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: May 21 – May 27

Top Five World News Events: May 21 – May 27

1. Ratko Mladic Arrested for War Crimes. Ratko Mladic, the highest ranking fugitive indicted for war crimes in the former Yugoslavia, was arrested on May 26 without resistance. He had been indicted by an international war crimes tribunal for his involvement in atrocities during 1995. He was in command of the military forces responsible for attacks against civilians, as well as killing 8,000 Muslims in the city of Srebrenica. The 1992-1995 Bosnian War saw the worst ethnic cleansing campaigns and acts of genocide in Europe since the Holocaust.

2. Obama Visits Ireland, the United Kingdom and France. President Barack Obama visited Ireland and the United Kingdom on state visits before going to the G8 summit in France. His visit to Ireland came just after a controversial visit by Queen Elizabeth to the once-British territory. After a short visit in Ireland, Obama went to England to meet with Queen Elizabeth and Prime Minister David Cameron. He also spoke to a rare joint session of British Parliament at Westminster Hall. World leaders from the eight largest economies – the so-called “G8” – met in France shortly afterward at an annual summit.

3. Volcano in Iceland Causes Travel Panic. Iceland’s Grímsvötn volcano erupted on May 21, forcing several airports in Northern Europe to temporarily suspend flights. Airspace was fully repopened on May 25. Despite the disruption to flight patterns, fewer airports were forced to close during this eruption than in last year’s volcanic ash release. That eruption, resulting from a separate Icelandic volcano, forced about 20 countries in Europe to close their airspace completely, including transportation hubs in the U.K., France, and Germany.

4. U.K. Attack Helicopters to Deploy to Libya. As of May 27, the British government has announced the deployment of Apache attack helicopters to Libya in support of the air campaign authorized by the United Nations. The attack helicopters are better able to strike a wide variety of targets, including tanks, infantrymen and “soft-skinned” light vehicles, but are relatively easier to fire on by anti-aircraft systems. The NATO-run campaign, called Operation Unified Protector, was undertaken to prevent civilian casualties at the hands of forces loyal to the Libyan leader, Moammar Gadhafi.

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5. Christine Lagarde Could Become IMF Leader. Christine Lagarde, the French Minister of Finance, announced her candidacy for the top leadership position at the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The position has been vacant ever since Dominique Strauss-Kahn resigned amid charges of attempted rape and sexual offenses. The IMF has had a critical role in providing financial assistance to countries in the Eurozone, who are in danger of going bankrupt, and a leaderless IMF has concerned financial analysts and government leaders who support the financial aid.

All information from cnn.com and http://news.sky.com/skynews.

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