Living on a college campus feels almost as if you are in a bubble. As a busy student, it is hard to keep up - to = date with the latest news stories and while you’re away at school, it may seem as if it isn’t important or too difficult to know what’s going on around the nation and around the world. College students don’t have time read full articles on different online news publications, so I have compiled the top four most important current news articles from around the world in an easy to understand, 15 minute read.
Scott Walker Pulls out of U.S. Presidential Race
Scott Walker, Republican candidate and Governor of Wisconsin, was once considered a front-runner in the upcoming presidential election. Walker decided to end his campaign for US president due to dwindling contributions to his expensive campaign and after Donald Trump’s increasing poll numbers. Reports started flying that Walker’s donors were receding especially when Carly Fiorina’s poll numbers increased as well. It seems as if there was just too much competition for Walker.
War-Torn Middle Eastern Refugee Situation
Europe closed its doors this week to Syrian refugees. The United States decided to allow 10,000 refugees next year to alleviate migrant stress. Western Europe is not allowing any refugees to enter countries on the border of Middle Eastern states. Tens of thousands of refugees already in transit after promises of refugee protection were cancelled, are stranded in camps in Balkan nations including Croatia, Greece, Macedonia and Serbia. These Balkan nations were not ready for the thousands of refugees and now cannot support them with dwindling resources.
Cubans Excited for Pope's Visit
The Pope is currently in Cuba on a four-day visit across the land. The Pope will be returning to the U.S. for a visit as well the following week. Cubans have been even more excited for the Pope to visit because of his work in the re-establishment of relations between the U.S. and Cuba. The pope sent personal letters to President Obama and President Raúl Castro, urging them to end their longtime feud and embargo. The Pope even offered the Vatican as a neutral meeting place for both parties. The Pope’s efforts helped create peace between the two leaders, which make both Cubans and Americans excited for the Pope’s visit. Over 60 percent of Cuba’s population is Roman Catholic.
Volkswagen Cheats on Emissions Tests
The United States has commanded Volkswagen to recall over 482,000 of their vehicles due to failed emission test cover-ups. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said the company used "defeat device," software that is designed to detect when the vehicles undergo emissions testing. When the car was taken in for its yearly emissions testing, the “defeat device” was used to turn on the full emissions control systems inside the car. After the test was over however, the controls were turned off, allowing the cars to pollute the air over 40 times the legal levels. This not only hurts the environment, but endangers the public’s health. With over 253 million cars in the U.S., limiting emissions is extremely important. More to come about the allegations and what legal trouble Volkswagen will be in.
