Monday, June 8, 2015

Critical of FIFA, Publishers Flee

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/09/sports/soccer/critical-of-fifa-publishers-flee.html?ref=world

David and Vicki Legge are publishers of the only newspaper in the Cayman Islands. After the FIFA scandal erupted into every major newspaper in the world, it was expected of the Cayman Compass to report on it. Especially considering how closely tied the paper is to some of the executives involved in the scandal.

The article published by the Legges instigated a further inquisition into the scandal by Cayman authorities. Alden McLaughlin, a FIFA executive involved in the scandal, called the article an act of treason. This was taken as a serious threat by the publishers of the article, causing them to pack up and move to Fort Lauderdale, FL. The Legges are currently under police protection until the matter is resolved.

Lauren Edmunds

Uber Spends Heavily to Establish Itself in China

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/09/technology/uber-spends-heavily-to-establish-itself-in-china.html?ref=world&_r=0

Uber is paying their Chinese drivers sometimes twice the amount of their collected fare. Uber is working hard to fight the Chinese push back on Western technology start ups. Despite all of the government set backs, citizens are flocking to the service in order to get a cheaper rate, a more polite driver and complimentary water.

Although the feed back from citizens has so far been positive, and drivers are flocking to the company, the Chinese market is fickle and eccentric. Chinese citizens also tend to utilize only Chinese brands.

Uber is currently operating in 9 Chinese cities with plans to expand in the near-future. As a counter-active measure employed by the Chinese government, many raids have taken place at Uber offices. These raids are under the guise that the drivers hired are unlicensed and therefore questioning the legality of the business. These small actions, however, have not deterred Uber from paving their way through China.

Lauren Edmunds

G7 summit: Merkel says time is running out for Greece deal

The G7 summit was hosted Germany this past weekend where leaders from the UK, US, France, Japan, Canada, and Italy attended. During the summit, the leaders discussed countering extremism, fighting climate-change, the war in Ukraine, and Greece's debt crisis. German Chancellor Angela Merkel stated that Greece had to make economic reforms quickly. The European Commission is asking for major reforms including tax increases and cuts in civil servants' salaries and pensions. These changes must be implemented if Greece wants to receive the bundle of bailout money. Greek Finance Minister has been quoted saying that these reforms are "borderline insulting," as well as saying that blame must not be given but all most start to work together.

Mike Bikulcius
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-33044766

Sunday, June 7, 2015

David Cameron says ministers must back any EU deal

David Cameron, fresh from the G7 summit in Germany has made a statement regarding the status of the UK within the EU, if ministers dont like the in/out bill then they can resign, Cameron claiming that each minister knew what they were supporting as laid out in the Conservative referendum. All of this comes along with President Obama, claiming that he is "looking forward to the UK remaining part of the EU" as the UK has a large influence on the rest of Europe as long as the rest of the world.
There is currently no date set for the referendum however it is predicted to be set during 2016 or at the beginning of 2017.

Nicole Meechan
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-33043694

FIFA

As more news continues to flow in concerning the FIFA corruption scandal, the newest updates come at a time where Sepp Blatte, president of FIFA has resigned and has been linked to a bribe from South Africa concerning the 2010 world Cup and that Morocco should have been the country to host the tournament after they won the vote, however the tournament was still awarded to South Africa. There are also predictions that Russis due to host in 2018 could lose the tournament if eveidence of corruption is found and Qatar host of the 2022 tournament could also lose their opportunity to host the event. So far there has14 people charged by US prosecutors, who allege they accepted bribes and kickbacks estimated at more than $150m (£100m) over a 24-year period. 

Nicole Meechan 

http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/33041467 

Anti-corruption agency investigating Romania's Prime Minister

Romania, a central European country is in the headlines of many news mediums. Their PM is accused of money laundering, tax evasion and forgery. Even the president of the country has requested the PM to step down. The accusations come after it was alleged that Ponta, the PM had agreed with one of the senator to forge some documents that justified some financial payments. These payments were used by the PM to avail two luxury apartments and a car. When Ponta was elected as the PM, one of the very first things he did was appoint was appoint the same fellow culprit to a prominent position in the government. While the president believes that such a man should step down from PM position, the PM himself claims that he was appointed by the parliament and only parliament can dismiss him.





http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/05/europe/romania-prime-minister-corruption-investigation/index.html

Third frozen body found on Mexico's Pico de Orizaba

On the cold snowy mountain of Mexico's Pico de Orizaba, there has been three bodies found recently. They believe due to the glaciers and ice pack on the mountain retreating, souls lost years ago on the mountain are now finally being recovered. The dead frozen bodies could be hikers or people who crashed in a plane accident. None of the bodies have been identified, but soon will be.

Cameron wants new terms with the EU if Britian is to stay.

The U.K and Cameron are seeking serious reform of the way the EU is ran and it seems like they wanted a very weak central European Government. They want National parliaments to have greater ability to block EU legislation, also a protection of the financial markets in London, to keep the Pound and refute the Euro. Cameron said that he will oppose any European Army, and wants the EU to stay out of Britain's police force.

The result of this reform effort could have a potentially devastating reform to the EU. If it falls through, the EU loses Britain and will become much weaker considering Britain's economic power. However, if they succeed in reaching a deal, there will be massive ramifications. The EU will become a weaker body and it will seem like any country can now threaten to leave unless they get conditions to further weaken the EU. Either way this decision would have a substantial impact on Europe.

Dean Hamrick

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-32695399

Egypt court overturns Hamas terror blacklisting

Hamas is a muslim brotherhood who have very similar beliefs as to ISIS. Hamas has been labeled as a terrorist state for a while now by multiple nations including the United States. Hamas has dominated Gaza in power for a long period of time and have goals to take over Israel. Egypt plays the role in being a mediator between the three states add ultimately overturned Hamas terror blacklisting.

Mers outbreak in South Korea

A sixths person has died of Mers, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, in South Korea which makes it the most deaths out of the Middle East from this illness. A man in his 80's became the latest person to die which placed 2,300 people in quarentine and has closed nearly 1,900 schools. All the infections so far have been confined to hospitals with transmission occurring between patients, staff and their families in close contact. Medical authorities have been criticized by the way they are handling the outbreak. Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon accused the central government about not giving enough information to the citizens about the out break.

Patrick Cravens

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-33038795

MERS spreading in South Korea Danyelle Hunt

With Ebola being a major health virus a new one has emerged called MERS.  MERS is especially spreading in South Korea,  with more than a two thousand cases as of now and six death this has become a major crisis.  South Korea has taken major steps to make sure that the virus doesn't spread around.  They closed down over 1800 schools for the next couple of days.  Also people that may get it are advised to stay at home and not come out.  I hope that they can stop the virus and that no one else dies.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/07/world/south-korea-mers-outbreak/index.html

Russia Has A New Tank!

Russia unveiled a new tank that is meant to enter service in 2020. They did this as a way to celebrate the 70 year victory in the war. This tank is being shown off in a parade that has 15,000 soldiers and hundreds of both combat vehicles and aircraft. This new tank will feature an unmanned gun capable of shooting shells by itself. According to the Russians, its speed and tech are far superior to what the military currently has. Both the U.S. and U.K. did not attend the event for obvious reasons.

It is interesting to think about how Russia still spends a good deal of time with their military and their military parades. It looks like pictures of the old Soviet Parades in a way (while still different) that seems like the 1980s.

Dean Hamrick

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-32478937

Turkey polling result and politics turnover

As reported by state-run TRT television, with 99% votes counted, the AK party, which was dominating Turkey politics for past 13 years, for the first time losing majority in vote with a mere 41%. This event will certainly obstruct current president Recep Tayyip Erdogan's plans on boosting his power and making Turkey a presidential republic. However on the other hand, HD party, which has run as a single party for the first time, hopped through the 10% threshold of polling. This event would give light in Kurdish minority's wishes in gaining voice in government. As noted by reporters, the voters were obviously disliked the president's current system. Either way, this change in polling balance could bring about a major change in Turkey politics. However, those are all in the future, and that we can assume but can never be certain.

- link: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-33042284

- by Leiyang Guo

Russia Qatar World Cup

Recently there has been a lot of talk about Fifa and the world cup going around. A statement just came out saying that Qatar and Russia may lose their 2018 and 2022 bids if evidence emerges of bribery. Both counties denied any wrong doing and there has not been any evidence of any wrong actions. Because of all the controversy with Fifa lately Swiss authorities have also launched a separate criminal investigation into how the 2018 and 2022 World Cups were allocated. 

Patrick Cravens
http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/33041467

Migrant coming to Italy? Danyelle Hunt

Many European countries as of this Sunday came together to help migrants get off pack and very unsafe boats that they are one.  With the recent crisis in some countries in Africa more and more migrants are coming to Europe to seek help and escape from conflict.  Although this is becoming a major problem for Europe though, with so many people coming over they do not know what to do with them.  Also they are taking over packed boats to Europe which is causing some to capsize and killing many people.  In my opinion if Europe don't want people to come to their country they could just help and stop the conflict in Africa, then stay there until they get stable again.

  http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/07/europe/mediterranean-migrants-rescue/index.html

Italy PM Renzi attacks northern regions for refusing migrants

Leaders of the northern regions of Italy have refused to take in any more African migrants rescued from the Mediterranean. More than 50,000 people have arrived this year alone, most in unsafe ships from Libya, and over 1,500 have drowned attempting to make the voyage. Italian Prime Minister Renzi said that the EU needed to reform its current system for handling migrants. The leaders in the Lombardy, Liguria, and Veneto regions of Italy claim that their regions cannot accept any more refugees. This has put even more strain on the Italian government.

Mike Bikulcius

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-33055771

Russia & Qatar may lose World Cups - Fifa official

The ongoing trial of many of the top FIFA executives has taken another turn today. Domenico Scala, the man in charge of Fifa's audit and compliance committee. He says if both these countries are found guilty of buying votes to get the event to be held in their countries may lose the privilege of hosting them. Swiss authorities have launched investigations on this matter and so far have said that they haven't found any evidence yet. If they find substantial evidence that beyond any doubt proves Qatar and Russia involvement in any bribery, than it would be a massive shock to the football fans around the world. Not only would it hurt those who have already bought the tickets, but it would also postpone the world cup because building/renovating the stadiums in the new host country would require time and resources.



http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/33041467

Pigeon From Pakistan Captured In India. Is It A Spy?

So apparently, a pigeon was caught near the India-Pakistan border. As per the Indian Intelligence, the pigeon is believed to be a spy sent by the Pakistani Intelligence agency to gather data and what not. This news came amidst some political heat between India and Pakistan, whereby Pakistan has been straight forward in declaring India's intelligence agency of being involved in proxy wars against Pakistan in Afghanistan. This news led to an outbreak of trolling memes from Pakistan directed towards India. They edited the picture of the pigeon dressed as James Bond. I find this really funny because it goes on to show how even small and harmless things can lead to become a source of suspicion between two not so friendly nations.

http://www.npr.org/2015/06/03/411660219/pigeon-from-pakistan-captured-in-india-is-it-a-spy

Stray Dogs in Egypt Find Sanctuary Abroad

A dog in Egypt which is referred to as "Chance-The Wonder Dog" has finally found a home. He was abandoned in a garbage at the age of six weeks. He was found by two girls in the street. At the time his weight was the same as a three weeks old puppy. The dog needed medical attention and would not survive in a shelter. "Aida Rashid, an avid animal rights activist, took the dog in and nursed him back to health. She fed him, sheltered him, and cared for his everyday needs. She gave him a chance". That is just a story of one dog. This year Egypt saw how bad all animals are treated and how they have and need rights just like human. This year two incidents happened both with the same story. Dogs street fights and cats street fights. And those animals actually die and feel a lot of pain while dying. "Now living on a ranch in Calorado, Canada, Chance found his forever home with his human mom, Dani Scott. He has two doggie brothers, over 20 horse friends, and likes to snuggle with his cat siblings. He is also a frequent traveler to the U.S., and is a big Seattle Seahawks fan". It is sad to see that other countries treat dogs better than their original county. This story is not the only story, there are many other stories. And those stories are not only for dogs. Egypt need a law that protects animals!!






http://egyptianstreets.com/2015/06/07/stray-dogs-in-egypt-find-sanctuary-abroad/

MERS outbreak: 2,300-plus quarantined; 1,300 schools closed in South Korea

Adam Winters

Recently in South Korea, an outbreak of the virus MERS has come to attention in the past days.  Currently, 2,300 people are being quarantined and 1,381 schools will be closed in Seoul for the next couple of days.  The virus has claimed the lives of five people and sixty-four people are currently suffering.  Also, 1,500 people have been asked to self-quarantine themselves because of the chance they were exposed at a seminar they attended where a doctor spoke who supposedly has MERS. Kang Shin-myun, Seoul chief of police, said it will enforce quarantine orders for those suspected of having MERS.  MERS as of now is a virus we know very little about and it first emerged three years ago.  What we do know is it spreads from close contact and it first came form Saudi Arabia.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/07/world/south-korea-mers-outbreak/index.html

Saudi Arabia air strikes kill 44

Saudi rebels launched an air strike on Yemenis capital, Sanaa. Reports say that these air strikes wounded 100 people, mostly soldiers and killed 44. The majority that were killed were soldiers picking up their pay checks at their headquarters. The Iran rebels since september have overran  Sanaa and gone to seize most of the country. 80% of the population also is is dire need for help and aid.http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-33036136
T.J. Miller

Saturday, June 6, 2015

Have 1200 World Cup workers really died in Qatar?

According to reports, nearly 1,200 World Cup workers have died in Qatar, most being migrant workers. Nearly 60% of the workers are migrants from India and Nepal. They are subjected to low pay, long hours in the heat of Qatar, and there are many barriers in place to keep them from leaving Qatar. While this number is quite astounding, we also have to be aware that these 1200 workers have not all been working on construction. The death toll also includes workers who have died of natural causes, like heart attacks. Also, Qatar is a quite wealthy country, and although the death toll is staggering, we also have to remember that workers from Nepal and India are poor. If in India working similar jobs, the death toll may be just as high. However, this statistic is very concerning. While preparing for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, only10 people died. Obviously, there needs to be an investigation into what is happening in Qatar, but we also need to account for the fact that it most likely is not completely due to the harsh conditions in Qatar.

By Hannah Higgins
From http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-33019838

Friday, June 5, 2015

Burmese Muslims Victims of Buddhist Violence

RJ Ramanauskas

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-22356306

Violence insighted by Budhist monks have been attacking Muslims in Sri Lanka, ending deadly in Burma. In Burma, the violence is lead by Ashin Wirathu. He calls himself the 'Burmese bin Laden'. This story has barely been covered, and now there's trending #burmamuslims.

Don't Back Down on Russian Sanctions

The article “Don’t Back Down on Russian Sanctions” offers critical information on the sanctions imposed on Russia almost 6 months ago. The United States responded to Russia’s invasion and annexation of Crimea (Ukraine), by imposing sanctions on Russia. The main sanction is banning the purchase of Russian-made rocket engines. These engines have been used to help launch military and intelligence satellites since the year 2000. Now, Obama is urging congress to ease up on the sanctions. Obama said, by doing this, Putin will become a little bit happier, and maybe finally acknowledge that he is sending troops and weapons to expand the war in eastern Ukraine.  The biggest problem about this situation is that the U.S. let itself become dependent on Russian made engines for defense purposes.  The good news is that the U.S. company “SpaceX” just had one of their engines certified by the pentagon so it can be used for defense and security purposed. In the end, it is important for the United States to think about their dependence on other countries.

By Josh Hubbs

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/05/opinion/dont-back-down-on-russian-sanctions.html?ref=topics&_r=0

Prosecutor: Germanwings pilot contacted dozens of doctors

According to a state prosecutor, the pilot of the German flight that crashed in Paris back in March had reached out to dozens of doctors in order to get help. The pilot, Andreas Lubitz, had been suffering from depression up until the the crash. Prosecutors believe that the pilot was hiding his health issues from his employer.

There is currently a delay in the burial process and the handing over of the victims, which has been extremely frustrating for some grieving families.

By: Giacomo Raimondi
http://news.yahoo.com/prosecutor-meet-relatives-victims-germanwings-crash-084758280.html

Ireland: FIFA paid millions to avoid legal action over World Cup playoff

According the head of the Ireland Football Associating, FIFA gave them a payout after a contrevisal handball during the 2009 playoff loss to France, the game in which France qualified for the 2010 World Cup. The handball which occured during the dying moments of the game cost Ireland their chance for representing their country on the global stage. Irish chief executive John Delaney felt that their Association had a chance at legal case against FIFA and thought they had a very good chance to win it. FIFA ended up paying them out $5 million. FIFA stated that this was no payout whatsoever. It was meant to be a loan for the construction of a new stadium. With everything that has been going on with bribery and corruption in FIFA in recent weeks, officials have began to question whether or not Russia and Qatar should host the next two World Cups.

By: Giacomo Raimondi
http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/05/football/fifa-corruption-scandal/index.html

Thursday, June 4, 2015

Greece Delays Paying Debts to I.M.F.

Caitlin Atkinson

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/05/business/international/greece-debt-talks-ecb-imf-european-commission.html?ref=world

As Greece's economic problems continue, the country decided to invoke a policy that has not been used since the 1970's to delaying paying $335 million dollars back to the International Monetary Fund. There has been much controversy over Greece's debt as the country is a member of the European Union. Greece is tired of the austerity measures that have been in place over the past year and want to find a way to pick the economy back up with less strict prohibitions. However, other members of the EU doubt Greece's ability to pick itself back up.

In addition to international input, lawmakers in Greece must find a consensus which is proving difficult. Officials are resistant to another austerity measure and further cuts and are condemning many of the other countries' plans for assistance. Greece is in deep trouble and needs to be a bit more flexible with expectations concerning the economy.

China keeps lid on information of sunken ship

Just days after the Oriental Star sank along the Yangtze River in China filled with 456 passengers aboard, officials are beginning to examine the causes of the sinking, the decision to proceed into the storm, and how the captain survived while hundred are still missing. Since the sinking, Chinese officials have created strict guidelines and rules which has limited the access for journalist such as police check points along the river and access into local hospitals. Officials have stated they will continue to search for the victims for multiple days. Yet, the media has also been restricted as to what they could report on, and have received edited footage to be distributed in all news reporting. Many are frustrated with Chinese officials since they believe they need to take responsibility, and should allow the journalist to report the true story.

Written by Sarah Prosia
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/04/world/asia/hopes-dim-for-survivors-of-yangtze-cruise-ship-media-control.html?ref=world&_r=0&module=ArrowsNav&contentCollection=Asia%20Pacific&action=keypress&region=FixedLeft&pgtype=article

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Pont Des Arts Bridge Demolition

By Valarie Owino
The Pont Des Arts bridge in France was demolished on 1st June 2015. The" love bridge" as many referred to it will be replaced by an artistic panel. The demolition comes as a result of part of the bridge weakening due to the weight of the padlocks. Many people are disappointed that the love site has come to an end.

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/europe/paris-breaks-love-locks-n367536

Sepp Blatter to resign as Fifa president

After a controversial reelection last Friday, Sepp Blatter has decided step down as president of FIFA. Given the widespread allegations of corruption concerning the treatment of migrant workers building stadiums in Qatar for the 2022 World Cup, along with charges of bribery and a possible corruption investigation by the United States, Blatter's resignation is being hailed as a success by the global community. A special election will be held in the coming months to determine the next president.

Kevin McMahon

http://www.theguardian.com/football/live/2015/jun/02/fifa-calls-press-conference-amid-latest-corruption-claims-live

Chinese Ship Capsizes

RJ Ramanauskas

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-32969861

A cruise ship with over 400 people capsized on the Yangtze river in China. So far only 15 people have been rescued, 2 of which are the captain and chief engineer. This is something many of the relatives of those who still need to be found are asking themselves, why did they survive? More information will come soon, this is breaking news from early this morning.

Monday, June 1, 2015

South Sudan conflict: UN condemns expulsion of Toby Lanzer

The UN humanitarian co-coordinator in South Sudan, Toby Lanzer, has been expelled from the country. The UN has condemned these actions and is asking South Sudan to reverse the decision. The months of fighting in the country has left about 40% of the population in need of food aid and has displaced over two million people. UN Secretary General says Lanzer was instrumental in providing humanitarian aid in South Sudan. Lanzer says he was not given a reason for his expulsion.

-Cori Elsesser

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-32970260

Iran hosts anti-ISIS cartoon competition

Adam Winters

After hearing about all the shootings after cartoonists have made fun of the terrorist group ISIS, currently in Iran a competition is being held on who can draw the best cartoon about ISIS is mind boggling.  Either way, cartoonist from all over the world are flying over to Iran to take part in the competition.  Cartoonist from Italy, Peru, UK, and many other countries seem to be eager to take part in the contest.  Some of the cartoons make fun of ISIS while some actually make Israel and the U.S. the "puppeteers" of ISIS.  The winner will be announced this coming Sunday.  You can check out some of the artwork already done at the link below.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/31/middleeast/iran-cartoon-competition/index.html

Iraq: Islamic State bomb attack 'kills 45 police officers'

There appears to be an ongoing theme or occurrence in Iraq with bombs being set off as well as suicide bombers. Last week two hotels were the target of the bombings and police officers appear to be the current target. There was a suicide bombing in between the cities of Falluja and Samarra in Iraq. The vehicles containing the bombs were put forth on a base and it is said that about 45 police officers were killed. A source stated that Iraq has rocket launchers that they are planning to use. Iraq wants the Islamic state out of Ramadi. Apparently rocket launchers are being transported. Iraq’s pro-government citizens’ main goal is to gain back the land and space that was taken over by the Islamic State. 

Marissa Kulak 
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-32961448