On November 13th, 2017, an earthquake hit on the border of Iran and Iraq. It was the deadliest quake of 2017. It had a 7.3 magnitude. It was about 14 miles deep. It killed over 400 people and left almost 10,000 injured. Many were left with no houses.

Iran sits on a giant major fault line. This is why there are so many earthquakes in Iran. This affected many people by leaving them with no houses, many injuries, and deaths. It was felt as far away as Turkey and Pakistan. Iran and Iraq did send out rescue operations to help the cause. A great way to help things like this is to fly out to where natural disasters have hit and help with the relief. It is great for volunteer and means the world to so many people.

Story by Winston Sloan

Sources:
http://www.cnn.com/2017/11/12/middleeast/iraq-earthquake/index.html

The patrons of Zimbabwe woke up in confusion within reports that President Robert Mugabe refused to step down on Friday. Previously, the South African state media reported that “it has reliably learned that Zimbabwe is likely to have a transitional government” in the wake of this military takeover, according to Aljazeera news.
 
This came on Wednesday after military seized control of the headquarters of the state broadcaster ZBC and blocked access to the government offices, but the army insists that this is not a takeover. An army spokesman claims that president Robert Mugabe is safe though.
 
As of now former president Robert Mugabe has stepped down and former vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa has filled his role. 

Story by Peter Hornaday
 
Source: 
​http://www.aljazeera.com/topics/people/robert-mugabe.html

​The Yugoslav Wars was a series of wars between the years of 1991 and 2001. The result of these wars was the former country of Yugoslavia breaking up into the countries of Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia (which includes the autonomous province of Vojvodina and the disputed state of Kosovo). These countries are the Balkans; they border the Mediterranean Sea. The major ethnic groups of this regions are: Slovenes, Serbs, Bosniaks, Macedonians, Albanians, Montenegrins, and Croats. Keep these ethnic groups in mind because it will become important later.
 
1917- The country of Yugoslavia was formed after the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The State of Slovenes, Croats, and Serbs joined with Serbia to form the republic of Yugoslavia.

1941-1953- In 1941 the Republic of Yugoslavia was invaded by Axis Powers. A communist party overthrew the Axis powers and instituted their government system.

1953-1980- In 1953 Josip Broz Tito was elected president he preaches. Tito was opposed to the USSR’s will to make Yugoslavia a satellite state. Due to this Yugoslavia was banned from Cominform, or the Communist Information Bureau. Josip Broz Tito preached unity. He died in 1980. After his death all of the separate ethnic groups in Yugoslavia began fighting for independence.

1991- Slovenian Independence War (Ten Day War): This war started when Slovenia declared independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. The Slovenian rebels used old guerilla fighting methods to beat the Yugoslav People's Army. Both sides signed the Brioni Accord this ended in Slovenia gaining independence from Yugoslavia.

1991-1995- The Croatian War of Independence: On the same day that Slovenia declared independence Croatia declared it too. This war was made up of Croatians fighting against the Yugoslav People's Army which was predominantly made of Serbs. By 1992 ⅓ of the country was controlled by Serbian Control. There was a cease fire in 1992.

1991- Macedonia peacefully gained independence from Yugoslavia.

1992-1995- Bosnian War: Unlike most balkan states such as Slovenia which was mainly made up of Slovenes or Macedonia which was mainly made up of Macedonians; Bosnia and Herzegovina was made of many different ethnic groups the main ones being Bosniaks or Bosnian Muslims, Serbs and Croats. In 1992, The Serbian Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina or Republika Srpska declared independence from Bosnia and Herzegovina setting the war in motion. The Croats and the Serbs fought against the Bosniaks to prevent their independance. The People's Yugoslav Army placed its troops inside Bosnia and Herzegovina and used ethnic cleansing to secure areas for Serbs. On September 5 1995 NATO bombed Republika Srpska putting an end to the bloody, brutal war. This horrendous war killed over 100,000 people and displaced over 2,000,000. There are still around 120,000 landmines buried under the ground in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

1992- Serbia and Montenegro joined to form a new Yugoslav state called Serbia and Montenegro (wow what a creative name).

1995-1999- The Kosovo War: Kosovo, Being an Albanian majority state wanted independence from Serbia. The Kosovo Liberation Army which was an Albanian military organization began fighting for independence. The Serbian Military targeted civilians to force Albanians out of the country. The UN organized a cease fire in 1999. The state of Kosovo is still disputed because Russia and China still do not recognize Kosovo but the majority of countries in the UN recognize Kosovo. Kosovo has a cute website where they thank every country; you can see it here.

2006- Montenegro decided to cut ties with Serbia.
 
This was the full timeline of the formation and breakup of Yugoslavia.

Sources & Images: 

This is a map of the former Yugoslav Republic:                                                    This was the Bosnian War Aftermath:

Farming is a big deal all over the world. Crops feed almost everyone around the world, and animal products like eggs and meat provide a important resources.  One of the places that relies on these foods is in India. Farmers depend on their rice crops to feed their families and support their lives. They sell the crop and eat much of the rice themselves. So what happens when there isn’t any rice to sell or to eat?
 
This scenario may be caused by droughts. Over the past several years, there have been many terrible droughts in Southern India that some people believe are a result of global warming. These droughts quickly destroy the farmer’s whole field, and because of the lack of water, the little rice that farmers can salvage from their fields to help feed their family cannot be cooked without wasting a limited resource.
 
Suicide is also another part of this equation. Some say that because of the warmer temperatures and the loss of their crops, farmers have committed suicide. Local government officials in India deny this claim, saying that there is no connection between the suicides and the  droughts, but others aren't so sure. On a day where there was a two-degree warming, there was a total of 67 suicides in the area.
 
With these kinds of limitations, there are pretty much only two options. Stay and try to survive the hot temperatures, or leave. Staying means little water and food. Leaving means a long job search and possibly separation of families. K. Muthu and her husband, N. Kumar, have decided to stay. They never know when they will get water next. They survive by a trickle of water that gives water for one hour every other day. They just have enough to wet their throats and mouth. Muthu prepares rice issued by the government, instead of growing their own crop.
 
Muthu and Kumar have sent away their son, Prahbu, to do work in a cotton mill that is 200 miles away. The work is backbreaking and the days are long. The only reward for his work is food. He says, ¨It's very difficult here. I always think about my family and want to go home.¨ Prabhu’s parents struggle to pay back unpaid loans. ¨If I were to take out any more loans, the interest would grow, and my whole family would be forced to kill themselves,¨ says Kumar.
 
Farmers in India have led protests in Delhi, carrying the skulls of dead farmers through the streets. Activists say that helping people adapt to the droughts may require governments to relocate large groups of people, aid farmers, and build giant infrastructure projects.
 
We hope that the people India can find water and food as soon as possible! Here is a link to a site if you want to donate to the millions of families in India who need water, food, and shelter.  http://www.giveindia.org/

Story by Madeline Tate 

Sources:
New York Times Presentation
NYT
​

A teen in Japan was forced to dye her hair to follow dress code and is now suing for $20,000 for hair damage. It should be said that Japanese culture is very different than US culture. As a part of school dress code for Kaifukan (the school that the teen went to), it is mandatory all students have black hair. This posed an issue to the teen, since her hair was naturally not black.
 
Allegedly the teen was forced by school officials to dye her hair black, to fit with dress code. This tradition kept up to the point that her hair was being dyed once every four days. Time after time the bleach on her hair left burns on her scalp, according to ALLURE.
 
Now the teen is 18 years old and is suing the local government for 2.2 million yen (20 thousands dollars) for damages to her hair. Hopefully this will spark some change in Japan to change situations like this one. It makes you wonder how far is too far when it comes to dress codes!

Story by Graham Brooks