News

Typhoon Nepartak left destruction in its wake as it plowed through China and Taiwan last week. Nearly 200 people were killed in China, 50,000 homes collapsed and over 1.6 million people were displaced (Telegraph, July 7, 2016).

The pagan practice of witchcraft has forced many African albinos to live in fear that they or their relatives may be hunted. “At least 18 albino people have been killed in Malawi in a ‘steep upsurge in killings’ since November 2014, and five others have been abducted and remain missing… the toll is likely much higher because many killings in rural areas are never reported” (Associated Press, June 7, 2016).

In the wake of the Brexit and growing uncertainty within the EU, French and German foreign ministers announced plans for “the EU’s transformation to become a ‘political union’ and its resolute militarization for global military operations. In a joint position paper, Frank-Walter Steinmeier (SPD) and Jean-Marc Ayrault (PS) are calling for the EU’s comprehensive military buildup, based on a division of labor, to enable future global military operations. Following the Brexit, the EU should, step-by-step, become an ‘independent’ and ‘global’ actor.

Shockwaves have rippled across Europe after Britain voted to leave the EU in its historic referendum. “Spain’s Government on Friday called for joint control of Gibraltar after the British people voted to leave the EU” (Daily Express, June 27, 2016).

As visitors flock to Washington, D.C., in this summer’s travel season, the memorials of wars fought by the United States of America will be a main attraction. These memorials are a stark reminder of the high price paid in death, destruction, and human suffering from which it takes generations to recover. Yet, there are those who died in a great war in this country who do not have an impressive memorial to bring their sacrifice to mind. Who were they?