Collegiettes, we know life gets busy, but it’s important in this day and age to stay informed. In case you haven’t had time, we’ve compiled a quick list of the five top news stories from this past week. Check them out below:
1. Earthquake hits Taiwan
A 6.4 magnitude earthquake hit Southern Taiwan on Friday, causing 59 deaths, 76 missing persons, and 327 survivors. All deaths occurred in the collapse of the 17 story high-rise Weigun Golden Dragon apartment building. Lin Ming-Hui, the former chairman of the company, and two associates were taken into custody on Tuesday. The building was completed in 1994, and the men are facing allegations of poor-quality, unregulated building practices, which investigators believe may have lead to the collapse.
2. Russia proposes ceasefire in Syria
Russia proposed ceasefire in Syria to start on March 1st, according to the International Syrian Support group meeting in Munich this past Thursday. Over 470,000 Syrian lives have been taken by conflict in the area, marking deaths of 11.5% of the Syrian population. The conflict has caused life expectancy in Syria to drop from 70 to 55 in the short span of 5 years. The U.S., however, does not agree that the ceasefire shall begin on March 1st. Instead, the U.S. supports that a ceasefire be enacted immediately, in fear of more conflict between the Syrian government and rebel groups.
3. Apparent gang war in Dublin
An apparent gang war in Dublin escalated when a gang of six armed men rushed a boxing weigh-in at Dublin’s Regency Hotel last Friday. Masked gunmen armed with two AK-47 rifles opened fire on the auditorium. Attending the weigh-in was Daniel Kinahan, son of Christy Kinahan, who is suspected to be the head of an international drug smuggling operation based in Spain’s Costa Del Sol. He is also considered to be Ireland’s leading crime boss. The attack is suspected to be lead by the Hutch family, who is best known for Gerry Hutch’s robberies. Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald claims that the government will “stand down this threat from these gangs, and the garda will have every resource that they need in order to have the kind of armed response that is necessary and the kind of saturation policing that we need to see.” However, it is unlikely that such attacks will be the last of the gang violence.
4. Syrian hospitals bombed
Hospitals in two Syrian towns were bombed on Monday. The bombings are said to be the work of Bashar al-Assad. Russia, however, recently denied an affiliation of targeting citizens in the recent aerial campaign. President Assad also announced on Monday in Damascus, “Regarding a ceasefire [and] a halt to operations – if it happened – it doesn’t mean that each party will stop using weapons.”
5. North Korea launches long-range missile
North Korea launched a long-range missile on Sunday, February 6th. This rocket is believed to be a program to develop intercontinental ballistic missile technologies. Many fear that this shows North Korea’s effort to further its research of submarine-launched nuclear missiles. North Korea has attempted to develop a system which could direct nuclear missiles at the United States. The United States Strategic Command released a statement that ensured they would “remain vigilant in the face of North Korean provocations and are fully committed to working closely with our Republic of Korea and Japanese allies to maintain security.” No further evidence has arisen in regards to the state of nuclear missiles.
*Sources: BBC, Time, Vice, CNN, NPR, The Guardian, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Forbes