What's Going On Around The World Today
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At least 14 people were killed and 17 others were injured in a mass shooting in San Bernardino, California. Two suspects are also dead.
The attackers entered a social services center on Wednesday and opened fire before leaving in what officials described as a dark-colored SUV, BuzzFeed News writes. Most of the victims were part of a holiday party for hundreds of county government workers.
The suspects, a man and a woman authorities identified as 28-year-old Syed Rizwan Farook and 27-year-old Tashfeen Malik, were killed during a shootout with police. The shooters were armed with handguns and assault-style weapons, and they were wearing tactical gear. The two are believed to have been in a relationship, and were possibly married, San Bernardino Police Chief Jarrod Burguan said. The shooters’ motives remain unclear, but police say they haven’t ruled out terrorism.
Farook worked for San Bernardino County as an environmental health specialist, public records show. Eyewitnesses said Farook attended the party on Wednesday and that he looked anxious and left as employees gathered to take a group photo.
A third suspect was detained, but it’s unclear if that person was involved in the shooting.
Marie Cabrera, Sonya Gonzalez, and Christine Duran pray after the shooting.
Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
And a little extra.
There are depressingly few days — if any — that go by without a mass shooting in America. Between January 2013 and the end of last month, 1,064 days passed. During that time, the U.S. experienced 1,050 mass shootings, according to data from ShootingTracker.com. (Mass shootings are defined as “when four or more people are shot in an event, or related series of events.”) More than 75% of the time, there has been another mass shooting on the same day or the day before, BuzzFeed News’ Jeremy Singer-Vine writes.
For more updates from San Bernardino, follow BuzzFeed News’ Adolfo Flores and Ken Bensinger, who are reporting from the scene. Or download the BuzzFeed News app for iOS and Android (U.S. app stores only).
WE’RE KEEPING AN EYE ON
The U.K. launched airstrikes against ISIS in Syria.
The bombings came hours after U.K. politicians voted 397 to 223 in favor of Prime Minister David Cameron’s plan for military action in the war-torn country, BuzzFeed News’ Emily Ashton writes. The U.K. joins the U.S., France, and Russia in bombing ISIS targets in Syria.
Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the U.K.’s opposition Labour party, opposed the airstrikes and warned against an “ill-thought-out rush to war.” After the vote — which followed a 10-hour debate in the House of Commons — Corbyn tweeted that “British service men and women will now be in harm’s way and the loss of innocent lives is sadly almost inevitable.”
Two British warplanes fly over a British air base near Limassol, Cyprus, Thursday, Dec. 3, 2015, as they arrive from an airstrike against ISIS targets in Syria.
Pavlos Vrionides / AP Photo
What’s next?
The U.K.’s defense secretary called the airstrikes — which targeted oil fields in eastern Syria — “successful,” adding that the aim of the strikes was to deliver “a very real blow on the oil and revenue on which [ISIS] depends,” BBC News writes.
On Wednesday, ISIS released a new video that appears to show the beheading of a Russian citizen by a jihadi who’s also from Russia, BuzzFeed News’ Ellie Hall reports. This would be the first time ISIS has beheaded a Russian citizen.
DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THIS?
Sexual assaults on porn actors are rarely reported to the authorities.
In the last decade, the main government agency responsible for workplace safety has not received or investigated a single complaint regarding sexual assault in California’s adult film industry, BuzzFeed News’ Cora Lewis writes.
The issue of sexual assault on porn sets is receiving attention after six women made allegations against high-profile porn actor James Deen. Over the weekend, his ex-girlfriend — who is also a porn actor — accused him of rape on Twitter.
Some performers compare the situation to the epidemic of sexual assault on college campuses. “Victims, for any number of reasons, are reluctant to report incidents to the authorities, and the lack of reported incidents may lead to authorities underestimating their prevalence,” Lewis writes.
Quick things to know:
South African athlete Oscar Pistorius is facing murder charges for killing his girlfriend. He'd previously been convicted of the lesser charge of culpable homicide.(BuzzFeed News)
These pictures of a 3-year-old child show just how bad things are in Yemen. Nine months of war has left the country in the midst of a nearly forgotten humanitarian disaster. (BuzzFeed News)
Two top FIFA officials –– Alfredo Hawit and Juan Angel Napout –– have been arrested in Zürich on suspicion of taking “millions of dollars” in bribes related to marketing rights for Latin American soccer tournaments, Swiss officials say. (BuzzFeed News)
Opening arguments have begun in the trial of William Porter, one of six Baltimore police officers facing charges associated with the death of Freddie Gray, who died in April in police custody. (BuzzFeed News)
When Turkey shot down a Russian plane last week, many feared the consequences. But the ensuing war of words hasn’t yet escalated into an all-out conflict. Russia and Turkey seem content to troll each other — for now. (BuzzFeed News)
Texas is suing the the federal government and a nonprofit organization to stop the resettlement of Syrian refugees in the state. (BuzzFeed News)
An activist group has accused Google of violating students’ privacy by collecting data on students using its education software and devices, despite promises not to do so. (BuzzFeed News)
Tidal, Jay Z’s music streaming service, is on its third CEO, just months after launching. (BuzzFeed News)
Jay Z’s Tidal launched with much celebrity-driven fanfare this March but has seen its fair share of trouble since.
Via Giphy / Via giphy.com
Happy Thursday
Doesn’t a crying baby just break your heart? Well, Dr. Robert C. Hamilton, a pediatrician in California, has a technique to quiet any baby. He calls it “the hold,” Hamilton told BuzzFeed Life. So to all the parents out there, or really anyone who ever finds themselves in the proximity of a crying baby, here’s what you do: Gently fold the baby’s arms across their chest, and rock the baby at a 45 degree angle. Then shake their itty bitty tail feathers (grasp the diaper area) and give them a little stir! If that sounds complicated, here’s the video. Aren’t we all just fleshy bundles of feelings crying out into the world in hopes of a hug and the license to sleep all the time? Crying babies are all of us.
This looks so ~comfy~.
YouTube / Via youtube.com
This letter was edited and brought to you by Claire Moses and Brianne O’Brien. You can always reach us here.