Top-secret information found in Hillary Clinton’s emails
Following a release of several of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s controversial emails, the U.S. State Department has issued a notice that 22 emails sent through the current presidential hopeful’s private server would not be relinquished to the public along with other correspondence. Officials are saying that these messages contained sensitive government secrets, including 37 pages covering special access programs such as covert drone strikes and intelligence gained via government eavesdropping. However, none of these emails were classified as “top-secret” by the State Department until this past week, exhibiting what the Clinton Campaign calls “over-classification run amok.” As this is the first time that any of Clinton’s messages have been labelled as sensitive to national security and they feel that the relabeling is extreme, the campaign is asking for the content of the emails to be released.
Miners rescued in Shandong province of China
On Dec. 25, a gypsum mine in China’s Shandong province collapsed so violently that it registered as a small earthquake. Twenty-nine miners remained trapped beneath 200 meters of soil and stone. Days after the collapse, the chairman of the Yurong company committed suicide when it became apparent that he and other bosses and local party officials were under investigation. The miners remained underground for 36 days until this past Friday when the first of 15 men were pulled to the surface. Besides these workers, 13 remain missing, and one man is confirmed dead. Some 400 service workers involved in the rescue mission are still searching for the missing. Earlier last week, these servicemen sent phones down a drilled hole to the miners so they could exchange voice messages with the outside. Four miners sent messages to those working to free them saying, “Thank you all very much, I feel relieved and secure now.”
Brazil increases action against Zika virus
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff is urging community groups to educate people about properly eliminating mosquito breeding grounds, as well as proper self care to both prevent and treat the recent outbreak of the Zika virus. The illness is transmitted via the Aedes aegypti mosquito. As this breed is most active during the day, the usual prescription of mosquito netting around beds is an ineffective method of protection. Infected adults might exhibit symptoms such as red eyes, rashes, joint pain and fevers, while others are asymptomatic. However, significant findings indicate that there are far more complications for children born of infected parents, including microcephaly and lifelong mental disabilities. This information has led the Brazilian Supreme Court to review its strict anti-abortion policies to potentially legalize the termination of affected women’s pregnancies. The World Health Organization has confirmed that Brazil has been the hardest hit by the Zika virus, estimating that there are over one million people infected and about 4,000 cases of microcephaly.
All three escaped California prisoners caught
On Jan. 22, it was discovered that three inmates, all found guilty of violent crimes, had escaped from Men’s Central Jail in Santa Ana, California. Although law enforcement conducted a large-scale search, their first big tip-off came with the surrender of one of the three prisoners himself. Bac Duong, guilty of attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon, turned himself in on Jan. 29, informing police that the other two men were heading further north. This, along with a report of a stolen car, lead police to Jonathan Tieu and Hossein Nayeri. Tieu had been imprisoned for both murder and attempted murder and Nayeri for kidnapping, torture, aggravated mayhem and burglary. Both were re-apprehended on Saturday morning, along with a woman suspected of helping the men escape.
