International News
Russia Launches Missile Strike Against Syrian Rebels
Russia’s Caspian Sea Fleet launched a missile strike against Syrian rebels from 1,000 miles away on Wednesday. The week-long Russian military intervention in Syria has already seen over 100 airstrikes against the Islamic State, Jabhat al-Nusra and rebel groups against President Bashar al-Assad. The fleet launched 26 cruise missiles and destroyed 11 targets with no civilian casualties. Russia’s attack showcased their military advancements and their coordination with Iran and Iraq. washingtonpost.com
FIFA President Sepp Blatter Faces 90-Day Suspension
Swiss football administrator and FIFA president Sepp Blatter was accused of signing an “unfavorable” contract to football’s governing body as well as making a “disloyal payment” to UEFA president Michel Platini. Platini claimed the payment was “valid compensation” from working under Blatter over nine years ago. FIFA’s ethics committee recommended the suspension after criminal proceedings were opened against Blatter. bbc.com
Toddler’s Head Reattached After Internal Decapitation
Doctors were able to reattach the spine of a 16-month-old boy who survived a head-on car collision at 70 miles per hour last month, despite the force of the impact tearing the child’s upper vertebrae and leaving his head internally severed. According to the boy’s spinal surgeon, Geoff Askin, most people would not survive the initial injury, much less be able to move or breathe after surgery. The boy will have to wear a neck brace to allow the nerves connecting his head to his spine to heal, but is making a remarkable recovery, able to move, play and laugh. nbcnews.com
National Spotlight
Jerry Brown Signs Fair Wage Act Tuesday
The California Fair Pay Act, authored by Democratic Senator Hannah Beth Jackson from Santa Barbara, will expand California’s existing equal pay act by going further than federal law mandates by having the employer prove that a man’s higher pay is based on factors other than gender. It will protect workers from discrimination and retaliation if workers inquire about other people’s earnings. Workers will also be allowed to sue if they find they are being paid less than an individual with a different job title who does “substantially similar” work. abc7news.com
Florida Hypnotism Settlement
Florida schools reached settlements with parents of three teenagers who died after being hypnotized by North Port High School Principal George Kenney. The school board will pay $200,000 a piece to the families of 17-year-old Brittany Palumbo who committed suicide in 2011, 16-year-old Wesley McKinley who also committed suicide in 2011 and 16-year-old Marcus Freeman who died in a car crash that same year after being hypnotized by Kenney. Kenney pleaded no contest to practicing therapeutic hypnosis without a license and resigned in June 2012. His current whereabouts are unknown. nbcnews.com
Thousands of Inmates Approved for Early Prison Release
New sentencing guidelines will shrink punishments for thousands of federal prisoners. Drug criminals who were once described as unrepentant repeat offenders by prosecutors will be released early due to fitting a more sympathetic profile of small-time dealers targeted by a “draconian” approach to drug enforcement. Those who argue in favor of lighter drug sentencing say there is no evidence that longer sentences protect public safety and there has been bipartisan determination to cut spending on an impacted prison system. washingtontimes.com
A version of this story appeared on page 9 of the Thursday, October 8, 2015 print edition of the Daily Nexus.
