Second severe earthquake hits Mexico in September
BY VICTORIA WANG ’20
A 7.1 magnitude earthquake hit Mexico City, causing massive damage on Tuesday, Sept. 19. The quake’s epicenter was Puebla, a town about 100 miles south-east of the capital. According to BBC, the death toll has already mounted to 273 people. Mexican civil protection authorities told BBC that at least 38 buildings have collapsed in Mexico City. Among the ruins was primary school Enrique Rébsamen. Officials say 11 children were rescued, but 19 children and 6 adults died, as reported by the BBC.
MSA creates community with annual Eid Festival
Centre-right wing prime minister Erna Solberg re-elected
BY SARAH LOFSTROM ’19
Norway’s Erna Solberg, of the centre-right conservative Party, was re-elected as prime minister on Monday, Sept. 11. According to Al Jazeera, Solberg’s platform rested largely on her anti-immigration policy, proposed continued oil drilling in the Arctic and retaining close ties with the EU, of which Norway is not a part. Solberg and her primary coalition partner, the Progress Party, will control 89 of the 169 seat Parliament house. Her re-election is historically significant because Solberg is now the first centre-right Prime Minister to be re-elected in 30 years, as reported by BBC.
Conflict escalates between Rohingyans and Myanmar
BY BRONTE BRECHT ’19
Conflicts between the Myanmar state military and Rohingya groups have escalated this year after Rohingya militants attacked army and police outposts. Reaction from the Myanmar military has been swift and deadly, sparking massive systematic acts of violence against the Rohingya as a group. The New York Times defines the Rohingya as “a Muslim ethnic group that practices a form of Sunni Islam and have lived in Rakhine, one of Myanmar’s poorest states, for generations.” Myanmar is a predominantly Buddhist country with a population of over 52 million people. The Rohingya population in Myanmar is estimated at 1.1 million.
Mock political party in Germany combats alt-right party
Hurricane Irma batters the Carribbean before reaching Florida
BY GABBY RAYMOND ’20
Hurricane Irma devastated the Caribbean Islands starting Wednesday, Sept. 6. Antigua, St. Martin, Anguilla, Puerto Rico, Barbuda and the Virgin Islands were the first hit, receiving the full force of the storm. The islands have all sustained major structural damage as well as power outages.
Macron and Le Pen tie in first round of French presidential elections
BY GABBY RAYMOND ’20
On Sunday, April 23, France held its first round of presidential elections. There were 11 possible candidates. Because no candidate won over 50 percent of the vote, the top two candidates, Emmanuel Macron (24.01%) of the En Marche! party and Marine Le Pen (21.30%) of the National Front will advance to the next round of voting on May 7. Neither of these candidates are from the main political parties in France, the Union pour un Mouvement Populaire and the Parti Socialiste, according to The Guardian. Current French President Francois Hollande is a member of the Parti Socialiste.
International Student Organizing Committee hosts Global Fest
US drops largest non-nuclear bomb on Afghanistan
BY GABBY RAYMOND ’20
On Thursday, April 13, the United States Air Force dropped “the mother of all bombs” on the Achin district of Nangarhar, a province close to the Pakistani border of Afghanistan. The Massive Ordinance Air Blast bomb was used to specifically target a channel of tunnels that ISIS members had been supposedly using to cross in and out of Pakistan. According to the Guardian, the U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command argued that wiping out the tunnels reduced the number of improvised explosive devices that could possibly be used against U.S. troops. Furthermore, it would also damage the ISIS offshoot that is allegedly responsible for recent terrorist attacks in the area. Gen. John W. Nicholson Jr., commander of American and NATO forces in Afghanistan said in a press conference in Kabul that “it was the right time to use it tactically against the right target on the battlefield, and it has enabled us to resume our offensive operations.”
Chechen gov’t imprisons and tortures gay men
Five College African Studies Council hosts film festival
BY GABBY RAYMOND '20
From Wednesday April 5 to Saturday, April 8, the Five College African Studies Council hosted the African Cinema Symposium and Festival. Four films, “The Revolution Won’t be Televised,” “The Colonial Misunderstanding,” “Indochina: Traces of a Mother,” and “Viva Riva!” were shown for the festival.
Brazil rules work stoppages by public security officers unconstitutional
U.K. officially begins process of leaving the EU
KASA hosts second annual Korea Night
BY GABBY RAYMOND '20
On Saturday, April 1, the Korean American Sisters Association hosted their second annual Korea Night, catered by local Korean restaurant Cana. The 2 hour show included a mix of traditional and modern arts performances depicting the many aspects of Korean culture. Chloe Lopez-Lee ’18, the secretary of KASA, said, “We don’t have a specific theme for the show — we wanted it to be comprehensive and allow the members of our organization to showcase our culture.
Russian and Eurasian Studies department hosts annual Blini Bash
BY SARAH LOFSTROM '19
On Friday, March 25, the Russian and Eurasian Studies department coordinated with the Russian Club to host their annual Blini Bash celebrating the end of winter. The event is referred to in Russia as the Spring Carnival or Maslenitsa. It features the pan-frying and eating of blini, Russian pancakes, before ceremonially burning an effigy of the witch of winter.
Sunken South Korean Ferry raised and reinvestigated
BY EMMA RUBIN '20
On March 23, the South Korean Government initiated the process of raising the MV Sewol, a sunken South Korean ferry. The 6,800 ton ship was en route to Jeju from Incheon, carrying primarily high school students on a field trip when it capsized in April 2014, killing over 300 passengers, according to NPR.
London experiences attempted attack on British Parliament
Chilean author Pia Barros addresses MHC community
Mount Holyoke Arab Association hosts “Bringing Yemen to the Table”
BY EMMA RUBIN '20
On Wednesday, March 1, the Mount Holyoke Arab Association hosted Bring- ing Yemen to the Table, an event seeking to inform community members about the current situation in Yemen in light of the ongoing civil war and President Trump’s previous executive order banning Ye- meni travellers from entering the United States.