Mexican protests:
Outrage at the alleged massacre of 43 Mexican students as country-wide demonstrations continued this week. Amid growing demand for the resignation of Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto, demonstrators in Mexico City set fire to the door of the National Palace. Three gang members have confessed to the students’ murder. Iguala Mayor José Luis Abarca and his wife, María de los Ángeles Pineda, are suspected of ordering the massacre and were arrested this week. Pope Francis has condemned the incident, saying “we all know it was murder.” The demonstrations are expected to continue.
US-China climate deal: President Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping reached a climate agreement at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. Obama has pledged that the U.S. will reduce fossil fuel emissions by 26-28% by 2025. In exchange, China aims to reach its emissions peak by 2030 or earlier and derive more fuel from alternate energy sources. Obama’s pledge is likely to face opposition from the newly-elected Congress.
School removes religious holidays:
The Montgomery County, Maryland school board voted 7-1 to remove the names of all religious holidays from 2015-2016 school calendars. The move follows requests from Muslim community leaders to add Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha to the calendar. Schools will still be closed for Christian and Jewish holidays, although the district claims this is due to state requirements and not to observance of those holidays.
Net neutrality:
On Monday, Nov. 10, President Obama released a statement urging the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to classify broadband as a utility and adopt regulations for internet providers to protect net neutrality. Net neutrality refers to the principle that internet data should be treated equally and not charged at different rates based upon aspects like content, platform, or user. FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler reportedly intends to deviate from Obama’s suggestions for “an open Internet that doesn’t affect your business.”
Comet landing:
The European Space Agency’s Rosetta Mission has become the first in history to land a spacecraft on a comet. The lander, Philae, successfully landed on the comet on Wednesday, Nov. 12 and will travel with the comet on its orbit around the sun, making analyses that scientists hope will provide insight into the origins of life. The mission was more than a decade in the making and cost around $275 million.
Hansler is a member of
the class of 2015.
Kadir is a member of
the class of 2017.
