Russia arrests American Wall Street Journal reporter

Russia has arrested the U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich while he was on assignment at a city in the Ural Mountains. The reason Russia gave for the arrest was an accusation that Gershkovich was collecting state secrets. He has been formally charged with espionage, which carries a sentence of up to 30 years. The Wall Street Journal has denied these allegations. United States officials are concerned over the targeting of American citizens and the State Department has been in contact with the Russian government over this issue. Warnings for American citizens in Russia have been restated, with suggestions to leave reiterated.

https://www.npr.org/2023/03/30/1166984608/russia-detains-wall-street-journal-reporter-accuse-espionage

Abigail Black

Italy moves to ban lab-grown meat to protect food heritage

 In our ever-changing world climate, scientists have been fighting hard in order to provide an alternative food source for our future but Itailin right-wing parties seem to have different plans as the Italian government has just backed a bill that will laboratory-produce meat and other synthetic foods. The reasoning behind backing this bill seems to be related to the importance of the "Italian food tradition." This bill if passed would attract fines of up to €60,000 if the ban wanted to be broken making it much more difficult for the science community to encourage resourceful foods such as crickets and locusts in pizza or pasta, which have been shown as much more environmentally friendly sources of food.

Ryan Lawrence

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65110744

Colombian Soldiers Killed in Attack Blamed on ELN (National Liberation Army) Rebels

As of today, it is reported that about nine Colombian soldiers were killed in an attack allegedly by National Liberation Army (ELN) rebels. This attack followed peace talks between the ELN and the Colombian government, as the president plans to bring "total peace" to the country. It is, however, confirmed that seven of the nine victims were serving their compulsory military service, and there another eight were injured. Though there have been peace negotiations between the two sides, there has been no bilateral agreement on a ceasefire.  

Article Link

A Couple From Florida Kidnapped In Haiti While Traveling To Port-Au-Prince

 On March 18, a couple from Florida was kidnapped in Haiti while on vacation. The couple was on tour bus while traveling through Port-Au-Prince when a gang stop the tour bus and took the couple away. The gang contacted the family a day later asking for $6,000 for the couple to be released. When the couple did give the money to them though, they decided they would ask for more. The gang asked for $200,000 for each person then they would let them go. The family worried and stressed because they don’t have that type of money. Even with the family contacting the authorizes and the U.S. authorizes  contacting Haiti’s police. They still haven’t heard anything back. The family of the couple mentions that they told them not to go especially with how dangerous Haiti is right now even though not all of Haiti is bad as some places. All the family wants is for them to return home safe and sound. Hopefully the U.S. and Haiti can work together to bring this couple home. 

I wish Haiti get better sometime soon. Imagine not being able to go home to your country without getting kidnapped by gangs running the whole country because there’s no government to control its people and everyone is against each other. Only hope and luck can save them on day.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/25/americas/us-couple-missing-haiti-kidnapping/index.html 

Students Attacking Their Own Schools in Brazil

 Yesterday in Sao Paulo, Brazil there was a fatal stabbing done by one of its own students. A 13-year-old stabbed four teachers and two students. One of the teachers later died after being rushed to the hospital. The suspect reportedly had a few altercations with other students earlier that week and had a search history of how to purchase a gun. School attacks have become very frequent in Brazil. Around 23 incidents have been reported in the last two decades. Nine of those incidents have been reported in the past year. A month earlier a 17-year-old wearing a Nazi armband was arrested for throwing a bomb into their school. 

https://abcnews.go.com/International/4-teachers-2-students-stabbed-brazilian-school/story?id=98171047

Lauren Pesola

North Korea asserts first evidence of tactical nuclear weapons

North Korea revealed small nuclear warheads that are said can be fitted onto short-range missiles. 

North Korea has continued to claim its possession of tactical nuclear weapons that are capable of hitting targets within South Korea, but there is now photo evidence that was published in NK state newspaper that shows these nuclear warheads but it is impossible to guess if they are real or not so until they start nuclear testing the world is left guessing. 

North Korea says it is punishing both South Korea and the U.S. for the large military drills that are being shown in South Korea and are being viewed as a threat, but this is not a normal response from North Korea like we have seen in the past. 

Pyongyang has launched its most powerful intercontinental ballistic missile, which in theory can possibly reach anywhere on the US mainland. as well as firing from a submarine from an underground silo, and the new nuclear warheads are believed to be able to be fitted onto this weapons. 

This is raising the nuclear threat that North Korea poses.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-65085542

-Jessie Anaya

How U.S. Gun Culture Stacks with the World

 The article talks about how America's relationship with gun ownership is extremely different from the rest of the world, and how the U.S. gun culture as a whole is an outlier. The article shares some significant and scary facts such as: The U.S. is the only country where guns outnumber people (120 guns/ 100 people). The article talks about how the exact number of civilian owned fire guns is hard to find due to the fact that there is a number of them that aren't registered and bought under illegal trade. The most accurate estimate researchers have found is that Americans own 46% of the worlds gun cache. What's very important to note is that the U.S. also has the highest firearm homicide rate in the world, and no other country has the amount of mass shootings at the same frequency of the U.S.

url: https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/26/world/us-gun-culture-world-comparison-intl-cmd

39 People Killed in Fire and Migration Center in Mexico

    A fire broke out at a government-run migration center in northern Mexico near the US border. This fire killed at least 39 people and injured 29 people. There were 68 men housed there from central and South America. The process to identify the people who died has started but is tricky as the government has to contact consular authorities from several different countries. A formal complaint has been lodged against the facility which will start an investigation. Several news outlets have reported that there had been tension recently between the workers from the migration center and the migrants. 

mexico-fire-ciudad-juarez.html

Emily Bartel

Ukraine war: Germany sends much-awaited Leopard tanks Published

Germany has sent 18 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine to aid them against the war they are facing with Russia. The specialty of the tank is that these tanks are fuel efficient and made to counter Russia's T-90 battle tank. German had also trained the Ukrainian tank crew on how to use the tank before sending it to them. Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said he was sure the tanks could "make a decisive contribution" on the frontlines of the war.

The United Kingdom also aided Ukraine earlier with their challenger tank 2 and are already in use for the war.

link: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65095126

Asal Sharma Dhungana

Torture, forced abortions and insects for food: Life inside North Korean jails, says this NGO

 Life in North Korea is already hard enough with its totalitarian government, poor living conditions, and low wages. We got to see from a first hand source who has been inside of a North Korean prison to see how these prisons are ran and the results are shocking. The prisoners are malnourished which forces them to eat insects they find off the ground to get a source of protein in their bodies. many prisoners are getting raped inside of the prisons with the guards having no intention of stopping it. There is also unauthorized executions happing for prisoners who don't follow the rules of the guards. Should an outside entity confront North Korea on how its prisons are a crime against humanity?

https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/23/asia/north-korea-torture-prison-report-intl-hnk-dst

Jonathan Cotsiomitis

Protests continue in Israel as the Prime Minister Passes Law to Prevent His Removal

 The Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, passed legislation to protect himself from being removed from office in the wake of protesters calling for his resignation. Protests in Israel continue over the judicial reforms that Prime Minister Netanyahu passed that limited the judicial power in the country. The new legislation states that only the Prime Minister himself or his cabinet can declare the leader unfit. Former Israeli Prime Minister Yair stated that the new legislation is "disgraceful and corrupt". The new legislation will need to be passed in Parliament. Protesters continue to call for the reforms and legislation to be repealed. Protesters are blocking streets and the Israeli Defense Force has been called into some areas to shut down the streets to civilians, in an attempt to stop the protests. 

By Michael Gill

https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/23/middleeast/israel-judicial-reforms-prime-minister-law-intl 

Honduras Establishes Diplomatic Ties With Beijing, Abandoning Taiwan

After ending their diplomatic relationship with Taiwan, Honduras has established diplomatic ties with Chain on Sunday. Foreign ministers from China and Honduras signed a joint communique in China's capital Being. After the diplomacy was signed between the two countries the Foreign Minister said it was the right choice to establish a relationship with Honduras. 

This diplomacy is seen as a huge victory in China as the tensions between China and the United States rise. China is trying to increase its influence in Latin America and this diplomatic relationship with Honduras is seen as a starting point.

link: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/honduras-establishes-ties-with-china-after-ending-recognition-of-taiwan

Asal Sharma Dhungana

Ukraine Calls for U.N. Security Council Meeting Over Belarus Nuclear Threat - Arayan Khare

 https://www.wsj.com/articles/ukraine-warns-against-russian-threat-to-put-nuclear-weapons-in-belarus-fd94ae39 

On March 22, 2023, Ukraine called for an urgent meeting of the United Nations Security Council to discuss the threat of nuclear weapons in Belarus. This comes after reports emerged that Belarus was acquiring nuclear technology from North Korea and Iran, and that it may be in violation of international agreements on nuclear weapons. Ukraine's Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba, stated that the situation in Belarus poses a grave threat to regional and global security, and that the international community must take action to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons. The meeting is expected to take place in the coming days, and it is unclear what steps the Security Council may take in response to the situation.

China Aids Russia in Ukraine War

 China and Russia have held a partnership since before Russia's attack on Ukraine. Once the Ukraine War came into effect, China has been supportive but strategic in how it supports Russia. Recently, Russia's defense--the one used to continue pressing on Ukraine--has been depleting its resources. This is where China comes in, and news reporter Simone McCarthy talks about how there's evidence that China has been sending resources to a Russian-affiliated company that would theoretically transfer those resources to Russia's department of defense. China's aid to Russia can significantly change the trajectory of the war. As a result of their alliance, 10 Chinese companies have been restricted by the U.S. Despite restrictions on both nations, they remain defensive and denounce allegations for example, that the U.S. has been making about China's support to Russia. Senior lecturer Alexander Korolev from the University of New South Wales (Australia) states, "Neither China nor Russia wants Western Intelligence to be aware of the depth and breadth of their strategic alignment". This means that both nations will do whatever it takes to conceal their partnership to continue supporting each other during the war.

Link: https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/09/china/china-russia-military-defense-ties-ukraine-war-intl-hnk

-Juan Castro

German Public Transport Unions Go On Strike

 Two of the largest labor unions in Germany walked out on their jobs to begin a 24-hour strike on Monday. The workers involved in the strike include staff at airports, buses, and railways, causing a significant disruption in the operations of German public transportation. The two large unions, Verdi and EVG, cite elevated costs of living in Germany as a reason to demand higher wages from their employers. A round of pay negotiations will occur on Monday.

Link to Article

Joe Kaminski

Putin: Russia to station nuclear weapons in Belarus

 Russia has mobilized its nuclear weapons to Belarus. Belarus is a long time supporter of the Kremlin regime and the war effort in Ukraine. Russia has still control of the arms but nuclear weapons have not been moved outside of the Russian federation since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Putin claims this is no different than the US stationing nuclear weapons in NATO allied countries. The United States claims there is no imminent threat of nuclear war and that they hope to deescalate the situation.

Link

Robert Szabad

Putin and Xi pose as peacemakers while Moscow’s war in Ukraine rages on- Olivia Walko

 Russian and Chinese executive leaders Putin and Xi met and negotiated an economic alliance in the midst of Russia's war with Ukraine in which  Chinese leader Xi stated would require a 'peaceful settlement' 

https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/21/europe/china-xi-russia-putin-visit-day-two-talks-intl-hnk

Why Chinese Apps Are the Favorites of Young Americans

 Chinese apps such as Tik Tok and Temu have been used often enough to become household names in the U.S Part of why is due these company's organization efficiency, which includes creating content recommendation algorithms that are based on gathering user data, and through rigorous testing and observing of user preferences on the domestic versions of these apps before introducing changes to the foreign versions. Other factors in these app's popularity, particularly in Temu's case, is that they are selling goods for lower prices at a time when a pandemic has affected the global economy enough, and an actual recession looms. U.S lawmakers and the Biden administration are concerned with the data gathering of apps owned by Chinese entities, citing national security concerns, and are exploring possible bans of these and other apps. 

Source Article: https://www.wsj.com/articles/why-chinese-apps-are-the-favorites-of-young-americans-a9a5064a?mod=hp_lead_pos1

Russia Plans to Station Tactical Nuclear Weapons in Belarus, Putin Says Carter Vance

Putin has continue to taunt the Ukraine this weak in further comments that he has begun to move nuclear war heads and short range missile systems to Belarus, the neighboring country to north of Ukraine. Belarus is a well known ally to Russia and helped in the initial launch of the invasion into the Ukraine in February 2022.  Putin continues to escalate the war with Ukraine by making threats and increasing the tension with the potential use of nuclear weapons.  This weeks comments follow his December threats that Russia is training Belarusian pilots to fly jets carrying special warheads. Zelensky, Ukraine President, has called for an emergency UN meeting.  It is safe to say that tensions rising over the threat of a nuclear war that would suck in all countries.  The longer this continues the more likely a nuclear outcome will be.  This ties into our class discussion about leaders that make decisions based on power and self preservation.  Putin doesn't want to appear weak and be defeated by a "less" powerful country.  

Carter Vance 

Article Link  

Russia to Station Nuclear Weapons in Belarus, According to Putin

As of today, it is said that President Vladimir Putin will move Russia's nuclear weapons to Belarus, a country that borders both Russia and Ukraine. However, Putin states that this will not violate the nuclear non-proliferation agreement, as he compared it to the US stationing its weapons in Europe because Belarus would not be getting any control of Russia's arms. In response, the US said they would not adjust their nuclear weapons in Europe since they did not believe Russia was preparing to use its arms. It is important to note that Belarus supports Russia's invasion of Ukraine and is an ally of the country. 

Article Link

Protests in France heighten

Continuing to protest President Emmanuel Macron's bill to increase the retirement age in France, demonstrators have called for more strikes and gatherings as the British king plans to visit France. These marches have increasingly begun to include violence. The door Bordeaux City Hall were set on fire and destroyed on Thursday evening, and groups of black masked individuals have attacked fast food restaurants, a supermarket and a bank. Police have been met with Molotov cocktails, fireworks and other projectiles and they have tear gassed protestors in turn. Despite the intensifying violence in the protests of recent days, the vast majority of protesters, numbering tens of thousands, are peaceful. Instead, they block buses, trains and vehicles. 

https://www.npr.org/2023/03/24/1165759889/more-than-1-million-demonstrate-across-france-against-pension-reforms

Abigail Black

The US government is once again threatening to ban TikTok. What you should know- Hailey Morsovillo

 Tiktok being one of the most used apps right now is being threatened to be banned. Tik tok is being threatened to be banned by Biden because it is owned by Chinese owners. Many in the government believe that Tik tok is a way to spy on Americans. This ban on Tik Tok was talked about when Trump was in office. So now that it is being talked about is scaring Tik Tok users again.

Beijing's Population has Declined for the 1st time in 19 years

 The city's population fell from 21.88 million to 21.84 million which is a decline by 84,000. This represents a larger problem as China's national population also shrank last year for the first time since 1961. Their are multiple factors that could have caused this such as: the one-child policy. This has now been abandoned because it established gender inequality and led to challenges of raising children in expensive cities. 

https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/23/china/beijing-population-drop-intl-hnk

TikTok Possibly Getting Banned

 Popular app TikTok due to get banned sometime this year due to national security of the app collecting data from users when they use it. The CEO (Shou Zi Chew) of the app even made an appearance on the app making 2 min video talking about everything going on and saying he’s doing everything he can to not let the app get banned. This is surprise to many people because even with the threats made over the years about the app being banned and nothing ever happening. Chew making a video and also showing his face to many viewers who haven’t seen him before makes this a serious situation. Other says that the parts of the United States is fighting to stop the app from getting banned because of the profit that’s coming from the app. Do you think the app will get banned? It’s very serious especially when Chew flew out to the United States to Washington to talk about the situation. This is also very scary because how about all the people who live off that app to make money or provide for their families? Yea, there are other popular apps like Instagram or Facebook but none of those ever topped TikTok. 

https://www.axios.com/2023/03/22/tiktok-popularity-us-ban-congress 

The Senate eyes a formal end to the Iraq War, and a reassertion of Congress' power -- Sydney Park

Twenty years after the first bombs were dropped on Baghdad, in a U.S. invasion, the Senate has voted 67-28 to officially started debate to repeal the congressional authorization that justified the war. This vote is really just symbolic because combat operations in the Iraq War ended over ten years ago, but Senate supporters emphasize it's important for Congress to use its constitutional power to start and end wars; this is basically because as long as Congress didn't say the war was over, any leader could have abused the state of war, according to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. However, the end of the Iraq War does not strip the president of his legal authority to conduct counterterrorist operations around the world, and there are still about 2,500 US active forces in Iraq, and those soldiers have taken part in nearly three 36 partnered raids with the Iraq counterterrorism forces against Isis in the last month.'

I think it's also interesting how Democratic are united in support of this legislation, but the Republicans do not have a unified front; this rift in the Republican Party is really a difference in ideologies between a more conservative foreign policy and an "American First" foreign policy, which is more non-interventionist, which NPR credits to former President Donald Trump.

https://www.npr.org/2023/03/21/1164744031/the-senate-eyes-a-formal-end-to-the-iraq-war-and-a-reassertion-of-congress-power

EU to Give 2bn Euros to Ukraine

 Following a recent plea for artillery shells, 17 EU countries (and Norway) agreed to supply Ukraine with at least one million shells over the course of the year. This totals to roughly 2 billion Euros of ammo handed over to Ukraine to fight against Russia's invading forces. The plan is for each country to dip into their own reserves (for a total of ~1 billion Euros) and then the other 1 billion Euros will be used to order brand new shells for Ukraine.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65018434

Frankie Wozniak

Innocent Ukrainian Civilian Shot by Russian Soldier

 A Ukrainian couple took a wrong turn on their drive and ended up on an active front line of Russian soldiers. The driver and husband was shot and pushed into a ditch by Russian soldiers. The incident was caught on camera by a drone being flown by the Ukrainian military. It was put into a documentary against Russia for war crimes. They flew the drone out with a sign that said "follow me" and directed the wife to safety. Ukrainian police are now launching an investigation into a Russian War Crime for the attempted murder of a civilian. They found their suspect, a 26-year-old Army officer by tracking Russian phone calls. He made one to his wife shortly after and said "I f-ing killed a man today." Although, he did not actually kill him. Miraculously, the man survived and woke up the next morning and began to limp to safety with the Ukrainian military. 

https://www.cnn.com/videos/world/2023/03/21/izium-ukraine-war-crimes-investigation-russia-watson-ac360-vpx.cnn

Lauren Pesola

Discussion Between Xi and Putin

In the course of today and its current events Russian and Chinese leaders met for a discussion on the issues of the Russo-Ukrainian war and the USA's foreign policies. In Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping's discussion, the two leaders referred to each other as "dear friends" as the Chinese presidents spoke of a possible negotiation that could lead to a crease fire in the Ukraine war. This is a very important development in global politics as this development helps back the theory that China has been trying to replace the United States as the world's mediator in global conflict. Now it is uncertain if the Unkriane military would agree to this peace deal with the knowledge that the Chinese government has a slight bias as supporting their public ally would be more beneficial to the Chinese. We will have to wait and see.

Ryan Lawrence

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-65018657

Xi makes ‘journey of friendship’ to Moscow days after Putin’s war crime warrant issued

 The leader of China, xi Jinping has made a visit to Moscow to have a meeting about "friendship" with the president of Russia Vladimir Putin. This meeting also had taken place just after an international crime organization had placed a warrant for Putin's arrest because of the war crimes he has committed with the Russian and Ukrainian War. The world is watching in horror as these two Politian's meet because people are afraid that the conflict will escalate to a global war if China decides to aid Russia with their invasion of Ukraine. 

https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/20/china/china-xi-putin-russia-visit-analysis-intl-hnk-mic

Jonathan Cotsiomitis

Protests in France over Pension Bill passing Without Votes in Parliament

 French president, Emmanuel Macron, passed a bill that raises the pension age in France last week. This bill bypasses France parliament and was passed, causing, at this point, three days of protests in the country. Many of the protesters call for Macron's resignation due to the legislation passing without votes. The protests turned violent as riot police used tear gas and the use of physical force in an attempt to control the protests. Municipal authorities around Paris have banned protests in the area, leading to sixty one arrests for protests. Frances main unions have states that they are going to try to overturn the legislation. Railway strikes that have been in place since before the protests on the legislation. This has been compared to the Yellow Vest Protests of 2018 in France over higher fuel prices, which Macron partially overturned the tax, lowering fuel prices. There will be more developments in the coming days as the protests continue in France.

By Michael Gill

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/paris-police-protesters-clash-third-night-macrons-pension-reform-rcna75611

At least 13 dead after magnitude 6.8 earthquake shakes Ecuador

On Saturday, March 18th, an earthquake struck near the southern town of Baláo, Ecuador. According to government officials, at least 13 people have been confirmed dead. Later on it was discovered that 461 people have been injured in the quake and the death toll was updated to 16. The Ecuadorian  president states that the people who were injured were being treated at local hospitals but provided no further details. In one of Ecuador's largest cities, Cuenca, there was reported structural damage to several buildings. 

https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/18/americas/ecuador-earthquake

By: Raegan Stinger 

International Criminal Court issues arrest warrant for Putin over war crimes in Ukraine

President of Russia, Putin was issued an arrest warrant due to several war crimes conducted in the Russian and Ukraine wars. The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant on Friday. The warrant for Putin's arrest was based on suspicion of unlawful deportation of children and unlawful transfer of people from the territory of Ukraine to the Russian Federation. After Sudan's Omar al-Bashir and Libya's Moammaris only the third serving president to have been issued an ICC arrest warrant Gadhafi, Putin .

link:https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/putin-war-crimes-arrest-warrant-icc-1.6782182

The Willow Project: Oil-Drilling Controversy in Alaska

The Willow Project is the expansion of oil drilling in Alaska to expand the United States' natural fossil resources. Many activists are challenging the project--which was approved by President Biden--in court for environmental reasons. His presidential campaign was centered around ending public land drilling and has since been a broken promise. 

Link: https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/14/politics/willow-project-oil-alaska-explained-climate/index.html

-Juan Castro

First Republic Stock Plunges after Bank Rescue Plan Dividend Suspension- Carter Vance

First Republic Bank, a global bank, found itself in crisis when its deposit to loan ratio far exceeded the recommended ratio and it carried almost a third of uninsured deposits from highly wealthy clients.  This led to the bank needing a bail out from other banks like Wells Fargo, Citigroup and Bank of America (to name a few) totaling thirty billion dollars to avoid an international economic fall out and to try and boost confidence in First Republic's customers. As of Friday, the bank has not experienced the rebound they had hoped.  

Article Link

Carter Vance

At least 20 torture centers in Kherson were directly financed by the Kremlin -- Sydney Park

International lawyers are investigating recently liberated cities in Ukraine, and they discovered at least twenty torture centers, in Kherson. This evidence is coming about a year after the city was captured by Russia because it was the first major city to fall during Russia's invasion. This city was liberated in November by Ukrainian soldiers. There was a paper trail exposed that shows that the main torture chambers in Kherson and the people telling them to do so, and also giving them financial support from the Russian state. It was also discovered that these torture sites were directly managed by numerous Russian security agencies, including their Federal Security Services (FSB), which is the successor of the KGB. According to the lead of the Mobile Justice Team, Putin funded millions of rubles (the Russian currency) into these torture chambers, and they were designed for the sole purpose of killing those who threatened Russia's plans to extinguish Ukrainian nationality and culture. As a side note, Ukraine's prosecutor general has cataloged more than 70,000 Russian war crimes since the beginning of the conflict. In Kherson, more than one thousand Ukrainians gave their first-hand accounts of their experiences in the torture centers, and more than four-hundred people reportedly vanished from these torture sites, but it's not clear if they were killed or taken to Russian-held territory. These sites were used for detention, interrogation, reeducation, and physical beatings; according to survivors, electric shock and waterboarding were common tactics used by the Russians. In some cases, Ukrainians were forced to memorize pro-Russian sayings and songs.

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/03/02/ukraine-russia-war-kherson-torture-centers-financed-by-kremlin.html?&qsearchterm=international%20politics 

5 alleged Mexican cartel members charged in kidnapping of 4 Americans- Olivia Walko

 https://abcnews.go.com/International/mexican-cartel-allegedly-takes-responsibility-kidnapping-4-americans/story?id=97749086

5 Mexican cartel members were found in connection to the kidnapping and homocide of four Americans he Gulf Cartel took responsibility for last year.  The note attached to the bound members in a truck close to the Mexican-American border stated that this delivered those directly involved and responsible for this crime.

China wants to avoid escalation with U.S. and favors stable relations, U.S. spy chief says-Hailey Morsovillo

 The rivalry between Beijing and the United States continues, but Beijing still wants to keep things civil between each other. Being able to do so will not cause any unnecessary tension. Well Beijing is not trying to cause unnecessary tensions, they are still trying to gain an upper hand in the technology field. They think that technology having an upper power technology will be an advantage.

Update on the Shipwreck on Italy's Coast: the Prime Minister's Response

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni discusses plans that will hold people smugglers accountable for deaths and serious injuries; these smugglers will receive up to 30 years in prison. There was also discussion to improve legal routes for foreign workers arriving in Italy, meaning it would allow migrants to safely reach the country. All of this is following the recent migrant shipwreck in which 72 bodies have been recovered, 79 people survived, and around 30 people are still missing. 

Article Link 

Failed Million Dollar Heist Leaving Two Dead in Chile

 A plane that was flying from Miami, Florida to Chile was carrying $32.5 million and was supposed to be transported by a local security provider. At around 7:50am, 10 people broke into the Arturo Merino Benitez International Airport in Santiago with the intention of pulling off a million-dollar heist of the money in this shipment. The robbery ended with a shootout between the robbers and the DGAC aviation agency in Chile. This left two dead, one of the robbers and a DGAC Airport Security Official. The robbers were said to have entered with high-capacity firearms and 3-4 trucks with a very well-thought-out plan. Unfortunately, this isn't the first instance of organized crime in Chile. Numbers have spiked in recent years with similar heists and robberies. This robbery is still under investigation, but there is no word on the other robbers and what happened to them.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/09/americas/chile-airport-heist-scli-intl/index.html

Lauren Pesola

Russia launches missile and drone attacks

 On Thursday, Russia launched it's biggest aerial attack in weeks. It hit multiple areas of Ukraine with an array of weapons including its new hypersonic missiles. Russia says this is in retaliation because of the Pro Ukraine armed group that lead an incursion in Russia last week. The attacks by Russia killed at least 9 people and knocked out power while damaging three electrical plants. 81 missiles were fired overnight and into the morning and 47 hit their targets.

russia-ukraine-news

Emily Bartel

China Wants to avoid Escalation With U.S.

 China wants to loose up tension with the U.S. so the relationship will be more stable and benefits with Washington. Even with sharp criticism from China’s president of the U.S, Haines (director of national intelligence) still believes that Beijing has benefits of keeping its good relationship with the U.S. especially with China giving the U.S. challenges with economically, technologically, politically and militarily around the world remains not balanced. So the best way for parts of country to keep things going the same with U.S. is to keep the relationship good. 

It’s very weird to China trying to keep peace with the U.S. when they’re the ones who start the trouble in the first place as even the article states. I wonder what happen with the resources if the relationship with China ever took a downfall. I know that we get out resources from all parts of the world but I know China is one of the biggest parts. 

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/china-wants-avoid-escalation-us-spy-chief-says-rcna73990 

Ukraine's Angels of Salvation

A network of volunteers work, coordinated by a Ukrainian referred to in the article only as Vlad, assists in evacuating civilians. They provide support and resources for residents and help evacuate civilians from the embattled sections of the Donetsk region. The article writer joined Vlad in his ambulance as he carried out his days work. They picked up a group of civilians at a bus stop, some were heading further toward the contested east but some were fleeing before it was too late. After dropping off the civilians and running into some Slovak journalists, they journey into Bakhmut. Vlad continues further into the city to rescue civilians, while the writers meet with survivors in the area. After leaving with a group of civilians, they go to a warehouse where more volunteers are preparing food for a village near Bakhmut. Vlad does work such as this everyday.

https://www.npr.org/sections/pictureshow/2023/03/05/1147815146/photos-of-the-evacuation-of-bakhmut-ukraine

Abigail Black 

Interest Rates

The United States has been looking to increase interest rates. Still, many left-leaning political officials disagree with this action claiming that higher interest rates would do little to help the economy because these inflation rates have little to do with the US economy and more with global issues such as the war in Ukraine and price gouging by significant corporations.  As one senator of Massachusetts, Elizabeth Warren, said, "You are gambling with people's lives," referring to this decision possibly leading to a much higher risk of damage to employment and then benefits for the economy.

Ryan  Lawrence 

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-64881469

Capture of Ukrainian City of Bakhmut May Lead to "Open Road" to East Ukraine, Says President Zelensky

 The city of Bakhmut has been the center of focus in the Ukraine- Russia war over the past few weeks as Russian soldiers surround the city. Russia plans to capture the city in what would be Russia's first major victory in the war in a few months. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky states that if the city falls to Russia, Russia will have an opening to take more in Ukraine's Eastern region. The victory would be important for Russia because of the loss of momentum the Russian military has experienced over the last few months of the war. Evacuation efforts are in place, but almost 4,000 citizens remain in the city hidden in basements and cannot be found by the military. Ukraine plans to continue to send supplies and arms to the city and plan on "inflicting heavy losses on Russian arms". This comes after a Ukrainian prisoner of war has been executed, adding to Zelensky's urgency on defending the Ukrainian city. Overall, this city is a important one for both Ukraine and Russia in keeping the momentum of the war and building morale and support.

By: Michael Gill

https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/07/europe/ukraine-volodymyr-zelensky-cnn-interview-bakhmut-intl 

Conflict with China is inevitable unless U.S. changes course, Beijing's new foreign minister warns

The united states and china are heading toward inevitable conflict unless the U.S. changes its course, warned Beijing's new foreign minister on Tuesday. These comments were made by Gin Gan Beijings new foreign minister as the tensions between China and the U.S. deepen as the war in Ukraine worsens and issues arise like the surveillance balloon creating worsening tensions between the two leading world powers. Xi on Monday accused the U.S. of fencing in china, trying to contain the country and Qin stated that Washington's decision to shoot down the Chinese spy balloon 'violated the spirit of international and international practice...'.

 https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/conflict-china-us-inevitable-new-foreign-minister-warns-rcna73705

Jessie Anaya

Antarctic Sea Ice Levels Reach Lowest Level Ever Recorded.

 Climate Change continues to make itself known to the world, but yet it continues to be denied by some people. Since such a large portion of the US denies its existence, little has been done by America to soothe the climate crisis at all. Sea ice in the Antarctic has reached a record low level which points to the slow and steady increase of Antarctic temps. Failure to do anything about this situation will only exacerbate current issues being created by climate change, which will lead to increasing conflict due to finite resources (such as water). 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/mar/04/everyone-should-be-concerned-antarctic-sea-ice-reaches-lowest-levels-ever-recorded

Frankie Wozniak

Israel-Palestine Tensions Continue in Major West Bank Cities: Huwara and Jersusalem

Over half a century since its declaration of independence from Palestinian powers, Israel continues to face casualties and military attacks. Both Huwara and Jerusalem are claimed Palestinian territories. Evidence of violence toward citizens and threats to 'erase' Huwara off the map--claims made by far-right leader Bezalel Smotrich--are causing international pressure and nations like The United States to consider interventions. President Biden had spoken previously about the tensions an questioned the Palestinian authority.

Links:

https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/01/middleeast/west-bank-smotrich-ned-price-intl

https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/27/middleeast/netanyahu-power-challenges-mime-intl/index.html

-Juan Castro

POLITICS Biden and Germany's Scholz huddle on Ukraine war at White House

German Chancellor Scholz Huddle and Biden had a meeting in the white house and talked about the increasing tension and war between Ukraine and Russia. During the meeting, they have feared that China may enter the war and supply Russia with Weapons. China has been Germany's top trading partner and Germany has insisted China not to aid Russia in this brutal invasion of Ukraine.

 link: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/biden-olaf-scholz-ukraine-germany-white-house/

Wave of suspected poison attacks on schoolgirls sparks protests in Iran

  In Iran's capital of Tehran, concerned parents protested over a wave of suspected poison attacks on schoolgirls in dozens of schools. There have been hundreds of girls facing unexplained illnesses and Iranian officials believe that Tehran's enemies are to blame. In field studies, suspicious samples have been found and are thoroughly being investigated. This illness outbreak in Iran comes at a critical time for the country's clerical rulers, who are under fire after the death of an Iranian woman in their custody sparked months of anti-government protests.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/04/middleeast/protests-iran-schoolgirls-poisoning-intl-hnk

By: Raegan Stinger 

Ukraine war has made it easier for US to isolate China in the Pacific

With the ongoing war still happening in Ukraine, and with China meeting with Russia to discuss diplomatic issues, The United States has been conducting air drills along with Japan around North Korea in response to North Koreas ballistic missile tests. This will make it for the U.S. to gather information on what is happening around in south east Asia. If China aids Russia in its endeavors in the war, then the U.S. will have to intervene in south east Asia to stop China from helping Russia.

 https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/05/asia/ukraine-war-us-pacific-alliances-intl-hnk

Jonathan Cotsiomitis

‘Bregret’? Many Brits are suffering from Brexit regret

 Polls indicate a shift in the attitude of the U.K. People seemed to be regretting the referendum votes to leave the E.U. Most people note believe that Brexit was handled poorly by the government or the it had a negative economic impact on the public. Leaders are scheduled to meet to talk about the Northern Ireland Protocol that is still very controversial. Heading into an election the ruling conservative party is still ahead by 20 points compared to the Labour party but seem to be loosing momentum.

Link

Robert Szabad

United Nations Members Reach Agreement of Ocean Protection

 For the first time since 1982, the members of the United Nations have reached an agreement on The High Seas Treaty, which aims to place 30% of the ocean under environmental protection by 2030. Debates over the treaty lasted for around 10 years due to disagreements over funding and fishing rights. This comes as roughly 10% of marine species are at risk of extinction. Laura Meller, oceans campaigner for Greenpeace Nordic, stated that "this is a historic day for conservation and a sign that in a divided world, protecting nature and people can triumph over geopolitics."

Link to Article

Joseph Kaminski

China to increase defense spending 7.2%, sets economic growth target of ‘around 5%’ for 2023- Carter Vance

 As the world's watches China to see how their economy will perform in 2023, China comes out announcing that they are projecting 5% roughly growth and will increase their defense budget by 7.2%.  They had similiar projections of 2022 but blamed the lingering effects of covid for under performing.  While China is expecting economic growth, world economist are not as confident since the Ukraine-Russian war continues and interest rates continue to rise. Economist project growth to slow for 3.4% in 2022 to 2.9% in 2023.  It appears that world leader's such as China and US will have to find a balance on a global level to build back the negative impact the past two years has had on the economy. 

Carter Vance

Article link

Serbia denies it has supplied weapons to Ukraine- Olivia Walko

 https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/russia-seeks-serbian-explanation-rockets-ukraine-97604042

Serbia, with pro-Russian ties, is implicated in exporting rockets to Ukraine that would be put to use in the conflict against Russia. They claim that if the origins of the arms are Serbian, they were sold to private companies, and that is just "international trade".

China rolls out the red carpet for key Putin ally as US warns against aiding Russia’s war-Hailey Morsovillo

 Russia president Putin arrived in China for a visit. And discuss some thoughts aiding Moscow assault on Ukraine. There were a lot of meetings. There were many different things that were discussed in the meetings. Different countries are trying to agree on different things. A Lot of them just settle on stuff. The United States responded to these meetings in support.

Fire Erupted in a Skyscraper in Hong Kong

Late Thursday night (Wednesday morning in the US), a fire broke out in a skyscraper, causing about 170 people to evacuate the shopping area where the building was located. The upper levels of the building caught on fire which flung debris of bamboo scaffolding that then sparked smaller fires on nearby structures. Luckily, the fire was put out at around 8 am Hong Kong time by around 250 firefighters. As of now, the cause for the fire is being investigated. 

Article Link 

Greta Thunberg Protesting Wind Farms

 Greta Thunberg is a young, Swedish activist who just recently joined an environmental group in Norway to protest wind turbines. There is an Indigenous group that is protesting wind turbines being built in their historic and traditional reindeer herding fields. They are claiming that the turbines being built will disturb and upset the reindeer that graze and live there. Greta Thunberg said "Indigenous rights, human rights, must go hand-in-hand with climate protection and climate action. That can’t happen at the expense of some people." Recently, Norway's Supreme Court ruled that the permits to construct the wind turbines were invalid because it infringed on Indigenous cultural rights. We will see what happens with the turbines with the ongoing protests. 

https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/01/europe/greta-thunberg-wind-farm-norway-sami-climate-intl

Lauren Pesola

Nigeria elects new president

 After a highly scrutinized and criticized election, Bola Ahmed Tinubu has won the role of president in Nigeria. Gathering a little over 36% of the vote, he defeated his two competitors although his third-party competitor garnered the highest third-party percent in the country's history. Upon entering office, Tinubu is expected to deal with the major security and economic crises Nigeria is facing, including high youth unemployment and inflation. While the election has been criticized for logistical failings, vote suppressing violence, and calls for a rerun, Tinubu is expected to be inaugurated in May.

https://www.npr.org/2023/02/28/1160204284/nigeria-africas-most-populous-nation-elects-bola-tinubu-as-the-new-president

Abigail Black

FBI Chief says COVID was most likely caused by a China lab leak -- Sydney Park

Christopher Wray (an FBI chief) says the FBI believes COVID-19 originated in a Chinese government-controlled lab. This is the first time the FBI has publicly confirmed its judgment of COVID's origins. There are many differing views among doctors, scholars, and agencies in the US about where the virus came from, and there is no consensus across the US government. in 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) called the lab-leak theory "extremely unlikely," but more recently, WHO has decided to investigate "all hypotheses." The virus is said to have originated in a seafood market in Wuhan, which isn't too far away from Wuhan Institute of Virology, a world-leading virus laboratory. The US Department of Energy suggests that the virus came from a leak in the lab. Basically, what I have concluded from reading this article, is that COVID could have come from a lab leak, or it could have come from animals to humans; no one really knows, and there are just hypotheses being thrown around and investigated.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64806903

Protests in Israel Over Judicial Reforms

 Protests broke out over the judicial reforms that have been taking place in Israel. The Israeli people believe that the changes that are going on in Israel's parliament will lead to the undermining of the Israeli Supreme Court. Reports and videos are coming out showing violence between the police and protesters with the police using physical force against the protesters and using water canons and stun grenades against them. Protesters have blocked roads and railroads in an effort to stop the judicial reforms in the country. Over the past few weeks tens of thousands of people have protested in weekly mass protests against the new reforms. According to the BBC many of Israel's allies have expressed concern over the new legislation and the U.S. ambassador to Israel said to slow down and try to bring people together to build consensus. Many elite military units in Israel are refusing to serve in protest of the legislation. Many people in Israel and around the world believe that this new legislation is leading to Israel forming an authoritarian leadership as the checks and balances system in the country is losing power along with the Supreme Court's right to decide what is lawful. 

By Michael Gill

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-64810148