Briefs package
***DUPLICATON ALERT: PBP: Do not use the whale brief.***
OKLAHOMA
Satanists seek spot on Statehouse steps
Conservatives in Oklahoma may have unwittingly opened the door to a wide range of religious groups, including Satanists who are seeking to put their own statue next to a Ten Commandments monument on the Statehouse steps. The Republican-controlled Legislature authorized the privately funded Ten Commandments monument in 2009, and it was placed on the Capitol grounds last year despite criticism from legal experts who questioned its constitutionality. The New York-based Satanic Temple saw an opportunity. It notified the state’s Capitol Preservation Commission that it wants to donate a monument and plans to submit one of several possible designs this month, said Lucien Greaves, a temple spokesman. State Rep. Bobby Cleveland dismissed the notion of Satanists erecting a monument at the Capitol. “I think these Satanists are a different group,” Cleveland said. “You put them under the nut category.”
SOUTH KOREA
Government announces expanded air zone
Defying both China and Japan, South Korea announced Sunday it was expanding its air patrol zone for the first time in 62 years to include airspace over the East China Sea that is also claimed by Beijing and Tokyo. With South Korea’s newly expanded zone, the air defense zones of all three countries now overlap over a submerged reef called Ieodo in South Korea and Suyan Rock in China. The reef is controlled by South Korea, which maintains a maritime research station there, but China also claims it. The seabed around the reef is believed to be rich in natural gas and minerals deposits. The State Department offered support for South Korea’s approach, saying that keeping open the lines of communication with China and Japan “avoids confusion for, or threats to, civilian airlines.”
UNITED KINGDOM
Police free suspected slavery victims
British police say they have freed three men believed to be victims of slavery and human trafficking. Avon and Somerset Police said a man in his 30s, one in his 40s and one in his 50s were discovered during raids on homes, a business and three sites occupied by the traditionally nomadic Traveler community in southwest England. The force said Sunday that two people had been arrested over slavery offences. Five others were detained on suspicion of offences including marijuana production, money laundering and handling stolen goods.
NORTH KOREA
Leader’s uncle officially removed
North Korea acknowledged today the purge of leader Kim Jong Un’s influential uncle for alleged corruption, drug use, gambling and a long list of other “anti-state” acts, apparently ending the career of the country’s second most powerful official. South Korean intelligence officials said days ago that a purge was likely because two of Jang Song Thaek’s aides had been executed last month for corruption. A recent state documentary in the North had all images of Jang removed.
CALIFORNIA
Released vet treated well, he says
The 85-year-old U.S. veteran detained for weeks by North Korea says he was well-fed and kept comfortable in a hotel room, not a jail cell. Merrill Newman spoke briefly with the Santa Cruz Sentinel on Sunday. Newman told the newspaper “that’s not my English” when asked about the video North Korean state media released showing him reading an apology. When asked if he planned any more international travel, he said his wife is now in charge of his passport
FLORIDA
11 whales found dead in Keys
National wildlife officials say 11 whales believed to be part of a pod that was stranded in the Florida Everglades are dead. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration official Blair Mase said wildlife workers spotted the dead whales Sunday afternoon about six miles north of Sugarloaf Key. That brings the death toll to 22. The pod of 51 short-finned pilot whales was first spotted by a fishing guide Tuesday in the shallow waters off a remote section of the Everglades. The species is one of the most commonly involved in mass strandings.
CUBA
Rebels announce 30-day cease-fire
Colombia’s largest rebel group says it’s calling a 30-day cease-fire starting Dec. 15. Leaders of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia made the announcement Sunday in Havana, which is hosting the insurgents’ peace talks with the Colombian government. The communique was read by rebel commander Pablo Catatumbo. The announcement came a day after a rebel attack killed nine people in an assault on a police post. Twenty-three civilians and 12 police also were injured.
