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. Donald Trump named TIME magazine’s Person of the Year
TIME magazine has named president-elect Donald Trump as its pick for 2016 person of the year. The publication says they choose the person of the year based on “the individual who has had the most influence on events for better or worse.”
After Trump was named Person of the Year, he said he would have rather been awarded Man of the Year at a rally in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. “It used to be called the Man of the Year, and now it’s called the Person of the Year, and that’s good, they’re politically correct,” Trump said to the crowd. He then asked the audience who would rather have it be called the Man of the Year and was met with cheers and applause.
- Read more on TIME and The New York Times
2. New York Times publishes chilling photo essay of drug killings in the Philippines
“They are slaughtering us like animals”: Inside Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs in the Philippines https://t.co/HLPVgjRbQc pic.twitter.com/QZzuMyj107
— The New York Times (@nytimes) December 8, 2016
New York Times journalist Daniel Berehulak’s story covering President Rodrigo Duterte’s brutal anti-drug campaign in the Philippines captured 57 homicides over 35 days. The photo journalism piece is gaining attention all over the world and is bringing attention to the state-organized killings in the Philipines and Duterte’s promise to “slaughter” all of the drug dealers and addicts in the country.
- See full story on The New York Times
3. First Canadian woman to ever be featured on Canadian banknote announced
The first Canadian woman who will be featured on the Canadian banknote will be Viola Desmond, who lived in Nova Scotia from 1914-1965. Desmond is often known as “Canada’s Rosa Parks” as she defiantly refused to leave a whites-only area of a movie theatre in 1946 and was jailed as a result.
Her court case was the first known legal challenge against racial segregation brought forward by a Black woman in Canada.
- Read more on Daily Hive and CBC
4. Malta becomes first European country to ban gay conversion therapy
Malta has become the first European country to ban gay conversion therapy. The new law orders people to be fined or jailed if they try to “change, repress or eliminate a person’s sexual orientation, gender identity and/or gender expression.” Professional doctors who continue to offer conversion therapy will receive fines up to 10,000 euros.
- Read more on BBC and The New York Times
5. Amazon opens grocery store without checkout line
Amazon is changing the way people shop after it recently opened a small grocery store in Seattle that does not require customers to stand in a checkout line to pay for their items.
The store, called Amazon Go, requires people who enter to sign in using their smartphones on a reader located at the entrance of the store. The customer picks up items they need and when they are finished they can walk right out of the store. The reader bills the customer’s Amazon account for the items they bought. Currently, the project is in beta testing, only available to employees at the Amazon headquarters in Seattle.
- Read more on CBC and The Guardian
6. Fat shaming Santa tells child to lay off the ‘burgers and fries’
For nine-year-old Anthony Mayse of North Carolina, a recent visit to Santa turned into a terrible experience. Mayse went to a Christmas event with his family and was excited to meet Santa face to face.
Mayse proceeded to sit on Saint Nick’s lap but as he got up to leave, Santa told him to “lay off the hamburgers and french fries.” Mayse told a local TV station that Santa’s harsh words made him feel “awful.” After Mayse went public about what happened, the Santa resigned from his position.
- Read more on The Huffington Post and The Daily Dot
7. South Korean protesters rejoice as president impeached
South Korean President Park Geun-hye has officially been impeached. The announcement of her suspension of power was announced on December 9.
Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn will be stepping in as the country’s acting president. It is believed that Park allowed a long-time friend, a shaman, manipulate power from behind the scenes. Large crowds gathered in South Korea’s capital Seoul to celebrate Park’s impeachment.
- Read more on CBC and The Washinton Post
8. Turkey declares day of mourning after stadium explosions kill at least 38
Two bombs that exploded outside of a soccer stadium Istanbul, Turkey killed 38 and left over 160 injured. The explosions went off just after a game at Beskita’s stadium ended. Over 30 police officers were killed in the attack. The country has declared a day of mourning in memory of the victims.
- Read more on The Guardian and CNN
9. Oil tanker crash in Kenya leaves 30 dead
Kenya fuel tanker explosion kills more than 30 https://t.co/1RZHfWs9tf pic.twitter.com/JPBOPaXuam
— Al Jazeera News (@AJENews) December 11, 2016
An oil tanker crash in Kenya left at least 30 people dead on December 10. The crash took place while the tanker was going downhill on a road from Nairobi to the city of Naivasha. The tanker slammed into other cars and caused an explosion. Ten people were injured in the incident.
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