International

Important bits of information around the world

The International Court of Justice has commenced hearings for Myanmar's genocide case, with Myanmar leader Suu Kyi in attendance. Image via Reuters.
International
ICJ opens Myanmar genocide hearing, Suu Kyi in attendance

The International Court of Justice, operating from the Hague in Netherlands, commenced trial today regarding the Myanmar government's alleged genocide of the Rohingya minority. Gambia brought the case to the ICJ on behalf of other Muslim countries, claiming that 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner Suu Kyi's government had exacerbated racial violence instead of easing tensions in her decades long reign of power in the country.

rohingya myanmar genocide gambia international-court-of-justice suu-kyi nobel-peace-prize hague

Tue Dec 10 - TheGuardian
The smoke is so intense it is setting off fire alarms, image via Flickr
International
Sydney shrouded in smoke due to nearby bushfires

Sydney, one of the largest cities in Australia, is now blanketed in a thick layer of smoke that was created by nearby bush-fires. The smoke is said to be toxic and has forced a number of people to evacuate from the city. The smoke has also set off fire alarms all over the city

australia air-pollution pollution bushfire air toxic

Tue Dec 10 - BBC
White Island volcano erupts in New Zealand, group of people on the island may have suffered injuries. Image via AP.
International
New Zealand's White Island volcano erupts, injuries suspected

One of New Zealand's most active volcanoes, the White Island, located off the east coast of North Island, erupted around 2:30 pm, flinging smoke and debris into the atmosphere. While it is unclear how many people were present on White island at the time, estimates say up to 20 people may have been injured in the eruption.

new-zealand volcano white-island injured eruption north-island smoke debris

Mon Dec 09 - Reuters
A large number of workers were sleeping inside, image via The Indian Express
International
A fire in a large factory in Delhi kills 40 workers

A large fire broke out in a factory in Delhi and led to the deaths of more than 40 people. The fire started during the early morning and a number of workers were sleeping on the first floor of the building. Most of those who were inside fell unconscious due to the smoke. The cause of the fire is still unknown.

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Sun Dec 08 - BBC
Gang raped veterinarian doctor who was burnt alive after assault dies in hospital in New Delhi. Image via Reuters.
International
Rape victim who was burnt alive dies in New Delhi, India

A 23-year-old veterinarian doctor in the Uttar Pradesh province of India was on her way home from her clinic when she was gang-raped by five armed men, who then burnt her alive and left her for dead. The victim survived and was taken to the hospital, where she named her assailants and filed a police complaint, but passed away due to the severity of her injuries.

india hospital doctor rape victim veterinarian new-delhi uttar-pradesh burnt-alive gang

Sat Dec 07 - Reuters
Firefighting resources are spreading thin as the fires show no sign of stopping. Image via New York Times.
International
Weeks later, Australian fires rage on with no signs of stopping

The bush fires that started burning through the region of New South Wales, Australia, weeks ago have not been successfully contained, with the total number of fires now up to a hundred, half of which firefighters have little hope of stopping. The fires have killed 6 people, destroyed 680 homes and burned through 335,000 hectares of land, with conditions expected to get worse in the coming weeks.

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Fri Dec 06 - TheGuardian
2 Russian men arrested and indicted in US, suspected to be members of cyber crime syndicate Evil Corp, guilty of $100m robbery. Image via AP.
International
Evil Corp hackers indicted for stealing $100m

US courts indicted two Russian members of a hacker group, calling itself Evil Corp, which has been alleged to be responsible for a host of cyber crimes targeting banks, companies and non-profit organizations worldwide, appropriating more than 100 million USD in stolen funds. The indicted men were investigated after they posted lavish pictures on social media. Evil Corp has been termed the most dangerous active hacker group in the world.

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Fri Dec 06 - AlJazeera
Tragedy at Pearl Harbor base, two dead, shooter commited suicide. Image via AP.
International
Pearl Harbor killing leaves three dead, including shooter

Two civilians working with the US Department of Defense were shot dead at Pearl Harbor base in Hawaii. The attacker was a US Navy sailor who, after killing two and injuring a third civilian, shot himself in the head. The Navy man has remained unnamed, while the site was on high security alert for two hours following the killings.

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Thu Dec 05 - Reuters
Zimmerman, who shot and killed Travyon Martin in 2012, is now suing the Martin family. Image via Post-Gazette.
International
Travyon Martin shooter sues Martin family

George Zimmerman, the watch captain of a small neighborhood in Sanford, Florida, rose to fame in 2012 as the man responsible for mortally shooting teenager Travyon Martin as he was returning from the grocery store. Zimmerman maintained that he shot in self-defense, and was acquitted, to nationwide outcry. Zimmerman is now suing the Martin family, state prosecutors and two witnesses for damages over 100 million USD.

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Thu Dec 05 - Reuters
Musk defends "pedo guy" tweet saying he was responding to insult, apologizes to cave diver Unsworth. Image via AFP.
International
Musk claims "pedo guy" tweet was response to insult, not a literal accusation

Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, creator of Tesla and SpaceX, defended himself in a defamation lawsuit filed by Vernon Unsworth, the cave diver who famously rescued a high school soccer team from a flooded cave in Thailand, by stating that his "pedo guy" tweet regarding Unsworth was not an accusation of pedophilia, but was a common meaningless insult from his childhood in South Africa. Musk also apologized for his words.

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Wed Dec 04 - Reuters
Another German museum hit by robbers, jewelry stolen. Image via AP.
International
Another German museum robbed, jewelry stolen

Only days after the Green Vault museum in Dresden was struck by thieves who took millions of euros' worth of diamonds, the Stasi museum in Berlin was broken into and robbed. The burglars stole medals from the communist period and other jewelry estimated to cost thousands of euros.

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Tue Dec 03 - TheGuardian
Talks underway between Egypt and Sudan as Ethiopian dam opening looms. Image via Reuters.
International
Egypt-Sudan talks underway to discuss future of Ethiopian dam

Ethiopia's almost operational Grand Renaissance dam will be the largest hydroelectric damn in Africa, and has sparked controversy among African countries Egypt and Sudan, which are heavily dependent on downstream water from the Blue Nile river. While Ethiopia's prime minster, Nobel peace laureate Abiy Ahmed wants the dam to become operational in 7 years, Egypt demands no less than 10 years.

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Tue Dec 03 - TheGuardian
Iranian state TV broadcast an official statement admitting people were killed in protests. Image via Zeit.
International
Iranian government admits to protest killings

For the first time, Iranian state television has broadcast the government's open admission of use of violence to quell the recent wave of protests that had gripped the country. The official statement adds that the casualties were a result of armed opposition to law enforcement agencies, and dismisses human rights group Amnesty International's estimates of over 200 deaths as falsely exaggerated.

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Tue Dec 03 - AlJazeera
Toxic white foam has been washing up on Chennai's Marina Beach for four days. Image via AFP.
International
Toxic foam washes up on India's beaches

One of India's most popular beaches, the Marina Beach in Chennai, saw the fourth consecutive day where toxic white foam covered a large area along the beach. The foam is believed to have resulted from a mixture of sewage and pollutants in the seawater. The issue adds to the host of other pollution problems facing the country, like air pollution and littering.

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Mon Dec 02 - AlJazeera
Tal R wins case, painting cannot be cut up for use in designer watches. Image via Marie Odgaard.
International
Danish watchmaker forbidden from cutting up artist's work

The Danish court awarded an injunction to artist Tal R, who wanted to prevent watchmaker Kankse from cutting up one of his paintings, called Paris Chic, for use as a face in one of their watch designs. The court ruled that such an act would comprise alteration of Tal's work and hence violated copyright laws. Kankse's founders had earlier bought Paris Chic for 70,000 GBP in London.

court law denmark tal-r kankse paris-chic copyright designer-watch

Mon Dec 02 - TheGuardian
Veterinary doctor raped, murdered in India, protests spread. Image via CNN.
International
Protest erupt in India after shocking rape, murder of veterinary doctor

A 26-year-old veterinary doctor was gang raped by four men in the outer districts of Hyderabad, India, when returning from work. The men then suffocated her and burnt her body, which was later discovered by a nearby resident. Protests have erupted after the incident came to light, especially concerning the police's negligence and lackadaisical attitude when the family reported her missing.

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Mon Dec 02 - TheGuardian
Iraqi PM, top officials resign amid protests. Image via AP.
International
Protests force Iraqi PM's resignation

In response to a growing wave of anti-government protests all over Baghdad and southern Iraq, the country's prime minister Abdul Mahdi along with several other top government officials have been forced to submit their resignations to parliament, the decision being made in an ad hoc cabinet meeting. However, the mechanism through which the resignations will be accepted remains unclear due to constitutional uncertainties.

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Sun Dec 01 - AlJazeera
Murderer secures right to ask for removal of online data about him. Image via AP.
International
Murderer secures right to erase online presence

A convicted murderer in Germany, sentenced in 1982 and released in 2002, appealed for the right to erasure of online data about him. While his case was denied by a federal court in 2012, a higher court in Karlsruhe has upheld his rights, which may force online news websites to comply with the ruling by blocking access to articles written about him.

online data court murderer access right appeal article

Sun Dec 01 - BBC
Jesus artifact will return to Bethlehem, pope orders. Image via Reuters.
International
Christian artifact soon to return to Bethlehem

Pope Francis recently ordered the Vatican to return a revered artifact, a piece of wood said to belong to the manger in which Jesus was born, to its origins in Bethlehem. This is the first time the artifact will be leaving Europe in over a thousand years, journeying from its housing in the Vatican's Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore to the Franciscan Church of St. Catherine in Bethlehem.

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Sat Nov 30 - BBC
Queen Elizabeth wrote mystery translation of Roman text. Image via PA.
International
Mystery manuscript writer was Queen Elizabeth I, researcher finds

A translation of the Roman writer Tacitus' history of the Roman empire, covering events from Augustus' death to Emperor Tiberius, lay undiscovered for more than 100 years until it was recently found by a literary historian from the University of East Anglia in London's Lambeth Palace Library. The paper used in the manuscript convinced the researcher that none other than Queen Elizabeth I was the mystery writer of the translation.

queen elizabeth history manuscript roman empire translation

Fri Nov 29 - BBC
10 animals died in the African Safari Wildlife park fire in Ohio. Image via Sky News.
International
Port Clinton wildfire park fire kills 10 animals

The fire started in a barn located in the African Safari Wildlife Park in Port Clinton, Ohio, and while no visitors or staff were injured by it, several animals who had been kept in the barn for various reasons were killed. The park stated that three bongos, three giraffes, three red river hogs and a springbok were in the barn and did not survive the fire.

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Fri Nov 29 - NBCNews
New Zealand minister says the country's housing crisis is affecting Maori the most. Image via RNZ.
International
New Zealand Maori resort to living in huts

New Zealand's Maori affairs minister Nanaia Mahuta revealed in a meeting that the country's rapidly worsening housing crisis has forced some families, especially the Maori, to resort to living in wooden huts. Recent years have seen an increasing number of people leave the capital city of Auckland due to sky-high housing prices and settle outside of cities.

crisis new zealand housing maori minister auckland

Fri Nov 29 - TheGuardian
International
Clive James passes away at 80
Thu Nov 28
Beloved writer and TV personality Clive James passes away at 80. Image via CNN.
International
Clive James passes away at 80

One of the world's most famous polymaths, Clive James, has passed away at his home in Cambridge at the age of 80, after struggling for nearly a decade with a terminal diagnosis of leukemia. James was an Australian writer and a University of Cambridge graduate well-known and loved for his selections of essays, poetry, criticisms, and also for his many broadcasting roles throughout the years.

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Thu Nov 28 - BBC
UFC fighter's stepdaughter's body parts found by police. Image via Nexstar.
International
Missing college student Aniah Blanchard's body parts found

Aniah Blanchard, the 19-year-old stepdaughter of UFC heavyweight fighter Walt Harris, went missing in Alabama's Lee County a month ago. Her remains have been discovered in a forest in Macon County by police, and the governor of Alabama has expressed his condolences for the grieving family. The cause of death remains undetermined but three people have been charged to Blanchard's case.

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Thu Nov 28 - Mirror
Seven Islamists will receive death punishment for Holy Artisan cafe attack. Image via AFP.
International
Seven Islamists to be put to death in Bangladesh

Perpetrators involved in a 2016 attack on the Holey Artisan cafe in Dhaka, Bangladesh which took the lives of 22 people, have been sentenced to death. The attack was carried out by 5 men who held the patrons' hostage for 12 hours, after which law enforcement rushed into the building and killed the Islamists, who in turn had shot 22 hostages.

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Wed Nov 27 - BBC