The EU is Locked in a Toxic Crisis

The EU is trying to decide what to do after Britain decided to leave the union. The collective action problems that the EU has worked together against have gotten a bit larger since their is not another country helping to solve the problem. Some major issues that the EU works together to solve are immigrants who arrive to the continent, problems with ISIS from the south, and Russian aggression from the east. There isn't always one solution to these problems as  the EU sometimes lacks authority, but they can require agreement between the nation’s capitals and the power of the EU is decreased since there is one less nation involved. In the EU’s state of the address this week, the president emphasized on the need to rally up more states in to help their cause because with just their current constituents, it would be hard to get any action done. It will be interesting to see where the EU goes from here and where they will end up. Will this split make the EU stronger as time goes on or will it continue to weaken? 

http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/16/opinions/eu-locked-in-toxic-crisis-menon-opinion/index.html

Lauren Whelan 

Merkel's Party loses support in Berlin State Elections

     Berlin, known to be a diverse and multicultural city has seen a surge in more right-wing support in recent state elections. The AFD, the German right wing party has won 14% in the recent election, according to public broadcasters' projections. Angela Merkel's party, the Christian Democratic Union only won 17.5%. This result is actually the worst one for the CDU since after the fall of the Berlin wall. The election's prime issues were mainly centered around poor public services, housing shortages, and problems arising from the recent influx of Syrian refugees. The AFD has been gaining support in light of these problems, and hopes that its successes can be replicated in the national government. These results are showing that there is a significant shift in the political climate of Germany, where support seems to be growing for fringe populist right wing parties, rather than left leaning 'peoples' parties.

-Mohammed Khan

https://au.news.yahoo.com/world/a/32653831/merkel-party-loses-ground-populist-afd-gains-in-berlin-vote-exit-polls/#page1

Air strikes hit rebel-held areas of Aleppo, monitors say

After the US and Russia agreed on a ceasefire last monday, there were four airstrikes in the Syrian city of Aleppo. Several people were injured but it was not clearly reported on who carried out the strikes. There is much question of how the US could have made the mistake of conducting these air strikes and it has caused much tension between the US and Russia, "putting 'a very big question mark' over the truce's future, said Russia's UN ambassador Vitaly Churkin".
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-37401586

Mitch Reid

Japan, US, S.Korea want sanctions on N.Korea

Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, US Secretary of State John Kerry, and South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se held a meeting in New York on Sunday, to discuss the North Korea situation. The ministers released a joint statement in which the 3 nations agreed on several matters, including their co-operation to have the UN Security Council take on a new settlement to impose fresh sanctions on North Korea, and to continuously work against the nation's violations of human rights including abductions of Japanese citizens.
-Mirina Uchida-

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20160919_09/

Southeast Asia Becomes the World's Hotbed for Piracy

Recently, the waters within and surrounding the archipelago nations of Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines have vastly overtaken the Horn of Africa to become the world's most dangerous geographical area for piracy. According to the International Maritime Bureau, there were a reported 178 pirate attacks on ships sailing through Southeast Asia, while there were none reported around the Horn of Africa. The latter is credited to a recent crackdown on pirate groups in Somalia by the militaries of multiple nations. According to the Bureau, a third of the 98 pirate attacks that occurred in the first third of this year happened in Southeast Asia. The largest current threat to shipping in Southeast Asia is a terrorist group known as Abu Sayyaf, an extremist group based in the Sulu archipelago in the southern Philippines. This group is best known for taking whole crews of ships as hostages and holding them for ransom. In response to this hostage-for-ransom trend, the nations of Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines agreed in May to form an alliance whereby the three countries' navies will "conduct coordinated naval security patrols in the Sulu Archipelago," allowing them to collectively fight against pirate groups like Abu Sayyaf. The three navies also have the right to pursue pirate vessels or pirate-hijacked vessels across national boundaries of the three countries, thereby assuring the fastest possible military response to hijackings. The hope is that through these three nations' cooperation, piracy attacks will reduce in number in Southeast Asia. In spite of this, there are many scholars who doubt that these nations will be able to successfully work together.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/18/world/asia/philippines-piracy-abu-sayyaf.html?ribbon-ad-idx=7&rref=world&module=Ribbon&version=origin&region=Header&action=click&contentCollection=World&pgtype=article

-Justin Wysocke

President of Mexico could follow marijuana vote of California

Current Mexican President Enrique Nieto has proposed a liberation on his country's drug laws. Through current delegation with California lawmakers, he believes that the country's drug situation may turn around. If California does legalize cannabis, there will be others wanting Mexico to follow. Although for California, this law would allow people over the age of 21 to use marijuana for private use through licensing and taxing. As cannabis use is a growing trend in a few states already, it is easy to see how impactful this could be for Mexico. Nieto has modified his stance on this subject by previously being a conservative on drug policy. The executive director of Drug Policy Alliance believes that Mexico could be swayed by the 'fiscal opportunities of regulated cannabis'.

Alexa Ortiz

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mexico-drugs-california-idUSKCN11L2VE

Palestinian leader says he is proud to be branded a 'global terrorist' by U.S.

The Senior Hamas leader, Fathi Hammad, has been labeled by the State Department as a 'global terrorist'. This branding has come with questions due to Hammad's actions or lack thereof. Hammad himself even stated, "I don't know why they picked me". Hammad is linked to the creation of a TV station known as Al-Asqa which is said to be a "primary Hamas media outlet with programs designed to recruit children to become Hamas armed fighters and suicide bombers upon reaching adulthood". The Washington Post reports that no evidence was supported for the branding of Hammad. However, Hammad has used this labeling as fuel for his cause. Hammad stated, "I feel proud that I managed to anger America". The article concluded with a message to the American people from Hammad. "I would like to deliver a message to the American people,” he continued. “Your administration is cheating you, the president is lying to you. They are taking your money, money that should spent on health care, on education, on poor people, and they give it to Israel, which is the biggest sponsor of terrorism in the world." This is a very resounding statement from the recently labeled global terrorist. With $38 billion being sent to Israel over a 10 year span, Hammad's claims have reason. On the contrary, Palestine has received upwards of "$5 billion in bilateral economic and non-lethal security assistance to the Palestinians", this being quoted from the Congressional Research Service. With the ongoing debate of Israel versus Palestine, Fathi Hammad is a name to pay attention to as the war in the Middle East continues.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/palestinian-leader-says-he-is-proud-to-be-branded-a-global-terrorist-by-us/2016/09/18/d2aac6c8-492f-4040-8b76-2c0a37ea4653_story.html

https://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/mideast/RS22967.pdf

-Drew Truckenmiller

ICC Deems Destruction of Environment A Crime

The International Criminal Court has expanded its range of power in a new area of rulings; at least by one perspective. In a progression of focus, the ICC has decided that destruction of the environment by government and power groups can and will be deemed a war crime. Alex Whiting, a professor at Harvard Law School told the Washington Post that he did not see this ruling as an expansion of power, but rather elevating focus on an area that has been relatively left untouched. Within the article written by Rowena Lindsay of the Christian Science Monitor, the idea is thought to be that the ICC will be capable of expanding who could be tried for crimes. Even with the destruction of the environment being catastrophic enough, the methods of destruction used, like land grabs or water poisoning, often catch the lives of innocent people in the middle--only adding to the criminal nature of such acts.

http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2016/0917/ICC-Environmental-destruction-is-a-crime-against-humanity

-Ben Ubert

Obama, Keen to Push Israeli-Palestinian Peace, Will Meet With Netanyahu

President Obama will be making his final appearance in New York City the next three days at the United Nations. The White House released that he plans to meet with Netanyahu, the Prime minister of Israel, on Wednesday. The conversation between President Obama and Netanyahu will not be centered around the $38 billion, 10-year American aid package to Israel from last week. Instead, the President wants to propose his own framework for a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, to emphasize the need for a solution to the Prime minister of Israel.

-AC Christopherson

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/19/world/middleeast/benjamin-netanyahu-obama-israel-palestinians.html?ref=world&_r=0

ISIS wing claims responsibility for Minnesota mall attack

The terrorism group The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, better yet known as ISIS, is laying claim to the man responsible for attacking and stabbing 9 people at Crossroads Mall in Minnesota last Saturday night (Sept. 17). According to CNN, an ISIS-linked news agency identified the attacker as "a soldier of the Islamic state". The ISIS-linked news agency, Amaq, released a statement online Sunday, which has followed a trend of ISIS-related media claiming responsibility of individual attacks all throughout Europe over the last few months. CNN has not yet been able to confirm the claim. The individual involved in the stabbing has not yet been identified, and was ultimately gunned down by off-duty police officer Jason Falconer. For the time being, until the investigation can conclude why the attack happened, the FBI is labeling this incident "a potential act of terrorism". According to the report, the attacker obtained a private security company uniform, proceeded to enter the mall at about 8 pm Eastern time, made a reference to Allah then asked one individual if he was Muslim. Shortly thereafter, the attacks began. Police say the assailant had been previously stopped before but only for minor traffic violations, none of which led to an arrest.

http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/18/us/minnesota-mall-stabbing/

-Chase Gozdziak

Brexit to Formally Begin in February

The UK Prime Minister is said to begin the formal mechanics of leaving the EU early next year. Although formal negotiations cannot begin until Article 50 is in effect, Theresa May's office said the negotiations would not be launched this year. Up to this point, the timing of the negotiation has been unclear. Tensions are high as the UK's future relationship with the rest of the world remains undefined.

-Jackie Diaz

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/09/16/theresa-may-set-to-trigger-article-50-by-february-eus-tusk-says/

Gabon is Taking an Unprecedented Step in Internet Censorship

On August 31, President Ali Bongo was reelected to his second term as the president of Gabon, a small central African country.  Following the election were protests due to the contested result of the election in which several people died.  In response, the government of Gabon shut down the internet for four days.  When the internet finally did come back up, a strict curfew of 6 am to 6 pm of permitted use was installed.  The government of Gabon has denied all accusations of censorship.  Activist Julie Owono has stated that the UN declared blockage of internet access a violation of human rights back in 2011.  Owono believes the outages to be an attempt to keep unrest over the election irregularities low.  She said that prior to the outages social media was a common platform the citizens used to show election fraud and anti government comments.  Due to the small country only having one telecommunication provider, the government very easily shut down and has kept control over the bandwidth provided to the nation.

Chris Buechner

http://money.cnn.com/2016/09/16/technology/internet-censorship-blackouts-gabon/index.html

17 soldiers killed at Kashmir base, India blames Pakistan.

 Seventeen Indian soldiers and four suspects were killed at Uri area. India blames Pakistan to have supported the terrorist attack which took place in Indian-administered Kashmir, early this morning. Lieutenant General Singh said attacks contain hallmarks of Pakistan based armed group Jaish-e- Mohammed and that the evidence collected from site of attack indicated the attackers to be foreign and the equipment used had Pakistan markings. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the incident calling it a "cowardly terror attack". 

-Anisha Venkatesh Babu 


http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/09/20-dead-attack-army-base-kashmir-160918055803596.html

Russia's "Clean" Election Underway

Russia's voting in a parliamentary election has begun and has said to be the "dullest election ever"(Reevell). This comes as a bit of a surprise because the previous election in 2011 sparked mass protests and upheaval, primarily protesting a seemingly rigged election. Putin's United Russia is slated to win by a solid margain as Putin has an 80% approval rating. However, while this election is said to be "cleaner" than previous elections, through one day of voting it's obvious it's nowhere near fairer. Already through one day of voting there are upwards of 1300 complaints of ballot stuffing and general fraud. Putin's opposition also has considerable trouble operating against him. Mostly all the opposition has either been jailed, banned from television, or had their campaigns harassed. Anti-Putin parties were given a bit more room to operate this year, possible as a confidence move by Putin's campaign, but still Russia remains for the most part corrupt.

By Alex Khatcherian

http://abcnews.go.com/International/russians-voting-parliamentary-election-dullest/story?id=42176019

China over North Korean's nuclear bomb test

It was announced in the North Korea’s news that last friday, September 9th, a successful nuclear bom test took place in the country. It is the fifth test that the nation has performed, making all the other nations worried.

China has a great influence under North Korea, and according to the article it is the only country that can make the tests stop. Hopefully they are worried about it as well, and want it to stop.

"China is steadfast in its position that the Korean Peninsula should be denuclearized and nuclear proliferation be prevented to maintain peace and stability in Northeast Asia," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying announced at a press briefing.


Ana Maria Gentil

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/boris-johnson-north-korea-nuclear-test-china-a7234811.html

An Obituary for the age of Intervention?

After failed interventions in Libya, are we seeing the decline of western interventionism?
This article touches on issues surrounding failures in Libya, Iraq, and why there is such hesitation for intervening in Syria, "But as the consequences of the tragedy in Syria demonstrate, you are damned if you do act and maybe equally damned if you don't."

-Rodney Ross

US drone strike kills newly appointed information minister of ISIS

The US executed a drone strike on September 7th that took out the previous information minister. Abu Muhammed Furqan took over as the information minister for ISIS after the September 7th drone strike. This was a major breakthrough for US operations in the fight against ISIS because Furqan was one of the few within the leadership of ISIS that had direct communication with Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi, the leader of ISIS.  He was a close associate with the previous information minister and served on Senior Shura Council, which is the small inner circle that leads ISIS. 
http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/16/politics/drone-strike-isis-minister-information/index.html

-Sean Raleigh 

20 Killed in African Rebel Violence

    Within the Central African Republic (CAR), rebel violence has been a long standing issue and one that seems unlikely to resolve anytime soon.  The Seleka rebel group, which is composed of predominantly Muslims, have constantly instilled a state of fear within those living in the Central African Republic.  Since early 2013, when the Seleka briefly overthrew the CAR's majority Christian government, the group's tactics of terror and death have been ever constant.  Christian rebel groups were, in turn, formed to combat the Seleka. These Christian rebels, also known as anti-balaka, have been a part of their own atrocities in forcing Muslims to convert to Christianity through threat of violence and rape.  As you can see, the CAR is in a state of vast disarray; just this past weekend, members of the Seleka rebel group went on a murderous spree of Christian residents within the small town of Kaga Bandoro.  The anti-balaka revolted back against the Seleka with violence of their own and, when the smoke cleared, 26 people were left dead.  Unfortunately, these types of showings of violence are far too common when talking about the Central African Republic and what is even more unfortunate is the lack of awareness many people carry when it comes to the violence and lack of human rights displayed in countries such as these.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-37399590

-Jaedyn Krebs-Carr

Could Duterte take a leaf out of Thailand's drugs playbook?

http://www.aljazeera.com/blogs/asia/2016/09/duterte-leaf-thailand-drugs-playbook-160918092613446.html
Robert Tomaszewski

Thailand's Justice Minister General Paiboon Koomchaya is vocalizing his view that the drug policy should be focusing on drug abuse as a health issue rather than as a crime. In the Phillipines vigilantes and Police combined are estimated to have killed over 3,000 people, in its war on drugs. Thailand has been through a similar drug purge with a body count of 2800 people and 321,347 prisoners. In an investigation it was questioned whether as many as half of those killed in Thailand even had connections to drugs. In Thailand the public is still in favor of the war on drugs, which means that a proposal such as treating drug abuse as a health issue might be too progressive for the population. With vigilantes in the Phillipines participating in the killings, this could  be the case there too.

Prescription heroin gets green light in Canada

Last week, the regulation of health Canada, the department of the government of Canada with responsibility for national public health was revised to permit Canadian doctor the prescription of heroin for those who is awfully addicted to the drug. The regulation states that many other countries have already introduced this treatment, and the science proofs the significant result. The old regulation which allows the prescription of heroin has removed once in October 2013 was reinstalled with clearer distinguishing. However, not all Canadians feel good about the use of heroin in medical care. Former Health Minister Rona Ambrose says it is not solving the fundamental problem ignoring other safer option such as methadone. Oviedo Joekes, the leader of the North American Opiate Medication Initiative says, Methadone doesn’t work for everyone. Even though heroin may not be able to dispel the problem, it at least can lessen the great danger of the one’s health. According to Joekes, the opioid deaths in Canada are increasing and British Columbia even numbers, more than double last year’s. The point in this problem is that people don’t know they are buying Fentanyl, a type of opioid which often given to cancer patients to lessen the pain. It is 50 to 100 times powerful than morphine and 30 to 50 times stronger than heroin. Because of its potentness, it’s easier for drug dealers to make money mixing it into heroin. “There are going to be another drugs beside fentanyl,” she said. “They’ll always be a couple of steps ahead of us.”

-Natsuki Ueno

http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/14/health/prescription-heroin-canada/index.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_health+%28RSS%3A+CNN+-+Health%29

Russia votes in parliamentary election with firm Putin grip

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-37382850

Russia will hold its first parliamentary election since 2011 this year with the first exit polls coming out as early as this Sunday. So far opposition for Putin amongst MPs have been few and far between. There is much skepticism and worry of corruption after a very messy 2011 election were voter fraud was exposed, resulting in massive protests in the streets of Russia. This will also be the first Russian election including Russia's recently annexed Crimea, something Ukrainians are very unhappy about. The annexation of the Crimea was looked down upon internationally and condemned by almost all of the West. Ukrainian leaders have already made a statement saying that these election results will not be recognized by the state and that it is a border violation. With relations in the East already unstable and conflict on the rise in Syria and Ukraine, its difficult to stay optimistic about the consequences of these events.

-Tanner James

Syria, Russia: Coalition airstrike kills regime forces

In an almost week long ceasefire, a U.S. airstrike targeted an eastern piece of land that was not part of the ceasefire, killing dozens of Syrian troops. The United States has said that it was an accident for the Syrian troops to be killed, they were not the target of this airstrike. ISIS was the intended target for this strike. Hours after the strike, at an emergency Security Council meeting, the U.S. and Russian ambassadors to the United Nations are chastising each other, with Russia and Syria both saying that the strikes show that the United States is sympathetic with ISIS because they were not hit as they were intended to be. Many questions are being raised due to the fact that the Russian-American agreement against terrorism is set to begin in two days.
-Allie Downer
http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/17/middleeast/syria-claims-coalition-airstrike-hit-regime-forces/index.html

Far-Right Australian Senator Fosters Anti-Muslim Sentiments

Twenty years ago, Australian politician Pauline Hanson was elected into the House of Representatives expressing strong anti-immigration sentiments towards the Asian population. She left office soon after, and in her time away she formed the One Nation Party. Now, she is back as a senator and is foraging an even stronger anti-immigration attitude towards Muslims. Hanson and her party are working to gain enough influence in the Australian government to put an end to Muslim immigration into Australia. The Australian government is struggling with how to deal with Hanson. On one hand they do not want to encourage her ideals, but on the other hand they may need the votes of Hanson and her supporters to help pass important bills. Following senate elections, Hanson gave a speech in which she referred to Muslims as "prominent in organized crime, with associated violence and drug dealing". A large multitude of senators and other politicians disagree with Hanson's radical views, but oddly enough Hanson has managed to garner enough support to begin to sway the government. In regards to Hanson's ability to gain votes, Australian senator Penny Wong stated "People voted for her. You have to take that seriously". Hanson draws many similarities to Donald Trump and the affect his radical political views have on America. Despite his often times offensive and ignorant rhetoric, he is still managing to gain astonishing amounts of support.

-Mynk Richardson-Clerk
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/16/world/australia/pauline-hanson-muslims-senate.html?_r=0

Isis' Last Stand in Sirte

Government militia, backed by the US government, are moving forward on completely removing the Isis Terror group from the Libyan city Sirte.  Sirte has been Isis' largest stronghold outside of Iraq and Syria.  Following the 2011 revolution, Isis took advantage of the dismantled city and and flooded the streets with foreign fighters.  Sirte is where the massive beheadings of the Egyptian Coptic Christians took place, and were posted on multiple media platforms for the world to see.  As of right now, the militia has Isis backed into one corner of the city and expects to expel all Isis members soon.  However, Isis has increased their suicide attempts, bombings, and snipers in the area.  They are making it very hard for the government militia to push them out.  With the help of US bombing runs, Sirte will be an Isis free city soon.

-Andres Terronez
 http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/16/middleeast/sirte-libya-final-stand-isis/

Professed Hit Man Testifies Against Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte

If the name Rodrigo Duterte sounds familiar it's because he has been in the news lately for all of the wrong reasons. Duterte is the 16th president of the Philippines and was recently in the news for calling Barack Obama a "son of whore". He also threatened to repeat it if Obama were to bring up the extrajudicial deaths.This week Edgar Matobato, a self-described hit-man who recalls feeding a victim to a crocodile, testified. He said that Duterte was in charge of the murders of 1,000 criminal suspects and political opponents. That was just when he was mayor. President Duterte is passionate about stopping the drug-related crime, but many think he's going too far. President Obama suggested the rule of law and human rights. Senator Leila de Lima led the hearing on Thursday. Duterte accused her of accepting cartel money and suggested she hang herself. De Lima denied the allegations.

-Jazmin Galindo

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/16/world/asia/philippines-rodrigo-duterte-hitman.html?ref=world&_r=0

Japan's Main Opposition Party Elects First Female Leader

Renho Murata recently became the first woman to lead the opposition Democratic Party in Japan. She has served in the country's upper house of Parliament for over ten years and won by a generous amount against her two male competitors. Renho Murata is the third woman to take up a prominent political job in Japan in less than two months which shows the track record of putting women in power is changing. She is going to continue to try to repair the image of the Democratic Party in Japan that has been tarnished since 2011. Gill Steel, an associate professor of politics at Doshisha University in Kyoto said, "Of the three candidates, she was the only one who has any chance of turning around the party's fortunes." The only thing that could possibly haunt Renho Murata and the Democratic Party could be her part Taiwanese heritage; but in her final campaign speech she reassured her supporters that she is proud to be Japanese and loves the country she was born and raised in, Japan.

-Taylor Sikora
http://nyti.ms/2cL6EH5

EU Meeting in Bratislava: ”Critical Situation”

Since June 23rd, Europe has been grappling with the aftermath of the UK population’s decision to leave the EU, otherwise known as Brexit. EU members are meeting to discuss ways to unite, restore credibility, and stabilize this organization. The main topics to be discussed are migration, security, and globalization. EU members are deeply divided on many topics, one being how to deal with high levels of migrants entering Europe. For instance, Luxembourg is calling for Hungary to be suspended for their government’s treatment of migrants. Overall, the purpose for this meeting is to kick-start the EU’s momentum and get everybody on the same page. The EU needs this unity before lengthy Brexit negotiations in 2017, which have the potential to divide member countries even further.

-Hannah Friedle

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-37380429

Syrian Cease Fire off to a rough start

The Cease fire that was reached between the United States and Russia over the Syrian crises is off to a rough start. Already less than one week in the militants in the government are country shelling key reportedly outposts in Damascus.  While the fighting has not stopped, the whole purpose of the ceasefire was to get much needed aid into Syria to take care of the innocent Aleppo that have been caught up in the war. Part of the ceasefire was that the civilians troops had to leave their outpost on the main road leading to the Rebel stronghold of government,  now there are two conflicting reports in the matter.  Russia has reported that the government troops have left their outpost and that their troops have taken up the positions, which was not included in the ceasefire.  But, an activist that is in government has reported that the Aleppo troops are still there and have not moved, he continues to say, "Humanitarian conditions are very difficult," Mr al government said. "There are wounded people and others who need food." (sky news)  While this is happening the much needed aid is stopped at the Turkish border waiting for the road to be safe. 

Sky News, September 16, 2016. Print
By John Carmody
http://news.sky.com/story/shelling-reported-in-syria-as-aleppo-aid-is-held-on-standby-10580401

U.S. Sailor Arrested in Japan for Suspicion of Drunken Driving

On June 5th Aimee Mejia was arrested on Sunday after driving the wrong way on the freeway and crashing head on into two vehicles. The driver was not injured but the other two people involved were. This caused for strict restrictions to be put on the Navy personnel, as the Japanese residents highly resent the American military personnel committing crimes. There is to be limited travel on and off base for Navy personnel as well as a drinking ban. The residents are trying to get the military bases to leave Japan completely, but both the U.S. and Japan are working on locating the Marine Corps. Base out of a densely populated area in Okinawa. The resentment of the U.S. military personnel comes after a slew of crimes committed by Americans over the last couple months. Amanda Pringle http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2016/06/05/world/asia/ap-as-japan-us-sailor-arrest-.html?ref=world&_r=0

China talks tough over South China Sea

Well China is back in the news again, shockingly enough about their territorial dispute in the south China sea. A senior defense official stated the other day that Beijing "had no fear of trouble" in the region and again stated their stance related to sovereignty in the region. It was interesting as well since this big speech by the Chinese came during the annual Asia-Pacific conference on security, a conference in which the United States was very present in throughout. Our dominance and hegemonic powers make all of the nations surrounding China scurry up next to us, as seen in the awkward handshake issued by Ash Carter that went seemingly unnoticed. This whole issue is such a joke because China thinks just because the large body of water to the extreme south of their country has their name in it, it is theirs. China has been challenged by the Philippines over all of these territorial disputes and it has been brought to The Hague, but China pretty much gave them the bird and showed them where to put it. The next few months and years are going to be very sticky in the South Asian region and it will be interesting to watch.

-Chris Kucinsky

http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/05/asia/china-admiral-south-china-sea/index.html

Tens of thousands in Hong Kong commemorate Tiananmen Square massacre

This last Saturday was the 27th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre and every year, demonstrations and people make themselves more and more present. The organizers of this rally and fight for justice this year brought together nearly 125,000 people in Victoria Garden, which is in the heart of Hong Kong. They hope to send a message annually to the Chinese government for years to come, denouncing their tyrannical motives that day 27 years ago. China and Hong Kong again are on the precipice of leaning the wrong way so this pro-democracy movement of theirs is proving to be a dual gut killer for the government. I support this annual demonstration because it gives me a good felling that tides will be turning in favor of those demonstrators because their voice is bigger than the governments.

-Chris Kucinsky

http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/04/asia/hong-kong-tiananmen/index.html

When West Africans Dress, the Fabric Is the Message

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/04/world/what-in-the-world/when-west-africans-dress-the-fabric-is-the-message.html?module=WatchingPortal&region=c-column-middle-span-region&pgType=Homepage&action=click&mediaId=thumb_square&state=standard&contentPlacement=3&version=internal&contentCollection=www.nytimes.com&contentId=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2016%2F06%2F04%2Fworld%2Fwhat-in-the-world%2Fwhen-west-africans-dress-the-fabric-is-the-message.html&eventName=Watching-article-click

Jake Kazmierczak

This article drew my attention because of the video we watched regarding the clothing markets across the world where used American clothing is bought in bulk and sold. The article, I thought would be more relevant to that, but rather it discussed the style of clothing women wear in west africa, and what kind of statements they make. While there was no mention of where this clothing was originally acquired, the article goes on talking about how these African women spread religious and political messages through what they wear and how they wear it. For example a face of a certain individual on their butt makes a different statement from when worn near their heart. I found this interesting considering how in the U.S. I'm not sure i'd ever see somebody walking around with a picture of the president sewn onto their butt... regardless. I think the article is a nice insight into the fashion culture of different places of the world.

Greed, Corruption and Danger: A Tarnished Afghan Gem Trade

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/06/world/asia/afghanistan-lajwardeen-mining-lapis-lazuli.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=second-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news

Jake Kazmierczak

This is an interesting article that talks about Lapis in Afghanistan, something I honestly never even heard of until now. Apparently it is some kindof mineral/gem that in 2010, the U.S. determined that Afghanastan had at least 1 trillion dollars worth of the resource unharvested in the country. This spiked interest in the market, and eventually led to the Taliban and other unlawful groups' interest in the mineral. Basically the entire market has gone corrupt according to this article, and the people of afghanastan are upset as the powerful few who essentially control the mineral are using their power to keep the government and people weak in order to keep control of what is left. The title sums it up, Greed, corruption and danger. In one of the most dangerous areas of the world right now, we're seeing the tune of corruption due to greed come into play. Unfortunately this is damaging to the locals who at one point lived off the lapis market that is now controlled by Taliban like groups. I am not sure what we could actually do about this, it feels to me like an unfortunate internal affair... but it is definitely an interesting development I would not have known about had I not opened up the paper.

US Journalist and Translator Killed in Afghan Ambush

Recently, a US photojournalist and a translator were killed in Helmand province in southern Afghanistan. "David Gilkey of National Public Radio (NPR), and Zabihullah Tamanna were traveling with the Afghan army when they came under fire and their vehicle was hit by a shell, NPR said." Their driver, an Afghan soldier was also killed in this attack. By the Afghan town of Marjah, the company was "struck by shellfire." 

Apparently, NPR's David Gilkey is the first US journalist to be killed in the current conflict in Afghanistan. Gilkey received a number of awards for journalism and photography throughout his courier, and had been working since 9/11 to show the world the pain and suffering of people caught up in these wars and conflicts across the world. He offered a perspective through which the public could see and understand "the humanity of all those around him." Though he was killed in pursuit of showing the world the truths behind the people caught up in the Afghan conflict, Gilkey's lens will live on through his photography, and his stories, and will continue to show people the humanity that is ever-present in everyone, everywhere.

- Livia Gazzolo

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-36457180

Police officer's wife slain in possible 'militant revenge' in Bangladesh

A women from the city of Chittagong in Bangladeshi has been killed by three unknown assailants. She was the wife of a well-known anti-terror police officer in Bangladeshi. The attack occurred early in the morning while she was walking her son to his bus stop. The attackers stabbed her with a knife multiple times, then shot her in the head and ran off. It is believed to be a planned targeted attack as possible revenge towards her police officer husband.

Jacob Razo

http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/05/asia/bangladesh-officer-wife-killed/index.html

Woman dies in second fatal Australian shark attack in a week

A female scuba diver was attacked and killed by a shark near Australia. The women's diving partner was the first to notice the shark when it brushed up against him. Witnesses in a fishing boat claim to have seen the large shark again as they were trying to get the two divers out of the water. Unfortunately, by the time the women was out of the water, she had died due to the injures caused by the shark bites. The shark that attacked was determined to be most likely a great white. This was the second time in a week that someone from Australia has died from a shark attack.

Jacob Razo

http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/05/asia/australia-shark-attack/index.html

Branded a ‘Terrorist’ for Reporting Two Sides of Ukraine’s War

The Ukrainian government released a list of reporters names that indicated that they were terrorist reporters. The author of this article, Andrew Kramer, was blacklisted on the list as a terrorist. Kramer perceived the list sarcastically because he most likely has no credibility anywhere else but is suggested to be a powerful person in the Ukrainian government's eyes. The article then talks about how hard-liners in the Ukraine have been furious at the foreign press, arguing that their courage played roles into Russia's powerful propaganda machine. The list is a compilation of reporters and others who applied for press passes in territory controlled by the Donetsk People's Republic, aka Ukraine's main enemy in the two-year-old war in the East. Ukrainians remain outraged that Russian backed groups have been able to deftly amplify their message to the Western media and how the war has killed over 10,000 people. Two weeks after the list was published, Ukraine issued an apology stating that the list was not updated when released.

Rebecca Goeders

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/06/world/europe/reporter-branded-terrorist-ukraine.html?_r=0

US Journalist killed in Taliban Ambush

NPR journalist David Gilkey and his translator Zabihullah Tamanna were traveling with the Afghan army in southern Afghanistan when their vehicle was shelled, and both of them along with the driver died. This is very significant, as Gilkey is the first U.S. journalist to be killed in the Afghanistan conflict. Gilkey was a very accomplished journalist, receiving numerous awards for his career in journalism, so that makes this a rather significant event. Since this is the first time this specific consequence has occurred, I don't believe the U.S. will make any brash decisions in retaliation to this news.

Kevin Oyakawa 
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-36457180

Angry mobs are attacking doctors at hospitals in India

In Mumbai several medical professionals have been subjected to attacks by citizens for the lack of timely treatment. These attacks and even strikes by workers are calling for better health care laws and security in emergency rooms and intensive care units. Some groups of doctors have gone as far as purchasing fire arms in order to protect themselves. Many of these groups would ideally like a nationwide law that demands better ways to curb workplace violence in health care facilities The issues these facilities face include delay of treatment, over-crowding, and accusations of negligence and abuse. Even though doctors are overworks (some working 18-20 hours a day), expectations of these facilities have risen and people all want the same treatment and quality. Doctors are frustrated that people are blaming them for the issues that have come about.

--Kassie Whaling--
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/angry-mobs-are-attacking-doctors-at-hospitals-in-india/2016/05/20/26820fb8-d5c3-11e5-a65b-587e721fb231_story.html

Olympic history made: Refugee team revealed for Rio 2016 Games

For the first time ever there will be an Olympic team comprised of various refugees. The team will consist of 10 athletes who originally reside in countries such as Syria and South Sudan. There isn't just a refugee crisis in Europe however, this team will also have athletes from Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.These athletes will not only share a home in Olympic Village, but they will walk to the Olympic anthem with the Olympic flag during the stadium ceremony. Additionally, the article stresses the role this action takes in demonstrating the importance of all people in society. The creation of this team not only brings hope to other refugees but it draws greater attention and awareness to the rising situation.

--Kassie Whaling--
http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/03/sport/rio-olympics-refugee-team/index.html