Roe V. Wade

The overturning of Roe V. Wade 

The Supreme Court announced that they have overturned Roe v. Wade on Friday, removing the constitutional right to abortion after 50 years of it being placed in ‘American life.’ The bans have taken effect in 8 states already, as the fall of Roe has been finalized, and these 8 states will be followed by countless more states. The overturning of Roe V. Wade has been faced with diverse opinions, concluding how there are still many differing opinions on abortion, such as those who see abortion as terminating a pregnancy to be a right and a choice while others believe it to be the termination of a life, hence, immoral. Following the announcement of the overturning of Roe v. Wade, there has been a wave of protests across the country starting Friday evening, outside the Supreme Court, where thousands of abortion rights supporters were demonstrating along with those of anti-abortion stances placed in smaller groups. There were also speakers in the rally that expressed their anger and frustration in regards to the polls during the midterm elections in November, mimicking a point made by President Biden, who stated that the court’s decision would be harming millions of women across America. “It is the realization of extreme ideology and a tragic error by the Supreme Court,” Mr Biden said.

Earthquake in Afghanistan

Earlier this week, there was an earthquake which struck the south-eastern region of Afghanistan. And the citizens of Gayan, a district of Paktika province, which was close to the epicentre of the earthquake, share their horrific encounters of the earthquake. Rahman Gul, a citizen in this district told BBC, "There is no meaning to my life anymore," "I saw my three daughters and four grandchildren die, my heart is broken." Seven members of his family had died, but there were also more children that must be looked after during this hardship. This family had spent the first evening after the earthquake, being soaked by heavy rain as they had no shelter to enclose them. "We need help, we have nothing, whatever we owned has been destroyed," he stated. Hence, support from the United Nations, and international and local charities have been directing aiding those that have suffered due to this disaster.

Oslo shooting 

Norwegian police had received numerous phone calls regarding a shooting that occurred near a pub, which describes itself to be "the largest gay and lesbian venue in Oslo." The shooting has been questioned to be a possible terrorist attack as the shooting also cancelled the annual Pride parade in Oslo. The suspect that was apprehended at the scene is a Norwegian citizen, originating from Iran, and has received minor convictions until he was charged with ‘murder, attempted murder and terrorist acts,’ as he killed 2 individuals and injured 8. The terrorism charge can be justified due to the numerous injuries and those that were killed and the ‘overall assessment’ which concluded that the shooter wanted to ‘create serious fear in the population.’ In the wake of this shooting, The President of the Norwegian Parliament, Masud Gharahkhani stated, “That something so brutal and terrible can happen. People were in town for a holiday of diversity and love," Gharahkhani said. "I also see time and time again what kind of hateful remarks abound in social media when we mark queer diversity. It's sad and unacceptable."

- Written by Jenna Cho; Source NY Times, BBC, CNN

Political Commentary

Mass Shooting at a Pride event in Norway Classified as Terrorism

On Saturday, June 25, Norway’s city of Oslo pride festival turned into the scene of a mass shooting, where 2 were killed and 21 others were injured. The shooting took place in the city’s nightlife district at the London Pub, which is known to be a hotspot for the local LGBTQ+ community. Out of those who were shot and treated on the scene, none were in life-threatening condition although some had serious injuries.

Police have identified the lead suspect as a Norwegian citizen named Zaniar Matapour, an Iranian immigrant with a criminal record and history of mental illness. The suspect has since been charged with terrorist acts as well as murder and attempted murder, with little else being known about the investigation. Norway’s Prime Minister took special care to speak to the nation’s Muslim community after it was revealed that the lead suspect was a member of the Islamic community, stating that they would “stand together” and remain as “one community”.

The next day, a mourning service was held at the Oslo Cathedral and had the Prime Minister and members of the royal family present. When speaking during the ceremony, Prime Minister Støre vowed that the fight against “prejudices, discrimination, and hate” would continue regardless of the shooting.

Liberal Political Commentary 

Mass shootings are sadly normal for part of the world, but one place they aren't anticipated is Norway. The country and the rest of the world were understandably shocked when it was revealed that two were killed in a shooting that left over twenty others injured during Oslo's pride festival. Norway's Prime Minister and law enforcement responded swiftly in stark comparison with the police of the United States following their shooting over two weeks ago. The shooter's motives can't be stated for sure since he's refusing to speak with police, but it would be an awfully large coincidence that he chose a bar frequented by LGBTQ people at random during the city's pride festival.

While it's true that the lead suspect is an Iranian immigrant, everyone should take great caution in how the shooter's country of origin and faith is being used. Many would agree that those of the Islamic faith are often portrayed unfairly in media, and instances like these serve as a way for those with harmful agendas to pin stereotypes on Muslims that aren't cast against white people or Christians simply for being white or Christian.

- Written by Ashlyn Hill

Conservative Political Commentary

Tragedy has struck in Oslo! The shooting that took place there was stated to be " a cruel and deeply shocking attack on innocent people.” by Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre who further stated, "even though we do not know if the queer environment was the goal, the queer environment is regardless the victim."(Yeung et al). The intentions of the shooter are currently unknown since he has refused to speak to government officials but his lawyer has requested a psychiatric examination. Some have been quick to jump to the idea of him being an Islamic extremist due to his Iranian heritage, but there has yet to be any evidence confirming this being the motivation. The reason that Norway has raised its terror alert (from moderate to extraordinary) is due to the sheer number of people who were harmed in the shooting since there seemed to be no specific target but merely a general area where the shooter shot freely.

One report, by Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, states that the shooter had previously been in trouble with law enforcement and a recent court hearing said he “has had mental problems for a number of years such as PTSD, delusions and difficulty concentrating”. Since the shooting, the cancelling of the annual Pride parade in Norway occurred and the previously unarmed police force has begun carrying guns. Hopefully, these acts of precaution dissuade further acts of terrorism. In the meantime, it seems that Norway as well as its political allies have united together to defend the rights of the LGBTQ+ community with other nations such as the United States publicly condemning any targeting of these communities.

- Written by Alexis Walker; The Guardian, CNN, WSJ, Reuters

Economy

As the cost of living soars in Spain, the government led by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez passed a 9.5 billion euro economic package in an attempt to reduce the damage caused by the war in Ukraine. Included in the plan is a cut in electricity tax, the cost of public transit passes, and an extension of previous measures aimed at similar effects of the war. (Source: Associated Press)

The United States, Canada, Japan, and the United Kingdom have pledged to ban imports of Russian gold. The UK has estimated that gold exports provided over 12 billion euros to Russia’s economy in 2021 and believes this sanction will cripple the nation’s ability to fund their invasion of Ukraine even further. This is the newest measure joining the flood of sanctions aimed to punish Russia for their military activity in Ukraine which has had adverse effects on the sanctioning powers.

- Written by Ashlyn Hill; Source Associated Press, BBC News

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