Bomb attack in Somalia
It is suspected that the jihadist group, al-Shabab, is behind a deadly explosion in the Somali capital,Mogadishu, the Somali capital. On Saturday, a truck filled with explosives was driven into a crowded area and parked of the city and parked in front of the entrance toi the Safari Hotel where it was then detonated. The force of the blast was massive, crumbling the hotel, killing 230 people and wounding approximately 300 others. Local hospitals were overwhelmed with the injured and medical personnel were shocked at the state of survivors. The director or the Madina Hospital described the scene recalling, “I have never seen such a thing before… corpses were burned beyond recognition… seventy-two wounded people were admitted to the hospital and twenty-five of them are in very serious condition. Others lost their hands and legs at the scene.” Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed has responded to this attack – the most deadlydevastating in a decade – by calling for three days of national mourning.
Italian students protest work- experience programs
Italy has an 11.2% unemployment rate, one of the highest in Europe. In 2015, then
Prime Minister Matteo Renzi introduced a nationwide internship program in partnership with some large corporationsbusinesses such as McDonalds and Zara to offer work experience to students. The program was instituted in an effort to equip studentsthem with skills which could potentially aid them in securing employment in the future that may be helpful or required to obtain employment later down the line. However, in the two years since this program’s onset, many of the approximately 900,000 students who currently? participate in the project have expressed increasing dissatisfaction, calling the work experiences “exploitation through free labor.” Roughtly 200,000 people took to the streets in Naples, Milan, Rome, and Salerno to strike against the work experience arrangements, as well as claims that state schools are being underfunded. What the students specifically demand is that the government formally outline the roles and responsibilities of students in the experience program, regulations dictating treatment ofhow the companies in the partnership can and cannot treat their student workers, and guidelinesandas well as guidelines articulating what companies can actually offer legitimate positions through the program. In response to the weekend’s protest, Valeria Fedeli, the Education Minister, has stated that she stands by the continuation of the internship program, but has heard the students’ demands and will begin addressing the quality of student positions.
Trump makes Iran accusations
On Friday, President Trump made a speech at the White House condemning the Iranian’s leadership, alleging that they sponsor terrorist organizations, and claiming that the nation had violated the terms of thea 2015 nuclear agreement. Trump has stated that he may instate new sanctions against Iran and mayeven stop signing off on the international nuclear deal itself. However, the international community has contradicted these claims, stating that Iran has been compliant with the terms of the deal. This signing- off process involves Congress confirming with the Trump that Iran is in compliance with the deal every three months. He did not reconfirm Iran’s compliance on the most recent deadline, which was this past Sunday. “We will not continue down a path whose predictable conclusion is more violence, more terror, and the very real threat of Iran’s nuclear breakout.” The lack of Presidential confirmation means Congress will now need to make a decision regarding sanctions and whether to remain in the nuclear deal on its own by December. This is actually a relief to other nations involved in the deal – China, France, Germany, Russia, and the UK – who had worried that Trump would withdraw from the deal. Instead the choice is now in the hands of Ccongress.
Weinstein removed from Academy
Harvey Weinstein, a successful film producer and cofounder of both Miramax and The Weinstein Company, has been unmaskedunveiled as a long-time sexual assailant. In the past two weeks, over 30thirty women have come forward describing their experiences of sexual assault and battery by him. Current investigations into his conduct have begun, while law enforcement in both New York City and London are looking back into past reports made regarding his conduct. In a predictable move on Saturday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences elected to remove Weinstein from their ranks releasing a statement that the board “voted well in excess of the required two-thirds majority” to expel him. They continued in their report that their decision was “not simply to separate [themselves] from someone who does not merit the respect of his colleagues, but also to send a message that the era of willful ignorance and shameful complicity in sexually predatory behavior and workplace harassment in our industry is over.”
