The official student newspaper of Walter Johnson High School

The Pitch

The official student newspaper of Walter Johnson High School

The Pitch

The official student newspaper of Walter Johnson High School

The Pitch

Top Five World News Events: Dec. 12 – Dec. 19

  1. Anti-government protests beaten down in Belarus. On Sunday, the police violently quashed protesters who were storming the Belarus capital in opposition of the re-election of authoritarian President Aleksandr G. Lukashenko. Leaders called the election a “farce” and denounced Lukashenko for keeping the post-Soviet government in a dictatorship. In his past 16 years as president, Lukashenko has oppressed the media, disposed of political opponents and strengthened the secret police, known still as the K.G.B.
  2. Sunnis allowed into Iraqi Government. On Saturday, Iraqi parliament voted to let three prominent Sunni politicians take office, reversing the controversial decision to disqualify Sunnis from the national government based on their ties to Saddam Hussein. This move is a step for the fragile government towards gaining the allegiance of a strong Sunni majority and indicates progress towards an independent and functioning Iraqi government.
  3. Refugee boat sinks off Australian coast. A ship full of people thought to be seeking asylum in Australia smashed onto the rocks of Christmas Island, prompting an emergency response from Australia. As of Wednesday, 27 bodies had been found while 41 people had been pulled from the ocean alive.
  4. Irish abortion ban challenged by European court. Ireland has one of Europe’s strictest laws on abortion, saying that a woman cannot get an abortion unless there is a “real and substantial risk on the mother’s life.” The European Court of Human Rights said that the Irish government makes even these abortions impossible in practice, as seen in the case of a denied abortion to a woman with cancer.
  5. South Africa expects millions more HIV cases. In a recent report, South Africa can expect 5 million more cases of HIV over the next two decades, even if the nation doubles the considerable amount of money it spends on prevention and treatment. South Africa is already home to 5.7 million HIV-infected people, the most of any nation in the world.

All information gathered from the New York Times Online.

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Lily Sieradzki, Print Feature Editor
Lily Sieradzki is the other print Feature Editor. She is a senior and loving it!  This is her first year on The Pitch, and while it’s a little crazy, it’s always crazy fun. Lily especially loves the comfy couch in the office, being awkward at interviews and the fact that the feature section is a flower garden of roses and lilies. Lily is 18 and legal, has two sisters and a guinea pig, and will be attending Tufts University next fall.
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