“Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.”

George Bernard Shaw

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UN warns of misplaced suspicions regarding Muslim refugees and migrants

United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon addressed the UN General Assembly on Friday and cautioned the international community to avoid discrimination against Muslims, especially refugees and migrants entering Europe, as a result of the recent terrorist attacks in Paris a week earlier. Ki-moon stated that 60 million people have been forced from their homes because of violence and conflict in countries such as Syria and Iraq. The recent migration crisis has forced many European countries to re-evaluate their immigration policies. The level of attention paid to immigration policies in Europe will likely increase after the terrorist attacks in Paris. Ki-moon said: "In the wake of the terrorist attacks, I am deeply concerned about misplaced suspicions about migrants and refugees, especially those who are Muslim. We must be on guard against such distortions and discrimination, which only play into the hands of terrorists trying to sow divisions and fear. We must respond not by closing doors but by opening our hearts with unity, tolerance, and pluralism and compassion. This will foster true security."

UN: Climate Change Conference must be a turning point for climate laws

Janos Pasztor, the UN Assistant Secretary-General on Climate Change, on Friday, announced that the upcoming UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Paris on November 30th must serve as the turning point for climate law throughout the world. The conference will take place in Le Bourget in Paris. Of the countries attending the conference, Pasztor reported that 166 have submitted plans to limit their emissions so that global temperature will rise no more than 3 degrees by the end of the century. These 166 countries are responsible for approximately 90% of the worlds emissions. Pastor stated that he is optimistic for the future of climate laws.

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Japan renews South China Sea alert, pushes Aussies on submarines

Japan's foreign and defense ministers reiterated concerns about China's strengthening position in the South China Sea in meetings with their Australian counterparts and pressed the case for Japanese companies to build new generation submarines Down Under. "China is increasing its activities," Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida said. "To accommodate or condone the current situation, we cannot accept -- we need to ensure the rule of law and freedom of navigation," he said.

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• Brief News

Obama on the Islamic State: 'We will destroy this terrorist organization'

Obama called on the United States not give in to fear and discriminate based on religion. "That wouldn't just be a betrayal of our values, it would also feed ISIL's propaganda," he said.

MEPs face legal action over expenses

A group of 29 European journalists is taking the European Parliament to court in the hope of making MEPs' expenses more transparent. The complaint has been filed with the European Court of Justice (ECJ), whose rulings are binding EU-wide. MEPs' allowances "should not be allowed to remain hidden from the European public", said the group's leader, Slovenian journalist Anuska Delic. They say MEPs' pay and expenses total more than €474m ($500m) annually. They are particularly concerned about MEPs' general allowances, which they calculate to be almost €40m ($44m) annually. A statement from the group said "the complete absence of monitoring of MEPs' general allowances... raises serious doubts that other spending by the 751 MEPs is monitored in a transparent, responsible and verifiable manner". Several expenses scandals have hit the European Parliament in recent years.

Ebola global response was 'too slow'

A slow international response and a failure of leadership were to blame for the "needless suffering and death" caused by the recent Ebola epidemic, a panel of experts has concluded. Led by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, the panel's report said major reforms were needed to prevent future disasters. More than 11,000 people died in the outbreak, which began in 2013. Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone were the countries most badly affected. The report said these countries were unable to detect, report and respond rapidly to outbreaks - something which allowed Ebola to develop into "a worldwide crisis". But it reserved most criticism for the World Health Organization, saying it was too slow to declare Ebola an international public health emergency - five months after Guinea and Liberia had notified it of outbreaks. The report said the WHO had also failed to meet its responsibilities for responding to the outbreak because of a lack of leadership and accountability.

Conservative Mauricio Macri wins Argentina presidency

Conservative Mauricio Macri has been confirmed as the winner in Argentina's presidential elections after his ruling party opponent conceded. With almost all votes counted, Macri led Daniel Scioli by 51.5% to 48.5%. Macri's victory is the first in more than a decade for Argentina's centre-right opposition and ends the 12-year rule of the Peronist Party.

'Spying' on Islamic State instead of hacking them

In the wake of the Paris attacks, the vigilante hacker group Anonymous has declared war on so-called Islamic State using the internet and claims to have shut thousands of Twitter accounts used by IS operatives. But a much smaller online group has also emerged, with quite a different strategy - and they claim they've already thwarted at least one terror attack. This group say they were fed up with what they saw as unsophisticated Anonymous tactics. Things came to a head after the Charlie Hebdo attack in January, and after that, the founding members of Ghost Security Group decided to make a clean break from Anonymous. "Anonymous don't have any counterterrorism experience whatsoever," said Ghost Security Group's executive director, "We felt that not enough was being done and the Charlie Hebdo attack made it clear that ISIS was not confined to the Middle East." Security agencies such as the US FBI have refused to comment on the group - and it's difficult to independently verify the claims they have made.

Obama administration appeals immigration ruling to Supreme Court

Lawyers for the Obama administration on Friday asked the US Supreme Court to uphold the president's changes to US immigration policy. Earlier this month the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit upheld a federal judge's injunction against the president's plan. Obama announced execution action on immigration last year that would allow 4.7 million undocumented immigrants to stay in the US, prompting several states to file suit. In the appeal, Obama administration lawyers argued that the executive branch has discretion to manage immigration and deportation. The petition challenged the states' right to sue, arguing that it would be unprecedented to allow them to pursue their own view of immigration policy. The case is particularly timely as it could clarify the division of power over who may enter the country amid a debate over refugee policy.

Pennsylvania Supreme Court upholds 'wrongful birth' statute

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld a state law that bars an individual front bringing a "wrongful birth" lawsuit. With all justices joining the majority opinion, the court dismissed Rebecca and Lawerence Sernovitz's claim. The couple challenged Act 47 after they claimed that medical misinformation provided by their doctor prevented them from seeking an abortion. Chief Justice Saylor, in writing the majority opinion, found that the statute is immune to attack since its adoption in 1988. Saylor defended Act 47 stating that "the amount of time that has passed since enactment is a material consideration because the longer an act has been part of the statutory law and relied on by the public and the government, the more disruption to society and orderly governance is likely to follow from its invalidation."

Five people charged in Vatican leaks scandal

The Vatican has charged five people, including two journalists and a top priest or monsignor, over the leaking and publication of secret documents. The documents were cited in two books, by journalists Emiliano Fittipaldi and Gianluigi Nuzzi, alleging misspending and corruption at the Vatican. The journalists deny claims that they exerted pressure to obtain information. Two members of a papal commission advising on economic reform, and an assistant, were also charged.

US man freed after 23 years in jail over another's crime

A US man whose conviction was overturned after serving more than 23 years in jail for crimes including the killing of a UK tourist has been freed. Robert Jones, now 42, was sentenced to life for rape, robbery and the manslaughter of Julie Stott in 1992. He was jailed even though another man, Lester Jones, had already been convicted of the murder. State prosecutors had withheld crucial evidence in Robert Jones's trial. In June, a Louisiana court ruled that he did not get a fair trial, but he remained in prison. Last month, the murder detective and the judge from Jones's original trial said they believed his conviction had been a miscarriage of justice. This week a judge said he could leave prison on bail pending a retrial, citing "disturbing testimony from a lead detective".

Mississippi state election settled by 'drawing straws'

A Democrat has won a Mississippi House race by drawing a longer straw, an official way to break a tie in a legislative election for the state. Democrat Bo Eaton met Republican Mark Tullos to draw straws and Tullos drew the shorter one. Eaton's fateful grasp of the longer straw gave him the victory, keeping Republicans from having a supermajority in the state house. Tullos, not admitting defeat, filed an appeal on Friday.

France parliament votes to extend state of emergency

The French National Assembly voted Thursday to extend the state of emergency for another three months. The state of emergency expands police power for searches and arrests, and allows authorities to restrict movement of individuals and vehicles with the country's borders. During the debate, Prime Minister Manuel Valls warned that France must be prepared to defend against chemical and biological warfare. The bill secured 551 votes with only six against, far surpassing the 279 necessary to pass the legislation through the chamber. The bill will move to the Senate on Friday, where it is expected to pass.

Fight over ethanol quotas heats up as US nears final decision

All sides in the contentious debate over how much ethanol to blend into the nation’s gasoline are making their final pitches as the Obama administration nears a Nov. 30 deadline to set three years’ worth of renewable fuel quotas. Representatives of the oil industry’s biggest trade group, the American Petroleum Institute, were scheduled to meet with White House officials Friday to argue that ethanol quotas should be kept below the current 10 percent threshold acceptable for use in all cars and trucks. The American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers delivered a similar message Thursday. On the other side, the Fuels America coalition of biofuel boosters and producers, including DuPont Co., Royal DSM NV and Poet LLC, launched an ad campaign pressing the administration to boost the proposed quotas in line with higher statutory targets.

California judge orders destruction of embryos following divorce

A California judge on Wednesday ordered the destruction of five embryos following a couple's divorce. In 2010, Mimi Lee and her former husband Stephen Findley participated in in vitro fertilization (IVF). While participating in IVF, the couple signed an agreement stating that the embryos would be destroyed if they divorced. At the age of 47, Mimi sought court approval to use the embryos. However, the California Superior court upheld the agreement between the couple and ruled for the embryos to be destroyed. Judge Anne-Christine Massullo stated, "the policy best suited to ensuring that these disputes are resolved in a cleareyed manner—unswayed by the turmoil, emotion and accusations that attend to contested proceedings in family court—is to give effect to the intentions of the parties at the time of the decision at issue."

Jury in Blankenship trial ordered to keep deliberating

A judge ordered the jury in the criminal trial of former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship to continue deliberating after jurors said they couldn't reach a verdict.

San Francisco sues American Express for excessive card fees

San Francisco sued American Express Co. for allegedly stifling competition with excessive fees, seeking billions of dollars in restitution to merchants. "The party is over for American Express," City Attorney Dennis Herrera said Thursday in a statement. "American Express for years has exacted a 3 percent fee on each charge card transaction -- well in excess of fees charged such competitors as Visa and MasterCard," and Amex "strictly prohibited its participating merchants from taking any step to encourage consumers' use of less costly payment methods, including cash." according to Herrera. "We don’t believe the suit has merit" and will fight it, Marina Norville, a spokeswoman for American Express, said. Herrera said in his complaint that California merchants account for about $2.25 billion of the $15 billion paid in swipe fees to American Express each year.

• Weekly Magazine Review

Time
How to beat ISIS?

Newsweek
Belgian Police Arrest 16 in Raids Across Country

Business Week
Why US Efforts to Cut Off Islamic State's Funds Have Failed

The Economist
Paris: How to fight back

Der Spiegel
"Ihr wollt, dass ich Angst habe. Vergesst es!"

L'Espresso
Che guerra sra