Summer’s hot topics

Mary Jane Gagliano, Staff Writer

And we are back. Yes, you read that right. With school returning, the KICs are back and and better than ever. Students have enjoyed their much needed break from school and spent time under the sun in the bubble and all around the world. While we were on break, however, the news kept on coming and the headlines kept rolling in. With a meeting held between two vocal leaders, a controversial court jurisdiction, and the world coming together for soccer, The Prowler has the stories.   

Staff Sgt. Katherine Spessa
Photo via U.S. Department of Defense under Creative Commons license

Suicide bomber kills in Kabul (6/4)

A suicide bomber killed 14 and injured 60 people in Kabul near a gathering of Muslim clerics. Although he was identified by the police previously, the attacker detonated the bomb in attempt to kill General Abdul Rashid Dostum, the exiled Afghan Vice President. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the terrorist attack.

The attack occurred just a week following the UN’s release stating that the number of civilian killings in the months of January through June had reached a new high of almost 1,700.  Additionally, this attack occurred just five months after the Afghan government announced that they would allow that the Taliban could be accepted as an official political party.

This particular attack closely followed a series of attacks which were also carried out in the Kabul and the areas surrounding Kabul. This series of killings resulted in over 70 people killed or seriously injured.

Ted Eytan
Photo via flickr (Ted Eytan) under Creative Commons license

Supreme Court sides with baker in the same-sex wedding cake case (6/4)

The Supreme Court rules in favor of the baker who refused to serve a same sex couple. The baker claims that he refused service because of his religious beliefs. The Court sided with the baker and used religious freedom to justify their verdict.

The baker said that he did not want to create art representing ideas that he did not support, however he claims that he offered to make other baked goods for the couple. The court used the fact that artists cannot be forced to create something to support their jurisdiction.

This case has been followed by an outbreak of objections. Many have made that point that freedom of expression should be just as important as freedom as religion, to justify that the couple was in the right. Additionally, people have shared the opinion that business owners should be able to tolerate other people’s life decisions rather than disrespecting others.

Trump meets with Kim Jong Un in a first of it’s kind meeting (6/11)

Photo via Wikimedia Commons (Shealah Craighead) under Creative Commons license

President Donald Trump met with Kim Jong Un, North Korea’s leader, for the first time to try to resolve tension. This 38 minute meeting was held in Singapore, just following a 12 second long handshake so that the meeting could be fully publicized. After their one-on-one meeting, they held a larger meeting with other North Korean and American officials present.

This meeting was a sharp contrast from the previous year’s interactions between Trump and Kim. The two had been known for their name calling, even to a point where it seemed as though the White House was thinking about taking military actions upon North Korea.

Although it is unclear if this meeting will lead to any new agreements for North Korea to take away their nuclear weapons, the meeting is hoped to lessen the tensions between the two countries and open North Korea up to the rest of the world.

Photo via flickr (Russian Presidential Press and Information Office) under Creative Commons license

France and Croatia take the soccer world by storm (7/15)

The intense final match of the World cup, between the highly acclaimed french soccer team and the underdog croatian team,  was played on July 15th. The French defeated Croatia with a final score of 4-2, winning themselves a second World Cup title.

Although the statistics show that Croatia played better overall, the French were more efficient and deliberate with the movement with the ball, which led to them creating more ideal scoring opportunities. With fifteen shots on goal, Croatia only managed to put three shots on frame. In contrast, France only took eight shots on goal, but managed to put six shots on frame, giving them the upperhand.

The featured man of the match was french athlete Antoine Griezmann, who scored off of a penalty in the first half of the match. His performance was evidently a threat to Croatia’s defensive line and was a key factor to France’s victory.

Demi Lovato’s drug scare (7/24)

Photo via flickr (Justin Higuchi) under Creative Commons license

Almost a month after admitting to having a drug relapse, popstar, Demi Lovato was hospitalized for a drug overdose.This incident occurred just four months after celebrating six years of sobriety.

Just two days before the overdose, Lovato forgot the words to her single “Sober” during a concert held in California. Additionally, one of Lovato’s friends claimed that she was beginning to struggle with staying sober because of all of the pressure coming from fans, the press, and even the people closest to her.

When Lovato arrived at the hospital, she was unconscious and she was given drugs that were used to reverse the effects of the drugs that she overdosed on. She stayed in the hospital for 5 days until her release.