5 things you absolutely must know today

Saudi Arabia elects 17 women in historic vote

Saudi Arabia held its first ever elections open to female candidates and voters on Saturday, and early results indicate about 17 women have won seats as councillors. It’s a monumental progression for Saudi Arabia, a country that routinely discriminates against women, restricts them from meeting men, and bans them from driving. More than 900 of the 6,440 candidates in the municipal council elections were women, who all faced an uphill battle for support, as females are not allowed to meet with male voters alone. [Source: Guardian]

Typhoon hits Philippines, 725,000 forced from their homes

Nearly three quarters of a million people have been forced from their homes in the eastern Philippines, as Typhoon Melor delivered intense rain and wind gusts of up to 115 mph. The storm system is estimated to be 185-miled in diameter, and is expected to hit land again this time in the Sorsogon province. No casualties have been reported, and officials on the ground said the evacuations have run smoothly. The Philippines gets hit with about 20 typhoons each year. [Source: NYDailyNews]

Hacker group Anonymous sets sights on taking down Donald Trump

Anonymous, the vigilante computer hackers that/who have declared war on such things as extramarital dating site Ashley Madison and Islamic State, has most recently waged war against the Donald Trump, specifically his stance against allowing Muslims into the God-fearing U.S. of A. “This policy is going to have a huge impact. This is what ISIS wants,” said someone wearing a Guy Fawkes mask in a video Anonymous released. “Donald Trump, think twice before you speak anything. You have been warned, Donald Trump.” The group is using the hashtag #OpTrump to interfere with Trump’s online footprint. Similar to how they urged Islamic State haters to troll the group, also knows as Daesh (a term the terrorist group hates, apparently), with the hashtag #Daeshbags. [Source: Wired]

U.S. police in Scotland to learn alternatives to shooting people

Police chiefs from many major U.S. cities have been sent to Scotland’s officer training centre to explore alternatives to trigger-happy conflict resolution. It is rare for Scotland police to use a gun or even carry a gun. Ninety-eight per cent of the country’s police officers do not have a gun with them when on duty. This year alone, more than 1,000 people were shot dead by U.S police. “The basic fundamental principle, even in the areas where there’s high levels of crime, high levels of social deprivation, is it’s community-based policing by unarmed officers,” assistant chief constable of Police Scotland Bernard Higgins told the NYTimes. [Source: National Post]

Deal reached and signed at climate talks in Paris

A plan to combat climate change has been reached during the Paris talks. It has been approved by 195 countries, many of them committing to greenhouse gas reductions, helping poorer countries develop cleaner energy and economic sources, and protecting low-lying lands from the dangers of rising sea levels. Canada says it will work with the U.S. and Mexico on its own continental agreement. Cooperation with the U.S. is key to Ottawa’s plan, as it would avoid putting Canada at an economic disadvantage. “We’ve spent a lot of time focusing on getting an ambitious agreement here in Paris and then we’re going to go home and figure out the plan,” the Globe and Mail reported Environment Minister Catherine McKenna as saying. “But what is very clear is that we are going to put a price on carbon, [and] that we know that we need to move to a low-carbon economy. And we’re going to figure out the tools to do that in conjunction with the provinces and territories and also the aboriginal leaders.” The plan signed in Paris commits to limiting global warming to 2 C above preindustrial levels. [Source: Nature and Globe and Mail]

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