50 killed at mosques in New Zealand

@zahraalbad on Twitter

50 people were killed at prayer during two attacks on mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. The shootings started with the Al Noor Mosque, where most of the victims were killed and injured, at 1:40 pm, and continued at the Linwood Islamic Centre. A 28-year-old Australian man, Brenton Tarrant, described as a white supremacist and member of the alt-right, was arrested by police and charged with the murders of the victims. The New Zealand Prime Minister and her cabinet have decided on changing the country's gun control laws. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern stated that the cabinet was "absolutely united" in its decision and that the shooting was "worst act of terrorism on our shores."
Memorials have been placed all over Christchurch and the world to mourn the victims.


Indian newlyweds came to Christchurch with a dream. On Friday, that dream dieds
Shooting survivor posts to social media from hospital bed
Live New Update on Mosque shootings in New Zealand, CNN

1. How do you think New Zealand and other countries should deal with lax gun laws and gun violence?
2. What do you think of the attacks?
3. What can be done to prevent mass shootings, like this one, from occurring?

Deadly car explosion kills 11 people

A car bomb exploded on Thursday in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, killing 11 people and wounding 16 others. No one claimed responsibility for the bombing, but it is believed, Al Qaeda did it because they have targeted that area before. On Saturday Shabab gunmen stormed a government building in Mogadishu after a suicide car bombing and ensued a gunfight, which ended with 15 people dead. On Tuesday a bomb was planted on a private luxury car exploded in Mogadishu's Hodan district killing the driver and injuring a nearby pedestrian.


1. Who do you think did the bombing?
2. Do you think the injured from the car bomb are going to die?

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/28/world/africa/mogadishu-explosion.html

'A third of Africans' want to migrate

More than one in three Africans have thought about emigrating. People want to migrate because they want to look for work, they want to escape poverty and because they want to escape from economic hardships. Europe and North America are not one of the most popular destinations. Instead, they want to migrate within Africa. The people that are most likely to leave are young adults and highly educated citizens. Some of the countries where more than half of the people are considering to move to "at least for a little bit" are Cape Verde, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, Togo, and São Tomé and Príncipe. Some barriers people face while moving and crossing country borders are that in recent years countries in Africa (like Namibia, Mauritius, Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, and Benin) have loosened travel restrictions for other African nationals, and now they either ask for a visa on arrival or use their passport with the condition that they can only visit for up to 90 days. Some citizens still need a visa to travel to more than half of the 54 countries in Africa, as they are protecting their borders drawn up by European colonizers more than a century ago.
More Info

1. Do you think it's a good idea for Africans to migrate? Why?
2. Should Africans migrate within Africa or should they go abroad?
3. Is it a good idea for young adults and highly educated citizens to migrate? Why?

Mueller investigation of Trump-Russian collusion ends, revealing nothing

Attorney General William Barr released the main points of Robert Mueller's investigation in a four page letter to Capitol Hill lawmakers. In the report, it stated that Mueller found no evidence that President Trump's team or associates of his campaign worked together with Russian-related people, despite multiple offers from them. Although Robert Mueller has explicitly stated that the report does not exonerate Trump of any crimes, Trump told reporters that it was the "most ridiculous thing I've ever heard." The letter has recommended no further indictments against Trump or any of his team.

Discussion Questions:

1. Should further investigations continue?

2. Do you believe President Trump is guilty? Why or why not?

3. How will this impact the upcoming 2020 election?

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/barr-releases-letter-summarizing-muellers-key-findings-after-long-running-russia-probe

Trump warns storm-ravaged Puerto Rico that aid won't last 'forever'

Trump questions why Puerto Rico has more aid than states in the U.S. from weather.

Puerto Rico receiving aid from military men of the U.S.  

President Trump complained in a private lunch on Tuesday with the Senate Republicans about how Puerto Rico has received too much aid. The aid for Puerto Rico has been a fixation for Trump. He has also stated that he would not support anymore of the aid of food and stamp funds. Senator Lindsey Graham described Trump talking as if he had a "new cleanse on life." 

Trump then noted to the GOP senators that Texas was awarded $29 billion in aid and South Carolina got $1.5 billion to recover from their storm and hurricane weather. Then he questioned why Puerto Rico was getting $91 billion of aid. One of the Congressional officials said that its difficult to quantify exactly how much aid the island has received to recover from Hurricane Maria because of the way money is disbursed. 

Source: New York Times

Questions:
1. Do you believe that Puerto Rico is receiving too much aid and why?
2. Why do you think Puerto Rico is getting more aid than the state in the U.S?
3. Do you think Trump's jealousy will impact anything?

  

Happy Sweet Sixteen! Would you like to vote?

It was reported a few weeks ago by Rep. Ayanna Pressley that the age of voting should be lowered from 18 to 16. She states that maturity is out of the spectrum, and that at the "Beginning at the age of sixteen, young people are contributing to both the labor force and their local economies by paying income taxes, and yet are deprived of the opportunity to exercise their right to vote". Now, more and more political teams are promoting the lowering of the age to vote. This is not the first time a lawmaker has proposed to lower the voting age,  on March 7, 1970, Sen. Ted Kennedy did the same; in proposing the voting age to drop from 21 to 18, saying that it was unfathomable that young adults were drafted for war but could not vote. Oregon has already gone into the second phase of lowering the age, as legislators propose an amendment to the Oregon constitution; this is inspiring and promoting other states to do the same, and to further develop the idea for younger voters. With the 2020 election arising beyond the horizon, this could very well tips the scales on future voting.


1. What are your opinions on lowering the age to vote?
2. Would you want to vote?
3. Do you believe that paying taxes, and driving cars signifies that your mature enough to vote?
4. How much of an impact will young adults make to elections?

Info here
More info here 

Assault rifles to be banned in New Zealand in aftermath of massacre, Prime Minister announces

All military-style and semi-automatic weapons, assault rifles and high-capacity magazines will be banned in New Zealand following the mass shootings that had killed 50 people. An estimated 1.2 million guns are in circulation in the country; approximately 1 for every 3 people. Many people who had legally owned firearms will no longer be able to own them, due to them being classified as "military-style" weapons.

Similar measures have been taken in Australia including some exceptions from farmers, since guns have a real purpose for many farming communities, such as duck hunting. Last year, over 57,000 weapons were handed in, including a rocket launcher and a WWII machine gun. As a result of this, mass shootings have dropped to 0, and gun suicides and homicides have dropped significantly.

1. Do you think they were too harsh with the gun control? Could they have been more harsh?

2. Do you think it's okay for farmers to possess guns for hunting purposes?

3. Would confiscating all of these guns in New Zealand fix the mass shootings, as they did in Australia?

https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/20/asia/new-zealand-christchurch-gun-ban-intl/index.html

Mozambique Decimated By Cyclone Idai

On Thursday, March 14, 2019, a cyclone named Cyclone Idai hit Mozambique.
It destroyed over 50 kilometers of land in Southern Africa, including parts of
Mozambique, Malawi, and Zimbabwe. In many places, you can’t even see the
tops of houses or trees. Cyclone Idai has caused hundreds of thousands of
people to become stranded and left a potential of hundreds of people dead.
The focal point of the hit was a city in Mozambique called Beira, the fourth
biggest city in the country, 90% of which was destroyed. The United Arab
Emirates and The European Union are sending a combined emergency aid
of $8.97 million dollars to Mozambique, Malawi, and Zimbabwe.

1. What should the world do to help assist?
2. How were the surrounding countries affected?
3. Do you think the people who are affected will be able to recover fully and rebuild?

https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/19/africa/cyclone-idai-mozambique-zimbabwe-intl/index.html

FAA Grounds All Boeing 737 Max Planes In The U.S.

On March 13, 2019 Ethiopian Airlines flight 302 that involved Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft crashed and killed all 157 passengers on board. Also last October another Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft crashed killing 189 people. Now the Federal Aviation Administration is grounding Boeing 737 Max 8 aircrafts operated by U.S. airlines or in U.S. territory. This decision was made based off of data collected from the crash site. The grounding of the plane has affected South West which uses 34 of the 371 Boeing 737 Max 8 air crafts. Other countries have also grounded the Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft such as, Germany and China. No one has yet discovered the causes of these crashes.

More Information

1) Do you believe all the planes should be grounded?
2) Do you believe there is something wrong with the planes?

US refuses to ground Boeing 737 Max crash air force

US refuses to ground Boeing 737 Max crash air force

On Sunday killing 157 people the Ethiopian Airline Plane crashed. The 737 Max has been banned from many countries because of all the crashes it has created. Many senators of the US believe that this plane should be banned until it is tested to be safe for all human uses.  The FAA will soon be researching what is going on with these planes and what is causing these tragic crashes. It was also found out that pilots too were having trouble controlling these planes.

Do you think that it was smart of the US to ban this plane? Why/Why not?

Should the FAA take these planes completely away?

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-47548083

500 killed in Congo attack being investigated as a crime against humanity

Article link
At least 500 were killed in the attack. families were burned alive in their homes and sadly to say a 2 year old was thrown into a dangerous tank. They say it was all planned and that the violence broke out when a community wanted to bury him in another community and that's when all hell broke loose. The bodies are thrown into the Congo river. The violence broke down around December 16 through 18. Members of the Batende community attacked some villages and they say it was with "extreme violence and speed and didn't let no one escape".  A month later the UN reported to say 890 people died in all of the attack.


1) If you were the mother of the child who was thrown in the tank how would you of react?

2) When did the attacks occur ?

3) How are the remaining survivors going to recover from all this ?

a mass grave in the Bonogende is thought to contain 100 bodies 

Policewoman killed by colleague ‘playing’ with gun

A police officer in Paris died after being shot in  the head by a colleague. Police union leader Christophe Crepin called it “a tragedy due to a mistake in handling a loaded firearm.” According to Le Parisien, a French newspaper, both police officers were "playing at drawing their weapons." She was shot while guarding a building with two other officers present. The suspect has been suspended and taken into custody. There has also been an involuntary homicide investigation on the situation.

1. What do you think should happen to the suspect?
2.  How could things like this be avoided?

Source:
https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/11/europe/france-police-officer-shot-scli-intl/index.html

Venezuela Poverty

Sarah Gonzalez


Since 2010 Venezuela has been suffering a socioeconomic crisis under Nicolas Maduro. President Maduro was elected since 20l0 and now in 2019 he is still the president of Venezuela. Maduro isn't the best president out there. Maduro was pressured to step down by nations and bodies including Lima Group, Mexico, the U.S and etc, but Maduro was also supported by Turkey, Russia, and China and also they attended his inauguration. Now Venezuela is suffering due to the low amount of items they have. Many people are dying due to this. Some women have lost their kids due to the country not having the right supplies for them. Also many people don't have nothing to eat and have to go through garbage's to get something to eat. The new president Nicolas Maduro was elected and took over for a while. Venezuela's president Maduro isn't doing much to help out the country. There are many protest that occur every day in Venezuela citizens do this so the president can help out somehow.


1.How can other countries manage to support Venezuela?

2.What do you think the President is investing on instead on helping the country?

National Emergency(THE WALL)!!!

Our president Donald Trump is still trying to build a wall on the southern border. Trump use of national emergency declaration has been announced that he wants to secure money so he can build his wall. After the majority of the House voting to see if the wall should be built (245 votes including 13 Republicans voted).The senate is now to have all our faith to see if the wall should be built. People aren't so worried about the wall but the main story is will Republicans break and help President Trump build the wall. If Donald Trump is unable to get the votes he will veto it but that has to go back to the congress for a both sides to over turn the veto.



Discussion Questions:
1) Do you think the republicans will break and help Trump build the wall?
2) Do you think they're right for trying to build the wall?Why?
3)What are your opinions on the wall?


Original Website:
https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/05/politics/national-emergency-border-wall-trump-senate/index.html

Controversy Against the Stephon Clark Shooting

As of March 2019, no charges are set against the two officers, Mercadal and Robinet, who shot and killed Stephon Clark in March 2018. On March 2018, Stephon was spotted on the street of his grandmother’s home breaking multiple car windows. Once confronted by the police, Stephon fled to his grandmother’s backyard to which he had resisted arrest. During this moment he had his cell phone in hand, to which officers mistook it for a firearm and shot him a total of 20 times, 10 each. After a year of reviewing the case, California general attorney Xavier Berecca came to a conclusion that the two officers will be declined of any charges. Although he relieved sympathy to the family, he stated they did everything “by the book” which angered friends and family, along with the community as a whole. This outrage led to protests and the arrest of 84 people including journalists and pastors.

 Discussion Questions:
1. Do you think the officers truly acted lawfully?
2. Do you agree with the general attorney’s decision?
3. How would you feel if you were his family?

Original Article:
https://apple.news/AAgWOtpAoTmWOHdGhbd2aTQ

Trump and Kim meet in Hanoi

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-47208489

     

   After revisiting North Korea's Kim Jong-un in Vietnam ,Trump is wanting Korea to get rid of their nuclear weapons. According to North Korea they are consistently saying they wont give up their weapons until they feel no more threat from the US and others. North Korea has not promised to give up their nuclear weapons. Trump and Kim have already signed the Singapore declaration saying they are committing to peace and denuclearizing. Trump had then agreed to "scale back" his ambitions as long as North Korea doesn't test any more of their missiles or nuclear bombs. A main reason why the world wants to get rid of North Korea's nuclear weapons are because nuclear weapons are known to be the most powerful weapons . The world had agreed to not have any new nuclear-capable states. North Korea had then broken that law by making their own nuclear arsenal. North Korea's fear was having their weapons used by anger or it being led into the wrong hands. North Korea is being considered a threat to the US and they have been said " [they] would not be afraid to use nuclear or conventional weapons if threatened." They have claimed that they have weapons and missiles that are strong enough to reach the US mainlands. Technically the US and North Korea are at war. The Korean war ended with them having a formal halt in fighting but the peace treaty was never signed. The US now has more than 23,000 military troops training with south Korean troops. An outcome to this, is having a form of peace declaration towards Kim and Kim is really looking forward to that. The reason they are meeting in Vietnam is because they both share political similarities and because they don't need to worry about protesters and journalists due to Vietnam not allowing demonstrations. North Korea is known to be one of the brutalest government in the world. They would be known to take control of people life's. According to Korea it has improved over the past couple of years, and it is now starting engaging diplomatically. Many wonder why North Korea has no lights on their map and that is because they don't have reliable supply of electricity. There power stations are known to be very old and they suffer from a shortage of fuel and spare parts. Many say its a good idea for the US to just attack North Korea but removing Kim can risk a huge instability in a Imparished country, which can than lead to a refugee crisis, which North Korea's neighbors (Japan,South Korea, and China) want to avoid. North Korea also has nuclear weapons and a vast standing army, and if attacked it would strike the US back fast. 

• What is the main reason Trump went to go visit Kim Jong-un in Vietnam?

• Why does North Korea have no light?