News Headlines - 24 October 2018

▽Jumpei Yasuda finally free after 3 years held by Syria terrorists：The Asahi Shimbun

The Japanese government confirmed that missing freelance journalist Jumpei Yasuda is once again a free man after being held for more than three years by a terrorist group in Syria.
Foreign Minister Taro Kono met with reporters in the early evening of Oct. 24 and said that Japanese Embassy officials in Turkey met with Yasuda, 44, at a Turkish immigration facility in Antakya close to the border with Syria, and confirmed his identity.

▽FBI Investigates Bomb Found In George Soros's Mailbox | Fortune

A bomb was found in a mailbox at George Soros’s home in Bedford, N.Y. A police bomb squad blew it up, and the FBI’s anti-terrorism unit is now investigating... one of Soros’s employees found a suspicious package in the mailbox and opened it, finding the explosive device. They then put the package in the woods and called the cops, who sent a bomb squad to safely detonate it. Soros himself was not at home at the time... The billionaire investor has long backed liberal, pro-migrant and pro-democracy causes, and last year made his Open Society Foundations one of the biggest non-profits in the world, by donating $18 billion to the NGO.
As such, Soros has become a favorite boogeyman for the far right in the U.S. and parts of Europe.

▽When Trump Phones Friends, the Chinese and the Russians Listen and Learn - The New York Times

Mr. Trump’s aides have repeatedly warned him that his cellphone calls are not secure, and they have told him that Russian spies are routinely eavesdropping on the calls, as well. But aides say the voluble president, who has been pressured into using his secure White House landline more often these days, has still refused to give up his iPhones... Mr. Trump’s use of his iPhones was detailed by several current and former officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity so they could discuss classified intelligence and sensitive security arrangements.

▽Smoking Marijuana Is Legal in Canada, Unless You’re South Korean - The New York Times

Recreational cannabis use may now be legal in Canada, but South Koreans visiting the country who are tempted to smoke up risk facing punishment back home, their government warned on Tuesday... South Koreans have known for decades that they can be prosecuted at home for using drugs overseas, even in countries where consumption is legal.

▽Giant 1,000m spider web covers Greek lake | The Independent

A lake in northern Greece has been transformed into a scene out of horror movie after it was cloaked in a 1,000-metre web spun by a huge swarm of spiders.
Eerie pictures of Lake Vistonida show roadside bushes, fences and small trees completely covered by the cobwebs.
Experts say that the rare phenomenon was a result of hundreds of thousands of Tetragnatha, known as stretch spiders, gravitating to the area in unseasonably warm weather.