Hong Kong, China
High school students in Hong Kong arrived to their first day of school wearing gas masks and holding hands to form a human chain; college students held a strike while waving flags and chanting protest slogans. They did so to protest a bill that would allow Hong Kong residents to be deported to mainland China for trial. The protests have been occurring since June, but the government wanted the protests to end once the academic year began. Students are continuing to protest to show their opposition to the bill and ignore the government’s wishes for it to end.
Original article by Tiffany May and Elaine Yu, Sept. 2, 2019. The New York Times.
The Bahamas
Hurricane Dorian hit the Bahamas with catastrophic results. The Category 4 storm is the strongest on record to hit the northwestern part of the Bahamas, with wind gusts of up to 220 miles per hour. Prime Minister Hubert Minnis said 73,000 residents and 21,000 homes were at risk due to the hurricane and were advised to relocate. As the storm approaches the United States, officials in South Carolina and Georgia ordered residents to evacuate.
Original article by Elisabeth Malkin, Sept. 1, 2019. The New York Times.
Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo
The yearlong Ebola outbreak in Congo has hit a “milestone,” according to officials. To date, there have been more than 3,000 confirmed and probable cases and a death toll over 2,000. Health workers are struggling to control the spread of the disease, despite having an effective vaccine and treatments. The outbreak is the second-worst Ebola epidemic on record and is the 10th outbreak in Congo alone. The only worse outbreak happened between 2013 and 2016 in West Africa.
Original article by Reuters, Aug. 30, 2019. The New York Times.