Compiled by Britt Beerman
New Zealand
A puzzling conundrum for scientists: New Zealand’s glaciers are growing, while the rest of the world’s are shrinking. The glaciers have been growing for over 25 years, for reasons still unknown, but new research shows cooling temperatures in the South Pacific specific to the climate variability in New Zealand’s section of the world. However, the glaciers are very sensitive to climate change, diminishing in size even with a temperature change of a few degrees. With the fluctuating temperatures, experts say, “We could lose these glaciers forever.”
Malaysia
On Monday morning, Feb. 13, in the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Kim Jong-nam, died after being poisoned. He was traveling under an assumed name, not for the first time. In 2001, he was caught in Japan with a false passport. This time, he was flying to China. It is still unclear how the attack unfolded, but Jong-nam died on the way to the hospital in Putrajaya. Due to his assumed name, it took a while to identify him, but his identity was eventually confirmed.
United Arab Emirates
In Somaliland, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) plans to open a secondary military base to cover the area’s governments. Somaliland’s government, however, approved the deal, which allows the UAE to control their largest port and operational activities for 30 years. UAE will also receive a naval and air base. Somaliland’s neighbor, Ethiopia, is unhappy with this deal, especially since it had rebuked the UAE’s other base in Eritrea. However, the base’s establishment creates job opportunities for the locals of Somaliland.
France
Civil unrest was sparked in several Parisian suburbs after Theo, a 22-year-old youth worker identified only by his first name, was reportedly raped during a violent police arrest. French politicians have been accused of failing to address the issues in the banlieues, or suburbs. Experts say this could lead to another wave of national riots, which have not been seen since 2005 when two men, while hiding from police in an electric substation, were electrocuted. According to experts, nothing has been done to change police policy in the suburbs. Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve, who, while sympathizing with suburb dwellers over Theo’s rape, does not think this “unacceptable violence” is justifiable.