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: April 1 to April 7

Burmese opposition protests against the government
Members of Burma’s National League for Democracy (NLD), seen here at a 2009 protest, won 40 seats in Burma’s parliament.

1. French Police Arrest Over 20 Suspected Militants. In the aftermath of the killing spree by Mohammed Merah, police in France have arrested a total of 23 suspected Islamic militants. At least nine of them have been charged with “criminal conspiracy in connection with a terrorist enterprise.” In early March, Merah shot and killed three off-duty French paratroopers and four civilians at a Jewish school. He was later killed by a police marksman after he shot repeatedly at police who were entering his apartment. Socialist presidential candidate Francois Hollande, who is challenging incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy, criticized the heavy publicity surrounding the arrests, likening it to “advertising.” (Source: CNN)

2. Burmese Opposition Dominates Parliamentary Elections. The National League for Democracy (NLD) won 40 of 44 contested seats in Burma’s parliamentary elections. The Union Solidarity and Development Party, the party backed by the ruling military regime in Burma, still controls most of the 664 seats in parliament. However, the elections are seen as a major victory for the NLD, as they are the first electoral results against the government that have been upheld. In 1990, the government rejected the results of the parliamentary election and placed the leader of the NLD, Aung San Suu Kyi, under house arrest. (Source: CNN)

3. Azawad Declaration of Independence from Mali Rejected. The United States, African Union and European Union have all rejected the claim of Azawad’s independence from Mali. Separatist rebels in the northern part of Mali had been waging a sustained campaign against the government, but declared a unilateral ceasefire after capturing all of the area that it claims as Azawad. Military leaders in Mali had staged a coup d’état earlier, seizing power in Mali after their requests for additional resources in fighting the rebels went unanswered. African leaders fear that other separatist movements may arise if Azawad’s independence bid is recognized. (Source: BBC)

4. Colombian Rebels Release All Military Hostages. The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) have released the last 10 remaining police and military hostages on April 2. The release, brokered by the Red Cross, was in part motivated by FARC’s pledge to end its policy of kidnapping persons to exchange for imprisoned guerilla fighters. They still, however, hold hundreds of civilian hostages. FARC has been fighting for control of Colombia since the 1960s, making the conflict one of the longest running in Latin America. In order to raise funds for their insurgency, FARC has kidnapped hundreds of people for ransom, and has engaged in the production and trafficking of illegal drugs. (Source: BBC)

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5. Bosnians Mark 20 Year Anniversary of 1992 War. Over 11,000 empty chairs were arranged in Sarajevo to represent those who died in the Bosnian capital. The event marked 20 years since the 1992 Bosnian War, which began after Bosnia voted for independence from the former nation of Yugoslavia. Serbia invaded Bosnia on the pretext of protecting ethnic Serbs, but quickly moved to expel non-Serbs from the country. Sarajevo was besieged by Serbian forces for over 1400 days – longer than the siege of Leningrad in World War II. Over 100,000 were killed, with many non-Serbian civilians killed as part of the ethnic cleansing campaign in Europe since the Holocaust. (Source: The Washington Post)

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