World news catch-up
June Events
Supreme Court Ruled on Cellphone Privacy (June 25): The Supreme Court in America ruled that in order for the police to search an individual’s cell phone, when arrested, a warrant will be needed to proceed. The decision was related to two cases on the same issue that appeared back in April: Riley v. California and United States v. Wurie.
King Juan Carlos Announces Abdication (June 2): In Spain, King Juan Carlos announced his abdication after 39 years at the throne. His son, Felipe, 46, would succeed him. Carlos has been praised for guiding Spain during its transition from dictatorship to democracy and for thwarting a military coup in 1981. Even with these actions made, he lost the confidence of Spaniards who considered him out of touch for Carlos and his family have have been prone to scandalism during the recession of 2012.
San Antonio Defeated Miami for NBA Title (June 15): The San Antonio Spurs won their fifth NBA championship, dominating the Miami Heat with a score of 104–87. The Spurs, having won four games to one, avenged their losses to the Heat in last year’s finals.
July Events
Chinese Hackers Gained Access to U.S. Employee Data (July 9): American officials announced that Chinese hackers breached the computer network of the Office of Personnel Management months ago. hackers from China targeted employees applying for top security clearances. It remains unclear how far the hackers got into the agency’s network before authorities detected their presence and blocked them. This announcement came weeks after the U.S. Justice Department indicted five members of Shanghai-based Unit 61398, the cyber division of Chinese People’s Liberation Army, charging them with hacking into the computer networks of Westinghouse Electric, U.S. Steel Corp., and other companies.
ISIS Declared Territory in Iraq (July 1): ISIS changed its name to the Islamic State and declared the territory in Iraq under its control-Anbar province (west of Baghdad) and most of Nineveh (north of Baghdad)-a caliphate. Iraqi forces, with the guidance of U.S. military advisers, began developing a strategy in maintaining control of Baghdad and the surrounding area.
Germany Won World Cup (July 13): Germany won against Argentina in extra time with a score of 1–0 in the 2014 World Cup. Germany’s Mario Goetze scored in the 113th minute that gave Germany its fourth World Cup title. The final match took place at the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
August Events
Police Shooting of Teenager Sparks Outrage (Aug. 9 – Aug. 13): A police officer shot and killed Michael Brown, an unarmed 18-year-old teenager in Ferguson, Mo. Police said that Brown was shot during a fight with the officer. However, a friend who was with Brown at the time said that the officer shot Brown when Brown refused to move from the middle of the street to the sidewalk and that Brown’s hands were over his head at the moment of the shooting. In the days after the shooting, protesters filled the streets that forced Police officers to arrive on the scene with riot gear, including rifles and shields. The protest turned violent and images from cellphones go viral on social media, including several accounts of looting in Ferguson.
Police Confirmed Officer (Aug. 15): In a news conference, police identified Darren Wilson as the one who shot Brown from the start. Wilson has been with the Ferguson Police Department for four years and had no disciplinary charges. He was placed on leave and his location is unknown. However, tensions flared when, in a simultaneous press conference, police release information that Brown had been suspected of robbing a convenience store minutes before he was shot.
Oscar Winner Robin Williams Committed Suicide (Aug. 11): Legendary American comedic actor Robin Williams was found dead. On this day, details were released, including that Williams died by asphyxiation. Shrines honoring Williams popped up all over the country, including one in Boston on a bench in the Boston Common where a scene from Good Will Hunting was filmed.
http://deadline.com/2014/08/robin-williams-dead-817684/
ISIS Members Killed American Journalist (Aug. 19): Members of ISIS beheaded American journalist James Foley, 40, in apparent retaliation for U.S. airstrikes against the group. Foley, who worked for GlobalPost, went missing in Syria in November 2012. ISIS released a graphic video of his killing in which, after his death, the U.S. announced that troops had attempted to rescue him. However, they had been unable to locate him. President Obama referred to ISIS as a “cancer.” “The United States of America will continue to do what we must do to protect our people,” he said. “We will be vigilant, and we will be relentless.” The U.S. stepped up its airstrikes against the militants following Foley’s murder.
September Events
Ukraine Cease-Fire Began (Sept. 5): Representatives from the Ukrainian government, the Russian-backed separatists, Russia, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe announced on the agreement on a cease-fire. The terms included an immediate end to fighting, the exchange of prisoners, amnesty for those who did not commit serious crimes, a 6-mile buffer zone along the Ukrainian-Russian border, decentralization of power in the Donbass region (the area dominated by the Russian-backed rebels), and the creation of a route to deliver humanitarian aid. “The whole world is striving for peace, the whole of Ukraine is striving for peace, including millions of citizens in Donbass,” Poroshenko said. “The highest value is human life, and we must do everything possible to stop the bloodshed and put an end to suffering.”
Scotland Voted to Remain with UK (Sept. 18): In an independence referendum, Scottish voters opted, 55% to 45%, to remain part of the United Kingdom. More than 4.2 million voters (86% turnout) took to the polls in record numbers to vote on the referendum question: “Should Scotland be an independent country?” When the votes were tallied, it finalized as 2,001,926 (55.3%) for No to 1,617,989 (44.7%) for Yes. In continuation, the Westminster powers that be will look hard at the very structure of the United Kingdom. A margin of victory of 10% was decisive; however, British leaders promised to listen to the 1.6 million who voted for independence.
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-29270441
Decision Made Towards ISIS and Funds (Sept. 17): The House of Representatives voted Wednesday 273 to 156 to arm and train Syrian rebels against the Islamic State group, stamping their approval on the plan President Barack Obama presented the week before. The House voted in greater numbers – 319 to 108 – on a separate measure that will keep the government funded through Dec. 11. The current spending bill states to expire at the end of September. The legislation included a renewal of the Export-Import bank, a government-backed credit agency aimed at boosting U.S. exports.
