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While you were sleeping: UN slams Trump, calls comment 'racist'; plus Russian pranksters

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The UN human rights office says President Donald Trump’s reported use of an expletive to describe Africa and other countries could “potentially damage and disrupt the lives of many people.”

Trump has questioned why the U.S. would accept more immigrants from Haiti and “s–thole countries” in Africa rather than places like Norway in rejecting an immigration deal.

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Repeating the term attributed to Trump a day earlier, spokesman Rupert Colville says that “you cannot dismiss entire countries and continents as ‘s–tholes.’ ”

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Colville said Friday that the comments, if confirmed, were “shocking and shameful” and “I’m sorry, but there’s no other word one can use but racist.”

He says Trump’s comment could endanger lives by potentially fanning xenophobia: “It legitimizes the targeting of people based on who they are.”

“This isn’t just a story about vulgar language, it’s about opening the door to humanity’s worst side,” he said.

The African Union says it is “frankly alarmed” by Trump’s statement.

“Given the historical reality of how many Africans arrived in the United States as slaves, this statement flies in the face of all accepted behaviour and practice,” AU spokeswoman Ebba Kalondo tells The Associated Press. “This is particularly surprising as the United States of America remains a global example of how migration gave birth to a nation built on strong values of diversity and opportunity.”

Guam’s governor fooled by Russian comedians via phone call: Guam’s governor was duped by a pair of Russian comedians who pretended to be officials from Ukraine. Pacific Daily News reports that Guam officials received an email in September 2017 requesting a phone call with Gov. Eddie Calvo. The senders claimed to be from the office of the Ukraine prime minister and wanted to talk about North Korea’s threat to Guam. Guam government spokeswoman Jenna Blas says the email included verifiable information, which led officials to proceed with the phone call. Blas says Calvo caught wind of something not being right partway through the interview, but ompleted the call in a professional manner. On Tuesday, comedians Vladimir Kuznetsov and Alexei Stolyarov posted a video with an audio recording of the phone call on their YouTube channel.

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This Saturday, Jan. 6, 2018, photo provided by George Howard shows alligators suspended in frozen water at the Shallotte River Swamp Park in Ocean Isle, N.C. The odd scene was a matter of survival for the alligators at the park.
This Saturday, Jan. 6, 2018, photo provided by George Howard shows alligators suspended in frozen water at the Shallotte River Swamp Park in Ocean Isle, N.C. The odd scene was a matter of survival for the alligators at the park. Photo by George Howard /AP

Chilly ’gators poke heads above ice to cope with bitter cold: Although North Carolina’s recent bitter cold snap deterred plenty of humans from sticking their noses outdoors, a group of alligators stuck their snouts into the frost and hunkered down in the name of survival. When the alligators at Shallotte River Swamp Park recently found themselves beneath a sheet of ice as temperatures plunged below freezing, they poked their nostrils above the surface so they could get some air. The odd scene was a matter of survival for the gators. When they get cold, they enter a period of dormancy known as brumation. They slow their metabolism and their breathing, and before the surface ices over they poke their noses out of the water to continue breathing. Park officials say the alligators will be on the prowl once temperatures warm up.

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