Contact CU Independent Entertainment and Politics writer Graham Crawford at graham.crawford@colorado.edu
Suicide bomber kills dozens at Cameroon market
Twenty-eight people were killed in four coordinated suicide bombings in Cameroon. The attack occurred at a market in Bodo, in the north of Cameroon, on Monday, Jan. 25th . The perpetrators are suspected to be a group called Boko Haram, also known as the “Association of the People of Sunnah for Preaching and Jihad;” it’s an Islamic extremist group based out of northeastern Nigeria.
The attack on Bodo is the most violent of a series of attacks. One occurred late last December when two women blew themselves up at the entrance to the town. They were stopped by a group of locals. Another attack occurred on Jan. 13, when a suicide bomber killed 12 people and wounded one other. The explosion took place at a mosque in Konyape in northern Cameroon.
A regional force that numbers to 8,700 has been assembled to fight back against Boko Haram. Countries that have contributed troops consist of: Chad, Niger, Cameroon and Nigeria. The United States has given military supplies and troops to help the regional forces.
Zika virus potential growth can affect 4 million people
The World Health Organization (WHO) released a statement on Thursday, Jan. 28 saying that the Zika virus could see “explosive growth”. They have predicted that the virus could affect up to 4 million people worldwide.
The Zika virus is a mosquito-borne disease that causes microcephaly, a disease that causes babies to have abnormally small heads.
WHO will hold a meeting on Monday, Feb. 1 to discuss the severity of the possible outbreak. The group will determine whether the Zika virus has graduated to an international crisis. The director-general of U.N.’s health agency said that cases have been reported in 23 countries and territories in the Americas.
There have been 31 cases of the virus reported from people in the United States, yet all cases have been citizens who recently traveled to known hotbeds of the virus. Eighty percent of those infected with the virus don’t show any symptoms, making it even harder to detect.
No cure currently exists, but the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Disease is in talks with companies to develop a vaccine.
Indigenous Australians Protest Day of Remembrance
Jan. 26 marks Australia Day every year for the land down under. But not all citizens celebrate this holiday. Indigenous Australians protested the national day of remembrance this Tuesday in Sydney.
The indigenous peoples have historically opposed Australia Day, and they feel that it is very offensive to their culture. Protesters on the streets of Sydney consumed the typical day of drinking and celebrating. They held signs that read: “National Day of Mourning” and “Invasion Day is not a Holiday”.
Poverty, abusive land rights and disproportional prison rates were among the concerns raised by protesters. Jan. 26 marks the day the British colonized the continent of Australia. Upon arrival, they signed the document Terra Nullis, which means “land that belongs to no one” in Latin. No treaty was ever signed between the indigenous tribes and the British.
