On Thursday, March 23rd, a former Russian lawmaker named Denis Voronenkov, was gunned down in Kiev, Ukraine. Mr. Voronenkov was known to be a fierce critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, and therefore his assassination is believed to be orchestrated by the Kremlin.
His opposition to the Russian President put him in considerable danger, a risk he was willing to take. Russia has a history of assassinating those against them, such as the death of Alexander Litvinenko in 2006. Both of their deaths have ties to the Russia’s government, although “Russian officials denied involvement in the slaying and accused Ukraine of being responsible for Voronenkov’s death to “provoke” the Kremlin” (LA times). This assumption is ridiculous, especially because the prime suspect behind the killing is the Kremlin. I think that the killing of Mr. Voronenkov is terrible. I believe that freedom of speech should be a universal human right, and that Mr. Voronenkov should not have been killed because he had different ideas. I also think that his death will create more conflicts between Russia and the Ukraine, which will have terrible effects on both countries. Source: http://www.latimes.com/world/la-fg-russian-lawmaker-shot-in-ukraine-20170323-story.html
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On Monday, March 20th, the UK notified the EU that it plans to invoke Article 50. This article will begin the official negotiations for Brexit between the UK and the European Union.
In June of 2016, the UK made decided to leave the EU, and so “Next Wednesday, the government will deliver on that decision and formally start the process by triggering Article 50," (David Davis, Brexit Secretary of the UK). The government is very excited for the deal that will work for all nation/region of the UK, as well as for all of Europe. They feel the UK will do much better if they leave the EU (European Union). However, many oppose the idea of Brexit, stating that it would be disastrous for the country. The European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker warned that “other member states will realize it’s not worth leaving the EU after they see the deal the UK gets” (CNN). Another person opposing the Brexit is Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who has demanded a second vote on Scottish independence. I think that Brexit is a very serious decision for the UK. It could have good and bad consequences. I also think that Scotland should be given a second vote on whether or not to leave the UK. Source: http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/20/europe/brexit-eu-juncker-uk/index.html When it was launched in 2008, Chandrayaan-1 made history as India’s first unmanned lunar spacecraft. However, it stopped responding to computers back on earth in 2009. It vanished then, and it has been drifting throughout space ever since, considered lost to the world. However, NASA has recently found it again, nearly a decade after its disappearance.
NASA was using a new ground radar to locate other spacecraft- and detected two, NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and the Indian Space Research Organization’s Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft. It was an impressive feat to detect India’s lost spacecraft, especially because the Chandrayaan-1 is less than half the size of a smart car. The new technology NASA used to detect the spacecraft is called an interplanetary radar, and has been used to see small asteroids several million miles away. It can also be used to find lost spacecraft. This technology has been deemed “crucial to future moon missions” (CNN), and will be very helpful in the future. I think it’s a good thing that this new technology was used to find the missing spacecraft. It cost India a lot of money to launch the Chandrayaan-1 into space, and it’s a good thing that it’s been recovered. Source: http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/10/health/nasa-chandrayaan-spacecraft-found/index.html In recent weeks, the number of civilians fleeing Mosul has reached nearly 60,000. This is due to Iraq’s military operation to retake the western part of the city, which was captured by ISIS in June 2014. The fighting began on February 19th, and is expected to last a long time because ISIS’ ranks in the city have grown by nearly 10,000 in the past two days.
The effects of the battle have already taken a toll on the citizens in Mosul. Last week, 12 residents were treated from what was thought to be a chemical attack. There have also been many civilians injured and killed by landmines. It’s no wonder that so many people are fleeing the city. Fortunately, the Iraqi government is providing refugee camps from those escaping Mosul. It can take “another 100,000 displaced persons from western Mosul at refugee camps” (Minister of Migration and Displacement Jassem Mohammad al-Jaff). I think it’s a good thing that Iraq is attempting to take back Mosul. Not only is it good for their country, but it would greatly weaken ISIS, because Mosul is the largest city in Iraq and Syria that’s under their control. I also believe that the Iraqi government is right to provide refuge for all of the citizens fleeing Mosul. Source: http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/05/middleeast/number-of-iraqis-fleeing-mosul-nears-60000/index.html |
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April 2017
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