Each week, we bring you a roundup of some of the biggest stories making headlines around the world.
Here are nine things that happened last week that you should know about (in no particular order)
1. At least 75 dead in attack on Pakistan shrine
An ISIS suicide bomber attacked inside a beloved famed in southern Pakistan on Thursday, killing at least 75 people. The bomber entered the Sufi shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar and detonated explosives as worshipers were praying at the site. At least 20 women and children were killed. This is the deadliest attack in Pakistan in over two years. ISIS has claimed responsibility for the bombing.
2. South Korea says North Korea responsible for murder of Kim Jong-nam
South Korea says that the North Korean regime was responsible for the murder of Kim Jong-un’s half-brother Kim Jong-nam. “We believe the North Korean regime is behind this incident considering five suspects are North Koreans,” said Seoul’s unification ministry spokesman.
The North-Korean leader’s estranged half-brother was killed at Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur airport last week. Malaysian police have detained one North Korean and say they are searching for three more suspects.
- Read more on BBC and The New York Times
3. CETA: European Parliament approves new Canada-EU trade deal
The European Parliament has approved a new Canada-EU trade deal, in what is being hailed as an “exciting milestone” after nearly a decade of challenging negotiations.
CETA, or the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, is considered one of the most significant Canadian trade deals since the North American Free Trade Agreement.
However, last year, it was nearly canned after Wallonia, a small region in Belgium, rejected it, prompting the Canadian delegation to walk out.
Justin Trudeau finally signed the deal in October, along with European Council and European Commission presidents, Donald Tusk and Jean-Claude Juncker, in Brussels.
On Wednesday, the European Parliament voted in favour of the deal, bringing it one step closer to reality. The deal was approved by 408 votes to 254, with 33 abstentions.
- Read more on Daily Hive
4. Justin Trudeau meets with President Trump in Washington
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with President Donald Trump on Monday.
Both leaders praised the “special” relationship between our two nations. The words ‘friendship,’ ‘respect,’ and ‘mutual’ seemed to be used more than any others. And the amount of depth on any issue was mostly kept as close to kiddie pool level as possible.
But at least Trudeau won the handshake test.
President Trump began the press conference with a pledge to work with the Prime Minister and Canadians to achieve prosperity for both countries. However, when later pressed on his ongoing denouncement of NAFTA, Trump offered very little, saying only that the trade relationship between Canada and the US is “outstanding” and that all it will get is a few “tweaks” that will benefit both countries before focusing his answer more on the problems and “unfair relationship” NAFTA has built with Mexico.
- Read more on Daily Hive
5. Donald Trump to revise travel ban
President Donald Trump’s administration says that he is working on a new version of his travel ban that stops people from seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the US. According to US Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, Trump has a “streamlined” version of the executive order in the works. “The president is contemplating releasing a tighter, more streamlined version,” Kelly said on Saturday.
- Read more on The Wall Street Journal and CNN
6. Thousands of nomadic herders in Mongolia in need of aid
More than 42,546 livestock have perished in Mongolia as herders face brutal winter cold https://t.co/10KObEMCdW
— AFP news agency (@AFP) February 16, 2017
Thousands of nomadic herders in Mongolia are at risk of hunger and losing their livelihoods, according to the Red Cross. Temperatures are dropping in the country, resulting in livestock deaths. This directly impacts the lives of herders because they use livestock for food, transport, and income. On Thursday, the Red Cross said that over $600,000 in aid was needed to help 11,300 Mongolians impacted by the severe cold.
- Read more on Reuters
7. Museum removes all artwork created by immigrants
A Boston-area museum has removed all art created by immigrants in order to highlight their important contributions to the world of art. “We have removed or cloaked these works to demonstrate symbolically what the Davis Museum would look like without their contributions to our collections and to Wellesley College, and to thereby honour their many invaluable gifts,” said the Davis Museum in a statement. The move is in response to President Donald Trump’s recent travel ban on individuals from seven Muslim-majority countries.
- Read more on CNN and The Independent
8. SpaceX launches Falcon rocket from NASA’s moon pad
A SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft took off on February 19 from Kennedy Space Centre’s Launch Complex 39A, carrying supplies for the International Space Station. The launch pad was last used six years ago for NASA’s final shuttle mission. This is also SpaceX’s first launch from Florida since a rocket explosion occurred last summer.
- Read more on CBC and The New York Times
9. Car bomb in Somalia kills 20
Somalia Mogadishu car bomb: At least 16 people killed https://t.co/CUYhGg010D
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) February 19, 2017
A car bomb explosion at a marketplace in Somalia’s capital of Mogadishu has killed at least 20 people and injured 50. The blast destroyed shops and stalls and is the first major attack in Mogadishu since President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed was elected into office earlier this month. No group has taken responsibility, however, officials believe al-Shabab are prime suspects.
- Read more on BBC
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