5 Events in the Past Week

5 Events in the Past Week

Alexia Najman

1. Apparent US Airstrike Upon a Doctor’s Without Borders Hospital in Kunduz

Last week, Kunduz was taken over by the Taliban, and Afghan troops have been fighting to combat this. However, on Saturday, October 3rd, the hospital was hit by a US airstrike, leaving 22 people dead. The US military said the strike was to assist fighting that was going on in hospital grounds. However, the humanitarian organization said that this is BS, calling the strike a “war crime”. An investigation is currently in progress.

2. Polish Priest Fired upon ‘Coming Out’

On Saturday, October 3rd, Priest Monsignor Krysztof Olaf Charamsa admitted he was gay. Charamsa, with his partner by his side, held a news conference to call on Pope Francis to revise the Catholic doctrine on homosexuality. Charamsa says that he doesn’t mean to pressurize anyone with the timing of his announcement, but acknowledges that this was an advantage. Despite everything, however, Charamsa has been stripped of his duties at the Vatican. This whole event should be putting a lot of pressure on Pope Francis, since he indicated that he’d be ok with gay priests 2 years ago.

3. Tension Between Israelis and Palestinians Grows

Violence has intensified in Jerusalem and the West Bank. A Palestinian man stabbed and wounded an Israeli teenager just hours after another knife-wielding attacker killed an off-duty Israeli soldier and a rabbi. Due to all of this, Israel’s government announced that it was barring Palestinians from entering the ancient district for two days, save for the people who live there. Later, hospital officials announced that an 18-year-old Palestinian was shot and killed during a clash with Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank town of Tulkarm.

4. Oregon Shooting at Umpqua College Kills 10

Last Thursday, October 1st, a 26-year-old man opened fire in a public speaking class at Umpqua College, south of Portland. The gunman, identified as Chris Harper Mercer, reportedly asked for people’s religions before opening fire. Mercer was  killed in a firefight with Douglas County sheriff’s deputies at the college.

5. Missing Ship ‘El Faro’ Confirmed to Have Sunk off the Bahamas

The cargo ship El Faro had been missing since issuing a distress signal last Thursday. On Sunday, search planes found debris such as life jackets, containers, and oil in the water. This find led to the conclusion that El Faro sank after sailing into Hurricane Joaquin.