News Unplugged - Wednesday, February 10, 2016

UPDATE ON JIAN GHOMESHI TRIALS

Yesterday, a fourth witness came forward during the Jian Ghomeshi sexual assault trials.

The witness is prepared to testify for actress, Lucy DeCoutere, who was allegedly choked and beaten by the former CBC Radio host. DeCoutere makes up one of three victims who have come forward in Ghomeshi’s sexual and physical assault trial.

Jian Ghomeshi’s legal team are claiming that DeCoutere and her witness fabricated the story, and have announced that they are prepared to present their closing arguments.

SPREAD OF ZIKA VIRUS

Recently, there has been an outbreak of the Zika Virus in Central and South America.

The main concern centered around the virus is its’ supposed link to microcephaly, a life-threatening neurological disorder found in newborn infants. Symptoms of the Zika virus in adults are mild, consisting of fever, rashes, and joint pain.

The virus is commonly transmitted through mosquito bites but in recent cases, it has been sexually transmitted as well. There is currently no preventative vaccination or medicine to treat the virus.

The CDC has since advised pregnant women to avoid travelling to affected areas, including Mexico and the Caribbean.

FATAL GERMANY TRAIN CRASH

On Tuesday morning, two passenger trains collided in Bavaria, Germany.

According to officials, the incident has resulted in at least 10 dead, 54 injured, and one passenger missing. Among those killed include the train conductors and train guards aboard both of the vehicles.

As of right now, the cause of the crash is still unknown. Bavarian Interior Minister, Joachim Herrmann stated that it was “difficult to comprehend” how such a crash could happen given the amount of investment in railway safety following previous train accidents.

BEYONCE PAYS HOMAGE TO BLACK LIVES MATTER

During her opening performance for Coldplay at the Super Bowl 50 halftime show, Beyoncé gave a salute to the Black Lives Matter movement.

The singer paid tribute to the Black Panthers civil rights movement, as well as human rights activist, Malcolm X. The performance was mainly focused on her newly released single, ‘Formation’, which addresses the rampant police brutality affecting African Americans today.

While the show received an overwhelmingly positive reaction, there were still some critics, one of which was former New York City mayor, Rudy Guiliani who accused Beyoncé of “attacking police officers”.

Regardless of critics, Beyoncé and her husband, Jay Z have been incredibly active in the Black Lives Matter movement, making a donation of $1.5M to the effort last Friday.