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October 2020International NewsAfrica2020
Timothy Georgetti

The Man Who Inspired the Movie “Hotel Rwanda” Arrested for Terrorism 

Paul Rusesabagina, the man whose story inspired the Academy Award-nominated 2004  film “Hotel Rwanda,” has been arrested on charges of terrorism in his native country of Rwanda, according to CNN. The Rwandan government alleges that he is the “founder, leader, and sponsor of violent, armed, extremist terror outfits,” accused of perpetrating a series of rural attacks in the summer of 2018. News of his arrest only broke after Rwandan police and security officials publicly displayed him in Rwanda’s capital, Kigali, at the end of August.  

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October 2020International NewsAfrica2020
Sara Fakik

Need for Assistance as Floods Devastate Sudan

Sudan faced record breaking floods in early September that killed around 100 people and affected 800,000, according to a United Nations estimate. Seasonal rainfall caused the Nile River to rise by 57 feet and overflow. The floods have affected all 18 Sudanese states with the capital, Khartoum, being hit the worst according to The Washington Post. The Sudanese government called for a three-month state of emergency as the issue began in July, with more rain expected to come within the coming weeks.

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October 2020International NewsAmericasAsia2020
Keshav Agiwal

U.S. Continues to Strengthen Ties with Taiwan

Keith Krach’s recent visit to Taiwan has strained the already weakening Sino-American relationship and it has created tensions between China and Taiwan. The BBC explains that the U.S. and China have been engaged in a trade war since 2018. T The New York Times furthers this, explaining that the states have been challenging each other on a wide variety of issues, including military dominance in Asia. After the arrival of the senior U.S. envoy, Taiwan’s defense ministry reported that China sent out two anti-submarine aircrafts into the defense identification zone of the island.

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September 2020International News2020Middle East
Juliet Nangini

Fire Breaks Out Once Again as Lebanon Deals with the Aftermath of the Beirut Explosions

After the one-month anniversary of the August 4 Beirut explosions that took place in the port of Lebanon’s capital, dark skies blanketed the city once again with two new fires that erupted within the past week. The former erupted on Tuesday, September 8 and the latter blazed through the port just two days after. The fire has since been contained and no new injuries have been reported. According to NPR, the Lebanese army declared that the latter blaze occurred in a warehouse that housed oils and tires in the port’s duty-free area.

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September 2020Eastern EuropeInternational NewsAmericas2020Middle East
Jasmine Ortega

Syria Turns to Russia for Aid Under Crippling U.S. Sanctions

President Bashar al-Assad of Syria has stated intentions to expand business ties with Russia in response to new, crippling U.S. sanctions under the Caesar Act, according to Reuters. The Syrian economy has suffered enormously under these sanctions, as its economy was already struggling prior to implementation of the Caesar Act. According to Reuters, this has resulted in the Syrian lira losing 80 percent of its value. Most citizens are experiencing extreme poverty.

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September 2020Eastern EuropeInternational News2020
Timothy Georgetti

Belarusian Opposition Member Faced Death Threats by Authorities

 A member of Belarus’ female opposition coalition, Maria Kolesnikova, ripped up her passport to prevent forced deportation to her native Ukraine before being abducted by masked men on September 8, according to Forbes. Kolesnikova is the only member of her opposition coalition to remain in Belarus after the release of the election results favoring incumbent President Lukashenko. CNN reports that Kolesnikova’s colleagues Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, leader of the opposition, and Veronika Tsepkalo, the third member of the coalition, fled to Ukraine and Lithuania out of fear of imprisonment by the Lukashenko administration. 

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September 2020International News2020Europe
Zachary Schullian

Russia Ready to Mediate Turkey-Greece Conflict in East Mediterranean 

Russia’s foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said on September 8 that Moscow is ready to help ease rising tensions over Turkey’s search for energy reserves in the eastern Mediterranean, and rejected any actions that could lead to further escalation, The Associate Press reports. The Associated Press cites Larov, stating “we would be ready to contribute to building good neighborly relations in the event this is requested of us by those involved,”  and later adding that Moscow has repeatedly called on leaders in the region to “resolve these differences through dialogue and within a legal framework.” 

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September 2020International NewsAmericasAsia2020
Jasmine Deleon

Australian and American Journalists Expelled out of China in Diplomatic Standoff

In early September, Bill Birtles, an Australian foreign correspondent for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and China correspondent for ABC, was advised by Australian officials to leave China after the arrest and detention of another foreign journalist, reports The Guardian. Two days later, Beijing state security broke down his door at midnight to tell him that he was part of a national security investigation, was banned from leaving the country, and that he would be contacted the next afternoon to answer questions, reports BBC. 

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September 2020International News2020Middle East
Ava Holtzer

Afghan Vice President Faces Failed Assassination Attempt Amidst Taliban Talks 

At least ten people have been killed after a bomb attack in Kabul on September 9. The attack targeted Afghanistan’s first vice president Amrullah Saleh. An additional 31 people have been wounded, including several of the vice president’s bodyguards, says Associated Press. Saleh sustained minor injuries and burns in the attack.

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