9 things that happened around the world this week you should know about

This week, Greece’s financial turmoil continues; Venezuela could be facing a possible beer drought and the U.S. women’s soccer team claimed the top spot at the 2015 Women’s World Cup.

Each Friday, we bring you a roundup of some of the biggest stories making headlines around the world. Here are nine things that happened outside of Vancouver over the past week that you should know about (in no particular order):

July 4 to 10, 2015

1. Greece votes ‘No’ in bailout referendum

On Sunday, Greeks rejected the conditions for a rescue package from creditors with 61 per cent of voters siding with the choice to not accept the bailout terms. The decision has also put Greece’s status as a eurozone member into jeopardy as lenders are growing increasingly frustrated with the struggling nation. Sunday’s vote also forced the resignation of New Democracy leader Antonis Samaras as the party’s president because he strongly backed the unsuccessful “Yes” vote.

On Thursday, Greece met an important deadline by submitting a new bailout proposal, which meets more of the eurozone creditor’s guidelines. In the proposal, Greece asked for 54.5 billion euros in financial aid. However, the IMF stated that the country is in dire need of 60 billion euros to help with debt relief. Greece desperately needs a third bailout to avoid a default and possible dismissal from the eurozone.

• Read more on The New York Times and CBC

2. HSBC staff fired for fake ISIS video

Six HSBC staff members have been dismissed after they posted a mock execution video on social media. The video was filmed to imitate an ISIS style beheading, as a group of men in balaclavas are seen holding a knife surrounding a man kneeling on the ground wearing an orange jumpsuit. The mock scenario was apparently filmed during a team building exercise in the U.K. and the staff members then posted the video to Instagram. “This is an abhorrent video and HSBC would like to apologize for any offense caused,” a representative of the bank said in an statement.

• Read more on TIME

3. Al-Shabaab kills 14 people in Kenya

Extremist group Al-Shabaab has claimed responsibility for an attack that has killed at least 14 people and left 11 injured in Kenya. On Tuesday night, members of Al-Shabaab, armed with knives and various weapons, swarmed two homes located in Mandera County. The victims were local quarry workers and laborers staying in the homes for a work term. Sheikh Abdiaziz Abu Musab, Al-Shabaab’s military operations spokesman, made a public statement announcing that the incident was targeted towards Kenyan Christians. According to Kenyan officials, the terrorist group was planning on killing 150 people during the night of the attack.

• Read more on CNN

4. Five people injured during Running of the Bulls festival in Spain

The famous Running of the Bulls festival in Pamplona, Spain, took a dangerous turn this week as three men were gored and 10 people were taken to hospital. Within the first two minutes and 23 seconds of the bull run, the victims were attacked by the animals. They were taken to hospital where they are expected to fully recover. The nine-day festival attracts thousands of locals and tourists. Bull runs are traditional events at the summer celebrations, during which, bulls are released from their holding pens as people run from them down Spain’s narrow streets. There have been 15 total deaths from bull run related gorings in Pamplona since 1924.

• Read more on CTV

5. Team U.S.A. wins top spot at FIFA Women’s World Cup

The U.S. women’s soccer team became the FIFA Women’s World Cup champions on Sunday, beating Japan by a score of 5-2. Japan upset the U.S. at the last Women’s World Cup in 2011, where they beat them in the final match. This time, team U.S.A came back strong, scoring four goals in less than 20 minutes.

Three of those goals were scored by midfielder Carli Lloyd, who became the first player in Women’s World Cup history to score a hat trick in a final game. England’s Geoff Hurst is the only male player to do the same, as he scored a hat trick during the 1966 World Cup final.”It’s been amazing,” said Lloyd. “We just wrote history today and brought this World Cup trophy home, which is unbelievable.” The last time the U.S. women’s team won the World Cup was in 1999.

• Read more on CBC 

6. U.N. report reveals more than four million Syrian refugees have fled abroad since 2011

On Thursday, the U.N. reported that over four million Syrians have left the country since the beginning of the 2011 civil war. This is the largest number of refugees from a crises in nearly 25 years. “This is the biggest refugee population from a single conflict in a generation,” U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres said. “It is a population that needs the support of the world but is instead living in dire conditions and sinking deeper into poverty.” The U.N. refugee agency also confirmed that there are 7.6 million more people who have been displaced from their homes in Syria due to the on going conflict in the nation.

• Read more on Al Jazeera

7. Kenyan protesters warn Obama to not bring up gay rights during upcoming visit

Anti-gay protesters in Kenya are taking to the streets to warn President Obama to not speak about gay rights during his upcoming visit to the country next month. “We do not want Obama and Obama, we do not want Michelle and Michelle,” the protesters chanted during a demonstration. “We want Obama and Michelle and we want a child!”

Monday’s march was organized by the Evangelical Alliance of Kenya. The protest came one day after Kenya’s Deputy President William Ruto openly expressed his opinions on same-sex relationships. “We have heard that in the U.S. they have allowed gay relations and other dirty things,” Ruto said. “I want to say as a Christian leader that we will defend our country Kenya, we will stand for our faith and our country.” This will be President Obama’s first visit to Kenya.

• Read more on BuzzFeed News

8. Venezuela faces beer drought

Venezuelans are bracing for the possibility of a national beer shortage because of striking workers at the nation’s largest brewery. Empresas Polar brewery makes 80 per cent of Venezuela’s beer. Now, half of Polar’s breweries have been shut down due striking workers who are calling for higher wages. So far, shelves at Venezuelan stores are not showing any shortage of beer but Polar says it is beginning to experience difficulties with meeting distribution targets in some parts of the nation. While it may not seem like a pressing issue, for many Venezuelans the prospect of a beer shortage is worrisome. Beer accounts for 76 per cent of alcoholic beverages consumed in the entire nation. However, running low on beer is not Venezuela’s only worry as the country is also facing milk and medicine  shortages.

9. Taliban and Afghan officials hold first peace talk

in Pakistan

Afghan and Taliban officials met for their first official peace talk on Tuesday. The monumental meeting is seen as a very important move towards ending 13 years of war in  Afghanistan. American and Chinese officials attended as observers during the meeting, which was held in Murree, Pakistan. The two sides have agreed to meet again after the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

• Read more on Al Jazeera

 

Missed last week’s roundup? Read it here.

Also check out our weekly series published every Wednesday – 9 good things that happened around the world this week.