5: Obama Allows Toothless UN Resolution Against Israeli Settlements to Pass
THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION on Friday finally allowed the UN Security Council to call on Israel to halt its settlement expansion on Friday. The resolution essentially re-states U.S. policy that settlement activity in the West Bank is illegal and counterproductive, and that Israel’s security must be protected.
The U.S. did not support the resolution, but it did not utilize its veto power either.
In a press call Friday afternoon, White House Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications Ben Rhodes explained that the White House abstained on the resolution because it “expresses a consensus international view on Israeli settlement activity.”
“We thought that we could not in good conscience veto a resolution that expressed concerns about the very trends that are eroding,” Rhodes explained. “A two-state solution.”
The resolution is toothless — it does not, for example, authorize any form of sanctions to compel Israel to respect international law. Yet prior to its passage, a long list of both Democrats and Republicans called on the administration to veto it, including President-elect Donald Trump, New York’s Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, and Wisconsin-based House Speaker Paul Ryan:
The Intercept
4: Civilians killed by barrel bombs near Damascus: reports
At least 14 civilians have been killed and several others wounded in a series of barrel-bomb attacks on rebel-held areas near Damascus, Al Jazeera has learnt.
Syrian government air strikes targeted the town of Wadi Barada, northwest of the capital, on Monday, injuring dozens of people, including several children, activists told Al Jazeera.
According to videos posted on social media by opposition groups, the Syrian government intensified its assault on the town.
The White Helmets, an all-volunteer rescue group, said a number of people were trapped under the rubble following the heavy bombardment.
Aljazeera
3: China to rein in outward investment as domestic growth stalls
Beijing has signalled plans to curb Chinese firms’ investment in foreign assets, after revealing that companies from China are on course to spend 1.12 trillion yuan (£130bn) on everything from British football clubs to a Hollywood film producer in 2016.
Companies from China ramped up their spending on overseas assets during the year, as a weakening domestic economy saw investors turn their attention overseas. A diverse array of targets included the maker of Godzilla, Aston Villa Football Club and the pub in which former prime minister David Cameron and Chinese premier Xi Jinping once shared a pint.
The spending spree boosted non-financial overseas investment 55% in the first 11 months of 2016, putting Chinese companies on course to spend £130bn this year, compared with £86bn in 2015, said commerce minister Gao Hucheng.
The Guardian
2: US government collecting social media information from foreign travelers
The US government has begun asking select foreign travelers to disclose their social media activities as part of an expanded effort to spot potential terrorist threats.
The request functions as a prompt on the online Electronic System for Travel Authorization, or Esta, a visa waiver application that many visitors are required to submit before travelling to the US. The choices include platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube, and additional space for applicants to input their account names on those sites.
The Customs and Border Protection, which began the program last week, has previously said it wouldn’t prohibit entry to foreigners who didn’t provide their social media account information.
The government has faced a barrage of criticism since it first floated the idea last summer. Privacy rights activists say there are few guidelines about how the information, once obtained, is used or shared with other agencies.
The Guardian
1: Smoking Weed Was the Only Thing That Made 2016 Bearable
2016 was a year stalked by death—of musical legends, of athletes and astronauts, of whatever shred of decency our political system had left. Whatever way the world is heading, it seems like the wrong one. As time continues its unstoppable march, middle-American factory workers will be replaced by robots, and the eventually, so will the drivers of the cars they build. Machines will increasingly do our killing and social media algorithms will continue to separate us into ideological silos so that we grow further detached from our fellow man. Throughout the world, the response to the grind of progress has been, increasingly, to embrace politicians who preach straight-up racism. Also, the oceans are rising.
Vice News
