STATUS UPDATES
A week in which firefighters reported handcuff mishaps and two men hailed as heroes were denied medals
ON THE RISE The Indian Space Research Organization. This week, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle C37 successfully sent 104 satellites into the sky in pairs, the highest number ever attempted in one mission. The total number of satellites far outstripped the previous record of 37 sent by Russia in 2014.
ON THE WANE The reputazioni of two Italian police officers hailed as heroes for killing the Berlin Christmas market attacker. Luca Scata and Cristian Movio shot Anis Amri after he fled to Milan following the Dec. 23 truck attack that killed 12. But the German government rejected giving them medals, the Guardian reports, because their social media posts revealed past pro-fascist statements.
CAUGHT OFFSIDE Ghanaian soccer star Asamoah Gyan’s hair. Gyan is among a group of more than 40 players deemed to have “unethical hair” under United Arab Emirates Football Association guidelines. The Al Ahli player is based in Dubai. Some Islamic teachings ban hairstyles where only part of the head is shaved, the BBC reports. So far Gyan has received a warning letter.
CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE Firefighters in London, over mishaps from sex games. The London Fire Brigade says the number of people who had to be freed from handcuffs almost doubled in two years. The
Fifty Shades of Grey movies that followed the books are being blamed. Other than handcuffs, some of the time-wasting incidents involved rings and vacuum cleaners.
ACCEPTED A big chunk of fake Nigerian currency. The country’s former deputy central bank governor, Obadiah Mailafia, was quoted as saying that at least 20 per cent of the currency in circulation is fake, the BBC reports. He called for a crack down to protect the economy. “When fake currencies of that magnitude circulate, original currencies become scarce,” he said.
REJECTED Protesters who were arrested and searched by police when Prince William married Kate Middleton in April 2011. Britain’s Supreme Court upheld lower-court rulings that the Metropolitan Police had acted lawfully when they took some protesters into custody. Some people were detained for five hours, and 20 individuals brought a case claiming their rights were violated.
CONFESSED A California man, charged with providing the highpowered rifles used to kill 14 people in the San Bernardino terror attack. Enrique Marquez Jr.’s plea agreement was accepted by a federal judge in Riverside, Calif. He pleaded guilty to providing material support to terrorists, and conspiring with one of the San Bernardino shooters in mass killing plots.
DEFENDED Susan Sarandon’s comments about not voting for Hillary Clinton, by Susan Sarandon. At least half-heartedly. The actress, a Bernie Sanders supporter, had said she couldn’t vote for Clinton. This week on MSNBC she said the populace is awake under the “horrible” Trump presidency. But she didn’t see much point in a blame game over past comments.