France loan offer, artificial islands, Jihadi John | The wRap

Today on Rappler:

• France offers the Philippines a 56-million dollar loan for disaster risk management.
• China builds 3 artificial islands in disputed waters.
• Who is the masked ISIS called “Jihadi John?”

CLIMATE, ANTI-TERROR PARTNERSHIPS HIGHLIGHT HOLLANDE’S MANILA VISIT
France makes a loan offer to the Philippines worth 50 million euros or 56.6 million dollars to help fund projects that will avert “further disasters.”
French President Francois Hollande expresses his country’s desire to help rebuild parts of the Philippines devastated by natural disasters.
Hollande says, “We will work together on innovations that will be a point of reference, examples for the entire world.”
Hollande and Philippine president Benigno Aquino launch a call to action to curb climate change.
The two countries also agree to step up their cooperation in the fight against terrorism.
Hollande arrived in the Philippines Thursday with French actresses Marion Cotillard and Melanie Laurent to promote the fight against climate change.

CHINA’S ARTIFICIAL ISLANDS IN WEST PH SEA
The Philippine military says China turned 3 more reefs in the West Philippine Sea or South China Sea into artificial islands to establish its claim.
China built the artificial islands on areas the Philippines also claims.
Manila has a pending case before an international tribunal against Beijing and hopes sanctions will be imposed on China to force it to demolish structures in the disputed area.
The reclamations are in Mabini or Johnson Reef, Burgos or Gaven Reef, and Keenan Reef.

IDENTITY OF ISIS EXECUTIONER ‘JIHADI JOHN’ REVEALED
“Jihadi John,” the masked militant who beheaded Western hostages, has been identified.
On Thursday, experts and the media identified him as Mohammed Emwazi, a Kuwaiti-born London-based computer programmer.
The International Center for the Study of Radicalization at London’s King’s College said it believes the identity “to be accurate and correct.”
The New York Times quoted a senior British security official saying Emwazi had been identified by the government “some time ago” but the name was not disclosed “for operational reasons.”

CANADIAN TEENS HEAD TO SYRIA TO JOIN ISIS
At least six young Canadian men and women from Montreal travelled overseas last month to join the Islamic State group or ISIS. 
Reports say the group flew to Turkey on January 16 aiming to pass the Turkish border to enter Syria.
It’s unclear if they reached their final destination.
The six are aged 18 to 19 and of Middle Eastern and North African descent.

STARS FOUND FORMING AT MILKY WAY’S OUTER EDGE
Astronomers discover star clusters forming in a remote part of our Milky Way galaxy – an event previously thought impossible.
Britain’s Royal Astronomical Society says stars normally form in the inner part of the galactic disk.
The two clusters lie in a cloud 16,000 light years “beneath” Milky Way an enormous distance away from the usual regions of star formation.

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– Rappler.com 

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