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 – Oct. 5-11, 2015

    What+You+Missed+-+Oct.+5-11%2C+2015

    These are the stories that you should at least know happened.

    It is way too easy today to be overwhelmed by the sheer volume of news story, thanks to the internet and 24-hour news cycles.

    So, just for you, these are the stories that broke in the past week that you need to know.

    [toggle title=”Hurrican Joaquin wreaks havoc in South Carolina” state=”close”]

    South Carolina was hit particularly hard by the category four hurricane bringing rains “not seen in a thousand years”, Gov. Nikki Haley (R) said. She also claimed that 13 dams across the state failed, compounding the flooding.

    The damage “… will probably be in the billions of dollars, and we’re going to have to work to rebuild. Some people’s’ lives as they know them will never be the same,” Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin said.

    “We have lost everything. What I got on my body is what we have,” Columbia resident Angela Williams told CNN. “Pretty much everybody down that hill there has lost everything … our vehicles, our clothes, everything.”

    Hurricane Joaquin formed in Caribbean in late September. The National Hurricane Center gave it hurricane status on Sept. 30. It battered the Bahamas first, and then swung northeast to hit the Carolinas before moving to Bermuda.

    The peak wind speed was reported to be 155 miles per hour, almost reaching Category Five status, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm combined with a non-tropical low to create the record-breaking rains, according to the Washington Post.

    While the storm was raging in the Bahamas, a cargo ship from Florida bound for Puerto Rico sailed directly into the storm. The El Faro and all 33 crew members went missing. According to the Coast Guard, the ship sank and the search for survivors ended Wednesday, a week since it went missing.

    [/toggle]

    [toggle title=”US blasted after bombing Doctors Without Borders hospital in Afghanistan” state=”close”]

    On Saturday, the United States military conducted an airstrike on a hospital run by the nonprofit Doctors Without Borders in the besieged city of Kunduz, killing over 20 people, according to the BBC.

    The city of Kunduz has been a hotspot in the Afghan War ever since Taliban fighters seized it from Afghan government forces last week. According to the BBC, the United States has been pivotal in assisting the Afghans in retaking the city, providing air and logistical support.

    The hospital had been treating wounded throughout the battle, and had placed out coordinates of where they were located, according to the Guardian. It also stated that once Doctors Without Borders reached out to Afghan and American officials, bombing continued for another half an hour.

    The hospital was occupied by over 80 Doctors Without Borders staff, and 100 patients, as well as local carers, according to the Guardian.

    Since the strike, President Obama has apologized to Doctors Without Borders, but the organization says that apologies aren’t enough, calling for war crimes investigations by an independent humanitarian commission created by the Geneva Convention, according to Reuters.

    Reuters also reported that of the 22 killed, 12 were Doctors Without Borders staff, and that if the request for an investigation by the Geneva Convention goes through, it would be the first time the commission is activated.

    [/toggle]

    [toggle title=”Russian forces ramp up Syrian intervention” state=”close”]

    This week Russian military forces present in Syria have increased their roll and intervening in the Syrian civil war, according to the BBC.

    In the Caspian Sea Russian naval forces fired cruise missiles into Syria to pound anti-Assad rebels and Isis forces.

    This comes about amid criticism from NATO setting that Russian intervention is aimed mainly at anti-Assad rebels and not ISIS which President Vladimir Putin has stated is the objective of Russian intervention, according to CNN.

    The Syrian civil war, which has been raging for four and a half years, has claimed over 320,000 lives according to an June 2015 estimate by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

    The Russian military has also told combination forces to stay out of the airspace in which they are operating in, as well as reportedly violating Turkish airspace, according to the BBC.

    President Obama has stated that he is willing to work with Russia to end the civil war in Syria, but only when they drop their support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, according to the Department of Defense.

    [/toggle]

    [toggle title=”Kevin McCarthy withdraws from House speaker race” state=”close”]

    The apparent front runner in the race to succeed Speaker John Boehner, California representative Kevin McCarthy, withdrew from the race Thursday.

    McCarthy stated that he was not able to and unite a divided Republican Party in the House of Representatives.

    This came right before a vote that was expected to name McCarthy as the official Republican nominee for Speaker of the House of Representatives, according to the New York Times.

    Speaker Boehner, who had only learned of the news minutes before McCarthy announced it, declared the Thursday vote postponed.

    According to CNN, Wisconsin work representative and chairman of the Ways and Means Committee Paul Ryan has stated that he is interested in running for the speaker race.

    He has not officially declared his candidacy, however.

    Tea Party Republicans have supported Florida representative Daniel Webster, who earned the endorsement of the House Freedom Caucus Wednesday.

    While Webster has given no specifics as to what he would do as Speaker of the House he has stated that he would delegate power as speaker, according to CNN.

    [/toggle]

    [toggle title=”Trans-Pacific Partnership deal reached” state=”close”]

    The Trans-Pacific Partnership, a free trade agreement between the United States and various South American and Asian and Oceanic nations, has been signed Wednesday amid controversy and secrecy, according to the BBC.

    The Partnership, known as TTP, includes 12 nations encompassing about 40% of world trade, according to the BBC. Talks have been going on for five years.

    Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton (D-NY) made headlines in declaring her opposition to the deal, breaking from President Obama, according to the Guardian.

    Clinton is joined in her opposition to the deal by the Independent Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, who are both also running for the Democratic nomination for President. Republican candidate Donald Trump took to Twitter Monday to call the TPP “a terrible deal”.

    The deal includes nations such as Thailand, Chile, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Peru and Singapore. China, the largest market in Asia, was not included in negotiations, giving critics like Clinton and Trump ammo that the deal is to keep China at bay in the global market.

    President Obama relied primarily on Republican support in Congress to pass fast-track legislation, allowing for expedited negotiations with partner nations this past June. However, the President faces fierce opposition in a Presidential race that has seen populist anti-trade rhetoric make headlines.

    [/toggle]

     

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