As the global G-20 summit unfolds in Rome, climate talks continue to be one of the top issues of conversation amongst the world's twenty richest and most influential economies. United States President Joe Biden during a closing press conference blamed China and Russia, two other major polluting countries, on hindering most advancement to adhering to the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement. Hopefully more movement will be made during the upcoming United Nations Climate Conference. 

Michael Griffin: https://apple.news/Ao_EFiwoHQlWt-1zi0peUPA

Aukus: French president says Australian PM lied over submarine deal

 The French President Emmanual Macron has accused Australia's prime minister, Scott Morrison, of lying about a now-scrapped submarine deal. President Macron is certain that Scott Morrison was dishonest about his deal that would have Australia build 12 submarines for 37 billion dollars. Macron was asked if he could trust Scott Morrison again and he responded, “We will see what he will deliver”. President Biden has also said that he was “clumsy” in the negotiations. All three countries have come to an agreement to look forward to the future and to put this miscommunication behind them

Matthew Falzone https://www.bbc.com/news/world-59113710

G20 pledge climate action but make few commitments

 G20 summit was held in Rome on 30-31 October. The leaders of the economically developed countries have agreed to pursue efforts to limit global warming with “meaning and effective actions”. The G20 group, made up of 19 countries and the European Union, accounts for 80% of the world’s emissions. But the agreement from the G20 summit in Rome made few concrete commitments.  US President Joe Biden said that there were a series of very productive meetings at the summit, but he also said China and Russia basically didn’t show up on matters of the climate, which was “disappointing”. Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi mentioned that all of the G20 countries are committed to reaching the target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as much as possible by the mid-century. However, China and Russia have pushed that target out to 2060. Since 31 October, COP 26, which will see delegates from nearly 200 countries gather to discuss cutting carbon emissions, has taken place. Whether firm targets will be set during COP26 is gaining a lot of attention.

Chihiro Yoshihara

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-59109186

Alcohol and Drug Consumption in Sierra Leone

 This article mentions the drugs in Sierra Leone. I learned three things from this article: 1. The basic premise is that drugs are illegal. 2. Many people have never used drugs. 3. Sierra Leone’s climate is ideal for growing marijuana. When I read this article, I realized one of the reasons why soldiers could use a ton of drugs during the civil war. In the civil war of Sierra Leone, many children were used as soldiers, and the adults used a ton of drugs such as marijuana and cocaine to control child soldiers. At first, I thought they import these drugs illegally from other countries but actually, they are cultivated as marijuana. That’s why they could use a ton of drugs during the civil war. This article did not mention cocaine, but the United Nation released a report a few years ago, and it says that Sierra Leone is used as a transit place to carry the drugs from South Africa to Europe. I’m not sure that Sierra Leone was used as a transit place before the civil war, but it might happen, so I can think they had easy access to the drugs such as cocaine. Surprisingly, mass consumption of drugs in the civil war was connected to climatic and environmental factors and geographic factors.

https://www.google.co.jp/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwiu15fMte7zAhUKXM0KHe6XBn0QFnoECAIQAQ&url=http%3A%2F%2Fforut.custompublish.com%2Fgetfile.php%2F949686.994.vqbqxqawaf%2F496final.pdf&usg=AOvVaw0w2f4jJMzygFAgoWd-L0Gs

Nanami Kanda

G20 Summit: Biden Disappointed in Russia and China

 

This weekend, the G20 Summit is taking place in Rome. President Biden is in attendance, receiving communion and speaking with the Pope, regardless of possible resistance from conservative bishops. Most importantly, leaders at the G20 Summit talked extensively about climate change, reaching an agreement to end coal financing by the end of the year. This commitment is a huge step, yet there was no talk of stopping coal usage altogether. In a speech today, President Biden wasn't shy about critiquing China and Russia's poor effort in stopping climate change, saying they "basically didn't show up" and calling their behavior disappointing. It is clear that this weekend brought forth some small, yet important changes, and it reiterated the point that all nations need to be proactive in order to reverse the growing damage and threats born from climate change. It will be interesting to see if such powerful nations like Russia and China will get on board.

https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/g20-rome-sunday-session/index.html 

Yemen: Nine Killed in Aden Airport Car Bomb

Prime Minister Mueen Abdulmalek Saeed described the bombing this past Saturday (10/30) as a terrorist bombing which injured twelve people and killed nine. As of now, no one has been held responsible. The author of the article notes that three weeks ago a car bomb was intended for the current Aden governor, which left six people dead and last December this same airport faced an attack that killed 22 people. Yemen's government has been internationally known in Aden since 2014 after being forced out of the former capital, Sanaa. There has been continuous conflict in the area since then with more than 110,000 people dead, and famine cursing through the country. 

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-59109560

Katelyn DeBlecourt 

How A Japanese Princess Turned Into A Commoner And What It Means For World's Oldest Royals

 The marriage report made me think about the human rights of Japan's royal family are. As mentioned in the article, in Japan, when female members of the Imperial Family get married, they leave the Imperial Register and become ordinary citizens. In contrast, Imperial Family men are not free to leave the Imperial Family. Under the current Imperial Household Law, a man born into the Imperial Family must live as Emperor or a member of the Imperial Family for the rest of their life. Furthermore, according to the Imperial Household Law, only males of the male line can succeed to the throne. 

One of the reasons why female lineage and female emperors are not allowed is the fundamental idea that the tradition that has been handed down for about 120 years cannot be broken. As shown in this, the current rules for the Imperial Family in Japan are very old-fashioned from a modern perspective. What are freedom and human rights? I think it's important to preserve history, but I wonder if it's also important to stay stuck in tradition. 

Furthermore, there was a lot of controversy due to this marriage report. If she had been an ordinary citizen instead of a member of the royal family, how would it have been? There would have been no complaints from a complete stranger. I think it is important to remember that the members of the royal family are just people, just like us. In any case, she will get married, outgrow her status as a member of the royal family, become a common citizen like us, and gain her freedom and human rights.

How long can they maintain the situation of the Imperial Family, which is treated in a special way without any guarantee of human rights?

Matsuri Miyauchi

https://www.news18.com/news/explainers/explained-how-a-japanese-princess-turned-into-a-commoner-and-what-it-means-for-worlds-oldest-royals-4369817.html 

Should Looted Treasure be Returned to Rightful Owners by Patrick Turner

Britain can't decide whether it should send its looted treasures back to their rightful owners

 Link to Article

Analysis by Luke McGee,

Interpretation by Patrick Turner

    In the article, they talk about how the British would come by these ancient artifacts such as taking over land or just stealing the items from these small nations. I thought that it was interesting that Britain is thinking about going back to these now independent countries and giving them back to the nations. I feel like this would be very nice to give back these items to the nations. Some other nations such as Germany and France. They had recently returned these artifacts to the countries. One thing that Britain was trying to understand as to why they are giving them back to the country would allow them to experience the main ideas of what they ended up believing in. One reason as to why they are hesitating on giving these artifacts back was because they would rather have people being able to see these items throughout the world. The big problem with the situation was really hard because of the controversy that would end up causing a lot of problems. 

    

Saudi Arabia says it is 'pointless' to deal with Hezbollah-dominated Lebanon Lars Viise

Saudi says 'pointless' dealing with Hezbollah-dominated Lebanon (msn.com)

This is yet another step in the new cold war in the Middle East, which we have seen erupt in Yemen and Syria. Saudi Arabia, being the leader of the Sunni faction, is of course hostile towards Shia Hezbollah, especially since Kordahi, a Maronite Christian who is the Minister of Information of Lebanon, criticized Saudi actions in Yemen. Lebanon has a very long history of Sectarian violence, especially during the civil war in the 80s and 90s between Maronites, Sunnis and Shias, which had foreign support from Israel, Saudi Arabia and Iran respectively. The war ended with a peace treaty which shared power equally between all 3 groups, but recently Hezbollah has been gaining more and more influence in Lebanese politics, especially due to them allying with the Maronites (which makes Kordahi being Christian make sense), and thus this has pushed them further into Iran's sphere. This means the recent hostility between them and Saudi Arabia makes sense. 

G20 Summit

 

The leaders of the G20 summit have agreed to a huge corporate tax deal. The tax deal was proposed by the United States but all members of the G20 agreed to it. Although the deal won’t be enforced until 2023 it is a huge deal because it taxes big business profits by at least 15%. The G20 was not only about taxation in the event questions were raised about Covid and Climate change which will be discussed in the COP26 summit in Glasgow on Monday. In addition to taxation, climate change, and Covid questions were raised about Iran's nuclear program. Things are escalating as the leaders released a combined statement to the effect of “if you continue with nuclear testing our sanctions won’t be lifted”.The COP26 summit will have discussions most likely similar to the ones in G20 especially with regards to climate change. Lucky leaders like Boris Johnson and Mario Draghi are especially concerned with the issue based on their remarks on the issue at the G20 summit. The main goal with regards to climate change is trying to divert funds to climate change efforts across the world which so far has not been going very well. But things could very well change as the COP26 climate summit will take place soon enough and could have a considerable change to our current climate change policies with effects on every one of us.

Debate Over Paid Family Leave Is Louder Than Ever

 Link: https://www.wsj.com/articles/debate-over-paid-family-leave-is-louder-than-ever-11635564747?mod=hp_lead_pos9

MLA: 

Dagher, Allison. "Debate Over Paid Family Leave Is Louder Than Ever". WSJ, 2021, https://www.wsj.com/articles/debate-over-paid-family-leave-is-louder-than-ever-11635564747?mod=hp_lead_pos9. Accessed 30 Oct 2021.

In Capitol Hill, democrats have had to drop the paid-leave program from the new $1.85 trillion climate and social-spending bill. This has caused an uproar from americans across multiple social-media platforms who are sharing their opinions on paid family leave and dealing with it throughout the pandemic. Many Americans who favor the bill don't even have the option, and if anything only 28% of U.S. employees are given the option to take paid family leave, with the majority being offered to employed men. 

Questions and concerns still circle from outside critics such as how a national program would be funded, how long leave for families should last, and how much compensation employees should receive. 

Furthermore, how is it than women of color, of women who work lower wage jobs can receive this compensation? They are less able to have access to paid leave but in a recent survey done by the institute for women's policy research discovered that 70% of women with children and 69% of women without children feel paid leave should be an option. 

Since the leaders at Capitol Hill have not been able to make a decision and furthermore have chosen to forego including the bill in the $1.85 trillion dollar budget, nine states have passed paid family medical leave laws. 

Hopefully more states follow in these footsteps and ultimately Capitol hill will agree that this is best for new and expecting families. 

Other countries who offer maternity leave and are considered the best and most thoughtful are Finald, Germany, Iceland, and Norway. Overall though, more than 120 nations provide paid maternity leave, and Bulgaria even offers a leave of absence for a couple weeks over a year! 

The U.S. sticks out like a sore thumb in comparison to many other countries who have mandated paid leave and even extended vacation time whereas the U.S. also falls far behind. Could it be our blindness to the division between classes? Our dire "need" to stay ahead of production and be the world's leading economy through our already prolonged work hours and deadlines? Could it be because people look at maternity leave as a wimpy decision for people with jobs? Morally and ethically it's wrong to not offer the time and compensation especially if you want happy employees, but even if Capitol hill decided paid maternity leave should be mandated, they then must decide for how long and how much. 

8, Putin Exploits Europe's Energy Crisis (Dryier)

 https://www.axios.com/putin-europe-gas-energy-crisis-d67d61d8-1424-4d4b-843d-3c35d9040ed6.html

So to quickly summarize this article, Europe is facing an energy shortage due to the lack of coal (which I wrote about a few weeks ago) and now Russia is stepping in to provide energy for a majority of Europe but Putin is making it so that prices increase and that they only get so much. For many parts of Europe they simply cannot afford the high prices set by Putin or they cannot get enough to satisfy the needs of their people. 

  Naturally I find this deplorable to intentionally keep the market scarce on a commodity that most people need to keep some standard of living, but what I find most interesting is the title itself and what it says about our global stage. The title itself makes it clear that what Putin is doing is exploitation yet the United States has done the same thing to Puerto Rico and other colonized nations. We come in and privatize the power grid and then keep the prices up to the point where many are without power. Yet when this is discussed often the articles are very apologetic towards the US and justify their actions by saying it’s for “economic reasons” yet when Russia does the literal exact same thing they are suddenly held accountable. 

  This article just shows a blatant ethnocentric and racist belief among our western population as when the United states takes power from a Hispanic nation, it’s okay. When Russia takes power from white Europeans, suddenly it’s a problem. 

Dark Web Drug Bust

 Just a few days ago counterdrug agents in the United States and Europe arrested 150 people and obtained over $31million in cash and crypto currency. Along with that, over a quarter ton of various drugs. Among these drugs was fentanyl, oxycodone, amphetamine, cocaine, and ecstasy.  Investigators targeted dark web accounts from Florida, Rhode Island, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Italy, and more. Dark-web drug sales have exceeded numbers from before Covid-19 and this is alarming investigators and drug crime officers. 

-Anna Jensen

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/us-europe-dismantle-international-dark-web-drug-operation-arrest-150-rcna3811

Top U.S. general confirms 'very concerning' Chinese hypersonic weapons test

 China has developed their first Hyper-sonic weapons test confirmed by the top military general Mark Milley. US military intelligence says that this may be the first step in Beijing pursing in a missile weapons system that could orbit the the Earth taking out any chance for the United States and their defenses. Military experts belive that Chinas test of the Hyper-sonic missile orbited the planet before ending which was known in the days of the Cold War as "fractional orbital bombardment". This is very concerning for the US because this is just how the USSR unveiled their plans [placing the first man made satellite which put Moscow ahead in the Cold War.

U.S. and Europe dismantle international dark web drug operation, arrest 150

 Raygn Jordan

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/us-europe-dismantle-international-dark-web-drug-operation-arrest-150-rcna3811 

Over $31 million in cash and cryptocurrency from 14 U.S. states and seven European countries was seized by counterdrug agents. The U.S. and Europe arrested a total of 150 people, 65 in the U.S. and 85 in Europe. Over a quarter ton of illicit drugs were seized from an operation intended to disrupt sales on the darknet. Fentanyl, oxycodone, amphetamine, cocaine, and ecstasy were sold from darknet accounts in Florida and Rhode Island. Anne Milgram, leader of the DEA, said “These are the drugs that are driving the overdose crisis in America, with 250 people dying each day,". The Department of Justice says that darknet drug sales are at an all-time high, exceeding pre-pandemic levels.

What past pandemics can tell us

 History tells us that this pandemic will be like many others, meaning it will be hard to declare a clear end anytime soon. The bubonic plague is a great example of how that was not a few year stint but defined its own era. Living in the age of Covid-19, we can see how even advancements don't bring much progress through the pandemic. The vaccine was supposed to be the end in our heads but we're still in masks, still living in fear of a disease that continue to rip through countries globally. We are starting to get comfortable with the fact that this isn't just going to be disappear one day and life will go back to how it was. Things that mimic anti science movements of old will continue to hinder the progress that the world is making towards an eventual end, just like it always has.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/12/health/when-will-covid-end.html  

Sam Barton

The U.S. cut off aid to the Sudanese government after the coup.

 Sergio Zambrano        

This article talks about US freezing a $700 million aid to Sudan after coup. This aid was destinated for an economic support of the new transitional government. In order for the US to released the amount Sudan's military leaders will need to be fully restore Mr. Hamdock and other civilians leaders to power. Also, released all people who have been detained and refrained for violence against protestors. 

Nongovernmental aid agencies will still received economic support. 

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/25/world/africa/us-aid-frozen-sudan.html 

A Chinese Province's Rise in Covid-19 Cases

    Gansu province, a northwestern Chinese province, had to shut down all of its tourist sites last Monday after discovering new Covid-19 cases. New cases have also been found in the Inner Mongolia region, which caused an order for residents of these areas to stay inside. With China having a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to the pandemic, it is no surprise that they took extra precautionary measures to lower the risk of further spreading the Delta variant. The spread of the variant from travelers and tourists also pose concern for the Winter Olympics being hosted in Beijing, February 2022.

Written by: Maxine O.

Article: https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-lifestyle-business-beijing-travel-4680b533429a7e3e75c6f99745b3664b

Fresh Ethiopian air force strikes hit Tigray region

 https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/24/africa/ethiopia-air-strikes-conflict-tigray-intl/index.html

The Ethiopian air force carried out two strikes in the northern region of Tigray on Sunday. One of the strikes hit a military command post and another strike hit near the town of Adwa where military manufacturing plants were. The TPLF has stated that the airstrikes hit a hospital and a textile factory. Over the past week, the Ethiopian government has carried out seven airstrikes. These strikes have resulted in three children being killed. The Ethiopian government has been accused of multiple war crimes, and in response, they have only increased the frequency of these airstrikes. 

Matthew Falzone

Colombia's most wanted drug lord Otoniel captured

Sergio Zambrano.  

The article talks about the captured of Colombia's most wanted drug trafficker and the leader of the country's largest criminal gang.  It has been stated as biggest hit to corruption since the fall of Pablo Escobar in 1990s. The operation involved 500 soldiers and 22 helicopter. One soldier was killed. 

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-59026214

 

Biden says US will defend Taiwan if China attacks

 President Joe Biden said the United States will defend Taiwan if China attacks it. It is because they have laws that require it to assist Taiwan in defending itself. The White House spokesman later explained to the media that the U.S. has not announced any policy change, and there is no change in policy. Although the U.S. does not have official diplomatic relations with Taiwan, it does sell arms to Taiwan and says the U.S. must provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself. If China were to take control of Taiwan, it would be a very difficult task for China to maintain control over territory that opposes CCP rule. In some cases, it may be necessary to assemble troops from Australia and Japan as well as U.S. President Xi Jinping is hoping to achieve Taiwan reunification while he leads the country. However, when these factors are added together, it becomes clear how high the risks are.

Matsuri Miyauchi

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-59005300 

North Korea fires Anti-Aircraft Missile Alexandra Caballero

 For the past couple of weeks North Korea has been announcing to the world their improvement in military capabilities through missile testing. It has been recorded that this is North Korea's 4th missile test recently. Even though the United States has a strong hold on military status, it should still be a little concerning that other countries are trying to improve and catch up. The article also discusses the how South Korea has been trying to make an effort to get along with North Korea, but North Korea has yet to comment or make a move 

https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2021-09-30/n-korea-says-4th-new-test-firing-was-anti-aircraft-missile

Alexandra Caballero 

She is Breaking Glass Ceilings in Space, but Facing Sexism on Earth

 Col. Wang Yaping is making her second trip into orbit and will be the first Chinese woman to set foot in space. Although this is a big accomplishment, she is facing criticism for leaving her five year old daughter behind for the six month trip. The media also had to question the physiology of men versus women and menstrual cycles, which caused Pang Zhihao, a China National Space Administration official, to speak on the supplies that she would have in space. The author notes in the article that it isn't often a woman outside the entertainment industry reaches this public prominence like Col. Wang. Unfortunately what comes with this is attention on her gender, and condescending questions. Nevertheless, Col. Wang didn't lose dedication to the space trip despite the criticism. 

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/23/world/asia/china-space-women-wang-yaping.html 

Katelyn DeBlecourt 

Saudi Arabia aims to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2060

 By 2060 Saudi Arabia hope to be net-zero with greenhouse gas emissions. There are more than 100 countries involved in this global effort trying to suppress man-made climate change. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman made the announcement. He spoke that the first ever Saudi Green Initiative Forum, which was a week before the global climate conference in Scotland.

Saudi Arabia is doing this through the "Carbon Circular Economy" approach. They want to continue using fossil fuels, and are pushing back on countries who are trying to ban in. They want to suck the resulting emissions out of the atmosphere instead of banning them.

https://www.euronews.com/2021/10/23/oil-rich-saudi-arabia-will-be-net-zero-by-2060

 Mateah Roehl 

NBA in Trouble with China Again Interpretation by Patrick Turner

 The NBA is caught once again between free speech and the lucrative Chinese market

Link to Article

by Jessie Yeung, CNN Business

Interpretation by Patrick Turner

    A couple of years ago there was this big problem with china and the NBA. One of the players had said that one of the countries that were part of chinas is actually a free country. The Chinese government proceeded to not broadcast the NBA Games until someone had to apologize causing the NBA to lose out millions of dollars. Well on October 22 Celtic Center had posted what they believed to be the truth and spoke about free speech about freeing the little country Tibet from the Chinese government's control. Later on that same day the Center from the Celtics even wore a pair of shoes that said "Free Tibet" on the shoes. I think what the player is doing is really bold. With the idea that the NBA tries to keep on the good side of China so that they could end up broadcasting the game throughout the country. I feel like that the center is giving his ideas of what he believes in as free speech. But, the Chinese Government will not see this the same way ending up causing a big matter between the player and the government. The Person was named Kanter he has been really vocal about criticizing the governments around the world recently and that because he is in the united states he does have the right to free speech. But, other countries might take these ideas that he expresses as a threat to the government's lagitamcy. We did bring up the idea in class about the freedom of speech and how many governments view these ideas of allowing the public to speak their mind to be ill-effective for the people within their government. 

Jack Moran : Facebook employees tried to suppress conservative news outlets, report shows

 https://nypost.com/2021/10/24/facebook-employees-told-to-brace-for-more-disclosures/ 

Once again Facebook bias is showing. New reports hs found that Facebook employees have been purposefully suppressing and or de-platform conservative accounts and or news outlets. The main concern is that the social media giant is treating news outlets differently based on their political standing. The worst part is that Facebook executives continue to deny these allegations even when they are caught red-handed. 

China's largest, most advanced civilian patrol boat-"could be used to support South China Sea claims"

 China's largest civilian patrol boat entered service in the South of China and it seems to patrol the South China Sea where China has attempted to advance effective control. Beijing also announced a new rule at the end of August that all foreign ships entering the areas of the South China Sea it claims must register their details with the Chinese maritime authorities, so there is a risk of triggering an international incident with rival claimants. With a 10,700-tonne displacement, The Haixun 09 is the most advanced ship in the civilian fleet and is equipped with water cannons, an aerial tracking system, and a helicopter landing deck, according to CCTV. Yue Gang, a former colonel of the People's Liberation Army, expressed caution about the deployment of Haixun 09, saying it should be more geared toward civilian uses. 

Chihiro Yoshihara

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3153455/chinas-largest-most-advanced-civilian-patrol-boat-could-be-used

Colin Powell dies Lars Viise

Colin Powell dies, trailblazing general stained by Iraq (apnews.com)

Colin Powell has a complicated history for me. For one, he was a historic figure due to being the first African American Secretary of State. When he was Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff, his approach became known as the Powell Doctrine, which aimed to shorten and reduce American intervention abroad. This included limiting military engagements to national security risks, making sure the American military had a clear exit, making sure peaceful solutions have all been tried and making sure we have public and international support. This caused him to support the Gulf War and Operation Just Cause, while going against US intervention in the Bosnian War since according to him it didn't matter to US interests. However, his term as SOS had some very disastrous results. After 9/11, he was heavily involved in perpetuating and escalating the War on Terror. For example he was instrumental in building a case against Iraq, and used supposed info that Saddam had biological weapons to support the sanctioning and later invasion of the country. The claims of WMDs ended up being false, and American actions against Saddam ended in a disaster which caused over a million deaths, caused millions of refugees, destabilized the region and would later contribute to the rise of ISIS. 

Seoul: North Korea tested possible submarine missile by Kim Tong-Hyung and Hyung-Jin KIm

 BY ALEXIA PATINO

North Korea successfully launched at least one ballistic missile into the sea. South Korea described that this weapon is most likely to be design for submarine- based launches. It is said that despite the unknown, North Korea continues to expand its military forces. Japan argued that North Korea launched two missiles according to their coast guard. It is said that North Korea's last test for missiles and weapons was done last in 2019, on the contrary there is evidence in regards to North Korea building a submarine that would be capable of carrying and firing multiple missiles. The United States agreed that the launching of those missiles does not threat the country directly.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2021/10/19/seoul-says-north-korea-tested-possible-submarine-missile/8519230002/ 

10 FACTS ABOUT CHILD SOLDIERS IN SIERRA LEONE

The existence of child soldiers became known to people after the civil war of Sierra Leona. Of course, each country has a history of war, and they would have used child soldiers in their conflict. However, Sierra Leone is a representative example of the war that child soldiers were used. In this article, the author shows the top 10 facts about child soldiers in Sierra Leone. This author introduces only basic knowledge about the child soldiers of Sierra Leone, so these were not new for me, but I found a new perspective when I read this article. It is the drug deal and the drug industry. As this article says, children were often forced to use drugs such as marijuana or crack cocaine to enable them to commit violence. I read this article and re-recognized the facts. I thought about why so many drugs were used in the war of Sierra Leone despite being a poor country. Or would it have been possible to buy in a large number of drugs and use them in the war because the government is not functioning? I don’t think that the condition of war improved even if the drugs were not used, but I expect some changes should have happened. My interest is child soldiers, so I always tried to find the articles regarding it, but it actually connects to not only the drug industry and drug deals but also the dark munitions industry. For the next blog entry, I would like to focus on these facts.

https://borgenproject.org/10-facts-about-child-soldiers-in-sierra-leone/

Nanami Kanda

7, UN Chief Warns World On “One Way Ticket to Disaster” Over Climate (Dryier)

 https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/10/22/un-chief-warns-world-on-one-way-ticket-to-disaster-over-climate

The planet is headed for disaster and extinction of humanity and even in the wake of the UN Chief telling the world that people will die and suffer if things keep staggering like they are now. The lack of urgency over this issue by major powers is honestly disgusting in the wake of what’s at stake. World leaders don’t care. Lobbyists and corporations have been paying off world leaders for decades and have hidden evidence and lied about the damage that everyone knew carbon emissions would do. World leaders are literally turning a blind eye and sacrificing the next generation for the sake of profit margins. The planet is being destroyed by selfish people, we know who they are and for the sake of the entire world stage and it’s existence, more needs to be done and people need to be brought to justice and held accountable for their crimes against humanity. Lives are being lost and those who we know are responsible for cover ups and lobbying/taking money from lobbyists need to be held to the same standard of evil as those responsible for genocide. Because that’s what they’re doing, a mass killing of people through the pollution they personally made sure continued. Climate change is literally killing people through heat waves, food scarcity, water scarcity and extreme weather events. Climate denial is a crime against humanity and we need to see it as such before time is out and everyone under the age of 50 has a bleak future on an inhabitable planet knowing that no one did anything despite the ample time and opportunities to do so.

U.S. Holds Three Tests to Advance Hypersonic Weapon Programs, Pentagon Says

Raygn Jordan

https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2021-10-21/us-holds-three-tests-to-advance-hypersonic-weapon-programs-pentagon-says?rec-type=sailthru

The U.S. Army and Navy tested three new hypersonic weapon prototypes yesterday. Earlier in the day, President Joe Biden had said he was concerned about Chinese hypersonic weapons, however, he is allowing the Army and Navy to conduct tests of the common hypersonic missile throughout fiscal 2022. Companies such as Lockheed Martin and Raytheon Technologies are behind the United States' hypersonic weapon capability. The tests were run at The Sandia National Laboratory in Virginia and all three proved successfull.

Deadly bomb blasts hit military bus in Damascus

 A bombing in the city of Damascus, Syria, has reportedly killed 14 citizens on a bus ride. Three bombs were reported on the bus alone, 2 of 3 ignited while the third fell off the bus and was disabled by government forces. This attack was carried out by the rebel forces and jihadist groups that have been attempting to overthrow the President since 2011. This bombing being an attack against the government during this decade long civil war. This civil war has left 350,000 dead and 6 million refugees abroad.

Jack Moran - Nikolas Cruz pleads guilty to murder charges and apologizes for Parkland high school massacre

 https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/20/us/nikolas-cruz-parkland-shooting-guilty/index.html

Jack Moran

Early Wednesday morning Nikolas Cruz pleaded guilty to 17 counts of murder and 17 counts of attempted murder of the students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in February 2018. Cruz is 23 and will face a minimum of life in prison and could face the death penalty. According to the article, the prosecutors say they will be going for the death penalty. 

In the courtroom, Cruz was wearing a very business casual dress shirt with a vest along with eith very bulky-looking glasses. Cruz answered all questions with a "yes ma'am" or "No ma'am", and even told the judge "I know what is going on". Cruz also said he had been experiencing depression and anxiety in the courtroom but was able to proceed. After pleading guilty Cruz read an apology he wrote to the victims. Cruz says "I am very sorry for what I did, I don't care if you believe me, I know you won't believe me". He then goes on to say he thinks his right t live or die should be in the hands of his vicitms.

Climate scientists are worried about the ability of nations to solve the climate crisis

Climate scientist Paola Arias states that she doesn't fully trust international leaders in slowing global warming. She also believes that governments won't be able to handle mass migrations and civil unrest cause by inequality during this climate crisis. Scientists are also predicting political unrest caused by the changing climate conditions. A report from the United Nations Environment Programme projected that although there has been changes from nations, we are still on a path towards 2.7 °C by 2100.

Mateah Roehl

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-02990-w

U.S. Led A Global Security Strategy Meeting.....Without Russia

    The U.S. held a meeting with 30 countries this week regarding cybersecurity strategy. Out of those 30 countries however, Russia was not one of them. Jake Sullivan, the White House national security adviser, described the meeting as 'a gathering of “like-minded” governments in agreement on the urgency of the need to protect citizens and businesses from ransomware'. The exclusion of Russia further illustrates the sour relations between it and the U.S. Though there has been direct communication with Russia regarding cybersecurity as the U.S. government links Russian cybercriminals to the increase of ransomware attacks received by the U.S. These cyberattacks further tighten the tension between the U.S. and Russia and explain the exclusion of Russia from the U.S.-led cybersecurity meeting.

Written by: Maxine O.

Article: https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-moscow-europe-epidemics-05c33f13d20bd1fd8af522e0f4689022

Pandora Papers

The “Pandora Papers'' is a list of files featuring 35 former leaders and 300 public officials that were involved with offshore companies. Some of the most interesting discoveries due to the files include Putin’s secret assets in Monaco or the King of Jordan owning 70million pounds worth of property in the United States and the United Kingdom. The Pandora Papers include 14 sources with almost 12million files accounting for 2.94 Terabytes of data. The files include 6.4 million documents, almost 3 million images, 1.2million emails, almost 500,000 spreadsheets, and ~900,000 other types of files. The Pandora Papers are larger than other previous leaks such as the Offshore Leaks or the Panama Papers. These papers have resulted in allegations of corruption, money laundering, and global tax avoidance. The UK government took a huge hit considering their failure to register offshore property owners resulting in shady property deals in a total of around 400milion pounds. The main person involved in this is the King of Jordan who got over 100million dollars in property. This has caused questions of the UK’s ability to regulate offshore property purchases but the government says it will introduce a register for the offshore companies owning UK property. These property purchases can be used to hide money in places where it would be otherwise not noticed. For example, the president of  Azerbaijan bought his son a 33 million pound property and other companies bought the property in that area but the companies buying it were owned by friends of the president then transferred to Ilham Aliyev the former president of Azerbaijan. In general, the Pandora papers reveal corruption and money laundering of some of the world’s most important people.

SOURCE:https://www.bbc.com/news/world-58780465

-Anthony Kindness

Interview: Rwanda’s Street Children Locked up, Abused

 When I read this article, I could understand why street children choose to be child soldiers. In this article, the author explains the reality of the Gkikondo Transit Center where the street children are gathered. Rwanda established this center as a part of a “rehabilitation process”, but actually, it is an unofficial detention facility, and the street children who were detained in the center have to live in harsh conditions as well as being abused. According to the author, there was not enough food and water, the children have to share mattresses with three or four others, and it was the cause of rashes and skin infection. Besides, the children do not allow to chat with each other, and they are beaten by a police officer if they ignore the order. In contrast to this fact, Kigali is known as one of the cleanest and safest cities in Africa. Rwanda pretends to save the street children, and send them to the center to make the city look better. For the abolition of this center, the Committee continues to point out is that Rwanda is in violation of this convention and not complying with its obligations under international human rights. They believe that it is a powerful method. Rwanda is known as a country that many child soldiers were used in the conflict. People say that one of the causes is street children. At that time when Rwanda established the center, it would be assessed as a part of reconstruction by the world, but the reality is different. This article shows me that the country which is right after the war and the international society is going in the right direction while pretending to go in the wrong direction.

https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/01/27/interview-rwandas-street-children-locked-abused

Nanami Kanda

American Missionaries Kidnapped in Haiti

Haiti has experienced record kidnappings this year, and are currently ranked number one for most kidnappings per capita in the world. The director if Haiti's National Human Rights Defense Network even spoke of the lack of safety in Haiti because it doesn't matter who or where you are located in the country. The group that was kidnapped on Sunday included 16 U.S. citizens some of which were part of the Christian Aid Ministry. Despite the clear knowledge of the U.S. citizens being held captive, our state department released a statement concluding they, "have nothing additional to offer at this time." It is believed that these missionaries are being held by a group called 400 Mawozo, who have been known for kidnapping people with open religious affiliations. Haitian officials are expecting the group to issue a ransom demand, as it is common in the country for criminals to receive money and then let the victims go unharmed. At this time, there have not been any demands for the missionaries and their family members.

by Katelyn DeBlecourt

Russia's Crackdown on Free Speech By Patrick Turner

 

Life as a 'foreign agent': Inside Russia's crackdown on free speech

By Matthew Bodner

Link

Interpretation by Patrick Turner 

    When talking about the article it was shown that this was the first time the government in Russia has been cracking down on the free press. This was the first time that they cracked down on the press since the soviet era. This seemed important to talk about because of the main idea that the government is not allowing its people to express their beliefs. The reason why they are limiting the voice of the people right now is because of what is happening in Russia. There was a big problem with the idea of limiting the people of what they want to hear it sounds of that the government is trying to control the people's thoughts through Russia. Even foreigners are not allowed to write about going on in Russia that even out-of-state people are really not allowed to report on the ideas of the government. 

Beirut port blast: Gunfire erupts at protest against judge leading probe

There was a major clash between Shia and Christian militias at the Beirut protest held by hundred of people against the judge Judge Tarek Bitar, demanding his removal because the investigation has become so political and won't get to the true person at fault for the blast. They said Christian snipers fired on the crowd causing chaos and people fled the scene and children got under desks to take cover during the gunfire.

Texas school teachers told to counter Holocaust books with ‘opposing’ views - Jack Moran

 https://nypost.com/2021/10/14/texas-teachers-told-to-counter-holocaust-books-with-opposing-views/

Jack Moran

At Carroll school district in Texas,  a secrete recording of school administrators was leaked where they tell teachers to start keeping books with "opposing viewpoints to the holocaust, that gives other perspectives".  This comes shortly after a teacher was reprimanded for having "anti-racism" books on their shelves. Like any logical adult, one teacher responded "How do you oppose the holocaust?" to which the school district direction of circle and instruction responded, "oh it comes up".

All of this comes after a new Texas law requiring teachers to teach all viewpoints of widely debated and currently controversial topics. 

Personally, I don think the holocaust is a controversial or debated topic but hey that's just me.

Lebanon suffers 24-hour blackout, food poisoning, business closures amid fuel crisis

 Raygn Jordan

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/10/11/lebanon-suffers-24-hour-blackout-food-poisoning-business-closures-amid-fuel-crisis.html

A power outage in Lebanon left its population of 6 million people without electricity for 24 hours. In a statement issued by the state's electric company, it was said that fuel shortages led to the power outage. A $100 million credit was given to Lebanon by the central bank that will allow the country to buy fuel to keep its plants running. While this shutdown was the most publicized Lebanon has been dealing with this for months. Daily power outages, a banking and economic crisis, food shortages, overwhelmed hospitals, and a spiraling currency are all issues that Lebanon former, “Paris of the Middle East”, is facing. After the devastating Beirut Port explosion of August 2020, the economy has been in a downward spiral. 

Kongsberg: Bow and arrow attack appears to be terrorism - officials

 Norway was recently attacked by a man with a bow-and-arrow, that left 5 people dead and has been confirmed to be an act of terror. The suspect in custody has been identified as a man that converted to Islam and had been radicalized. The media was told that the man was confronted on Wednesday, started shooting arrows at police officers who were unarmed. The suspect fled and escaped and then was captured thirty mins later stabbing as woman at an intersection and killing 5 other people. This has been the deadliest attack since the right wing extremist Anders Behring Breivik who killed 77 people.

G20 pledges help for Afghan humanitarian crisis at special summit

      It is no secret that the people of Afghanistan, especially women, are in a crisis right now. Almost everyone is trying to leave the country, causing the economy to collapse. It must be remembered that Afghanistan was already struggling before the Taliban took over, so now that struggle has increased tenfold. This has led the G20, 20 major economies,to pledge to give Afghanistan help to tackle the humanitarian crisis. Most of this aid will be funneled through the United Nations, while some of it will be given directly. 

Matthew Falzone

https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/13/asia/g20-afghanistan-humanitarian-crisis-intl-hnk/index.html

A Rusting Oil Tank Off The Coast Of Yemen Is At Risk Of Exploding

 Only five miles off the coast of Yemen in the Red Sea is a cargo ship containing 1 million barrels of crude oil. As it rusts, it is at risk of spilling and exploding. This type of disaster would result in a major humanitarian crisis for most of Yemen. Where this cargo ship is located and its path of destruction if it occurred, is located at the entrance to many of the key ports that provide food and water to millions of Yemen citizens who receive this aid. There are many people who are invested in preventing this environmental and humanitarian disaster from occurring, so there is a major push for urgent action by international researchers and activists in the like. 

- Anna Jensen

https://www.pri.org/stories/2021-10-12/rusting-oil-tanker-yemen-s-coast-risk-exploding-it-could-cut-humanitarian-aid

US to reopen Mexico Canada land borders for fully vaccinated travellers

 North America is taking a big step after the eruption of the Covid-19 disease. Borders as we know it around the world have been closed due to the spread of the disease. Vaccination has become a major player in the world. If you are vaccinated, and show proof of this vaccination can allow you to enter into the United States and Canada. However, Mexico's border has been open during the entire pandemic, due to the number of immigrants seeking care or leaving the country. The US has announced that in November these laws will decline and proof of a negative Covid-19 test on a flight, will allow a foreigner to enter the United States.  As it says in the BBC article "It means those sealed out of the US because of the pandemic can enter - for any reason - using land and ferry crossing points" (BBC).

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-58893052

Liam Roberts

6, China isn’t the only huge Asian economy with a coal shortage now (Sydney Dryier)

    As supply chains continue to crumble under the weight of COVID-19 deaths and low wages now Asian countries are seeing a shortage of coal which is leaving entire cities dark as rolling blackouts begin to start as energy rationing begins. Coal is the most used energy source in the world and there’s no reason for us to continue on with something so primitive. Western countries have had access to clean energy through solar, wind, nuclear and others that would allow underdeveloped nations to establish plants and get their own energy from natural sources which negates the need to transport coal and allows every country to have energy despite the global climate or supply chain.     A modernized nation can’t run without power and because of this underdeveloped nations are at the mercy of global supply chains and fossil fuels which are usually sold to them by first world nations. Fossil fuels cannot continue to be the standard as it creates a clear divide between those who have access to it and those who don’t. Solar energy should have been implemented globally a long time ago and would’ve prevented the strain on the supply chain and power shortages on Asian countries, but that won’t happen because first world countries can’t monopolize the sun and sell it back to people. Once again, profit margins impede progress and cause innocent people to suffer in an unequal and broken economic system. In 2021 we have no reason to not provide every world citizen with necessities like electricity and the internet and the only reason people go without is due to the selfishness of those who monopolize necessities.

AQ Khan could be the most dangerous man in the world

 

In the last half of the century, AQ Khan has been one of the most influential figures in global security. He has been described as "at least as dangerous as Osama bin Laden" by a former CIA director. He has recently died at the age of 85, but he had supplied multiple nuclear weapon designs. He was working at a European company that built centrifuges to enrich uranium. He then would copy the centrifuge designs because enriched uranium is used for nuclear power. After copying the designs he returned home and created a secret network where he was supplied components to make these weapons. He began to work with Iran and North Korea, trading nuclear technology for information on missile technology. America and Britain started to track Khan, and eventually he was put on house arrest for the rest of his life. 

Mateah Roehl

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-58857827

North Korea: Kim Jong-un vows to build 'invincible military'

North Korea has been a significant danger to the US and World regarding nuclear war. North Korea has always been known to launch a new missile to create tensions and everyone believes we are at the the brink of war with the state, but then they back off. North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has recently stated that he will begin the construction to build a "invincible military". This was caused by the increasing tension from the Western influence and the United States. Korean leader Mr. Kim stated to the public that he is not building up his military for war, but this is a self defense act due to the tension that the United States has caused between North and South Korea. He said does not want to fight his neighbors in a statement. President Biden has repeatedly said he would talk to North Korean leader Kim, but he must get rid of his nuclear weapons which I think is pretty dumb because that is just giving up its nation defense system. 

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-58880207

Liam Roberts

Trump boasted of crowd sizes at Jan. 6 riot, new book says Lars Viise

 Trump boasted of crowd size at Jan. 6 riot, new book says (msn.com)

If this is true, it could have serious repercussions on the American presidential system. For most of history, American presidents have been trusting of the election results and willingly gave up power to the next candidate, which is fairly unique in the geopolitical stage (since many times countries fall into dictatorships). If this story is true then we have possibly the first president to openly go against the will of the people, especially since his allegations of voter fraud have been disproven time and time again. The January 6 riot was one of the largest political  disturbances the US has seen in a while, and it almost was much worse. If the rioters had got their hands on the ballots and destroyed them, then Trump, with his support of the rioters, could have possibly kept the presidential office. And if that happened then what was keeping America together? Without the values of American Democracy, we would have fallen apart. We are so ethnically and politically diverse that the country could have fallen into yet another costly civil war. So this news story, if true, kind of shows how the American values of freedom and democracy ain't set in stone. 

Humanitarian Aid to Afghanistan from the U.S.

    Over a month after U.S. troops withdrew from Afghanistan, the Taliban and the U.S. had their first direct talks with each other in Doha, Qatar, regarding the state of the country. While both governments disclosed separate statements about these talks, the general conclusion is that the United States will provide humanitarian aid directly to the people of Afghanistan. However, they also specify that this gesture does not mean the US approves of the Taliban as the governing power for the country. Instead, the U.S. clarifies that they will judge the Taliban based on both their words and actions following these discussions. Other topics discussed during this meeting include the Taliban containing IS as IS continue their terrorist attacks in Afghanistan and the U.S. wanting Americans and others to be allowed to leave Afghanistan. It will be interesting to see how dynamics between the U.S. government and the Taliban develop and change as Afghanistan tries to recover from all the events that have happened since August.

Written by Maxine O.

Article: https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-business-taliban-islamic-state-group-united-states-0f386a9d22bafa86601c8a6251b02bc6

Record number of people attempt to cross the border between Poland and Belarus, officials say

 On Saturday, there was a record amount of people crossing the border between Poland and Belarus. There were 739 attempted crossings between the two countries. Over the past couple of months, the number of these attempted crossings has only gone up, with there being 5,000 in October already. As the seasons begin to change, these crossings only become more dangerous. This increase in border crossings is the result of ever-changing dynamics in the middle east, specifically Iraq and Afghanistan. Polish officials accuse Belarus of encouraging refugees to cross the border in order to put pressure on the bloc over the sanctions it put over the Misk.

Matthew Falzone

https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/10/europe/poland-belarus-border-crossing-migrants-record-number-intl/index.html

World's Dangerous man!

    Abdul Qadeer Khan, also known as the father of Pakistan's nuclear weapon program, dies at 85. Being marked by the BBC as the world's most dangerous man and being compared to Osama bin Laden by the former CIA Director Geroge Tenet was very intriguing. Khan was very engaging with international politics. He's been seen as having secured Pakistan's safety against India's threat and working hand in hand with North Korea missile technology. He often questioned Western countries' hypocrisy of not letting other countries keep weapons for their security. Khan also took part in the attacks of 9/11 since it is believed that he sold nuclear technology to Iran. However, Khan was nationalistic; he promoted education in Pakistan and engaged in the space program. Pakistan's nuclear weapons program has been a significant national pride to the Pakistani people making A.Q Khan seen as a hero.  

Link 1: 

Link  2: 

Elie Imani

Lava falling from the La Palma volcano

October 10 marks three weeks since the volcanic eruption on the island of La Palma. The city is still facing the effects as lava the size of three story buildings is rolling down hillsides of the island. Yesterday there were reports of a cone collapse in the volcano which explains the large amounts of lava. There have been an upwards of 6,000 people evacuated from the island of the 83,000 people living there. These large amounts of lava have taken over roughly 1,200 acres of land on the island so far since the eruption three weeks ago. On this land, there has been over 1,000 buildings destroyed because the lava is flowing through these cities. The article shows pictures of lava coming out of the volcano as well as onlookers watching the volcano in the distance. 

https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/10/europe/lava-canary-islands-volcano-la-palma-eruption-intl/index.html

Katelyn DeBlecourt

All UK's electricity will come from clean sources by 2035

Chihiro Yoshihara

 Climate change is one of the serious problems we are having now. Out of all such situations, Boris Johnson has said that all of the UK’s electricity is going to come from clean energy sources by 2035. Mr. Johnson’s commitment comes ahead of the COP 26 conference, a global United Nations summit on challenging climate change to be held in Glasgow. The COP26 global climate summit in November is seen as crucial if climate change is to be brought under control. Almost 200 countries are being asked for their plans to cut emissions, and it could lead to major changes to our everyday lives. Speaking to reporters, the prime minister said that the target could be achieved through advances n wind power and other renewable sources. However, some green groups warned that the Uk is behind schedule for meeting its target. 

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-58792261

Thousands march in Rome to protest workplace vaccine rule

 Thousands of demonstrators protested against the new "green pass" vaccination that is being introduced in Italy for employees entering the workplace. The pass will indicate who has received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine or who has tested negative. Both employees and employers are threatened with fines if they do not comply with the retention of the certificate. In Italy, this pass is already required to use public facilities such as museums, restaurants, trains, and buses. Many protesters showed non-violence and confronted the police. Some people also waved the Italian flag and shouted "Freedom!". Prime Minister Draghi issued a statement criticizing them, saying that their right to express their ideas could not be used to attack the government. In addition, he stated that the recent surge in vaccination rates was due to the availability of Green Passes in the workplace. It also aims to further increase vaccination rates.

Matsuri Miyauchi

https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-business-italy-mario-draghi-health-436d20f53f526a11b746c262ccf84315　

Czech President in intensive care By Patrick Turner

 Czech President in intensive care after holding talks on dramatic election

Link To Article

By John Mastrini and Sheena McKenzie

Interpretation by Patrick Turner 

 Before reading this article it is really important to understand the role of the president and how he has a lot of political powers. Czech has recently been having trouble with trying to get a new prime minister in office so that they can show support for the country. The president at the time was supposed to give the new prime minister before going into the hospital. This was really important because it would allow for a person to take charge of the government while he is in the hospital. There has not been a whole lot of information that was given out about his current conditions besides that he has been recently fighting disease. The president of the Czech Republic is currently 77 years old. So it sounds like he might be stepping down soon and allowing for someone else to take president. 

Bushmeat poaching is on the rise in Kenya as Covid hunger drives hunt for antelopes and giraffes by Scott McLean, Bethlehem Feleke, Solomon Muingi and Fabien Muhire

After the Covid pandemic, every country has faced multiple and different consequence. In the case of Kenya, the poverty caused by the pandemic has provoked people to go back to haunting and poaching.  There has been a huge lack of tourist and people cannot afford food since many have lost their jobs. It is said that people are desperate and they need to eat. Despite the fact that pouching is illegal, the numbers are on the rise. People establish that poverty is not an exception in Kenya and everyone is suffering. All the poachers operate in secret because they have a normal life and are also struggling to put food on the table. There are people whom rather not take the risk to become poachers but since the economic situation is so hard, and providing for their families seems impossible, they might not have another option. People show what they are capable of when being in hard situations. 

https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/15/africa/bushmeat-poaching-kenya-cmd-intl/index.html 

By Alexia Patino 

Ugandan Child Soldier-Turned-Rebel Commander Is Convicted Of War Crimes

This article shows the most miserable case that former Ugandan child soldier who turned rebel commander is convicted of war crimes. According to this article, the International Criminal Court convicted LRA commander, Dominic Ongwen of war crimes and crimes against humanity. The court said Owgwen’s crime falls into several categories such as not only murder and torture but also rape and sexual slavery. He is in his 40s and became LRA commander because he was kidnapped when he was around 10 years old. He was a child soldier and turned LRA commander a few decades later. His prison sentence was thirty years in the prison, but I was not sure he deserved it when I read this article because he is also a victim of LRA. He was kidnapped in childhood, and he would not have gotten any chance to be back to a normal child. I don’t know why but I can understand the ICC cannot exempt his sins in the same as they exempt sins of child soldiers right after the war. When I read this article, I thought about what the world should be and how to protect the future of child soldiers. Owgwen’s case should never happen again.

https://www.npr.org/2021/02/04/963960196/lords-resistance-army-commander-dominic-ongwen-is-convicted-of-war-crimes

Nanami Kanda

US Submarine collides with an unknown object

A US submarine hit an unknown object in the south china sea. And although 11 sailors were injured the submarine's nuclear propulsion plant was unharmed. But 2 out of the 11 had a “moderate condition” and were treated aboard the ship. According to Alexander Neill the submarine must have “hit something big” and must have “been going really” fast in order for those injuries to happen. It is also important to note that all of the sailors who were injured were treated on the submarine. Not surprisingly china was concerned about the incident and asked for the US to provide more details. Events like these are relatively rare for the United States as the last similar event to this happened in 2005 when the USS San Francisco hit an underwater mountain near Gaum. But the question still remains why was the United States in that region to begin with. The area has many trade routes passing through the region and many countries claim to have authority over various parts of the region leading to conflict. The United States has backed some of these states claiming to have control over parts of the region which increased tensions with china. This can be clearly seen by China releasing record numbers of aircraft into Taiwan's airspace for 4 days in a row. This also follows very closely with the security pact in the Asia-pacific which is a pact by the UK, US and Australia to counter China’s increasing influence in that region.

-Anthony K

Source:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-58838332

Havana Syndrome: What We Know

 Link: 

https://www.wsj.com/articles/havana-syndrome-symptoms-11626882951?mod=politics_lead_pos10

MLA Format: 

Tau, Byron. "Havana Syndrome: What We Know". WSJ, 2021, https://www.wsj.com/articles/havana-syndrome-symptoms-11626882951?mod=politics_lead_pos10. Accessed 8 Oct 2021.

In late 2016, the first cases of Havana Syndrome appeared within U.S. and Canadian diplomats stationed in Cuba. By 2018, State Department employees and their families were being evacuated across China, Russia, Poland, Georgia, and Taiwan. Since then, serious concerns have arisen based off of consistent symptoms of Havana Syndrome that seem to be spreading like wildfire amongst politicians. With such an increase, people are wondering what causes an outbreak like this?

Initially, it was believed that something like this could have only become as a result of an attack by either a sonic or acoustic weapon, a type of directed energy, or "directed, pulsed radiofrequency energy", yet no conclusion and the true cause could be agreed on. 

Last May, The New Yorker even reported that a theory being comprised by investigators is that a foreign intelligence agency- possibly Russia's GRU military intelligence service- was aiming microwave devices at U.S. officials with the intent of collecting information from computers and cellphone data. Still, there is no identified culprit that can be confirmed. 

Former President Trump's initial reaction was to blame Cuba for the initial wave although Havana denied it. Since his presidency, the government and National Intelligence Agency have been tasked with figuring out what was used to initiate this attack along with the contribution of the Senate Intelligence Committee; hopes that answers will be given are expected by the fall. Today even, President Biden signed a law that provides financial assistance for U.S. government personnel who have suffered serious complications from Havana syndrome. 

Iranian authority mandates pregnant women be reported to prevent 'criminal abortions'

 https://abcnews.go.com/International/iranian-authority-mandates-pregnant-women-reported-prevent-criminal/story?id=80416961

Raygn Jordan

Iran's Mazandaran providences' crime prevention deputy has issued a letter mandating that local laboratories report women who have positive pregnancy tests. Iran says that reporting positive pregnancy tests will help prevent "criminal abortions." Abortion in Iran is only legal under certain conditions; the woman must be married and giving birth needs to endanger the life of the mother/child or the child has to have severe mental/physical disabilities. In Iran over 300,000 illegal abortions are performed every year. Women who get pregnant from extramarital affairs have no legal options for abortion and are forced to turn to unsafe options. Conservatives in Iran are also trying to require a medical team, a judge, and two "faqihs" (religious experts), to give approval for the abortion to be legal. These laws show how Iran has no real care for women's rights and just wants to increase the population of the Islamic Republic.

China-Taiwan Conflict

The conflict between China and Taiwan is the worst it has been in 40 years. China has sent a record number of military jets into Taiwan's airspace. China and Taiwan both view their relationship differently. Taiwan views themselves as a sovereign state, while China thinks they are a province that broke away. China has had the power to invade Taiwan, but they haven’t yet. Analysts say that there is a possibility China is working to take Taiwan by force. The number of times that China is flying into Taiwan's air defense zone is also increasing rapidly, which is a good reason to raise concerns about China’s intentions.

Mateah Roehl 

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-58812100 

 

What the Pandora Papers Reveal About Offshore Wealth

Sergio Zambrano.  

This article talks about the biggest leak of information in history. The leak of 11.9 millions of documents. The documents have information about head of states, celebrities, and billionaires who use offshores companies to hide their wealth and evade taxes. The article talks about how there is an estimated of $5 trillions to $35 trillions that it is kept offshore. Russia, Persian Golf nations, and Latin America are top on the list of countries in which their citizens' money stashed overseas. 

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-10-06/what-the-pandora-papers-reveal-about-offshore-wealth-quicktake

L.A. to require proof of COVID vaccination at indoor restaurants, salons, other venues By Jack Moran

Jack Moran

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-10-06/l-a-to-require-proof-of-covid-vaccination-at-indoor-restaurants-salons-and-other-venues 

Los Angles joins New York City as the newest city in America to require proof of vaccination to enter indoor facilities. This means restaurants, gyms, movie theaters, comedy clubs, shopping malls, hair salons, and anything else indoors. The Mayor of L.A. Eric Garcetti said in a statement that "this new ordinance will help e courage people to get the shot who haven't already and made things safer for workers and customers"

The ordinance states it will not go into effect until November 4, but because the law did not pass with enough votes to classify as "urgent" it will likely take another month on top of that early November date to be in effect. 

The city of L.A. does have a few different forms of exemption for getting the vaccine, for religious and or medical reasons. But businesses are required to have those individuals use outdoor areas and or produce a negative covid test to enter the indoor section if no outdoor space is offered or available. For businesses that do not follow the new mandate, they will be given one warning then fined $1000 upon seconds offense, and up to $5000 for each instance after. Fines will not be enforced until November 29th.