France plans to strip convicted terrorists of their nationality
France’s National Assembly voted 162-148 in favor of President Francois Hollande’s plan to strip passports and citizenship from convicted terrorists following the November 2015 Paris attacks. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attacks that killed 130 people, and some of the attackers were French citizens who trained with the militant group; both factors prompted Hollande to call for a revision of the French Constitution and the addition of a clause that would allow the country to revoke citizenship from those convicted of terrorism. The lower house reaffirmed its support, 317 in favor and 199 against, in another vote on Feb. 10. The Senate and three-fifths of France’s Congress must support the proposal before the government can amend the constitution.
Canada to end airstrikes against ISIS
By Feb. 22, Canada will cease its airstrikes against ISIS in Syria and Iraq and recall six F-18 fighter jets to fulfill Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s campaign promise in October. Two-thirds of the Canadian population oppose the withdrawal and support the bombings. Canada will increase the number of special forces to 210 and send in a refueling aircraft, two surveillance aircraft and aircraft personnel, and their deployment will continue until at least March 31, 2017. Canada has been the fourth largest contributor in the 65-member coalition against ISIS.
President Obama signs initiative to bring electricity to sub-Saharan Africa
After taking almost two years to pass in the U.S. House of Representatives and Congress, U.S. President Barack Obama signed the Electrify Africa Act of 2015 into law to bring electricity to 50 million people in sub-Saharan Africa by 2020. The act gives legitimacy to Obama’s Power Africa initiative, which aims to provide access to electricity across Africa through public, private and government partnerships, and it ensures that the initiative will continue after Obama leaves office next year. The legislation aims to reduce reliance on toxic fuel sources, like coal, which produce deadly fumes, providing people with affordable and reliable energy. The U.S. has and other public and private partners have pledged to invest a total of $50 billion to bring electricity to Africa, where two-thirds of people do not have access to reliable and safe energy.
United Arab Emirates PM creates ministers of happiness and tolerance
Prime Minister Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum announced the creation of a minister of state for happiness “to create social good and satisfaction” and a minister of state for tolerance to promote tolerance “as a fundamental value in UAE society.” These ministries, along with the newly created UAE Youth National Council, are a part of an initiative to institute a flexible government that is capable of adjusting to change. A female minister of state younger than 22 will lead the youth council, which will advise the government on youth issues. “The energy of youth will fuel our government in future,” Sheikh Mohammed said.
49 dead, 12 injured in Mexican prison riot
A riot broke out in the Topo Chico jail near Monterrey in northern Mexico when rival groups fought with sharp weapons, bats and sticks for 30 to 40 minutes, according to Nuevo Leon state governor Jaime Rodriguez, leaving 49 inmates dead and 12 more injured, five of which were in critical condition. The inmates also set fire to a storage room. Juan Pedro Zaldivar Farias, known as Z-27, is a member of the Los Zetas drug cartel and led one of the groups, while Jorge Ivan Hernandez Cantu, member of the rival Gulf cartel, led the other. Officials reported that no inmates escaped. According to a National Human Rights Commission report, the Topo Chico jail housed nearly 1,000 more prisoners than its maximum occupancy in 2014. Mexico’s prisons are notorious for their gang violence, break-outs, overcrowdedness and corruption.
North Korea could have weapons-grade plutonium within weeks
According to James Clapper, director of U.S. National Intelligence, North Korea could obtain plutonium from a restarted nuclear reactor within a few weeks. The country conducted its fourth nuclear test in January and, more recently, launched a satellite and long-range missile. In 2013, North Korea announced that it would restart and renovate its nuclear facilities in the Yongbyon nuclear complex, which includes a graphite-moderated reactor that produces weapons-grade plutonium. The reactor shut down in 2007. Last September, North Korea confirmed that Yongbyon was operational and was working to produce weapons to be used against the U.S.
