At least 21 people died in a Taliban assault on a university in Pakistan, where witnesses reported two large explosions as security forces moved in under dense fog to halt the bloodshed. The number of dead climbed rapidly after armed men stormed the Bacha Khan university in Charsadda, about 50 kilometers (30 miles) from the city of Peshawar, in the latest outrage to hit the militant-infested region. Police, soldiers and special forces swarmed the university from the ground and the air in a bid to shut down the assault, as television images showed female students running for their lives. Students tell of how their chemistry teacher opened fire on gunmen as they rampaged across campus, giving the young people time to flee before he was cut down in a hail of bullets.

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Here’s the story of the teacher who helped students escape.

Where did the funding for the Jakarta attacks come from? While the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria has claimed responsibility for the attacks that killed 8 people on January 14, the special police detachment tasked with counterterrorism, Densus 88, continues to work with the Indonesian Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center to trace exactly where the money came from, and the possibilities are Syria and Australia. While national police chief General Badrodin Haiti said “the flow of funds show they are from Syria,” Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Luhut Binsar Panjaitan also raised the possibility of funds from Australia, saying they have seen a flow from the country “some time ago according to INTRAC.” 

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The Islamic State group confirmed the death of British extremist “Jihadi John,” saying he was killed in a drone strike in their Syrian stronghold of Raqa in November. Born Mohammed Emwazi, he was known as the executioner of the jihadist group appearing masked in a string of videos showing the beheadings of Western hostages. In its online magazine Dabiq, the group said Emwazi was killed on November 12 “as the car he was in was targeted in a strike by an unmanned drone in the city of Raqa, destroying the car and killing him instantly.” The US military had said at the time that it was “reasonably certain” he had been killed in the strike.

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German and Turkish police announced major coordinated raids against a criminal trafficking network that used unseaworthy ships to send more than 1,700 refugees to Europe. The joint operation was a major strike against international organized crime fuelling the record migrant wave to Europe, police chiefs from both countries told a press conference at Potsdam outside Berlin. Turkish national police chief Mehmet Lekesiz said human traffickers allegedly bought 3 old and decrepit cargo ships in Turkey, loaded each with hundreds of migrants who paid up to $6,000 (5,500 euros), and sent the vessels on autopilot toward the Italian coast. Police labelled the vessels “ghosts ships” as they crossed the sea without captains steering them.

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Global unemployment rose in 2015 and is expected to worsen further over the next two years, the International Labour Organization said, citing downturns in key emerging economies. In a new report, the ILO estimated that 197.1 million working-age people were unemployed in 2015, an uptick of 0.7% compared to 2014 figures. In 2016, the figure is expected to rise by a further 2.3 million, with another 1.1 million people added to the jobless roster in 2017. The figures also made clear that employment rates have not recovered from the financial crash of 2008, as 27 million more people were out of work last year as compared to the pre-crisis level.

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US crude tumbled below $28 a barrel in Asia on January 20, hitting new 12-year lows, after the International Energy Agency warned that the oil market could “drown in oversupply.” West Texas Intermediate, the US benchmark, fell to levels last seen in September 2003, striking $27.55 a barrel at one point. Brent crude – which briefly fell below $28 on Monday, January 18, to levels not seen since November 2003 – was 48 cents lower at $28.28. “The IEA report played a big part in the price decline,” said Phillip Futures analyst Daniel Ang, adding that this underscored the current “bearishness in the market.”

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When up against powerful criminal syndicates, there is no such thing as “bloodless cleansing,” said presidential aspirant Rodrigo Duterte during Rappler’s #TheLeaderIWant forum on January 20. The mayor of Davao, who prides himself in his city’s peace and order program, was answering questions on allegedly ordering killings without due process. He denied committing human rights abuses. He clarified that all the criminals he had ordered killed resisted arrest or threatened the lives of law enforcers. “It’s always an armed confrontation…. Almost invariably they have weapons, lethal weapons to fight it out.” He added: “If I become president, there’s no such thing as bloodless cleansing. I propose to get rid of the drugs between 3 to 6 months.”

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Why are we making it hard for aggrieved partners to annul their marriages? And while there’s annulment, why aren’t we allowing divorce This was the sentiment of senatorial bets who attended Rappler’s “The Leader I Want” on January 20. Lawyer Lorna Kapunan, who specializes in family cases among others, said it is a “hypocrisy” to say that the Catholic church is not for divorce. “If the church allows annulment, which has the legal consequences of a divorce, I don’t see why we should not have divorce.” Bayan Muna Representative Neri Colmenares lamented the long, expensive process that couples have to go through just to get their marriage annulled. He suggested a way to make annulments more accessible. 

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Plastic rubbish will outweigh fish in the oceans by 2050 unless the world takes drastic action to recycle the material, a report warned on the opening day of the annual gathering of the rich and powerful in the snow-clad Swiss ski resort of Davos. An overwhelming 95% of plastic packaging worth $80-120 billion (73-110 billion euros) a year is lost to the economy after a single use, said a global study by a foundation fronted by yachtswoman Ellen MacArthur, which promotes recycling in the economy. The study proposed setting up a new system to slash the leaking of plastics into nature, especially the oceans, and to find alternatives to crude oil and natural gas as the raw material of plastic production. At least 8 million tons of plastics find their way into the ocean every year – equal to one garbage truckful every minute. “If no action is taken, this is expected to increase to two per minute by 2030 and 4 per minute by 2050,” the study said.

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Oscar-winning actor George Clooney has weighed in on the swirling controversy over the all-white roster of acting nominations for this year’s Academy Awards, saying the industry is moving backwards and needs to do better. Clooney, one of Hollywood’s biggest and most politically active stars, also said in an interview with industry magazine Variety that beyond nominating actors of color, filmmakers need to provide better roles and opportunities for black actors. “If you think back 10 years ago, the Academy was doing a better job. Think about how many more African Americans were nominated,” Clooney said in comments published Tuesday, January 19. “I would also make the argument, I don’t think it’s a problem of who you’re picking as much as it is: How many options are available to minorities in film, particularly in quality films?”

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