War/Conflict: Former Prime Minister Imran Khan Shot in Leg During Rally
On November 3, Pakistan’s former Prime Minister, Imran Khan was shot in the legs at one of his political campaign rallies in Wazirabad. He was carried out of the protest march immediately and is currently in stable condition at a hospital in Lahore, Pakistan. Hours later, an anonymous person claimed responsibility for the attack through a video confession. According to “CNN,” he said that Khan was “misleading people, and [his rallies] were playing music and shouting from loudspeakers as the call for prayer was happening. I didn’t like this.” Police identified the subject as Mohammad Naveed. The attack has drawn international condemnation and is said to be an attempted assassination of Khan.
Economics: Elon Musk’s Twitter Lay-Offs After 44 Billion Dollar Takeover.
After Elon Musk’s 44-billion-dollar takeover of Twitter in late October, he has laid off nearly half of Twitter’s 7,500 workers, including CEO Parag Agrawal and two other executives. Twitter employees have been receiving layoff notifications since last Thursday, and several Twitter employees filed a lawsuit against Twitter, claiming the layoffs are in violation of both the federal and statewide Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act. Musk appeared in an interview a few days later explaining that these layoffs were necessary for a company such as Twitter that was currently experiencing “revenue challenges,” reported “CNN.” However, only a few days after, Twitter is now asking some fired workers to come back. They indicated that some employees were laid off by mistake and are reaching out to dozens whose “work and experiences may be necessary to build the new features Musk envisions,” reported “Bloomberg.”
World Issues: Over Hundred Killed During Halloween Crush In Seoul
On the eve of Halloween, 151 people were killed during Halloween festivities in Seoul, South Korea. Over 100,000 people crowded into the narrow streets of Itaewon, Seoul, a nightlife district. Most of the killed and injured were young adults, with female victims over double the number of male victims. A first responder at the scene told “The New York Times” that many of the fallen individuals “showed symptoms of cyanosis, or blue skin, or were bleeding from the nose or mouth. Some appeared to be bleeding from a fractured skull or had vomited… most were without a pulse.” President Yoon Sek Youl has declared a period of national mourning for those that passed away in the tragic incident.
Health: Gender Treatments Banned in Florida for Adolescents
Florida’s Board of Medicine voted to ban all gender-related treatments for minors under 18 in the state of Florida on November 4. Board members of the committee, appointed by Republican State Governor Ron DeSantis, voted 6-3 to outlaw puberty blockers or gender transitional surgeries. As a part of an ongoing controversy in the United States of America, the decisions made by the committee are crucial because they are overseen by the State Department of Health. According to “The New York Times,” the prevention of gender-related treatments can lead to “high rates of depression and anxiety” in gender fluid and transgender teenagers. Dr. Meredithe McNamara, a physician who often treats transgender adolescents testified in “The New York Times” that he feels “very strongly that this is a misuse of their power.” Dr. Kevin Cairns, former vice chair of Florida’s Board of Medicine, has stepped down due to his disapproval of the committee’s decision.
Natural Disaster: Extreme Droughts and Heat Waves
Throughout 2022, many parts of the world have reported extreme temperatures and fatalities, while large bodies of water receding to record lows. Severe droughts in China and the U.S. have been recurring in recent years, costing the countries over 30 billion dollars in damage so far. The droughts and heat waves also caused significant agricultural and power plant damage and prevented the use of major waterways and canals. Over 16,000 European citizens have been killed due to the climate from either droughts or heat waves, reported “Yale Climate Connections.” In a recent Twitter post, Dr. Jeff Masters, a meteorologist at the Yale Climate Connection, wrote that “drought is the greatest threat climate change poses to humanity in the near term.”
