News for Dummies

Homecoming Issue

Leah Johnson, News Editor

Busy school life? Not enough time to read long articles? Here are some short, easy-to-read reports on news all around the world! Take a quick look while drinking a coffee, taking a study break, or anytime else! Enjoy these quick read to keep you updated on current events.

Colombia

The peace deal between President Santos and a rebel group, Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), was defeated. As stated in the New York Times, 50.2% of Colombians rejected the peace deal, and 49.8% supported it. Many citizens viewed the deal as too light on FARC, after all of the killing and abducting they did in the war. Several citizens who lost family were angered that the FARC soldiers would be allowed back into society. On the flip side, some citizens and the leaders of both groups wanted an end to a long conflict. The path forward is uncertain, but President Juan Manuel Santos released a statement saying that dialogue would be continued.

Vietnam

A chemical spill caused by Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Corporation killed a significant amount of fish, devistating fishing communities. According to the New York times, fisherman Tran Viet Hoa’s income fell over 70% as a result. Protesters lined up to express their rage for Formosa and the government’s inaction after the crisis. Formosa has accepted responsibility for the damage to the environment, and has agreed to pay $500 million to make amends.

Russia, U.S.

Since the end of the cold war in the early 1990s, leaders of both the U.S. and Russia have been working to prevent a future nuclear catastrophe. One such effort, according to the New York Times, was the plutonium disposal treaty signed in 2000 by both Russia and the United States, which required both countries to destroy military stockpiles of plutonium, the key ingrediant in nuclear bombs. However, President Putin recently decreed that he will withdraw from the original treaty due to what he perceived as acts of aggression against Russia committed by the US.