Here at Home
For us Bostonians, this week has certainly been one rocked with tragedy and terror. The marathon bombings occurred on Monday, April 15th near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. Patriot’s day, a Massachusetts holiday, is meant to symbolize our reverence for the founders of the U.S., and our thanks for this great nation. Instead, the day was one filled with horror as hundreds were injured and three were killed at the hands of two brothers, Tarmerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev (a student at UMass Dartmouth), from the Chechnya region. When the FBI released the photos of the suspects (obtained by witnesses at the marathon) on Thursday, social media was abuzz promoting the capture of these individuals. In the early hours on Friday, the two brothers exchanged gunfire with police officers (after killing an MIT Police officer) in Watertown, ending in Tamerlan’s death and the manhunt for Dzhokhar. The entire city of Boston and some of its neighborhoods shut down for nearly the entire day to give law enforcement ample opportunity to catch Dzhokhar. At around 8:40 p.m. Friday evening, police apprehended the suspect, and he was transported to the hospital—marking the end of a very long and tragic week. Thank you to all of the first responders at the scene on Monday and all of the law enforcement officials who worked so hard to bring the city of Boston peace once again.
On Wednesday night, April 17th, a plant explosion in Waco, Texas killed fourteen people and injured approximately two hundred. The explosion was so immense that the U.S. Geological Survey registered it as a 2.1-magnitude earthquake. The explosion devastated many structures in the small town, making rescue efforts extremely challenging for first responders. The scene in Waco is completely heartbreaking, and although the cause of the explosion is still unknown, the town is working diligently to recover.
International
Iraq held its first election after the exit of U.S. troops, and was carried out largely free of violence. Although the security was extremely tight in Baghdad specifically (so much so that voters had to walk to the polls), there was still a good voter turnout. The results of the election will certainly have implications as to whether or not Iraq will follow their newly implemented democratic system without the infiltration of fraud. Although there was heightened violence in the weeks leading up to the election, the fact that people still turned out at the polls shows that Iraqis are certainly ready for change.
After a stalemate, Italian Lawmakers re-elected President Giorgio Napolitano in hopes that he will be able to turn the Euro zone’s third largest economy around. His re-election also symbolizes the potential for the main center-left and center-right parties to cooperate and negotiate the formation of a government.
On Saturday morning, a deadly earthquake rocked the Sichuan Province of China. The known death toll is about 157 with over 5,700 people injured. The preliminary magnitude of this earthquake was 7, with the area of Ya’an feeling most of the effects. Approximately 60,000 tents have been gathered and sent to the affected regions for those whose homes have been destroyed. The affected areas are also desperate for water and electricity; although rescuers have been deployed, the area is extremely hard to reach because of the immense geological devastation.
Sources:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/19/us/huge-blast-at-texas-fertilizer-plant.html?ref=us
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/21/world/asia/china-earthquake.html?ref=world&_r=0
http://photos.masslive.com/republican/2013/04/lizzie_lee_4.html