World Briefs (10/8)

International

NATO says Russian ground troops in Syria

Russian involvement in the 4½-year-old Syrian Civil War seems to be increasing. According to CNN, NATO’s secretary general confirmed a second incursion by Russian planes into Turkish airspace and Russian ground troops were in present in Syria.

Best-selling authors donate book profits to Syrian refugee relief

Beginning on Thursday, Oct. 8, U.K. book retailer, Waterstones, is giving 100 percent of sales of select titles to Oxfam’s Syria Crisis Appeal. Waterstones will use books donated by famed authors and publishers. The campaign, marketed in the stores as “Buy Books for Syria,” aims to raise about $1.5 million.

National

General Mills recalls Cheerios products

Food manufacturer General Mills said Monday, Oct. 5 that it will recall an estimated 1.8 million boxes of its Cheerios and Honey Nut Cheerios cereals due to an incident that may have added wheat into products labeled as gluten-free. General Mills said in a news release that the recalled Cheerios and Honey Nut Cheerios cereals might trigger illness or severe reactions for people with wheat allergies, celiac disease or gluten intolerance.

Starbucks Aims To Use Only Cage-Free Eggs By 2020

Starbucks has announced its plan to use only cage-free eggs in its stores within five years. Animal welfare advocates view this move as helping to end of one of the cruelest farming practices. This is the first time that the company has set a date for when it intends to implement a panel of humane measures that were announced last Dec.

Local

2 Mass. Maritime grads among missing on sunken cargo ship

Two graduates of the Mass. Maritime Academy are among crew members missing from a U.S. cargo ship that sank near the Bahamas. The ship went missing after encountering heavy seas from Hurricane Joaquin. According to WCVB, an airborne crew spotted several survival suits floating amid debris from the El Faro. Most suits were empty but one had a body. The body was recovered but the victim’s identity has not been released.

Patrick Kennedy memoir exposes substance abuse among his relatives

A memoir, “A Common Struggle: A Personal Journey Through the Past And Future of Mental Illness and Addiction,” by former Congressman Patrick Kennedy has caused turmoil within the Kennedy family. The Kennedy family is upset over Patrick’s portrayal of family secrecy, substance abuse and mental illness, including of his father, late Massachusetts Sen. Edward Kennedy.

Stephanie Dawber is the Editor-in-Chief for The Comment newspaper.