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: June 4 – June 9

1. Germany Seeks Source of E. coli Outbreak. German officials have yet to locate the source of a deadly strain of the E. coli bacteria. As of June 7, 22 people in Europe died and over 2,000 have been infected. Nearly all of the deaths were reported in Germany; one person visiting Germany from Sweden also died. Fears of contamination have prompted recalls of German and Spanish produce as a number of companies destroy potentially tainted crops. European officials recently declared that the outbreak threat was limited to the area around the German city of Hamburg, and posed no threat to other countries.

2. Yemeni President Leaves Yemen for Treatment in Saudi Arabia. As tribal leaders and protesters fight government forces in Yemen, the president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, is seeking medical treatment in Saudi Arabia. The president was badly injured in an attack by anti-government forces. Even in his absence, fighting is still continuing in Yemen, as over 400 tribal fighters took over a city in the southwestern part of the country. Officials in the United States are particularly concerned about the situation in Yemen, as a stable Yemen is critical to fighting Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

3. Fukushima Daiichi Experienced Three Meltdowns. The Japanese nuclear generating station Fukushima Daiichi suffered full meltdowns in three reactors after the March earthquake and tsunami. In addition, the containment vessel that stores radioactive material in Reactor 1 is believed to be leaking. Tokyo Electric Power Company has received criticism for what many view as a poor handling of the nuclear crisis at the nuclear power plant. Anti-nuclear energy activists view the disaster as evidence that nuclear energy is inherently unsafe. The disaster was rated by the International Atomic Energy Agency as a Level 7; only the 1986 Chernobyl meltdown has reached Level 7, the highest emergency level possible for nuclear accidents.

4. NATO Strikes Are Targeting Gadhafi. Moammar Gadhafi’s compound has been repeatedly struck by NATO missiles as Operation Unified Protector intensifies. A NATO military official reported on June 9 that Gadhafi is being considered a legitimate target. NATO member nations are increasing their involvement in the Libyan conflict, including the deployment of British and French attack helicopters to the war zone. Libyan state television and government spokespersons have claimed numerous civilian casualties as a result of airstrikes on government buildings. NATO officials counter that loyalist forces have fabricated reports of attacks and moved bodies to falsely claim civilian casualties. The conflict was approved by a United Nations resolution on March 17 of this year.

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5. German Chancellor Receives Medal of Freedom. German Chancellor Angela Merkel received the Presidential Medal of Freedom on June 7 at a state dinner. Her receiving of America’s highest civilian honor is symbolic of the alliance between the United States and Germany that goes back to the end of World War II. However, Germany has opposed American action in Libya and has not detailed military forces to the NATO campaign. The state dinner comes not long after President Obama’s recent trip to Europe, which included visits to Ireland, the United Kingdom, and France.

All information gathered from cnn.com.

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