Taiwan will treat Chinese military flights into its airspace as ‘first strike,’ defense minister says

 Taiwan has announced that in its efforts to increase defense against China, any Chinese military flights in to its airspace will be considered a "first strike", including drone flights. Though they did not say what their response would be, this move is in reference to past statements that they would not make the first attack in their conflict with China. This does call into question if the US would follow up Taiwan's stance with support. According to US intelligence, China wants to be prepared to control Taiwan by force within the next five years. 

Aaliyah McCormick

https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/06/asia/taiwan-china-airspace-first-strike-intl-hnk-ml/index.html

Irishman Rory Mason killed fighting for International Legion

 Rory Mason, age 23, from Dunboyne in County Meath, was killed while fighting for Ukraine's International legion near the Russian border. Although saddened of his death, his family is still very proud of the man Rory was. Rory is described as a man of dignity and honor who's selflessness drove him to be greater than what he himself stood for. The Irish Department of Foreign Affairs is aware of Rory's death but is unable to comment on any individual case.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-63141448

Kenny Siwicki

Ukraine Goes In on Bid to Host 2030 World Cup with Spain and Portugal - Megan Lemley

 Ukraine made the news by announcing their bid to host the largest soccer tournament in the world, despite their recent conflict with Russia. This power move is not only seen as Ukraine "sticking it to Russia," it is also seen as a symbol of solidarity from Spain, Portugal, and the president of the World Cup. 

In President Volodymyr Zelensky's words on Twitter, "[t]he joint bid is more than a symbol of faith in our joint victory. Ukraine will endure, prevail and be rebuilt thanks to the solidarity of its partners." Demonstrations of support keeps this conflict relevant, and events like the World Cup are starting to use their platform to make political statements, rather than remaining nonpartisan and focusing on providing entertainment to the world. 

Source: World Cup: Ukraine Joins Spain and Portugal's Bid to Host 2030 Tournament

Avalanche in the Indian Himalayas

On Tuesday October 4th, at least 4 people were killed in an avalanche in the Indian Himalayas. 28 people are still missing and rescue missions are ongoing, assisted by the Indian Air Force as well as state and national disaster response forces. A group of 41 people in total was training on Mount Draupadi ka Danda II and returning from the 18,898 ft tall peak when the avalanche hit. 

 https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/05/asia/india-himalayas-avalanche-uttarakhand-intl-hnk/index.html 

Ainsley Ratledge

Police Say a Serial Killer Could Be Behind Shootings in Stockton, Calif.

 Since April there have been six shootings in California's Central Valley that Police now say are connected. As of Monday, the police in the area believe these shootings are the work of a serial killer. The victims are all male between the ages of 21 and 54, most of them were Hispanic, and they were all shot and killed while walking alone in dimly lit areas. However, one of the earliest shootings was a Black woman in Stockton, and she survived her injuries. They believe her shooting is connected to the other six who were all men. The police connected these incidents through video footage and ballistics. So far, their is video footage of a suspect, but the footage only show's the man's back. Right now, the police are asking people to stay vigilant, avoid walking alone at night or early hours of the morning, and to contact the tip line with any information about who the assailant is. 

Stockton is located in the "agricultural flatlands of California" and has had a long struggle with violence and poverty. However, the police do not believe these killings are gang related. These killings have created an air of unrest and anxiety in the community, and that has gotten worse since the police stated this could be a serial killer. 

North Korea fires missile over Japan, raising concern over its growing nuclear program

 North Korea tested a weapon that violated UN sanctions. The missile flew over mainland Japan before plummeting into the Pacific Ocean. 

North Korea fires missile over Japan in escalation of weapons tests (usatoday.com)

Indonesia to Investigate Soccer Tragedy After Use of Tear Gas Draws Criticism

 

    Dave Sebastian and Niharika Mandhana reporters of the "Wall Street Journal" wrote an article on October 3 of this year called " Indonesia to Investigate Soccer Tragedy After Use of Tear Gas Draws Criticism." In this article, the reporters talk about Indonesia setting an investigation team to investigate the death of 125 people in a soccer game on Saturday. This event began after the home team lost the game and the fans went to the stadium causing disorder then the police came throwing tear gas to control the crowd. Thousands of people fled to an exit door, leading to a crush in which people were trampled and died because they couldn't breathe. The police argue the crowd was anarchic, but human rights groups and Indonesians blame the police for what happened. The investigation would include government officials, experts, academics, and representatives of the country's soccer organization and the investigation would take two to three weeks. Finally, the investigation would focus on why the tear gas was used, what planning and preparation was put in place beforehand, and who order the decision to use the tear gas.  

Sergio Bracco

Indonesia to Investigate Soccer Tragedy After Use of Tear Gas Draws Criticism

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-63083634

BP in oil field where ‘cancer is rife’

 Jessicah Finglass

“Communities living close to oil fields, where gas is openly burned, are at elevated risk of leukaemia, a BBC News Arabic investigation has revealed.”

“Urine samples we collected from 52 children indicated that 70% had elevated levels of 2-Naphthol, a form of the possibly cancer-causing substance naphthalene.”

Children in these areas are being tested for seriously harmful chemicals that are causing cancer in children and premature death.

Bosnians go to polls to choose between nationalists and reformists

 In a territory as ethnically diverse and with such a tragic past as Bosnia, elections always give a lot to talk about. In fact, according to some, Bosnia is currently experiencing its worst political crisis since the end of the war in the 1990s. Although the well-known Dayton Agreement (1995) made it possible to end the war, it established a non-functional system that does not allow the country to develop politically speaking. These basic errors come to the fore every time we find ourselves before an election in a country divided between Serbs, Bosnians and Croats. The different nationalisms will face each other again in the elections, whose results we will know in the next few hours.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/10/2/bosnia-heads-to-polls-as-ethnic-tensions-dominate-vote

Reyes Venegas

"OPEC+ to Weigh Production Cut to Bolster Oil Prices"

By: Benoit Faucon 10/02/2022

OPEC is considering reducing production to help prop up falling oil prices on Wednesday of this coming week. I thought this was interesting because we were talking about the way oil prices and democracy are correlated in oil producing countries. They are considering a cut of more than 1 million barrels a day. The article explains that this move could "play a role in making recessions worse in some countries". The U.S. has asked OPEC to pump more oil. An increase over the summer months was made especially ahead of Biden's trip in August but OPEC is now working to reverse those steps. The U.S. is responding by starting to access its stockpiles. The oil prices have been falling partly due to a slow down in production in China which is still subject to many covid restrictions. OPEC countries are meeting on Wednesday in Vienna to discuss production changes. The option to cut production is backed by Russia which is OPEC's "largest non-OPEC partner". The article explains the White House has not yet made a forecast of how the production changes might impact the overall economy. This is not the first time OPEC has recently considered cutting back production. The article states, "OPEC+ agreed last month to cut oil production for the first time in over a year, saying it would cut about 100,000 barrels a day amid fears of a global recession. The move ended an 18-month era of production increases for OPEC+. The group slowly brought crude back onto the market after a dramatic cut during the pandemic when demand plunged." Oil prices still play a major role in our global economy and energy supply. With energy 'crunches' in the EU especially and elsewhere, a cut in production does not seem to bode well. However, the article finishes saying, "In one way, an OPEC+ cut won’t make much meaningful difference in the day-to-day oil market. The group has been undershooting its targets by more than 3 million barrels a day for much of the year, with Russian production falling and big producers like Nigeria and Angola struggling to invest enough to raise output.". This could mean that day to day prices might not be affected that much. Nonetheless, these cuts to production could be the signs of a future trend. 

Gabriel Ham

10/02/2022

https://www.wsj.com/articles/opec-to-weigh-production-cut-to-bolster-oil-prices-11664734482?mod=hp_lead_pos1 

Indonesia: At least 125 dead in football stadium crush

 Disaster strikes at an Indonesian football match as 125 people die due to poor stadium structure and crowd control. The police in the area attempt to tear gas match attendees to control the overcrowded stadium. However, the exits of the stadium proved to be too small and crushed fans leaving 125 people dead and many more injured.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-63105945

Kenny Siwicki

Armed Protests in Burkina Faso

 On Saturday, September 30th, armed protesters started a fire outside of the French Embassy. The violence was condemned by the Frhttps://www.npr.org/2022/10/01/1126403441/burkina-ench Foreign Ministry due to denying any involvement with the county's developing events. After the military overthrew the former president, Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damilba, tensions are still high throughout the country. Damilba had promised his people to end Islamic extremist violence that forced millions to flee their homes. The military, Junta, plans to restore Burkina Faso to a peaceful country, but it is uncertain if they will fulfill their goal. The African Union plans to reinforce a  constitution by July 2023. The United States has stated that they are "deeply concerned" with the events, and France also came out with statements. 

https://www.npr.org/2022/10/01/1126403441/burkina-faso-west-africa-coup

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-63081706

Crista Salceda 

Putin's new land grab is dangerous for Ukraine -- and the world

The recent annexation of Ukrainian territory in the eastern parts of Ukraine symbolizes a fracture in the structure of the international. The article talks about how the Russian annexation of Ukrainian territory and holding sham elections is dangerous for Ukraine and the world. These elections will fracture the legitimacy of the Ukrainian government and the West will fight amongst itself to either cut off the flow of arms and aid to Russian-controlled Ukraine or prepare for an escalation of the conflict. Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened to use whatever means are necessary (even the deployment of nuclear weapons) in order to achieve its geopolitical goals. 

The threat of Putin's sham elections poses a bigger threat around the world. That threat is other regimes learning and using Putin's efforts as a way to learn how to overthrow democratic regimes across the world. "It represents a fundamental challenge to the international rule of law if allowed to stand"(CNN).

Putin's new land grab is dangerous for Ukraine -- and the world (msn.com)

By: Andres Perez Delgadillo

Putin Frames Illegal Annexation as Part of Existencial Battle with West

 President Vladimir Putin of Russia declares the annexation of four territories of the Ukrainian region. 

Those are precisely : Donetsk and Lugansk regions in the east, and Kherson and Zaporiyia in the south. After being submitted to referendum, held from September 23 to 27, Putin reaffirms his position regarding the control of these populations. 

Consequently, today (friday), the Kremlin, with the figure of Putin, formalizes in a ceremony the illegal annexation of the above-mentioned territories. This will be a turning point in the international community since this action is clearly denounced by the international system and by all the actors and organizations that share the global system. 

Putin Frames Illegal Annexation as Part of Existential Battle With West - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

María Negrillo

Cuba legalizes same-sex marriage in historic referendum

    For decades the LGBTQ+ community in Cuba has faced "official discrimination" in the communist-run country. Under Fidel Castro, those of the LGBTQ+ community were sent to government work camps. Even though homosexuality was legalized in 1979, people of this community were still greatly discriminated against (CNN).

     As of the morning of Monday, September 26th, 3,936, 790 people in Cuba had voted in favor of a new family code that "increased protections for minorities" (CNN). This new family code now allows same-sex couples to marry and adopt children as well as extends new protections for women, children, and the elderly. While there were 1,950,090 votes against it, there was still an overwhelming support for the new law (CNN). In the weeks leading up to the vote, the Cuban government made a "full court press" advocating for the new family code and shared it across state-run media to gain support. 

https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/26/americas/cuba-legalizes-same-sex-marriage-intl-latam/index.html

By: Sarah Hein

Cuba legalizes same-sex marriage in historic referendum

 Cuba held a national referendum in which electors voted on a family code that contained protections in relation to LGBTQ people, as well as women, children, and the elderly. Though the country has a history of discrimination towards LGBTQ people, including sending them to government work camps under Castro's rule, the vote showed majority support for the new law. Some religious groups in the country were opposed, but the government's media releases leading up to the vote expressed support for the code.

https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/26/americas/cuba-legalizes-same-sex-marriage-intl-latam/index.html

Aaliyah McCormick

State Funeral For Longest Ruling Japanize Prime Minister

 In July of this year Japan's longest ruling PM was shot and killed. Today the funeral was held. Even thought PM Shinzo Abe was widely loved among the people of Japan and their allies there was controversies over the hosting of a Sate Funeral. The funeral in total costs about $10.7m, one person said that the money spent for the funeral would have been better spent somewhere else, like helping the people of Japan recover from the typhoon. Most of the people who opposed the funeral were the older generation. Prime Minister Abe had a very forward way of thinking which appealed to the younger generation. He was a big factor of "The Quad" which is an alliance between the US, Japan, India, and Australia. 

Shinzo Abe: A divided Japan bids farewell to its slain ex-PM - BBC News

Tori Robinson

Gas Leaks Raise Climate Fears

Two Russian pipelines are leaking in the Baltic Sea, and the reason remains unexplained. The pipelines contain large amounts of methane, which is the natural gas that is most responsible for climate change, second only to carbon dioxide (CO2). According to a spokesman for one of the leaking pipelines -- Nord Stream 2 -- the system held over 300 million cubic meters of gas, the majority of which was methane. According to a chemical engineer at Queen Mary University in London, releasing that entire amount into the atmosphere would result in ∼200,000 tons of methane emissions. Experts are anxious about the implications of these leaks on the ongoing climate crisis. 

https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2022-09-27/nord-stream-gas-leaks-raise-climate-fears-but-impact-hard-to-quantify 

Ainsley Ratledge

Mystery leaks hit Russian undersea gas pipelines to Europe

There are two suspicious gas pipeline leaks running from Russia to Germany under the Baltic Sea, called the Nord Stream pipelines. These leaks sparked investigation from European countries, and although there has been no final conclusion to the cause of these leaks, possible answers include malfunctions, lack of maintenance, or even sabotage. 

Neither of the pipelines were active in the process of the leakage, but they were both filled with gas. Extreme environmental damage will result, as there is already a "swirling mass of methane" bubbling up in the Baltic Sea.

CNN states that this leakage could be a flashpoints in an escalating energy war between Moscow and European capitalists, which has already pummeled major Western economies. Many Europeans are blaming Russia for the leaks, exclaiming that it was an attempt to further weaken Europe's energy security, especially in a time where many nations are trying to wean themselves off dependency of Russian supplies.

https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/27/energy/nord-stream-pipeline-leaks/index.html

Megan Sinnaeve

NASA crashes spacecraft into asteroid

 On Monday, September 26, 2022, NASA crashed a small spacecraft into an asteroid. The key objective of this intentional collision was to test whether a similar technology could someday be deployed to protect the Earth from catastrophic impacts. The name of this asteroid was Dimorphos. As claimed in his article " NASA crashes spacecraft into an asteroid, passing planetary defense test" Joel Achenbach states that the asteroid was the size of a stadium. NASA seeks to develop a planetary defense technique that will further prevent kinetic bodies from attacking the Earth. The spacecraft that was launched from California was rather small in comparison to size. It was about the size of a vending machine. No significant structural change was noted upon the impact of the spacecraft. However small collisions could prove to show changes in asteroids' orbit and thus protect Earth from future impacts. In my opinion, NASA has proved to show with significant research how kinetic bodies in space can be manipulated to avoid impact on the surface of the Earth.

Aryan Shah

https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2022/09/26/nasa-dart-mission-asteroid-crash/

Italy's Election Winner Will Have to work With Europe on Economy

    Margherita Stancatti and Marcus Walker reporters from the "Wall Street Journal" wrote an article on September 26 of this year called "Italy's Election Winner Will Have to Work With Europe on Economy." In this article, the reporters talk about how Georgia Meloni the new Prime Minister of Italy has to cooperate with the European Union on the economy. Mrs. Meloni has to cooperate with the European Union because of the energy crisis and the looming recession in Europe. She will have problems reassuring the EU that she will not destabilize the block since in the past she had criticized the EU members. Mrs. Meloni has distanced herself from the legacy of her party and reassures she is moderate and will not create problems within the EU. Finally, as the energy crisis continue she cannot go with her nationalist policies because first, she has to tame the energy crisis in order to protect the country from further problems. 

Sergio Bracco

https://www.wsj.com/articles/italys-election-winner-will-have-to-work-with-europe-on-economy-11664202930

Italy Elects Far-Right Government

Giorgia Meloni was elected into the Italian Government. She is a member of the Brothers of Italy, a political party with neo-fascist roots. The rest of Europe looks onto Italy with worry. 

With Giorgia Meloni's victory, Italy's government will shift far-right (usatoday.com)

Conflict Continues After the Death of Mahsa Amini - Megan Lemley

 Just short of three weeks ago, a woman named Mahsa Amini was detained by the morality police in Tehran for not adhering to the dress code that all women must follow. Soon after her arrest, she passed away in custody due to an alleged "heart attack", but these reports have proven to be untrue after witnesses came forward and stated they saw the police physically assaulting Amini. Her cause of death was a skull fracture caused by extreme blunt force to the head.

Fast forward to today, a fifth paramilitary member was killed in their efforts to maintain and quell the protests going on in Iran. It was also mentioned that somewhere between 25 and 30 people "have died in Iran in recent protests over the death of Amini." The government is now arresting journalists that are publishing anti-government pieces and threatening to restrict internet access until peace is restored - but the question is, will it ever be until change is achieved?

Megan Lemley

Mahsa Amini death: Fifth Iranian Paramilitary Member Killed as President Warns Protesters Will Be Dealt With "Decisively"

Storm Fiona: Houses washed into sea as storm batters Canada

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-63025036

"Power lines have been downed and houses washed into the sea after Storm Fiona battered Canada's coastline."

Fiona has destroyed parts of Canada completely whipping whole homes in the water. 

Nova Scotia has been helping to clean up the remnants of the devastation in Canada. 

 Jessicah Finglass

First Came the Floods. Now Pakistan's Children face a new disaster.

 

    According to an article entitled First Came the Floods. Now Pakistan's children face a new disorder, written by Sophia Saifi, Rhea Mogul, Anna Coren, Sanal Sidhu, Javid Iqbal, and Sameer Mandhro, "More than 10 children die every day at the Mother and Child Healthcare Hospital in Pakistan's Sindh province alone, according to doctors at the facility --all from water-related ailments stemming from this summer's devastating floods that submerged a third of the country." (https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/25/asia/pakistan-floods-children-water-home-disease-intl-hnk-dst/index.html ) The articled goes further on to state that the water problem will not resolve soon. While some may believe that we as a nation need to focus on what's going on in our country first, we need to focus on all countries. These are innocent children dying from being bathed, from drinking a simple thing such as water. There have been multiple charities that have donated to clean well water to Africa, charities that have donated to the Flint water crisis. Why not contact one of those organizations and start there?

Saifi,Sophia, et al. First Came the Floods. Now Pakistan's children face a new disorder. 25, September,2022. (https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/25/asia/pakistan-floods-children-water-home-disease-intl-hnk-dst/index.html )

U.S. Warns Russia of ‘Catastrophic Consequences’ if It Uses Nuclear Weapons

 In the article ," US Warns Russia of 'Catastrophic Consequences" if it Uses Nuclear Weapons" written 09/25/22 the writers talk about how the united states has threatened Russia with," Catastrophic Consequences" if Russia were to use nuclear weapons in or on Ukraine. The article further went on to say how President Biden said that the catastrophic consequences would not be nuclear warfare in the hopes of trying to show a firm hand or " Big Stick" without continuing to escalate the situation. Instead the U.S. is planning on diminishing trade with Russia and setting an Embargo on trade.

This was an interesting read because it showed how foreign affairs is an extremely complicated game of chess. You cannot threaten the wrong thing or you risk the fear of escalating to possible nuclear warfare. What else was interesting was reading about how the Global 7 could correlate and work together in order to do some damage to Russia and Putin without going to war, a trade war.

Zachary Erickson

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/25/us/politics/us-russia-nuclear.html

Germany Secures More Gas Shipments As Chancellor Visits Gulf

On Saturday, September 24, 2022, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to discuss the creation of a new fossil fuel alliance between the two states. To prepare for winter and provide its population with energy, Germany sought to create new alliances with middle-eastern states rich in fossil fuels.  It found success in Saudi Arabia. Experts say that "Saudi Arabia, which has vast regions suitable for cheap solar power generation, is seen as a particularly suitable supplier of hydrogen, they said." However, this alliance has raised eyebrows in the international community because of the killing of the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Scholz claims to have discussed human rights issues with the Crown Prince but was unwilling to disclose any details. Germany is between a rock and a hard place are between a rock and a hard place as it scrambles in desperation to stay afloat economically by having a reliable supply of energy. Germany understands the risks of not having a good supply of fossil fuels and oil, but are they willing to bow to governments that violate human rights in order to survive? It'll be interesting to see how Germany balances its fight and rhetoric for the protection of human rights across the world while being able to remain a relevant economic power in the E.U. and the world with the help of Saudi oil and fossil fuels.

Germany secures more gas shipments as chancellor visits Gulf (msn.com)

By: Andres Perez Delgadillo

“‘They Have Nothing to Lose’: Why Young Iranians Are Rising Up Once Again”

After the murder of Mahsa Amini, a woman who wasn’t dressed to the standards of the misogynistic “morality police,” Iran has been filled with protesters calling for women’s freedom from the dictator.   Because Iran is a theocracy, it is interesting to see how religions play into women’s rights.  Many religions have patriarchal backgrounds, and this shows in how they try to control people.  For Iran, it means dress codes that include head coverings worn in a specific way and modest clothing.  Iranian women have been protesting by taking off and burning their headscarves, and walking through the streets with chants.  Other protests have been done through social media, but the Iranian government has taken notice to this and shut down many communication apps such as WhatsApp and Instagram.  They have also been repressing political and social opinions in an attempt to regain control of their government.  However, many Iranians are simply too angry to be shut down.  Shadi Sadr, a human rights lawyer told the NYT that people are protesting because “they are standing up and saying, ‘Enough of this. I am willing to die to have a life worth living.’”

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/24/world/middleeast/iran-protests-raisi-khamenei-hijab.html 

Libby Gardner

"China rides wave of cultural trade"

 

China has just launched a strategy to include culture into its global market to develop its current economic and technological growth. Consequently, The Communist Party of China proposes “The National Economic and Social Development Plan” with a view to its maximum long-term scope until 2035. In order to achieve this goal, China is using technology and also relaxing its restrictive measures on trade. China's main purposes are, firstly, to consolidate its international relations, and secondly, to activate its cultural trade, gain more weight in the global scenario, and at the same time, become a relevant actor in International Relations. 

At the current situation, China enjoys exponential economic growth, and great participation in economic communities such as ASEAN. However, the dilemma now is whether China will manage to maintain its strategy to date proposed, and above all, if it will manage to avoid a competitive conflict with giants such as the United States.

China rides wave of cultural trade - Chinadaily.com.cn

María de los Ángeles Negrillo

Draft Protest in Dagestan

 As the war between Ukraine and Russia continues, Russians have started to take a stand by protesting against the draft. These protests have been in many of Russia’s major cities, with some in Dagestan getting considerable attention. Protests on Saturday turned violent, resulting in more than 700 people being arrested for inducing violence against Russian authorities. People reported police officers openly firing rifles in the air to try and control the massive groups of protesters.  Multiple videos of these arrests were recorded and posted to many social media platforms. One of these videos shows groups of people chanting and screaming at officers, asking them why Russia needed a draft if they were doing the initial invasion, which many Russian natives disagreed with. While the future of the war between Russia and Ukraine is uncertain, it is clear that many Russians do not back the decisions being made by the Russian government.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-63028586

Bradyn Almasy

 

"Italian Right Is On Course to Win Elections"

Sept. 25th, 2022

The article talks about the ongoing election in Italy for premier. Right now Giorgia Meloni has a very strong lead. Meloni has expressed sentiments towards an 'ital-exit' or distancing from the EU. Regardless, parts of 'Fratelli d'Italia'-brothers of Italy party plan which Meloni is a part of include working with the E.U. to impose a cap on the price of natural gas and to decouple gas and electricity prices. Meloni is more moderate and has distanced her party from far right more radical leaders such as Matteo Salvini and aims to continue supporting the Ukrainian war effort against Russia. It will be interesting how the new government performs on the world stage. The article goes on to mention some of the issues Italy is dealing with at the moment including a debt that is roughly 150 percent of its gdp. Meloni's rise to power would signify a shift to the right not seen since 2011 in Italy. 

https://www.wsj.com/articles/italy-holds-elections-as-economic-clouds-gather-11664108143?mod=breakingnews 

Gabriel Ham

Sept. 25,2022

North Korean Missile Fired during U.S. and South Korean Training

 On September 25th, North Korea launched a missile toward the eastern seas. The missile was fired while a U.S. aircraft landed in South Korea to join its military in exercises. The South Korean president called a National Security Council meeting to address the missile as a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions. This threat will also be discussed during U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris's visit to South Korea next week. 

North Korea has rejected any communication about nuclear diplomacy from the U.S. and South Korea. This action from North Korea has heightened South Korea's growing concern about nuclear war. Even though North Korea's intentions are unclear its nuclear technology continues to grow, forcing the U.N. to proceed with caution. 

https://www.npr.org/2022/09/25/1124971097/north-korea-missile-south-korea-us-joint-military-exercises

Crista Salceda 

Dmitry Bulgakov: Putin fires deputy defence chief amid supply failures

 Following the surfacing of a video showing Russian recruits being equipped with rusty assault rifles, Russian deputy defense chief, Gen Dmitry Bulgakov, is "released" to transfer into a new role. Bulgakov held his position as Russian deputy defense chief since 2008, and he is being held accountable for recent supply shortages causing a partial failure of the Russian invasion in Ukraine. Bulgakov's successor will be Gen Mizintzev who is highly qualified, in his field, to fill the role to orchestrate change that Russia deems necessary.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-63021117

Kenny Siwicki

Pushing East of Kupyansk, Ukrainian Forces Expand Offensive

 KUPYANSK, Ukraine—The grain elevator towering over the eastern edge of Kupyansk, the former seat of Russian power in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, was supposed to be defended by soldiers from an elite Russian unit.

But when troops from Ukraine’s International Legion moved to seize the compound on Thursday, part of the developing Ukrainian military offensive east of the Oskil River, the expected firefight never happened.

“They just ran away. They know they are finished here,” said the team leader, a Latvian soldier who goes by the call-sign Ulvis, as his comrades from the U.S., Britain and other nations gathered with Ukrainian officers in a warehouse in eastern Kupyansk to plan their next mission.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/pushing-east-of-kupyansk-ukrainian-forces-expand-offensive-11664111037

Jason Connor

 This article is about the planes full of migrants sent from Florida to Martha's Vineyard, MA. About 50 migrants arrived there on Wednesday night after being told the were flying to Boston. They were sent there under a Florida state program that was funded by the legislature earlier this year. According to interviews from some of the migrants, a woman named Perla approached them outside of the shelter in Florida and "lured them into boarding the plane, saying they would be flown to Boston and expedited work papers" (NPR). These migrants expected this as help, and one is quoted as saying "Look, when you have no money and someone offers help, well, it means a lot" (NPR). When the plane arrived in Martha's Vineyard, a local church set up beds and provisions for them. They were provided with food and clothing and toiletries even though supplies were low. They even brought in local high school Spanish- speaking students to help translate. "Democrats and immigrant advocates say those governors are essentially using migrants as political pawns. But the governors say are simply calling attention to a very real problem" (NPR). 

https://www.npr.org/2022/09/15/1123109768/migrants-sent-to-marthas-vineyard

By: Sarah Hein

Hurricane Fiona Moves Towards Canada

Hurricane Fiona has already wreaked havoc on Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, and is now moving up the Atlantic coast of Canada. The region could potentially receive up to ten inches of rain, as predicted by meteorologists. Hurricanes typically don't reach such severity in Canada because of the colder northern waters, but Canadians are being urged to brace themselves for the oncoming storm. 

 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-63011195

Ainsley Ratledge

Why Iranian Women Are Burning Their Hijabs After the Death of Mahsa Amini

 This Friday, Mahsa Amini died while in the custody of Iran's "morality police". She was arrested for reportedly not wearing her hijab correctly, and therefore, wasn't dressed conservatively enough. It is seen that Amini took multiple blows to the head before she died. 

In response to this tragic event, many Islamic women are fuming with outrage and disgust, and are burning their hijabs as a form of protest. It is clear that this killing sparked outrage towards women all over Iran over the strict rules and consequences for breaking those rules. They are protesting against the gender-based violence women in Iran experience everyday, and how the government does nothing to protect them. British-Iranian actor, Omid Djalili, said that this is "Iran's George Floyd moment", as they are fighting for the abolition of the morality police, similar to how Americans fought for police reforms after Floyd's murder. 

A final remark Malley exclaimed is "Iran must end its violence against women for exercising their fundamental rights".

https://www.npr.org/2022/09/21/1124237272/mahsa-amini-iran-women-protest-hijab-morality-police

Megan Sinnaeve

McDonald's reopens three branches in Kyiv

McDonald's reopens in Kyiv, Ukraine seven months after the Russian invasion. Many Ukrainians waited in line for hours to get a meal, as the reopening of McDonald's symbolizes hope and reminders of life before the war. One Ukrainian woman who was interviewed says, "I'm happy that we have McDonald's and the Russians don't and won't have it. Let the truth be on our side and let international business support the truth."

 Offering taste of normality, McDonald's reopens in Kyiv seven months into war

Natalie Nelson

Drought in African Puts More Than 3.6 Million Students at Risk of Dropping Out

 With a drought occurring in the Horn of Africa after missing nearly 4 rainy seasons more than 3.6 million students are at risk for dropping out of school to move with their families. Most of these students dropping out happen to be girls, the article says "some of the girls got married, some of them moved to other places because their parents migrated from here due to the drought." When this happens and girls are forced to leave school they feel as if their rights are being taken away and for a good reason, they are. Everyone has the right to an education and it's not their faults they don't get the chance to receive a good education. 

Tori Robinson

Horn of Africa drought puts 3.6m children at risk of dropping out of school | Global education | The Guardian

Iran's morality police have terrorized women for decades. Who are they?

 A 22 year old woman named Mahsa Amini was taken to a "re-education center" in Tehran and died three days later, bringing significant attention to compulsory modesty in Iran. Iran has a force of morality police that enforce the country's rules on modesty and often specifically the hijab, with the ability to send people to these "re-education centers" where they are given classes on Islam and forced to sign a pledge to follow the clothing regulations. Various movements have emerged in the country to push back against the compulsory hijab. While support has been falling for forced modesty over the past decade, the recent death of Mahsa Amini seems to have further united many Iranian people against the policy. Many people have begun to protest, though there is fear of retaliation from the state. 

https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/21/middleeast/iran-morality-police-mime-intl/index.html

Aaliyah McCormick