Warplanes pound Syria's Aleppo, U.N Securiy Council meets

With the help of Russia, Syrian government forces led an aerial bombing of a stronghold in the northern region of Aleppo. Russia's involvement in the latest offensive by Syrian forces appears to have squashed any hope for diplomacy since the collapse of the international ceasefire last week. The goal for the Syrian forces is to capture the rebel-held half of Syria's largest city, where there are more than 250,000 civilians are trapped. In doing so, this accomplishment would become the biggest victory of the civil war for President Bashar al-Assad's forces.
http://in.reuters.com/article/mideast-crisis-syria-idINKCN11U0C3

-Chase Gozdziak

South Korea’s President Has No Easy Options in Dealing with an Aggressive North

South Korea's President, Park Geun-hye, has had the luxury of making decisions on what to do about the North Koreans' nuclear tests. Park, who is a conservative, has been dealing with the North by keeping and placing more sanctions on them. Most of her liberal counterparts have urged Park to speak with the North's leader Kim Jong-un. This is easier said than done due to extreme tension and hostility between the North and South. "She can stay on her current course, facing more provocations from Pyongyang and the likelihood of going down in history as the president during whose term the North completed nuclear weaponization. Or she can try to engage an erratic government that has gone so far as to call her a prostitute, and that has not agreed to discuss the possibility of nuclear disarmament in any future talks," quoted from the New York Times. Park was also responsible for accepting Thaad, which stands for Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, from the United States. With North Korea being "at the final stage of nuclear weaponization", South Korea agreed to accept the missile-interceptor. This decision came with great scrutiny from China which causes more tensions between the North and South because of China's alliance with the North and the North's hatred for Western Civilization in general. The last key factor that this article mentions is that the South will continue to side with the United States. "Ms. Park’s choice of Washington over Beijing in the dispute has been seen here as a momentous decision and a central part of her legacy. 'When President Park calls Thaad inevitable, she sends a message that when relations between the United States and China turn bad and South Korea has to choose, it will be the United States,' said Lee Jung-chul, a political scientist at Soongsil University in Seoul."

Enrique Peña Nieto Covers up Police Sexual Abuse

Enrique Peña Nieto, the president of Mexico, is in the news again. He has been getting a lot of bad publicity because of everything he has allowed during his presidency and during his time as governor. An investigation is being conducted after 11 Mexican women were brutally sexually assaulted by police officers in a town named Atenco while Peña Nieto was governor. Instead of helping these women, he tried to cover up and denied the allegations, calling them liars, and blaming radical groups, stating that they make women make up accusations to discredit the government. These women watched the men that ruined their lives walk away freely, while they have to live with the mental and physical scars caused by the traumatic events. These women were a mix of students, merchants, and activists. One of the victims was going to a prestigious school before this event occurred. After the assault, she lost motivation and lost hope in society, living in fear for the rest of her life. About 24 people that have been charged with abuse of authority have been acquitted at trial or on appeal. They’re still walking away like nothing happened because the government is still covering up for them and they’re assigning these cases to the low-level officers who are purposely doing a bad job. After 10 years, Peña Nieto returned to Atenco but focused on Children’s Day. Comments about the protests, deaths, or rapes were not made by him or local reports.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/23/world/americas/enrique-pena-nieto-commission-human-rights-investigate-rape.html?ref=world

--Jazmin Galindo

Why the Syrian Truce Was Doomed From The Start

During the cease-fire between rebels and the Syrian government, an aide truck was attacked and destroyed, killing 20 civilians. Humanitarian aide was a huge reason for the cease-fire, but it seems that the truce was never going to hold up. The cease-fire wasn't negotiated directly between the Syrian government and the rebels. Instead, the US and Russia did all the talking, and now they're blaming each other for the attack. Additionally, the US and Russia did not convince all of the warring groups to agree to this deal. Furthermore, the war in Syria is so dispersed and complex, with so many different groups involved, that a cease-fire between all parties in all locations was unreasonable.

-Hannah Friedle 

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-37433079

Russia may have used its Backup plan

With the shaky cease fire in tatters, Russia may have just made matters even worse.  They have deployed one of their aircraft carriers to the waters off the waters of Syria's coast.  John Carrey spoke out against Russia's actions.  This will make the ceasefire much harder to up hold, and all the while it is already going very wrong very quickly. There have already been many cases of violence amplifying in Syria and its only a few weeks old at this point.  Furthermore, the US has come forward as saying that Russia was the one that bombed the aid convoy heading to Aleppo.   The article on CNN's website had this quote, The United States has reached the preliminary conclusion that Russian warplanes bombed the aid convoy, US officials have told CNN, and say that Russia is responsible, whether it was Russian planes -- or the Syrian regime's -- that struck."  So, things do not look optimistic for the ceasefire.

John Carmody
http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/21/middleeast/syria-violence-ceasefire/index.html

CNN

http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/21/middleeast/syria-violence-ceasefire/index.html

With Boeing Deal, Americans Are Coming to Iran

American citizens will once again be taking up residence in Tehran, the first to do so since the Islamic revolution and hostage crisis in 1979 and 1980. Eighty Boeing jets and an initial batch of seventeen Airbus planes out of a potential total of one hundred and eighteen will be going to Iran. This sale will have the important effect of ending an era of absolute isolation between countries. Boeing will have to open an administrative office in Tehran, and technicians (Americans) will have to move there to train their Iranian counterparts in the care and maintenance of the planes. Buying planes from the United States and opening a Boeing office may seem insignificant, but it is representing a huge shift in relations between the two countries.

http://nyti.ms/2crsxxK

-Taylor Sikora

ISIS May Have Used Chemical Weapons Against U.S.

According to the article written by the Huffington Post, the United States military is testing to see if any chemical agents were used in an attack in Iraq that came within meters of U.S. forces. Fortunately, no persons from the U.S. were injured in the attack. It fell near a base where U.S. forces are working hard to prepare an airfield to take back the city of Mosul from the radical group. Tests are underway to look at the tar-like substance that tested positive for mustard agent. United States forces have used multiple airstrikes to take out the Islamic States chemical reserves.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/mustard-gas-us-mosul-attack_us_57e2ef8be4b0e28b2b520076?section=&

-Allie Downer

Oil Slump Threatens Russian Economy

Oil prices are down once more, with WTI crude settling around 45 dollars earlier today. While oil bulls are painting a hopeful picture in the energy sector's future, outlining increasing demand and a slowdown in supply, the International Energy Agency is predicting more of the same: oil demand is slackening, while production is on the rise. With no cap on oil production being implemented within OPEC countries, the market continues to be flooded with crude -- even as demand has reached an all time low of 0.8 million barrels per day in Q3 of this year.

What does this mean for Russia? Today, Russia's "rainy day" fund has been dipped into -- and dipped into again, leaving it almost depleted: it's balance in 2014 before oil prices dipped was a comfortable 91 billion dollars, and now sits at 32 billion this month.

With oil prices set to stay below 50 dollars in the near future, Russia's 2016 budget seems to be falling short, as it was based on the assumption that crude would rise above 50 dollars. With their reserves dangerously low, Russia may have to turn to their welfare fund in order to maintain the Ruble's stability. The welfare fund is designed to finance future investment projects and cover long term pensions -- with markedly less liquid assets, this supply of 70 billion dollars may be impossible to withdraw from in copious amounts.

The government will reveal next year's budget plan after a parliamentary election this weekend.
-Nicole Simos

World's most prized coffee today. $80 pr lb.

This year holds a record in the Coffee world. One of the world's most prized coffees, Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee, recently seen a dramatic increase in price. Because the Jamaican coffee only grows on one side of one mountain range in Jamaica and it is considered to be one of the most rare and delicious coffees. Demand has increased greatly within the past few months this year due to that specific mountain range losing half their crop leaving the coffee that was left to be raised to $80 a pound. Many legit and high quality coffee brands are paying top dollar just to sell the coffee. It is now considered the most rarest coffee in within the past few decades but production of the crop is meant to stay small to keep it's quality at peek.
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/business/Jamaican-coffee-prices-set-for-another-increase_16579082

David Soto

Brazilian swimmer Daniel Dias hits his 20th medal

Daniel Dias is a Paralympic swimmer on the category S5, a category for athletes with "short stature and an additional impairment”. Mr. Dias got to represent the host country for the last two weeks in Rio. The athlete had an incredible performance, and with his gold medal in the 50m freestyle he scored the medal number 20 of his career, 12 gold, 6 silver and 2 bronze. The swimmer, was loudly cheered by the crowds, who supported him during the games. 

Ana Maria Gentil

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-37355106

Thousands Flee Fire at Refugee Camp in Greece

This past Monday, around 4,000 individuals were evacuated from the Moria refugee camp on the Greek island of Lesbos after a fire ravaged the site.

Over 50 UNHCR refugee housing units were destroyed, with the potential to house over 800 people. Although 30 people were injured, none were killed and UNHCR is providing replacement tents for those left homeless from the blaze. Over 95 unaccompanied children were escorted to the Pikpa reception site nearby, according to the UNHCR. 

For hundreds of thousands of migrants escaping the war in the middle east, Lesbos is often their first stop. Although Lesbos holds a capacity of 3,500 refugees, they are currently sheltering 5,300. This over capacity points towards poor living conditions, which in turn fuel a feeling of uncertainty and doubt amongst refugees. 

Greece will continue to shelter refugees from the Middle East, in a national effort to advocate for human rights. As one islander said, "We are monsters if we don't do this -- why should we be given a prize for being human beings?"
-Nicole Simos

International Barista Competition Held in Australlia

Each year there is a Barista and Latte Art competition which Gloria Jeans Coffees host in various places around the world. For every country which has a Gloria Jeans, there is a National Champion to represent that country. This year the International Competition is held in Australia and for many countries like the United States, there are multiple semi-finals before the world finals. There are 900+ Gloria Jeans in Australia and Gloria Jeans around the world far out numbers the amount of Starbucks Internationally. There is a lot of vigorous progression within the coffee world so the winner gets to represent their nation with the best skill and latest techniques of the trade.

--David Soto-- 

http://coffeetalk.com/ctpress/08-2016/33869/

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