US, Allies Urge Facebook Not to Encrypt Messages as They Fight Child Abuse, Terrorism
North Korea Tests New Sub-Launched Missile ; Radical Warming in Siberia ; and More Picks
On Eve of Nuke Talks With US, North Korea Tests New Sub-Launched Missile (Mili)
From Ars Technica: “The missile flew roughly 280 miles (450km), but it reached an altitude of about 575 miles (910 km) — making this the longest-range solid-fuel missile North Korea has ever tested.”
LA Vows to Void 2 Million Court Citations and Warrants (Reader Steve)
The authors write, “In a dramatic move designed to ease the challenges facing the region’s poor and homeless people, Los Angeles officials said Wednesday that they were voiding nearly 2 million minor citations and warrants that had kept people trapped in the court system. The announcement is designed to fix a system that has led to many people being repeatedly ticketed and arrested for minor infractions, leading to growing fines and warrants. For homeless people, that has created roadblocks to accessing housing and services.”
Shipping Companies Are Fitting Ships With ‘Cheat Devices’ to Evade Pollution Laws (Chris)
From Business Insider: “More than $12bn (£9.7bn) has been spent on the devices, known as open-loop scrubbers, which extract sulphur from the exhaust fumes of ships that run on heavy fuel oil. This means the vessels meet standards demanded by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) that kick in on 1 January. However, the sulphur emitted by the ships is simply re-routed from the exhaust and expelled into the water around the ships, which not only greatly increases the volume of pollutants being pumped into the sea, but also increases carbon dioxide emissions.”
Radical Warming in Siberia Leaves Millions on Unstable Ground (Russ)
The authors write, “A Washington Post analysis found that the region near the town of Zyryanka, in an enormous wedge of eastern Siberia called Yakutia, has warmed by more than 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit since preindustrial times — roughly triple the global average.”
Did a 1964 Earthquake Bring a Dangerous Fungus to the Pacific Northwest? (Mili)
The author writes, “A new study posits that tsunamis triggered by the Great Alaska Earthquake washed Cryptococcus gattii onto the shore.”
