5 things you absolutely must know today

Netflix is cracking down on subscribers using virtual private networks (VPN) to access content not available in their home countries. Content varies on the service country to country due to licensing agreements. The crackdown means that in the next few days, up to a week, those using proxies to access out of country material will no longer be able to do so. The proxies will no longer work. “If all of our content were globally available, there wouldn’t be a reason for members to use proxies or ‘unblockers’ to fool our systems into thinking they’re in a different country than they’re actually in,” VP of Netflix’s delivery architecture division David Fullagar said in a blog post. “In the meantime, we will continue to respect and enforce content licensing by geographic location.” This week, the streaming service announced its availability in 130 countries. [Source: BBC]

New Ebola case confirmed by WHO one day after the organization declared epidemic over

A body has tested positive for Ebola in Sierra Leone, reported the Jakarta Post. The news comes one day after the World Health Organization declared the epidemic over. The tests were done on a 22-year-old woman who died early January. Health officials have begun tracing her steps in an attempt to isolate those she’s been in contact with at her home in the Northern Kambia District to where she sought medical attention in the Northern Tonkolili District. The WHO has confirmed the new case, and said it has implemented measures to prevent the virus from spreading, which is done through the exchange of bodily fluids. “We are now at a critical period in the Ebola epidemic as we move from managing cases and patients to managing the residual risk of new infections,” Dr. Bruce Aylward, WHO’s Special Representative for the Ebola Response said Thursday. “We still anticipate more flare-ups and must be prepared for them.” [Source: Jakarta Post]

René Angélil, Céline Dion’s husband and manager, dies of cancer at 73

René Angélil, Céline Dion’s husband and manager, died of cancer on Thursday. He was 73. Angélil’s struggle with cancer was made public and put in the spotlight last summer after Dion announced she would be taking time off from her singer career to look after her husband at their home in Las Vegas. Over the last two decades, Angélil has undergone multiple surgeries related to his illness, according to the CBC. Dion announced the death of her husband on Facebook, and her spokesperson has asked the public to respect the family’s privacy and that more details will be provided on a later date. Angélil, a talent agent living in Montreal, discovered Dion when she was 12 years old. She remained his top client until he could no longer shoulder the responsibility. He stepped down as her manager in June of last year. Both Angélil and Dion were appointed members of the order of Canada in 2012. [Source: CBC]

Turkey detains professors over petition calling for end to Kurdish ‘massacre’

Turkey has detained 12 university teachers for signing a petition calling for an end to the country’s “deliberate massacre and deportation of Kurdish people.” The country is being accused of violating academic freedom over the round-up. More than 1,400 others also signed the petition. Among the signatories but not the detained are political scientist Noam Chomsky and philosopher Slavoj Žižek from Slovenia. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has called on Turkey’s justice department to implement a suitable punishment for their alleged wrongdoing. According to the Doğan news agency, all 1,128 Turkish signatories are being investigated and could face between one and five years in prison. Erdoğan extended a personal invite to Chomsky to see, “the true picture” of Turkey. “If I decide to go to Turkey, it will not be on his invitation, but as frequently before at the invitation of the many courageous dissidents, including Kurds, who have been under severe attack for many years,” said Chomsky in a response to the invitation published in the Guardian newspaper. [Source: Guardian]

Watch this live stream of astronauts Tim Kopra and Tim Peake repair exterior elements of the International Space Station

It’s fascinating.

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