By Spencer Wang ’19, Staff Writer

1. 102 dead after suicide bombing in Turkey’s capital

On October 10th, at 10:04 am, two explosions rocked a peace rally in front the Ankara Central Railway station. The explosions were the work of two suicide bombers whose motives and affiliations are unknown at this time. 68 people were killed instantly from the blast, over 246 were wounded and 48 were taken to intensive care. As of today another 34 have died in surgery and the death toll is expected to rise with dozens left in critical condition.

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/ankara-turkey-bomb_5618f904e4b0082030a2c445

2. Mexico dodges a bullet as the Hurricane Patricia hits with little damage.

On Friday before Hurricane Patricia made landfall, meteorologists categorized it as a category 5 hurricane. The storm was recorded as one of the largest and strongest to ever hit the Western Hemisphere. In a stroke of luck, Hurricane Patricia made landfall in a largely uninhabited area, just between the two cities of Puerto Vallarta and Manzanillo both with populations over 150,000.  Mexico’s luck held on as no injuries or deaths were reported. This is astounding considering that Patricia’s wind speed and power compares similar to Typhoon Haiyan, which killed 7,300 people when it hit the Philippines

Read more at: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/hurricane-patricia-lashes-mexico-with-rain-raising-fears-of-flooding-mudslides/

3. Kunduz Hospital attack: militaries mistake leaves 22 dead.

An MSF (commonly known as “Doctors Without Borders”) hospital was attacked, killing 22 patients and doctors while injuring dozens. This attack was the work of an American military gunship, not the Taliban or any other terrorist organization. The United States government has taken responsibility for the attack and has promised to send compensation to the families of the victims.

Read more at: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/21/kunduz-hospital-attack-even-in-20-years-we-wont-get-such-a-hospital-again

4. Afghanistan’s first gender and woman studies program.

Kabul University in Kabul, Afghanistan has approved a course on women and gender to a graduate level. So far eighteen women and ten men have signed up for the course. Many consider this program a radical to a country that some say lacks open discussion on gender equality. 

Read more at: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/10/23/us-afghanistan-women-idUSKCN0SH01620151023

5. Suspected drunk driver plows into an Oklahoma State homecoming parade.

Tragedy struck at an Oklahoma State University parade in Stillwater Oklahoma, when four people were killed and were 47 injured in a horrific  car crash. Of the four victims killed, two were over 60 including, and one was a two year-old boy. In the midst of festivities, the car crashed into the crowds of the parade before crashing into a nearby streetlight. The driver was identified as Adacia Avery Chambers, a local citizen of Stillwater, and was arrested at the scene. The incident came only hours before the OSU and University of Kansas football game. 

Read more at: http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/25/us/oklahoma-car-into-crowd/

6. Obama pushes to limit class time devoted to standardized testing.

Obama has vocalized his goal of reducing the amount of time schools spend on standardized testing to only 2%. Though there is no plan to remove standardized testing from school curriculums, Obama hopes to limit the weight of test scores insofar as it relates to the grade of the entire school. Many government officials say that these “one-size fits all tests” are redundant, poorly aligned with the curriculum, and provide little to no gain for students. Obama’s new updates hope to allow higher level students to opt-out of their grade level tests and allow for more non-exam related time in the class room. Many consider these policies a huge step forward in modernizing America’s school system. 

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/obama-standardized-tests_562bac7ae4b0aac0b8fd1c4a

7. Thousands of new reception places will open to Syrian migrants.

11 European Union countries met to handle the ongoing migrant situation. Many of the smaller Balkan countries like Serbia and Croatia have closed their borders to migrants due to a lack of resources. As a result, larger governments have stepped up their immigration efforts by building welcome centers for migrants or by guiding them to the northern countries in an effort to relieve the pressure on the Mediterranean region.

Read more at: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34634214

8. Earthquake hits Afghanistan and Pakistan, killing hundreds.

An earthquake rocked Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan, killing over 300 and wounding thousands. The earthquake was recorded as a 7.5 on the Richter scale.

Read more at: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2015/10/26/earthquake-strikes-pakistan/74611896/

9. US Commando is killed in an ISIS hostage rescue. 

An American soldier was killed in action during a joint raid with Kurdish forces on an ISIS-held prison in Iraq. This marks the first death of an American soldier in Iraq since the renewed military action in the nation and in America’s conflict with ISIS. American and Kurdish units ultimately took the compound at the expense of the American commando and a Kurdish operative.

Read more at: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/23/world/middleeast/us-commandos-iraq-isis.html?_r=0

10. Chris Christie criticizes Obama and the Black Lives Matter movement. 

On CBS’ “Face the Nation” program, New Jersey governor Chris Christie criticized Black Lives Matter by saying: “I don’t believe that that movement should be justified when they’re calling for the murder of police officers.” He added his opinion that President Obama encourages this “lawlessness.”

Read more at: http://gothamist.com/2015/10/26/chris_christie_black_lives_matter_m.php