— Thailand PM Prayuth Chan-ocha, when asked what he would do with journalists who do fail to "report the truth."
Yemen | Rebel crisis brings in Saudis
THE GIST. Saudia Arabia and other Arab allies have bombed parts of Yemen held by the Houthi rebels, claiming they are "defending the legitimate government of Yemen."
THE BACKGROUND. In August last year, a rebel group called the 'Houthis' (Shia Muslims - important) took over the country's capital city, basically seized control of the government, and the President resigned.
THE OUTSIDERS. All sides in Yemen accuse each other of being influenced by religious allies in other countries. The former government said the Houthis were being backed by Iran (also Shia Muslims), while the Houthis claimed that the government was a puppet of Saudia Arabia and Al-Qaeda (Sunni Muslims).
THE REACTION. Now that the Saudis are involved, Iran is kicking up a stink. They are demanding that all Saudi-led military operations in Yemen cease, saying that they "further complicate the situation", which seems almost impossible at this point.
France | Plane crash deliberate
THE GIST. German prosecutors say that the 28-year-old co-pilot of Germanwings flight 9525, Andreas Lubitz, crashed the plane on purpose.
THE CRASH. The plane went down in the French Alps, killing all 150 people on board. Prosecutors say Lubitz locked the captain out of the cockpit, took over the controls, and brought the plane down. Recordings from the black box show that most of the passengers wouldn't have been aware of what was going on, and that "Only toward the end do you hear screams."
THE MAN. German police have searched Lubitz's house, but so far have not found a possible motive. He had no known terrorist links, and had been flying with the airline since 2013. A member of his flying club said, "He was just another boy like so many others here."
Small-talk
Avin a larf. Russell Brand, the English Actor/Comedian who is famous for pretending to be a vacuous celebrity and for once being married to one, has been rated the 'fourth most influential thinker in the world'. It's not yet clear which of those words - influential, most, world, or thinker - voters were apparently so confused by.
Bad news, again. The American Alzheimer's Association says that half of the 500,000 Americans who develop the disease this year won't be told the diagnosis by their doctors, who either don't think they'll be believed or are afraid of upsetting their patients. When asked how he knew that a patient would react badly, one doctor reportedly said "because that's what happened the last six times."
Australian made. Dick Smith, entrepreneur and electronics / peanut butter enthusiast, is forming a political party. His major platform is promoting sustainable growth and opposing a 'big' Australian population, which puts him somewhat at odds with another of the country's billionaire politicians, Clive Palmer.
The word
Improvident Adj. Not providing or saving for the future; not sensible regarding money: A Chinese restaurant has been shut down on grounds of racial discrimination, after authorities discovered that the owners refused to serve people of African descent. But it is the restaurant's location that makes the proprietor's behaviour improvident, rather than merely racist: the eatery sits in the heart of Nairobi, capital of Kenya.
That's the Gist. Don't keep it secret. That's just selfish.
