BY VICTORIA WANG '20
The government of Saudi Arabia lifted its driving ban on women after a royal decree on Tuesday, Sept. 27. The act was first publicized on Sept. 26 at the United Nations by Saudi Arabia’s permanent representative, and it was soon followed by an official announcement from the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman onthe Saudi Foreign Ministry official Twitter account. The decree becomes effective on June 24, 2018.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.”
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.
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.
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.
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.
