The Student News Site of Malvern Preparatory School

Friar's Lantern

The Student News Site of Malvern Preparatory School

Friar's Lantern

The Student News Site of Malvern Preparatory School

Friar's Lantern

    What You Missed – Jan. 25-Feb. 1, 2016

    What+You+Missed+-+Jan.+25-Feb.+1%2C+2016

    The Iowa Caucuses are today, and while they dominate the news cycle, these are other stories that showed up on the radar this week.

    [toggle title=”Syrian opposition considering UN offer for talks” state=”close”]

    The main Syrian opposition will consider a UN proposal to move forward potential peace talks with embattled President Bashar al-Assad Sunday, a Western diplomat told Reuters.

    The ongoing Syrian Civil War has pitted Assad against American-backed rebels, as well as the Islamic State and Kurdish militias since 2011.

    The Higher Negotiation Committee, which is backed by Saudi Arabia, had threatened earlier Sunday to leave peace talks if certain demands were not met by Assad, such as the release of prisoners held by Assad.

    UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon welcomed the development, saying that the talks were long overdue, and that the parties must place the Syrian people “at the heart” of negotiations.

    [/toggle]

    [toggle title=”Triple bombing in Damascus kills 45″ state=”close”]

    The Islamic State claimed responsibility for three different bombings in the Syrian capital killed at least 45 and wounded 100 others Sunday.

    A car bomb detonated at a bus terminal, and the following two were detonated as first responders tried to respond to the scene.

    The bombs went off in the Sayeda Zeinab district, which houses one of the holiest shrines of Shia Islam.

    The Syrian Prime Minister, Wael al-Halqi denounced the attacks. “The aim of this cowardly and desperate terrorist attack is to raise the morale of the defeated terrorist groups following the great victories that our brave army has accomplished in several areas,” he said.

    [/toggle]

    [toggle title=”Anti-fascist and far-right groups clash in UK” state=”close”]

    Three people were arrested and several injured after a clash in Dover, the United Kingdom between anti-fascists and far-right protesters in Dover.

    There were reports of bricks being thrown by both sides and Nazi salutes by the far-right protesters.

    Anti-fascists traveled from across the UK to oppose the demonstrations by the far-right, and was joined by Diane Abbott, a Labour Party MP and Shadow Secretary of State for International Development.

    [/toggle]

    [toggle title=”Amtrak engineer: ‘dream-like’ memory before crash” state=”close”]

    Brandon Bastian, the engineer driving the Amtrak train that derailed near Philadelphia last year, has told investigators that he remembers a “dream-like” memory before the deadly crash, but not much else.

    The crash in May killed 8 of the 228 passengers, and wounded over 200. The train was reported to have been going over 106 miles an hour when it hit a curve in the Northeast Corridor and crashed.

    Bostian sustained a hit to the head that required stitches as well as injuries to his legs. He said the last thing he remembered clearly was leaving the North Philadelphia station.

    [/toggle]

    [toggle title=”No deal reached between UK, EU” state=”close”]

    David Cameron, the British Prime Minister, met with European Council President Donald Trusk on Sunday, but no deal was reached to renegotiate the UK’s membership in the European Union.

    The UK has been reevaluating its membership in the EU since 2015, when Cameron and the Conservative Party won a resounding general election campaigning on a vote on whether or not to stay in the EU.

    During the meeting, Cameron suggested placing a halt on tax credits for EU migrants until they had stayed in the UK for four years, in a bid to cut down on high immigration.

    Any deal reached between the European Council and the UK must be agreed by every government in the EU, giving Cameron little room for negotiation.

    [/toggle]

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