By Melanie Lust ’19

TRUMP TRIUMPHS IN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

After a harrowing night tallying electoral votes, news of Donald Trump’s victory shocked America and the world. Since then, riots and protests have broken out in major cities including Chicago and New York. The people of California have expressed their outrage by proposing “Calexit,” a secession from the United States. A petition pushing members of the electoral college to deviate from their state’s popular vote and elect Hillary Clinton instead has reached over two million signatures.

NEW ZEALAND EARTHQUAKE KILLS TWO

A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck New Zealand’s South Island on Nov 14, leaving at least two people dead. The quake struck just after midnight on Monday and was followed by a tsunami with waves reaching over 8 feet tall. Aftershocks continued throughout the morning and several towns on the coast have been evacuated.

PROTESTS ON THE DAKOTA PIPELINE INTENSIFY

Protests are continuing at construction sites of the Keystone oil pipeline, which allegedly runs through sacred Native American ground in North Dakota. Police are currently investigating reports that some protesters were pepper-sprayed and held in dog kennels. Five people have already been arrested in Iowa and Oklahoma, including a Native tribal leader.

FEARS OF GENOCIDE ARISE IN BURUNDI

The people of Burundi in Africa have voiced concerns of a possible genocide after a new ethnicity-based census was issued by the government. The census is allegedly different for each major ethnic group in the country, reminding many citizens of events leading up to the Rwandan genocide. While the government referred to the census standards as mere formality, fears increased after several widely-publicized social media posts calling for ethnic-based massacres were published.

IRAQ RECAPTURES TERRITORY DESTROYED BY ISIS

The ancient city of Nimrud in Iraq, built over 3,000 years ago, was reclaimed by Iraqi forces on Nov 13. Before then, ISIS destroyed many of the city’s most historically sacred palaces, monuments, statues, and ancient ruins. This latest victory comes as part of Iraq’s joint operations command’s ultimate goal of recapturing Mosul, ISIS’ last major stronghold in Iraq.