desire not really to rush themselves. We saw this in the negotiations in Poland.

Meyer: I think that’s what I mean here, in that we’re seeing other countries hiding behind the U.S. withdrawal.

Kerry: Correct.

Meyer: And if that withdrawal then extends another four years …

Kerry: If it extends another four years, it’s catastrophic for the notion that we’re going to somehow meet this challenge—with one exception. If Big Finance, Big Business, says we’re going to move no matter what, we’re going to do this, that could save the day, actually. But absent that, the lack of a president being committed to this is catastrophic.

Meyer: It’s funny; I was remembering a press conference you gave back during the Paris negotiations, where you said that the Paris Agreement was “a signal to global markets.”

Kerry: Correct. And for the first year, Rob, that worked. For the first year, about $358 billion went into renewables. It was the first time that more money went to renewable than fossil fuel ever. So it worked.

Meyer: Is it continuing?

Kerry: It continued for about two years, and now it’s slacked off. There’s a lot of investment still, but it’s not at the level that it needs to be or we anticipated, or that you would have if you had a president who was really screaming about this.

Meyer: Do you think the Paris Agreement has worked as anticipated?

Kerry: Not as anticipated, because of the interference of our president—I mean, the fact that the president pulled out hugely stemmed the momentum. And that’s another reason for our creating World War Zero. Unless we get this thing on a kind of presidential-leadership, wartime footing, it’s going to be very difficult to meet the goals.

Meyer: This is a bit forward-looking, but let’s say the winning candidate in 2020 wants to do something about climate change. How should America then rebuild its credibility on Paris or on climate? Should it immediately rejoin? Or should it try to set some goals first and show the world it’s serious?

Kerry: Well, I think every presidential candidate has already said that they’re committed to rejoining Paris. So the answer is yeah, they should say we’re going to rejoin.

But I think that we have to leverage immediately the raising of ambition by everybody. And that requires remarkable presidential leadership. You’re going to need to sit down and negotiate with countries. We’re going to have to put real money on the table together with other countries that can afford it.

I mean, basically, the [Group of 20] has the ability to really solve the problem. The fact that the G20 could only put $20 million on the table for the Amazon fire is a disgrace. They’ve never really fully funded the Green Climate Fund. So there’s a lot of work to be done.

But I think if a president came along and immediately began to do those things … it’s doable. That’s what’s so exasperating about this. It is doable, but you don’t see a very specific set of proposals for how you do it. For instance, bringing the auto manufacturers into the White House and sitting them down and saying: “Okay, we’ve got to move this faster. I want to know what the hurdles are. I want to know how we take them out of your way. I want to know what kind of incentives we’re going to need for people to be able to afford to buy the electric car.” Then you’ve got to bring the utility people in.

Meyer: That’s the kind of wartime footing you’re imagining, this mobilization of the private sector.

Kerry: That is precisely what it is. People will competitively protect themselves if it’s simply left up to the outside process. But if, on the other hand, the president is enlisting everybody in this endeavor, then you’ve got the opportunity to eliminate those kinds of hurdles, and people join up, and boom! You’ve got the kind of energy that’s really going to get the job done.

I don’t doubt America’s ability to do that for an instant, but clearly it’s not going to happen with this—with where we are today. But World War Zero is not going to be talking about Trump. This is the first mention you’ve heard me say, and I’m saying, we’re not going to talk about it. We’re not focused on candidates. We’re focused on the ideas and on what has to happen.

Meyer: What’s the best thing that’s happened on climate that you didn’t anticipate, since your last day as secretary of state?

Kerry: I can’t say I didn’t anticipate it, but I think the best thing that’s happened is the reduction in the price of solar and wind. It’s been what we did predict, but it’s the best thing that has happened in terms of the technical, physical component of meeting the challenge.

The best thing that has happened—beyond the technical component of it—is the engagement of young people on a global basis, the fact that they’re kicking butt out there, going out there and trying to hold people accountable. Ultimately, I think that will translate into the kind of political accountability that existed back in 1970, when the Dirty Dozen were held accountable.

Meyer: What’s the worst thing that’s happened?

Kerry: The worst thing is the fact that the largest nations have reneged on genuine efforts to really get there and are playing a game—a very dangerous game—with it. The fact that emissions are going up in the United States, they’re going up in Europe, they’re going up in China, they’re going up in India, they’re going up in countless countries in the world, that is just—I could use an expletive, but it’s really unacceptable. It’s outrageous.

Meyer: You’re welcome to use an expletive.

Kerry: You know, suffice it to say that it’s … outrageously unacceptable. It’s just disgraceful. And the public ultimately is going to catch up and hold people accountable for this kind of indifference.

Meyer: So I have to ask. You were the 68th secretary of state. There have been two since you. Right now, the president is attacking members of the Foreign Service and State Department career employees. If you were in Secretary Mike Pompeo’s shoes, with your boss, the president, attacking your employees, what would you do?

Kerry: Well, I’m not going to get into that. I can’t—I’m not going to get into the politics, which is what it is, of the current administration. I’m trying to build an organization here that is going to be bipartisan and bring people together, not split them apart.

Meyer: Did you work with any of the witnesses?

Kerry: Suffice it to say—Yes, I did work with them, Marie Yovanovitch and many others, David Hale, all these people. But I do want to say how proud I was of those who testified and their courage in defining the best of foreign policy and the best of Foreign Service, and I think America should be very grateful that we have public servants like that.

Meyer: You were the last candidate who tried to unseat a Republican president in a midterm. I realize you’re trying to build a bipartisan organization now, but do you have advice for the current set of candidates who have the same aspiration?

Kerry: I don’t have anything to say about the presidential thing this morning. I mean, that’s not just what I’m involved in right now. I may some time in the future, but I’m not today.

Meyer: What’s the next step for World War Zero?

Kerry: The first thing [people] should do is go to WorldWarZero.com, enlist on the website. We’re very specific with giving people things that they can do in their local communities to begin this process of building. But next year, we will have several mobilizations of people on a large scale. We need people to be involved in that. And we’ll also be doing these town halls in order to talk about real options. We’ll have experts and people who are demystifying this and trying to bring it down to Earth. No pun intended.

Gunman kills self after shooting six people in Czech hospital waiting room   -11%

A gunman in the Czech Republic killed himself on Tuesday after fatally shooting six patients at a hospital in the eastern city of Ostrava, in what the premier has called “an immense tragedy”.The attacker gunned down people at close range at the trauma ward of the Faculty Hospital in Ostrava, some 300 kilometres (190 miles) east of Prague.Four men and two women died during the assault, which police said lasted only a few seconds.Two other people were seriously wounded – one is in a critical…

New Zealand volcano vents steam, death toll now at 16   -20%

As a New Zealand island volcano vented more steam and mud, authorities delayed plans to recover the bodies of victims from a deadly eruption and announced Thursday that the death … Click to Continue »

YouTube bans videos that maliciously insult race and sexual orientation   25%

YouTube has said it will take a “stronger stance against threats and personal attacks” by banning videos that “maliciously insult” people based on their race, gender expression, or sexual orientation.

France national strike: Tensions rise as millions take to street in protest at Macrons reforms   -10%

Millions of people expected to take part in 250 demonstrations

Tablet interactive: Probe launched into New Zealand volcano tragedy  

Twenty-five people are in critical condition as the death toll rises and a probe is launched into White Island tragedy.

Pensacola naval base shooting: suspected gunman Mohammed al-Shamrani condemned US as national of evil   -42%

A Saudi military student reportedly condemned America as a “nation of evil” in an online manifesto prior to opening fire on Friday at a US naval base, killing three people before being shot dead by police.The shooting, which took place in a classroom building at Naval Air Station Pensacola in Florida, left eight others wounded, including two sheriff’s deputies who responded to the attack.Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said the shooter was from Saudi Arabia – the same nationality as 15 of the 19…

New Zealand GeoNet says tremor activity increases at White Island volcano   -15%

Tremor activity at New Zealand's White Island volcano increased on Wednesday, geological agency GeoNet said, two days after an eruption that killed six people, left eight missing and presumed dead, and seriously injured 30.

Fitness app Strava registers a million new users every month  

A million people a month are signing up for fitness-tracking app Strava, which now tracks activity trends of 48 million people in 195 countries, the company said in its 'Year in Sport' report published on Wednesday.

Reduce cholesterol earlier in life to prevent heart problems later, study says   6%

To prevent heart problems later in life, people 45 and younger with higher levels of bad cholesterol might want to change their eating and exercise habits, or even talk to their doctor about medications such as statins, a new study says.

General Election 2019: Five things to watch out for on the night  

What should people be looking out for after the polling stations close?

2019: The Year in Volcanic Activity   -14%

Out of an estimated 1,500 active volcanoes on Earth, 50 or so erupt every year, spewing steam, ash, toxic gases, and lava. Just yesterday, December 9, at least six people were killed in an eruption on New Zealand’s volcanic White Island. In 2019, other active volcanoes included Anak Krakatau in Indonesia, Reventador in Ecuador, Mount Etna in Italy, Villarrica in Chile, Piton de la Fournaise on Réunion Island, Popocatépetl in Mexico, Raikoke in Russia, and more. Collected below are scenes from the wide variety of volcanic activity across our planet over the past year.

Pigeons in tiny cowboy hats are a mystery in Las Vegas  

People out West wear cowboy hats all the time. But pigeons?

Chilean military plane with 38 vanishes on Antarctica mission   -45%

Chile’s air force has lost radio contact with a transport plane carrying 38 people on a flight to the country’s base in Antarctica.It said the military had declared an alert and activated a search and rescue team.The C-130 Hercules carried 17 crew members and 21 passengers. The personnel were to check on a floating fuel supply line and other equipment at the Presidente Eduardo Frei Montalva Base, Chile’s most important Antarctic base.Mystery as two US technicians are killed at McMurdo Station,…

Five killed in jihadist attack on Somali hotel   21%

"Our brave security forces ended the terror attack on SYL hotel rescuing more than 80 people" including government officials and hotel guests, police said in a statement. "The number of the dead we have confirmed is five, among them two members of the security forces and three civilians. Nine other civilians and two soldiers were also wounded slightly".

Jersey City shooting: six dead as officials say suspects targeted Jewish grocery   5%

• New York-area police on alert to protect Jewish neighborhoods
• Three civilians, one police officer and two suspects killed

Police in the New York metropolitan area were on high alert to protect Jewish neighborhoods on Wednesday after two suspects opened fire on a kosher market in Jersey City as part of an hours-long attack that left six people dead, authorities said.

Related: 'We’re just waiting to die': the black residents living on top of a toxic landfill site

Supreme Court Hears Another Obamacare Case, With A Twist   20%

The justices seemed sympathetic to $12 billion in insurance firms' claims. The Affordable Care Act promised to partially reimburse insurers if they lost money due to people's preexisting conditions.