By: Kai Sinclair, Assistant New Editor (@kai_sinclair)
United States
Hurricane Irma, a category 5 storm, threatens to slam the southern coast of Florida on Sunday according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The sunshine state was placed in a state of emergency by Gov. Rick Scott (R) in preparation for what could be a record breaking storm. With sustained winds of 185 mph, Irma made landfall in the northeast Caribbean early Wednesday morning. Although it’s expected downgrade to a category 4 storm by the time it hits the U.S. mainland, some city and local officials in Florida have already cancelled school and urged citizens to prepare. As of Tuesday, many Miami supermarkets had already sold out of non-perishable food and water.
Nearly 800,000 people could be affected by President Donald Trump’s Tuesday decision to bring an end to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Attorney General Jeff Sessions made the initial announcement, explaining that no new applicants would be considered, and current Dreamers with permits set to expire before March 5, 2018 would have one month to apply for a two-year renewal. Although Trump said he would not, “just cut DACA off,” and hoped this would encourage Congress to come to an agreement on it, a string of protests took place across the nation. The announcement was made on the deadline Republican officials from 10 states set for the administration to end the Obama-era program.
Africa
Following growths in the last fiscal quarter, South Africa and Nigeria, two of Africa’s richest countries, are no longer in recession. South Africa’s economic resurgence can be attributed to a 33 percent increase in agricultural output. Both economies are still in vulnerable states, however. South Africa struggles with a 28 percent unemployment rate, while Nigeria’s crucial oil sector continues to underperform.
Europe
The British royal family is expecting a new addition after Duchess Kate of Cambridge and Prince Henry announced they would sound welcome their third child. The news came five days after the 20th anniversary of Henry’s mother, Princess Diana. The new baby isn’t expected to join its brother, Prince George, 4, and sister, Princess Charlotte, 2, until spring 2018. While the baby definitely won’t be the next heir to the throne, it will be born into an era of new succession laws that place more importance on birth order rather than gender.
South America
A key member of the Italian mafia was arrested in Uruguay on Friday after 20 years on the run. Before fleeing the country in the 1990s, Rocco Morabito was sentenced to 30 years in an Italian prison for shipping drugs into Italy and organizing their distribution. He entered Uruguay in 2001 with phony Brazilian identification papers and had been living comfortably since. His whereabouts were discovered a few months ago after Morabito tried to use his real name and fingerprints to enroll his daughter in school. Authorities seized 13 cell phones, 12 debit and credit cards, large quantities of US and Uruguayan currency, and an automatic pistol from him upon his arrest.
