Christmas Banned by Chinese University, Says it is ‘Kitsch’

A university in northwestern China has banned Christmas, calling it a “kitsch” foreign celebration unbefitting of the country's own traditions and making its students watch propaganda films instead, media said on Thursday. The state-run Beijing News said that the Modern College of Northwest University, located in Xian, had strung up banners around the campus reading “Strive to be outstanding sons and daughters of China, oppose kitsch Western holidays,” and “Resist the expansion of Western culture.” A student told the newspaper that they would be punished if they did not attend a mandatory three-hour screening of propaganda films, which other students said included one about Confucius, with teachers standing guard to stop people leaving. “There's nothing we can do about it, we can't escape,” the student was quoted as saying. An official microblog belonging to one of the university's Communist Party's committees posted comments calling for students not to “fawn on foreigners” and pay more attention to China's holidays, like Spring Festival. “In recent years, more and more Chinese have started to attach importance to Western festivals,” it wrote. “In their eyes, the West is more developed than China, and they think that their holidays are more elegant than ours, even that Western festivals are very fashionable and China's traditional festivals are old fashioned.” Christmas is not a traditional festival in officially atheist China but is growing in popularity, especially in more metropolitan areas where young people go out to celebrate, give gifts and decorate their homes. Western culture, particularly in the form of U.S. pop culture, is wildly popular with young, educated Chinese, which occasionally causes discomfort for the generally quite conservative ruling Communist Party. Wenzhou, a city in the wealthy eastern province of Zhejiang, has banned all Christmas activities in schools and kindergartens, the official Xinhua news agency reported. Inspectors would make sure rules are enforced, it added. The rules are meant to counteract an “obsession” with Western holidays at the expense of Chinese ones, an official at the city's education bureau told Xinhua.



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CDC Worker Monitored for Possible Ebola Exposure

A laboratory technician for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been placed under observation for possible exposure to the deadly Ebola virus because of an apparent mix-up in lab specimens, the Atlanta-based agency said Wednesday. The technician, who was working on Monday with Ebola specimens that were supposed to have been inactivated but that may instead have contained live virus, will be monitored for signs of infection for 21 days, the disease's incubation period, CDC officials said. The error follows two high-profile cases of mishandled samples of anthrax and avian influenza at the CDC earlier this year that called into question safety practices at the research institute and drew criticism from Capitol Hill. CDC spokeswoman Barbara Reynolds said the technician's risk of exposure to Ebola, even if the virus were active, was believed to be low and that the worker was not being quarantined while under observation. She said a small number of other CDC employees who entered the lab where the samples in question were handled also "were assessed and none require monitoring." "There was no possible exposure outside the secure laboratory at CDC and no exposure or risk to the public," the agency said in a statement. Lab scientists discovered Tuesday what had transpired and reported it to superiors within an hour, it said. The problem occurred when active Ebola virus samples were believed to have been mixed up with specimens that had been rendered inactive for further testing in a lower-security lab down the hall, Reynolds said. When inactivated specimens turned up the next day in storage, lab personnel realized that they apparently had transferred the wrong samples, ones that had contained active virus material, out of the higher-security lab, Reynolds said. CDC officials could not be certain because the material in question had by then been destroyed and the lower-security lab decontaminated under routine safety procedures, she said. The technician who handled the samples had worn protective gloves and a gown but not a face mask, she said. Ebola virus is not airborne. In a lab environment, it could be transmitted from a contaminated surface through physical contact that spreads the virus to the eyes, nose or mouth of an individual.



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Pope Francis Holds Christmas Eve Mass

On Christmas Eve, Pope Francis called on the world’s 1.2 billion Roman Catholics to remember that God's message of peace "is stronger than darkness and corruption." Thousands gathered at St. Peter’s Basilica Wednesday night to hear the pope lead a solemn Christmas Eve Mass. He urged Christians to allow God to love them, emphasizing just how much the world needs tenderness today. Before the Mass, the pope telephoned Christian refugees at a camp in Iraq. He told them, "You are like Jesus on Christmas night. There was no room for him either, and he had to flee to Egypt later to save himself." The refugees have fled Islamic State fighters who have persecuted Shi'ite Muslims, Christians and others in Syria and Iraq. The pope's phone call and nighttime Mass kicked off a busy few weeks for the 78-year-old pontiff. His schedule includes his traditional Christmas Day speech, New Year's Eve vespers and 2015 greetings a few hours later. In mid-January, he will give his annual foreign policy address to diplomats accredited to the Holy See before boarding a plane for a weeklong trip to Sri Lanka and the Philippines.



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Estimates Rising of Foreign Fighters in Iraq, Syria

Foreign fighters are making more of a mark on the battles raging across Syria and Iraq than initially thought. VOA's Jeff Seldin has more.



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Syrian Refugees in Lebanon Fight to Survive Water Crisis

In a region choking from dwindling water supplies, Lebanon has long been regarded as one of the few places where there is enough. But in recent years, half the people in the country have faced severe shortages. And the more than 1 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon are hit the worst by the water crisis, making the country's most vulnerable people increasingly impoverished and sick. Heather Murdock reports for VOA in the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon.



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Security Tightened for Christmas in Several Countries

Security forces are on high alert in several countries this Christmas because of concern that radical Muslim groups could attack churches or Christian communities. In Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim-majority country, security officials said they had deployed 80,000 police officers and 65,000 military personnel across the country to deter any acts of violence against Christian targets. Indonesian Chief of Police General Sutarman, who uses only one name, said he hoped Christmas and New Year celebrations would be free of problems. "The security measures covered activities inside churches, activities at entertainment areas, tourist spots," he said. "As a whole, we try to anticipate what could happen as best as possible." The announcement came as a car was bombed outside a church in far eastern Ambon province Wednesday. The attack did not injure anyone, and the suspects were still at large. Meanwhile, many in Pakistan's Christian community are taking a low-key approach to the holiday following the Dec. 16 Taliban attack at a school in Peshawar that left 148 people dead. One Christian resident in northwestern Pakistan, who did not want to be identified, told VOA that celebrations would be toned down out of respect for the dead: "We will celebrate our Christmas with simplicity. We will remember the slain students and others in our prayers." Security has been increased in Kenya, which has experienced a number of attacks on passenger buses by the Somali militant group al-Shabab, as well as common robbers. Hundreds of thousands of Kenyans are traveling to their home areas this week. Martabel Auma Owalo told VOA that her trip from Mombassa went without incident. "There were many roadblocks on the way," she said. "And there was no incident. The passengers were comfortable and the security was good." In northern Nigeria, officials in Borno state announced a five-day ban on all kinds of vehicular activity. The move was aimed at curbing attacks by the radical Islamist group Boko Haram. This report was produced in collaboration with the VOA Indonesian, Deewa and Swahili services. Andy Lala contributed from Jakarta, and Haimatullah Sarhady contributed from Peshawar.



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NYSE: The Icon of Capitalism

From its humble beginnings in 1792 to its status as an economic bellweather for the world, the New York Stock Exchange is an integral part of the story of America. VOA’s Bernard Shusman reports from Wall Street.



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December 24, 2014

A look at the best news photos from around the world.



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Israel Detains Deputy Minister, Dozens More in Corruption Probe

Israeli police say they have detained dozens of current and former public officials in a wide-spread corruption probe. Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said the alleged crimes include fraud, breach of trust and money laundering. None of the 30 suspects were named. Deputy Interior Minister Faina Kirshenbaum told Israeli television she was one of the officials called in for questioning, but denied any wrongdoing. Kirshenbaum, who is also a member of the Knesset with the Yisrael Beytenu party, said she had "no clue what the investigation is about."



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In Bethlehem, Christmas Eve Scuffle Caps Tense Year

Christmas Eve in Bethlehem began less than peacefully Wednesday when a shoving match broke out between a marching band and police during holiday celebrations. Video of the scuffle shows security forces with batons raised as the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Fouad Twal, was quickly ushered away from a crowd packing the streets near the Church of the Nativity, said to be built over the birthplace of Jesus. Palestinian police had increased their presence to 500 officers around the city about 10 kilometers south of Jerusalem in anticipation of thousands of Christian pilgrims for the holiday. Rula Ma'ayah, Palestinian Minister of Tourism, said, "We are expecting until the end of this month to have receive around hundred thousand visitors coming to Bethlehem from all over the world." Ahead of the Christmas Eve services in Bethlehem, Patriarch Twal, who oversees the Holy Land's Roman Catholic churches, asked for a more tranquil year ahead. "I hope next time we will get rid of all these walls, and build bridges and shake hands with peace. Peace will only come with justice, we have a just case and it should be resolved," he said. "We hope that 2015 will be more merciful than 2014, which was hard year." A day earlier, Palestinian demonstrators in Santa Claus suits clashed with Israeli security forces as they marched toward a checkpoint connecting Bethlehem to Jerusalem. "Today we want to show that we are preparing ourselves to show the whole world the aggression of the Israeli army and the Israeli government, how they are besieging Bethlehem and controlling everything in Bethlehem. And they don't want the Palestinians to be happy, even at Christmas," said Munther Amira, Bethlehem demonstrator. Violence between Palestinian protesters and Israeli police heightened tensions in Jerusalem and the West Bank in recent months, on the heels of a violent 50-day war in Gaza between Hamas and Israel that killed more than 2,000 people. Sporadic violence has broken out along the Gaza border since an August cease-fire ended the conflict. On Wednesday, Israeli forces killed a Hamas fighter after the army said it came under Palestinian sniper fire that injured a soldier near the Gaza Strip.



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WHO: Ebola Death Toll Hits 7,573

The death toll from Ebola in the three West Africa countries hardest hit by the epidemic has risen to 7,573 out of 19,463 confirmed cases recorded there to date, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday. Sierra Leone has the most cases, 9,004, while Liberia has the highest death toll, 3,384, according to its latest figures. Guinea, where the outbreak began a year ago, is the third hardest-hit. The Ebola crisis that claimed its first victim exactly a year ago is likely to last until the end of 2015, according to Peter Piot, a scientist who helped to discover the virus in 1976.



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2014 Saw Intensification of Boko Haram Insurgency

The year 2014 saw Nigerian militant sect Boko Haram intensify its five-year insurgency and target civilians in large numbers as it seized territory in the northeast. The kidnapping of nearly 300 schoolgirls in Chibok in April sparked global outrage, but failed to become the turning point against the sect that Nigeria’s president said it would be. The picture at year's end is one of devastation and uncertainty. VOA’s Anne Look reports.



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New Presidential Powers Lead to Political Shakeups in Uganda

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni’s ruling National Resistance Movement has given him additional political powers ahead of possible changes to the constitution. At the NRM delegates conference in mid-December a monumental shift took place. More than 10,000 delegates assembled in Kampala approved a motion allowing the party chairman, President Museveni to appoint or dismiss party leaders. Prior to the conference, the NRM elected leaders by popular vote. In less than a week, the president used those powers and the NRM announced a shakeup in the party’s top offices. First to go was the man who presented the biggest challenge to Museveni: NRM Secretary-General Amama Mbabazi, who had been dismissed as prime minister months earlier. The treasurer, deputy treasurer, deputy secretary general, and electoral commission chairman also were replaced as well. Silver Kayando, a lawyer who worked on the NRM legal committee for the conference, said the consolidation of power was a good move to make politics more efficient. “NRM is a political party desirous of maintaining its political power and rule. So if they've deemed it fit that the party chairman having more power is what will deliver them victory, to maintain their hold on power, so be it. Power is there to be exercised, and the party chairman in my view should have power. ... Right now, politically, Museveni is stronger. He displayed a lot of political genius. He was able to play his cards right,” said Kayando. The consolidation of party power comes at a crucial time. The Uganda Law Reform Commission is currently reviewing a number of proposed amendments to the Constitution, including allowing the government to seize land for investment purposes. This comes ahead of Uganda’s plan to award new oil and gas exploration licenses in 2015, after a seven-year moratorium. The discovery of gas and oil reserves has led to an increase in land disputes and claims. Other proposed constitutional changes would allow the president to direct police policies and make it tougher for members of parliament to shift political alliances. This is not surprising, given the recent history of swift crackdown on political opponents - including the repeated jailing of Kizza Besigye, a former presidential candidate. President Museveni is a former rebel leader who has been in power since 1986. He has won four elections in the past 20 years, but critics say that is because he stacked the deck. The last election in 2011 was widely criticized as flawed. So it is not surprising to human rights activists that one of the proposed constitutional amendments not being considered is the restoration of term limits. The two-term limit was scrapped in 2005 by constitutional amendment, allowing the president to run for his third and fourth terms. At the same time, restrictions on political pluralism were also put in place. Livingstone Sewanyana of the Foundation for Human Rights Initiative said he believed the latest move to increase the president’s powers was to counter early any possible challenge ahead of the 2016 elections. “The mere fact that all the powers were conferred to only one person to choose and elect the other leaders within the party would be worrying, in the sense that it symbolizes how governance will be effected in this country. Yes, I would say it raises a fundamental issue, as to the extent to which power is shared ... and the freedom in which citizens can make choices. ... Of course, our concern is that we need to have a level playing field as we go toward 2016,” said Sewanyana. Museveni’s 28 years in power make him of one Africa’s longest serving leaders, on a continent that has close to a dozen “presidents for life.” The presidenty has not officially announced his candidacy for a fifth term, but it seems clear that the NRM is setting the stage for another term in office for Museveni. An official announcement is expected to come in the next six months.



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Farm Lobby: Russia's Grain Exports Stop

Russia's grain exports have stopped due to curbs brought in to protect domestic supply, putting big deals at risk, an influential farm lobby group said on Wednesday. Russia's main wheat buyers are Turkey, Iran and, very vulnerable to supply disruption, Egypt. Moscow imposed informal grain export controls with tougher quality monitoring and limits on railroad loadings earlier this month, as it tackles a financial crisis linked to plunging oil and Western sanctions. “Since last Thursday not a single vessel, which had been due to sail under contracts, has left,” Arkady Zlochevsky, the head of Russia's Grain Union, the farmers lobby group, said. Officials also plan to impose duty on grain exports. Zlochevsky said its exact level was an unimportant detail, as he was sure it would be prohibitive. “All loadings are suspended, there is only a need to legally formalize it,” Zlochevsky said. Global wheat futures rose after his comments. A spokeswoman for Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich, who had promised to prepare the proposal for an export duty, was not available for comment. Repeated restrictions Zlochevsky criticized the decision to impose restrictions for the third time in six years. Russia imposed a duty on wheat exports in 2008 and an official ban in 2010 when a drought hit its crop. The 2010 ban was partially responsible for triggering social unrest and a revolution in Egypt as more than 500,000 tons were not supplied and global prices rose damaging Egypt's state bread subsidy program, Zlochevsky said. About three million tons of grain due for export until the end of January were now stuck, Zlochevsky said. As a result, Russia may fail to supply wheat to Egypt's General Authority for Supply Commodities (GASC), the state buyer of the world's largest wheat importer, in January, he added. “Of course, it includes supplies to GASC. How would we be able to supply it?” He said shipments would only be possible if and when the government makes an exception for Egypt. Mamdouh Abdel Fattah, GASC's vice chairman told Reuters on Wednesday that trading companies were obliged to abide by their contracts to ship Russian wheat to Egypt. GASC purchased 180,000 tons of wheat for January shipment, of which 120,000 tons for Jan 11-20 shipment purchased on December 11 and 60,000 tons for January 21-31, bought on Saturday. “If there will be no Russian wheat available for Egypt by a government decision then the firms can proceed to negotiate with GASC to change the origin in the contract,” a Cairo-based trading source said. Russia, expected to be the world's fourth-largest exporter this year, had been exporting record volumes from a large grain crop of 105 million tons. “What's clear is that they won't sell anything anymore,” a European trader said. “Now the market wants to have more details on what the government will do concretely.”



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Japan Works to Secure Infrastructure After Sony Attack

Japan, fearing it could be a soft target for possible North Korean cyberattacks in the escalating row over the Sony Pictures hack, has begun working to ensure basic infrastructure is safe and to formulate its diplomatic response, officials said. The hacking of the U.S. unit of Tokyo-based Sony Corp has been seen in Japan largely as an American problem, but the officials said the government is now moving actively to confront the issue after President Barack Obama blamed North Korea and vowed to respond “in a place and time and manner that we choose.” Cyberdefence experts, diplomats and policymakers worked through the weekend at Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's office to launch the effort, said one official involved in the process. The government is working to ensure that in response to any threat, its basic functions could continue in the face of any cyberattack, while maintaining such essential services as the power grid, gas supplies and transport networks, he said. He declined to offer details. The government's National Information Security Center, working through various ministries, is pressing companies to improve their security from cyberattacks, the officials said. The attack on Sony by a group calling itself “Guardians of Peace” was the biggest hacking of a company on U.S. soil. In addition to bringing down the computer network at Sony Pictures Entertainment, it also prompted the leak of embarrassing emails and sensitive employee data. Sony executives in Tokyo have declined to comment on the hacking, but a company source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said officials at headquarters were bracing for further attacks prompted by the decision to release the “The Interview.” Sony Pictures originally decided to pull the comedy portraying a fictional plot to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, as major theater chains canceled plans to show it after hackers made unspecified threats. Sony on Tuesday reversed its decision, announcing a limited release in more than 200 U.S. cinemas. The parent company was “bolstering communication” among Chief Executive Kazuo Hirai, Sony Pictures Entertainment Chief Executive Michael Lynton, Nicole Seligman, who is president of Sony Corporation of America, and Chief Information Security Officer John Scimone, the company source said. Diplomacy complicated Japanese diplomacy has been complicated by the accusations made by its ally, the United States, that Pyongyang was behind the cyberattack. Abe may be forced to choose between backing Washington and keeping talks on track with Pyongyang about Japanese citizens abducted decades ago. “Japan is maintaining close contact with the United States and supporting their handling of this case,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said on Monday, adding that Tokyo is sharing information with Washington. Suga said he saw no effect on Tokyo's talks with North Korea over the abductees. Pyongyang has denied any role in the Sony hack. Japanese officials have acknowledged the government cannot keep up with the proliferating threat of attacks on computer networks from private or state-sponsored hackers. Japan's companies are also vulnerable, with an overall security rating of just 58.5 out of 100, according to a survey this year by cybersecurity firm Trend Micro. Only IT firms and Internet providers got passing marks of 72 or better, while welfare services, medical facilities and transportation and infrastructure networks were notably weak. “There is no way you can guarantee that hackers won't gain access,” said Itsuro Nishimoto, chief technology officer at LAC Co, a cybersecurity firm that works with Japanese police and companies. “The only way you can do that would be to shut down the Internet.”



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Sources: Qatar, Egypt Discussing Reconciliation

Egyptian and Qatari intelligence officials have met in Cairo to discuss reconciliation as part of Saudi-brokered efforts to end an 18-month standoff over Doha's support of the Muslim Brotherhood, security and diplomatic sources said. The sources said Qatar's intelligence chief - Ahmed Nasser Bin Jassim al-Thani - was present at the talks where a possible meeting between the Egyptian and Qatari heads of state early next year in Riyadh or Cairo was discussed. Gulf states agreed in November to end a dispute with Qatar over its promotion of “Arab Spring” revolts. Saudi Arabia, which has showered Egypt with billions of dollars in aid, has pushed for a similar rapprochement between Qatar and Egypt. Supported Muslim Brotherhood Qatar was a backer of elected Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood. Ties between the two countries deteriorated after then-army chief Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi overthrew Morsi last year and cracked down on the Brotherhood. Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates consider the Brotherhood a threat to their ruling systems. To Egypt's irritation, Qatar has sheltered exiled Brotherhood leaders. Like Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain, Egypt withdrew its ambassador to Qatar this year. While the others agreed to normalize ties under the November deal, Cairo has yet to follow. Evidence has mounted in recent days that Saudi mediation could reach fruition. On Saturday, Sissi - now president - met a special envoy of Qatar's emir. Then on Monday, Qatari-owned Al Jazeera television - which denies Egypt's charges of being a Brotherhood mouthpiece - suspended broadcast of its Egypt-focused channel. The diplomatic flurry raised expectations that Egypt might free three Al Jazeera journalists in prison on charges related to supporting the Brotherhood. It was unclear if the journalists' case was discussed in the intelligence officials' talks, which took place on Tuesday. But the Australian foreign minister said on Wednesday the case of Australian Peter Greste was “under consideration” by high levels of the Egyptian government and she hoped for his release by the end of the year. Regional instability Sissi has been reluctant to interfere in judicial cases but suggested last month he might pardon Greste, Canadian-Egyptian Mohamed Fahmy, and Egyptian Baher Mohamed. A diplomatic source in the Gulf told Reuters the talks also covered Qatari involvement in Libya, where two governments vie for legitimacy and threaten to destabilize neighbors. The source said Egyptian intelligence was checking if Qatar had ceased alleged funding of Islamist groups in Egypt before any reconciliation. “Egyptian authorities understand that not all their demands will be met right away ... but they have to make sure Qatar is serious and not just making a few cosmetic changes,” he said.



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Russian Official: NATO Turning Ukraine into 'Frontline of Confrontation'

Russia said on Wednesday NATO was turning Ukraine into a “frontline of confrontation” and threatened to sever remaining ties with the Atlantic military alliance if Ukraine's hopes of joining it were realized. The Kyiv parliament's renunciation of Ukraine's neutral status on Tuesday in pursuit of NATO membership has outraged Moscow and deepened the worst confrontation between Russia and the West since the end of the Cold War. “NATO countries pushed Kyiv to this counterproductive decision, trying to turn Ukraine into a front line of confrontation with Russia,” Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov told the Russian news agency Interfax. “If this decision in the future takes on a military character [accession to NATO], then we will respond appropriately. Then there will be a complete severing of ties with NATO, which will be practically impossible to repair,” Antonov said. It is likely to take years for Ukraine to meet the technical criteria for accession to NATO and, even then, there is no certainty that the alliance is ready to take such a political hot potato. Yet Russia has made clear it would see the NATO membership of such a strategic former Soviet republic with a long common border as a direct military threat. NATO has already boosted its military presence in eastern Europe this year, saying it has evidence that Russia orchestrated and armed a pro-Russian rebellion in eastern Ukraine that followed the overthrow of a Kremlin-backed president in Kyiv. Moscow denies supporting the rebellion, and is currently trying, along with Kyiv and the rebels, to renew efforts to find a political solution to the crisis in eastern Ukraine. A so-called “contact group” is expected to meet in Minsk on Wednesday to try to reinforce a shaky ceasefire and de-escalate the conflict, in which more than 4,700 people have been killed. A truce agreed in September has been regularly flouted by both sides, but violence has lessened significantly in December. The rebellion began shortly after Russia annexed the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea from Ukraine in March.



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Can Science Save a Rhino on Brink of Extinction?

A conservancy in Kenya is home to three extremely rare rhinos pushed to the edge of extinction by man-made threats. VOA East Africa Correspondent Gabe Joselow reports on last ditch efforts to save the species.



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Conservationists Use Science to Preserve Rare Species of Rhino

Wildlife conservationists in Kenya are scrambling to save a rare species of rhinoceros that has been hunted and poached to the brink of extinction. With just five of the animals left in the world, caretakers hope that through reproductive science they may be able to preserve the gene pool before it is gone forever. The northern white rhino - that once roamed a territory stretching from Uganda through the Democratic Republic of Congo and as far north as Chad - could disappear within our lifetimes. The Ol Pejeta Conservancy in central Kenya is home to three of these animals. Under the watch of armed guards, they meander easily across a natural expanse of grass and shrubs, and rub and play and eat with groups of southern white rhinos - their close genetic cousins. The rhinos came to Kenya from a zoo in the Czech Republic, with the hope that the species would thrive in a more natural habitat. But that optimism has not been met with breeding success, and the population is dwindling fast. One of the rhinos here, Suni, unexpectedly died in October. A zoo in the U.S. city of San Diego lost another in mid-December. San Diego still has one left, as does the zoo in the Czech Republic. But the last wild population, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, was wiped out during armed conflicts in the last decade. Killings of all types of rhinos across Africa have been driven by Asian demand, due to the mistaken belief that the horns have medicinal properties. Mohammed Doyo, caretaker to these animals since they first arrived at the conservatory in 2009, files down the rhinos' at Ol Pejeta horns to make them less enticing to poachers. He also had a chance to lobby on behalf of the rhinos to a visiting Chinese basketball legend. “There was a guy here by the name [of] Yao Ming. He was doing a documentary telling the China people they should stop believing the horn of the rhino is medicine. Instead of that, I told him, they should use their fingernails or hair, because it's one material,” said Doyo. Sudan, the last male of the species, is 41 years old, and his past attempts at mating were unsuccessful. So now conservationists will try to artificially impregnate a young, fertile female. If that does not work, they will try in-vitro fertilization, possibly using a southern white rhino as a kind of surrogate mother. The last solution would be cross-breeding between the two species, which are physically and genetically similar. “It's about preserving those genetic traits which confer upon the northern white as a species or subspecies, whatever you want to call it, the ability to live in Central Africa with all the disease and habitat challenges that presents. And those genetic traits could be preserved as part of a hybrid with a southern white, but as long as they're there, then one day, hopefully, maybe in a hundred years’ time, we'll be able to reintroduce rhinos into that part of Africa,” said Richard Vigne, CEO of Ol Pejeta. The fact of the matter is the northern white rhino gene pool has been depleted to the point that preserving the animal as a unique species is quite a long shot. Vigne said this effort is not just about saving one type of rhino. “We're keen to make the point that if human beings continue to treat the planet in the way that they're treating it, this isn't going to be the only mammalian species that goes extinct in the next few years. That's going to happen more and more and more,” he said. Vigne said the process is expected to get underway in January, with the assistance of experts from the Czech zoo where they came from. The good news is that southern white rhino populations have rebounded in the last century since being pushed to the brink of extinction themselves. If cross-breeding is successful, there is hope that some trace of the otherwise-doomed northern white species may still live on.



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Activists: Islamic State Fighters Shoot Down Warplane

Syrian activists say Islamic State militants have shot down a plane believed to be from the U.S.-led coalition that has been targeting the group with airstrikes for the past three months. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Wednesday the plane went down near Raqqa. The city is the main stronghold for the militants who seized large areas in eastern Syria and northern and western Iraq earlier this year. The Observatory said the pilot was believed to be an Arab, and the Islamic State group released pictures it says show its fighters holding the pilot. Jordan, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are all taking part in the airstrikes in Syria. There was no immediate comment from the coalition members. Since late September, the U.S.-led group has conducted about 550 airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Syria.



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