Newspaper says there's audio of US journalist's slaying

The Turkish government is claiming to have an audio of Khashoggi's killing from his Apple Watch. Intelligence is claiming that Saudi officials attempted to retrieve and destroy the information off the watch, but did not know how to. The Turkish government also claims to have a video. All of which they are denying to reveal their sources. This topic is very relevant to International relations in the coming days and weeks. Trump has made a statement, but pressure has not been so strongly put upon the Saudi government. Additionally, Turkey has also not put a lot of pressure on the Saudi government either. There is little to no chance the Saudi government did not kill the journalist because he was never seen exiting the consulate; therefore, pressure should be put on the Saudi government. Not only should this pressure be applied for figuring out what happened, but for the action itself. It will be important to examine what occurs in the coming week with this issue.
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/newspaper-turkey-audio-saudi-writers-slaying-58485649
By Alyssa Farney

Trump says he is considering a new family separation policy at U.S.-Mexico border

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-says-he-is-considering-a-new-family-separation-policy-at-us-mexico-border/2018/10/13/ea2f256e-cf25-11e8-920f-dd52e1ae4570_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.8c502982b58a

On Saturday, President Trump confirmed that he is considering a new family separation policy at the U.S.-Mexico border again because he believes the administration’s earlier move to separate migrant children from parents was an effective restraint to illegal crossings. Trump said to the Washington Post that the high number of illegal crossings is a terrible situation and that family separations will most likely help scare away some undocumented migrants from entering the United States. He surely states, that if immigrants know Trump will separate them then people won’t come, and says the reason they even immigrate in the first place is because of the United States' prosperous economy. What Trump says he dislikes is people using random children to immigrate; in many cases, the children isn’t even theirs. It was then when he commented that the people coming in are really bad, especially for using children for their use and then throwing them away. The Department of Homeland Security officials also stated the 38 percent increase in the number of migrants arrested and charged for illegally crossing the border this past August. The Post first reported Friday that the White House was actively considering plans to again separate parents and children at the U.S.-Mexico border. Senior administration officials noted, however, that they are not planning to revive the chaotic forced separations carried out by the Trump administration in June, which produced an enormous political reactions and led to a court order to reunite families. In conclusion, one option under consideration, according to the report, is for the government to detain asylum-seeking families together for up to 20 days, then give parents a choice: Stay in family detention with their child for months or years as their immigration case proceeds, or allow children to be taken to a government shelter so other relatives or guardians can seek custody.

By Isabel G. Torres

Children among 22 dead as truck crashes in Turkey

I think that instead of trying to shut out immigrants coming into the country, we should be trying to search for ways to aid countries in need and help them rebuild so that there citizens do not have to flee their own country. Of course each nation has the right to protect and regulate the amount of immigrants they accept, however it does not help to completely shut them out, because it forces the desperate people to take desperate measures, which results in tragedies like this. I think that this should be a lesson for the United States as well, and the relationship they are having with Mexico. Rather than trying to cut them off, maybe trying to aid Mexico may serve a better outcome for both countries.
Sho Kawajiri

Iranian Presidents States US is seeking "Regime Change"

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani stated that the current tension with the United States has been the most hostile than any other US administration to the point that he believes that the US are seeking a regime change. According to Reuters, these tensions have increased due to President Trumps's decision to withdrew from the agreement made with Iran on its nuclear program in May. Rouhani went on to further state that there hasn't been a regime so spiteful of Iran and the the Islamic State. He then stated that he believes that American government is trying to undermine and question the legitimacy of the Islmaic Republic to cause the "Regime Change".  Many Iranian citizens fear that these sanctions maybe worse than ones from the period of 2012-2015.  The Vice-President, Eshaq Jahangiri,  stated that the Iranian people should not be worried about the oil in the country. He stated that price increases in oil should make up for the sanctions from the US.


Anthony Hernandez


https://a.msn.com/r/2/BBOlJDu?m=en-us&referrerID=InAppShare

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/taliban-and-us-envoy-met-spokesman-for-insurgent-group-says/ar-BBOkRg4

This article talks about how the United States and the Taliban in Afghanistan had discussions about the conflict going on in Afghanistan. this is shocking to me because the U.S has been at war with the Taliban for over 17 years now. the discussion was about wanting the U.S to leave Afghanistan altogether and that it is an Islamic state and that foreign forces should not be there. the U.S has not confirmed that this meeting ever occurred but they did issues a statement shares the goals of the Taliban and wanting a peaceful Afghanistan and the war to end.

By Shane Todd

Protesters Throng Berlin In Massive Rally To Support 'Open And Free Society'

https://www.npr.org/2018/10/13/657186450/protesters-throng-berlin-in-massive-rally-to-support-open-and-free-society
Isa Chudzik

This article covers a massive rally that occurred in Berlin against the rising popularity of a far-right populist group in Germany. This party has been running on anti-immigration as well as other points. What made this rally particularly overwhelming was the surprising turnout of over 240,000 when the organizers were expecting 40,000 people. The rally is also interesting because the global perspective has been focused on the increased support on the far-right group, but this is a reminder that it is still not as popular as others.

Philippines says U.N. rights council seat vindicates Duterte's drug war

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-philippines-un-rights/philippines-says-u-n-rights-council-seat-vindicates-dutertes-drug-war-idUSKCN1MN0MJ

Article by: Enrico dela Cruz

Since Filipino President Rodrigo Duterete assumed office in 2016, more than 4,800 people have died by the hands of the police. Human rights activist allege President Duterete is directly involved in said killings, therefore making him ineligible for a seat at the United Nations. In a vote taken on the 12th of October, the Philippines was reelected with 163 out of 195 votes favoring the Philippines reinstatement. President Duterete has claimed all those who have died were dealers that were resisting arrest, nevertheless two complaints against President Duterete have been submitted to the International Criminal Court.
I was dismayed there was no mention of any kind of investigation into whether these claims are true. This could mean either the reporter choose not to include any findings (which is bad reporting) or even worse,  no investigation was done whatsoever. I think allegations of this kind should require at least a cursory investigation into the claims Because what else would the council be able to base their vote on, a biased interpretation of the President based on what exactly? Furthermore, I agree with the critics of this vote claiming a country that routinely kills their own should not be allowed on the council. Likewise it raises the question what else could have been done to take the alleged drug dealers into custody without them dying. It is not a good look for the council to back a country with so many allegations without doing any kind of investigation, because it will make other countries think they can do the same without any kind of repercussions. I hope what is really going on in the Philippines will be able to come to light some day.

Response by: Jennie Fry

Matteo Salvini and His Little Mistake

Matteo Salvini, Deputy Prime Minister of Italy, stated that there should be a 9PM curfew for "little ethnic shops" in Italy. His comment has sparked outrage throughout Italy as it suggests an attack on the immigrant populations similar to the curfews placed on Jewish shops in 1930's Germany. While he denies any racist motives for the curfew, his political history does not help him. Salvini ran an anti-immigrant campaign during the last election in Italy and has been following the trend far-right swing in Europe and around the world.

By: Cayleigh Price

https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/12/europe/italy-salvini-shop-curfew-intl/index.html

Afghanistan: Taliban confirms talks with US peace envoy in Qatar

US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad is currently on a 11-day trip, traveling to Afghanistan, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia as a special representative. He met with a Taliban delegation in order to discuss the ending of the 17 years long Afghan conflict. It is the first official confirmation talk between the two parties. This meeting was pushed by the Trump Administrative in order to end the long conflict, says Wall Street Journal. The meeting had taken place in Friday and is said to continue by the Taliban who reported it to the journalists. This journalists cited another person stating that there was a second meeting Doha between the US officials and the Taliban representatives, and officials stated that there were positive signals from the meetings. However, the State Department said nothing regarding the meeting. 

- Sangay Chhoki 

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/10/envoy-afghan-peace-meets-taliban-officials-qatar-181013084549975.html 

Transaction of babies on Instagram

Four people, including a 22 year-old mother, were arrested in Indonesia operating buying and selling babies on Instagram.
The criminal investigation unit in Indonesia said that the team foiled an attempt by a mother to sell her baby to a buyer in Bali using a message service. The baby was being offered for 15 million rupiah, which is equivalent to $ 987.
The Instagram account had more than 700 followers, and had been run for about a year. Images on the page included black and white photos of ultrasounds, pregnant mothers and babies with their faces blurred, along information such as age, gender and religion.
Social media has helped traffickers deal effectively, as they do not need to go through a middleman. Therefore, it is important for authorities to adapt their policy to prevent such crimes.


https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/12/health/indonesia-babies-instagram-intl/index.html

Kaho Sugimoto

Peru opposition leader Keiko Fujimori arrested

In Peru, Keiko Fujimori has been arrest because the prosecutors believe she lead a group of criminals that took funds illegally from Odebrecht during her presidential run in 2011. Fujimori is the leader of the opposition in the Peruvian government and the daughter of the former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori, who has also been arrested because his presidential pardon has been revoked. He his expected to serve twenty five years in jail for human rights abuses.

Link: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-45819020

Abby Widd

China Uighurs: Xinjiang 'legalises' Muslim internment camps

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-45812419

Melissa Vandermark

China's Western region of Xinjiang has recently legalized the arrests of innocent Uighur civilians and the use of 'educational facilities.' Uighurs are Turkic Muslims who make up about 45% of the population within Xinjiang. Xinjiang explains that these facilities are vital to tackling extremism within the area through the means of 'ideological transformation.' However, many rights groups say that these facilities are used to scare innocent people into submission. These prisoners have to denounce their faith entirely and swear loyalty to the Chinese president Xi Jinping. Former prisoners explained that physical and psychological abuse occurred within these camps.

S-400: India missile defence purchase in US-Russia crosshairs

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-45757556

By: Teddy Trifunovski

I thought this article was very interesting because it talked about India's new deal with Russia for defense missile systems that was an agreement between each other for about $5 Billion Dollars. This deal was specifically for a missile system called the S-400. The S-400 is one of the most sophisticated surface-to-air defence systems in the world. It has a range of 400km (248 miles) and can shoot down up to 80 targets simultaneously, aiming two missiles at each one. Also, there is a fear that the US will possibly but some sanctions on India because of this agreement that India has with Russia. This is very big news because India usually never does these type of agreements but there has always been some sort of conflict between them and China, and China has this defense system. So that is why I believe India did it as well. So they can have the same thing that China has in case of any future conflict between the two countries. 

Brazil election: Hundreds rally against far-right Bolsonaro -Emilio Lopez

This post was written by Al Jazeera and was published on 10/11/2018

In today's international politics, various far-right groups and leaders have been gaining traction. From Poland to Spain, and now Brazil. It is significant that Brazil is protesting this candidate, Bolsonaro, because he had 58% of voters intentions compared to Haddad who had 42% of them. Even tho he currently has the majority and might be projected to win it is shocking with what groups he is against. He has been known to show anti-LGBT, against the Blacks and indigenous population of Brazil. He has also caused oil and electrical companies in Brazil to take a hit in their stock prices, saying that they would not benefit from the economic reforms he has in mind. The impact that this candidate has on IR is what he might say, having another irrational actor in the international system may cause more tension between Brazil and neighboring Latin American countries. One thing I do wonder is what our president thinks of Bolsonaro.

Link to the Article Below:

Brazil election: Hundreds rally against far-right Bolsonaro

Written by:

Emilio Lopez

Africa's youngest billionaire kidnapped in Tanzania

Africa's youngest billionaire has been kidnapped by gunmen in Dar es Salaam. Mohammed Dewji who is 43 years old and has a fortune of 1.5 billion dollars has been abducted as he entered a hotel gym. He is the president of MeTL Group which is a company that ranges from agriculture to transporting food. Tanzania regional governor, Paul Makonda, said: “Initial information indicates he was kidnapped by whites traveling in two vehicles. This kind of incident is new here.” He also went on to say the police were looking for suspects and had already made arrests.

By Jack Bronec

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/oct/11/africa-youngest-billionaire-mohammed-dewji-kidnapped-tanzania-dar-es-salaam

The "Putin Generation": How Vladimir Putin has won over Russia's youth

https://globalnews.ca/news/4535403/the-putin-generation-russian-president-youth/

A recent poll conducted in Russia has come to the conclusion that Putin has “won over” the Russian youth. An independent polling firm found that 86 percent of Russian adults age 18-24 approve of President Putin, which is higher than any other age group. These young adults have no memory of any other Russian leader since Putin has been in power for 18 years now; they say they like it that way, but maybe they’re afraid of change. While older Russians get their information from Kremlin-controlled tv networks, the younger generation get their news from the internet, which is less restricted. Some young Putin supporters have acknowledged that Russia doesn’t have very good relationships with surrounding countries, but the economic stability outweighs the cons.

By: Liz Metcalf

 

Nikki Haley resigns - Ian Smith

On October 9th Trump's ambassador to the U.N. announced that she would be resigning after over a year and a half in the Trump administration. Nikki Haley stated that after almost two years in the white house and eight as governor of South Carolina she felt that it was time for her to step down. However, other sources state that her motivations could be financial in nature, preferring to work in the private sector, or even brought on by national security advisor John Bolton's differing views in foreign policy.

Article: https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/09/politics/nikki-haley-resignation/index.html

Trump on UN ambassador position

Kaitlyn Boelter-Eberhardt

On Tuesday, Donald Trump released to reporters that he would not be considering his daughter, Ivanka, for the UN ambassador position after the sudden announcement of resignation of Nikki Haley for the end of the year. He claims she is fully capable but it would cause negative speculation against him. He has brought up new potentials including Goldman Sachs and Diana Powell.

https://globalnews.ca/news/4530555/ivanka-trump-ruled-out-un-ambassador-dina-powell/

Wife of ex-Interpol chief fears for her life with her husband detained in China

Grace Meng, the wife of Meng Hongwei, decided to speak out about the disappearance of her husband. He husband is detained in China, and he was the former chief of Interpol. The disappearance occurred in late September when Chinese officials detained him due to suspicions of corruption. Many similar disappearances have been occurring in China in President Xi Jinping's attempt to remove political opponents. Grace Meng has claimed that her husband is innocent, and she is speaking out about this because too many people have been through this without ever finding out the truth. She refuses to meet with the Chinese consulate until she has a lawyer who will help her. Over 1 million estimated disappearances have occurred during Xi's 6 year presidency. 

Web: https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/09/asia/grace-meng-interpol-china-intl/index.html
By: Morgan Knight 

Nikki Haley's Departure

Nikki Haley had announced on Tuesday she would be stepping down from her position as UN ambassador towards the end of the year.  Trump mentioned she is going to be "taking a little break." This is surprising news to all for Haley has never shown signs of leaving or dwindling down. She has always been alongside the President for important issues and her work in the UN was always consistent. Her departure has led to the question of what the impact will be like for the President and his international affairs.

By: Sumayya Ali

Nikki Haley's Departure

Bulgarian journalist who reported on EU corruption murdered - Kel Goff

Bulgarian journalist Viktoria Marinova was found dead in a park in the town of Ruse on Saturday. She had suffered multiple blows to the head and suffocation. Her phone, car keys, glasses, and pieces of clothing were missing from the scene. Marinova had also been raped. Prior to her death, she had reported on corruption in the European Union regarding missing funds. There is suspicion that this could have upset officials and may have contributed to her demise. She was also a member of popular television station, TVN. Political officials stated that her death was not due to her involvement in reporting on the corruption of the EU. Marinova is yet another journalist who has been murdered in the EU in the last year. Most recently, an investigative journalist was murdered by a car-bomb and another having been shot in February of this year. Bulgaria is not an exceptionally free country with limited freedom of press. Historically, opponents of political leaders in Bulgaria and the surrounding areas have been censored or physically harmed.

Click here to read: "Bulgarian journalist found raped and murdered"

India wants to seal its borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh

India is in fear that terrorists are entering their country from Pakistan and Bangladesh. But India's plan is proving to be more difficult than imagined because of the terrain of where the borders land. There is understanding of why India feels it necessary to close the border but there is as hesitation in thinking this is best for both countries. I personally believe the fear of terrorist going into countries through immigration is Trump's fault. I believe this because Trump is always talking about building a wall between the U.S. and Mexico. So it looks like India is following the U.S.'s footsteps.

Netanyahu and Putin will meet for the first time since a Russian jet was shot down

This is a big step in terms of the relationship between Russia and Israel. I think it signifies that Putin is ready to mend some of the uneasiness between Russia and Israel, and it would be interesting to see how this will affect Syria. It will also be interesting to see how the United states will react to this decision, and how Donald Trump will feel about Russia beginning to make amends with Israel.
 Sho Kawajiri

Brexit: Japan 'would welcome' UK to TPP

Brexit: Japan 'would welcome' UK to TPP says Abe.

With the recent notion to remove itself from the EU completely, the UK has now linked arms with Japan in joining with the Trans Pacific Partnership trade deal. The UK is to be removed entirely from the EU until the spring of 2019. However, the question raises if the UK will actually be admitted into the TPP. Trump removed the US from the agreement soon after becoming president. So, the question I think that stands is how will all these countries cooperate and align with the UK making a huge decision in politics towards their international system. I am interested in seeing how the trade agreements play out and which countries decide to align with the UK or those that shy against the UK.

-megan jensen

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-45780889

Scottish Party to Support Another Brexit Vote

The Scottish National Party, the third largest party in the United Kingdom, has decided that they would "undoubtedly support" another referendum on Brexit. This is a continuation of the out pour of support for another vote on the controversial decision the U.K. made to leave the European Union just a few years back. However, this news is not unexpected, as Scotland's first minister Nicola Sturgeon reminded viewers on BBC that "Scotland had voted overwhelmingly to remain in the EU." Although unsurprising, it stacks on top of the thousands who call against the exit, bringing a thundering cloud of tension with it to see what the United Kingdom will do. Internationally, all eyes are on Britain to see whether or not there will be a second referendum on the matter.


Article

Dan Kowalczyk

US and Canada's Relation Frayed

While NAFTA was signed by the US, and many found relief in knowing that Trump's threats to ruin Canada's economy was not going to happen, the future relations between Canada and the US will not be the same. Many are saying that because Trump had inssulted the Prime Minister, the country, and even the chief negotiator. This interaction is being said to have left a large scar on the Canadian's psyche. It will be hard to recover the damage of a relationship that is being compared to kinship. The dynamics between the two countries have shifted towards being compared to brotherhood to Canada being called a "security threat".While it is not the first time that presidents and prime ministers don't get along but what makes this incident different is how public it was.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/03/world/canada/trudeau-trump-nafta.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FInternational%20Relations&action=click&contentCollection=timestopics&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=10&pgtype=collection

Chloe Ma

Jared Wojcik

Haiti was hit by another earthquake measured as a magnitude 5.9. This natural disaster comes after the devastating earthquake in 2010 that killed 220000 people and hurricane Matthew in 2016 that killed 336 people. Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere leaving other countries the opportunity to help Haiti as it recovers from another natural disaster.

https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/07/americas/haiti-earthquake/index.html 

Jack Drover

Mexico: President-Elect Andrés Manuel López Obrador To Eliminate Fracking  

https://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Mexico-President-Elect-AMLO-To-Eliminate-Fracking-20181006-0034.html 

Mexico Elected a populist presidential candidate in 2018, with the promise of economic growth to fight against poverty and income inequality in mexico. This president-Elect said he will ban fracking under his term. This could cause Mexico's Relations with the United States to become less Favorable as many USA companies make profit off of fracking in Mexico. Fracking is known to cause significant pollution in water, which is extremely harmful to local communities. 

Brazil election: Far-right Jair Bolsonaro wins first round

Brazil is in the middle of electing a new president. On October 8th, Brazilians went to the ballots to place their vote for their next president. Some Brazilians are claiming that they are voting for the candidate they believe is the 'least worst' because they do not want to see the Worker's Party to take control or they do not want a far-right candidate in power, creating a lot of tension. Since Brazil's voting system is a run-off, a candidate must receive 50% of the vote to win. If 50% is not meet, then the two with the highest vote will go on to a second round (which will take place October 28th). The two candidates that will go on to the second round of voting is Jair Bolsonaro, who got 46% of the votes during the first round, and Fernando Haddad, who received 26% of the votes.

Link: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-45780176

Abby Widd

Pressure on Saudis after disappearance of dissident in Istanbul

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/oct/07/saudi-dissident-murder-claim-international-inquiry-jamal-khashoggi


Recently a high profile Dissenter of the Saudi Arabian government has gone missing in Istanbul, and Turkish investigators are claiming he was murdered by Hit squad working for the Saudi government. These accusations are based on security camera footage of Jamal Khashoggi, the Washington Post writer in question, entering the Saudi Consulate building in Istanbul and never leaving; along with accounts from Turkish informants within the building. Turkish President Erdogan was, "saddened" by Khashoggi's disappearance, since the investigation has not yet concluded Erdogan has yet to take any action towards Saudia Arabia, seemingly to hold off on escalating the situation into a bigger international incident. On the other side, the Saudi government has flatly denied any involvement in the disappearance. If it turns out the Saudi government is responsible for this, this could have lasting effects on the Saudi-Turkey relationship and Saudi Arabia's relationship with the International community at large.

Sam Troy

Weak Voter Turnout Voids Romania Gay Marriage Referendum

In an article published by Associated Press this past Sunday it was stated that a Romanian referendum aimed to change the definition of family to make marriage a union between a men and women instead of "spouses" was invalidated due to low voter turnout. According to AP, it is required in Romania that at least 30 percent of eligible voters were needed to make the result of the referendum stand, but only 20.41 percent of the voting population actually participated. LGBTQIA rights group Accept stated that low turnout was a result of the people of Romania wanting their country to based upon democratic values. AP stated that marriage statutes already prohibit same-sex in Romania, but the Coalition for Family argued that is wanted to eliminate any ambiguity to the constitution. It is stated also the Romanian Orthodox Church backed the amendment and was disappointed by the low voter turnout. An interesting fact the article stated was that in one village only 62 people voted out of the total 1,147 in the voting population of that village.

Anthony Hernandez

https://a.msn.com/r/2/BBO2ZNe?m=en-us&referrerID=InAppShare

Several Men Arrested in Germany on Suspicion of Plotting Far Right Terror Attack

Seven Men Have Been Arrested In Germany On Suspicion Of Plotting A Far-Right Terror Attack

Posted on October 1, 2018, at 9:36 a.m. ET

German authorities arrested six men Monday suspected of planning a far-right terrorist attack.

The men, all German citizens aged between 20 and 30, allegedly belong to a group called "Revolution Chemnitz" and were trying to obtain automatic weapons for an attack targeting foreigners.

"For that purpose, they are believed to have intended violent assaults and attacks with weapons against foreigners as well as political opponents," a statement from Germany's federal prosecutor's office said.

A seventh man, named only as 31-year-old Christian K., is already in custody having been arrested earlier in September. He is suspected of being the ringleader of the group.

Investigators said the seven men all belonged to the "hooligan, skinhead and neo-Nazi scene in the Chemnitz area."

Link:https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/lesterfeder/chemnitz-far-right-terror-arrests

Piper Jones

Trump tries to cut China out of trade deals with partners

Donald Trump revamped NAFTA is telling Canada and Mexico not to trade with China.  This is a problem for Canada because they felt like it was a "loss of sovereignty in Ottawa." A unanimous white house official said that this type of talks is going to be very common in terms of dealing with China and trading with them.  One white house official compared it to the George Bush "you're either with us or against us" during the Iraq war.

This blog was written by Connor Hazzard

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/trump-tries-to-cut-china-out-of-trade-deals-with-partners/ar-BBO4vlD?li=BBnbfcL

North Korea Agrees to Allow Inspectors Into Nuclear Testing Site, Pompeo Says

This article is about the relationship among the United States, North Korea, and South Korea. The Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo goes into detail about his meetings with Mr. Kim and Mr. Moon of North Korea and South Korea, respectively. He discusses his meetings with both leaders in the article, stating that the meetings were really great and a step in the right direction. He notes that it will still be a very long, drawn out process when it comes to the total denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. He believes that it can be done, however, there are many steps that need to be taken in order for it to actually happen. The biggest thing that came out of these meetings was that Mr. Kim agreed to allow inspectors into the nuclear testing site. He is doing this because he wants others to actually believe him that he says that he wants to get rid of the nuclear weapons. I believe that the United States and Korean relationship has grown stronger in the past few years, but I am still a little leery on believing that Kim Jong Un has completely gotten rid of his nuclear weapons. I believe that we are definitely making progress, but I know that North Korea has a history of promises being broken later on. Therefore, I am still excited to see what comes of these inspections, and I'm hoping the results are ones we want to hear.

By Jake Rogers

Source below:
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/07/world/asia/pompeo-north-korea-visit.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FInternational%20Relations&action=click&contentCollection=timestopics&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=4&pgtype=collection

Romania marriage poll: Referendum on definition fails

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-45779107

The Romanian government created a referendum for its citizens to vote on, in attempt to establish a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. To be more specific, the referendum was  made to change the definition of marriage to be “between one woman and one man”. However, only 20.4% of eligible voters turned out, when the referendum needed at least 30% voter participation. Because of the low turnout, the referendum failed. Unfortunately, that does not mean that Romanian citizens advocate for gay marriage, being that a poll conducted on the support for the change was as high as 90%. As of right now, Romania does not recognize gay marriage or civil unions. While it is still good that the referendum failed, those in the LGBT community continue to lack equality within their nation.

 

By: Liz Metcalf

 

Cameroon on Brink of Civil War as English Speakers Recount ‘Unbearable’ Horrors

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/06/world/africa/cameroon-election-biya-ambazonia.html

Article by: Dionne Searcey

The article argues Cameroon, whilst trying to deal with the aftermath of colonization, has been forced to the brink of a civil war. A separatist movement known as the "Amba boys" are fighting against the elite military force trained by American and Israel. The elite force has been accused of committing numerous human rights violations, not limited to to burning down villages and shooting civilians indiscriminately. In the midst of the fighting the country is also trying to hold an election. Paul Biya, who is running uncontested, has been in office for more than 30 years. The separatist movement is opposed to Biya remaining in office for another 7 years , and are doing what they can to further disrupt the election process. The Amba boys believe Mr Briya favors the Francophone areas while people in Anglophone regions are left without paved roads or other infrastructure. In addition, Mr Briya allegedly uses the elite military force to use violence on protestors. The fighting has severely impacted the civilians, resulting in schools remaining closed for more than 2 years and forcing more than 90 percent of the population to flee. Cameroon is a nation incredibly important to the United States as a nation that fights against Islamist extremism in the region, mainly Boko Haram.

Jennie Fry

Russian Arms deal with India comes while U.S. military changes priorities

Russian Arms deal

by Barbara Starr



Earlier today, Russian President Vladimir Putin's made a new $5 billion weapons deal with India, who is a key American ally, to sell an advanced S-400 air defense system. This is just the latest open challenge by Russia to the U.S. defense dominance. This took place while the U.S. changes is military priorities. The S-400 is one of Russia's air defense systems, which it is also trying to sell to Turkey, who is another key U.S. ally. The S-400 underscores the type of worry U.S. commanders have. In the field, it functions with a virtual umbrella of radars and missiles that can limit the ability of the US military to operate freely and without restrictions in combat.

The link is attached if you would like to see the article, thank you.

https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/07/politics/pentagon-russia-india-arms-sales/index.html


Blog by Brandon Torrence

Venezuela forms Migration Force as thousands continue fleeing

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/10/venezuela-forms-migration-force-thousands-continue-fleeing-181006065251002.html

Venezuela, a country that used to be prominent and one of the wealthiest countries in Latin America until 2014, when its oil prices dropped and worsened with Nicolas Maduro’s fiscal mismanagement. The Venezuelan government has announced the creation of a new police force to strengthen border controls as thousands of people continue to flee the country's political and economic crises. This new Migration Force will start taking control of Venezuela's 72 official entry and exit points as soon as possible, and would reinforce the existing controls in ports, airports and border crossings. According to the United Nations, more than a million Venezuelans have fled the country since 2015, with Colombia being one of the most popular destinations among Brazil, Peru, Ecuador and several other American countries. Maduro blames the situation on an "economic war" being waged against Venezuela by the US and other foreign powers. Nonetheless, in September, it was revealed that officials from the Trump administration held secret meetings with Venezuelan military officers to discuss plans to overthrow Maduro.

By Isabel G. Torres

"Osaka, Japan, Ends Ties With San Francisco..." Isa Chudzik

https://www.npr.org/2018/10/04/654474739/osaka-ends-ties-with-san-francisco-in-protest-of-comfort-women-statue
Isa Chudzik

In this article Sasha Ingber explains why Osaka , Japan is cutting its relationship with its "sister city", San Francisco. In 2017 San Francisco debuted a statue called "The column of strength", meant to honor the women who were forced to become "comfort women" (sexual slaves) by the Japanese Imperialist Army during WW2. Osaka and Japan in general have a problem with this for a few reasons. They feel that the monument will further divide other Asian-American communities against the Japanese-American community, that the monuments misrepresents this event in history, and most troubling there are officials in the Japanese government who still believe the women volunteered to work at the brothels. Japan has always had a strained relationship with this part of its history. It was not until 1993 that the government officially acknowledged and apologized for its wrongdoings.

Tsukiji: Japan's famed fish market to relocate

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-45755348

Melissa Vandermark

Due to the 2020 Olympics, Japan is undergoing mass redevelopment which means even famed tourist attractions such as the Tsukiji fish market are being forced by the government to relocate. Tsukiji has been in operation for 83 years and is famed for its array of fresh seafood. Many famous chefs from big name restaurants and curious tourists love Tsukiji. It also promotes a sense of community between the sellers and provides many people's livelihoods. The reaction to the relocation has been tragic to say the least.