Throughout our hectic student lives, we should always remain aware of what is happening around us. In this column, I find some of the most significant events happening in the world around us and provide you with a small blurb and nitty-gritty details. Here are some of the major events that have been taking place:
Palestinian exodus continues amidst Israel-Hamas War.
As the Israel-Hamas War continues, Palestinian civilians seek refuge beyond Gaza. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that about 22,000 people fled Gaza from Nov. 5 to Nov. 8 with over 15,000 people fleeing on Nov. 7 alone. OCHA further reports that approximately 1.5 million people, over half the population of the Gaza Strip, have fled their homes as Israeli troops advance towards Gaza City in its stated aim to eliminate Hamas. There is internal migration with Palestinians fleeing northern Gaza to move southward into central Gaza.
Information from AP News, UN News and Reuters.
Results of Election Day 2023 heavily influenced by abortion rights.
Abortion rights have proven to be a swaying factor in the results of the 2023 off-year elections. In Kentucky, a typically Republican-dominated state, the incumbent Democratic governor Andy Bashear won a second term as Governor of Kentucky after criticizing the anti-abortion views of his Republican challenger, Attorney General Daniel Cameron. Democrat victories continued in the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, where Dan McCaffrey won an open seat campaigning as a defender of abortion rights. Virginia’s House of Delegates also witnessed a shift from Republican to Democrat control, meaning Democrats now hold unified control of the statehouse for the rest of Republican Governor of Virginia Glen Youngkin’s term, a damper on his plans for passing an abortion plan in the state constitution.
Information from AP News, PBS Hour and Ballotpedia.
Mounting civilian cost in ongoing Sudanese Army-RSF conflict.
In mid-April of 2023, conflict arose between the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese Army commanded by the military government of Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan. The RSF has seized control of Sudan’s second largest city, Nyala, from the army after months of fighting. According to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data project, more than 9,000 people have been killed – with a significant number being civilian casualties. The European Union’s chief diplomat Josep Borrell cited witness reports that more than 1,000 members of the Masalit community have been killed in Ardamta, West Darfur in two days during attacks by the RSF. The death toll is a conservative estimate. Both sides have agreed to work with the U.N. Although the RSF have agreed to humanitarian aid during the peace talks, there has yet to be a call for a ceasefire. It is unclear what the next possible steps will be.
Information from AP News, UN News and Reuters.
Sources:
Palestinian exodus continues amidst Israel-Hamas War.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/11/1143362
https://www.reuters.com/pictures/desperate-gazans-flee-south-along-perilous-route-2023-11-13/
Results of Election Day 2023 heavily influenced by abortion rights.
https://ballotpedia.org/Virginia_House_of_Delegates_elections,_2023
Mounting civilian cost in ongoing Sudanese Army-RSF conflict.
https://apnews.com/article/sudan-war-darfur-military-rsf-militias-1d7becc3b9c4dbf1e814892f3b88396e
https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/11/1143177
https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/un-warns-violence-sudan-verging-pure-evil-2023-11-10/
