China will reportedly end its one-child policy
According to a statement from the Communist Party, couples in China will be allowed to have two children now that China’s population growth has stabilized, resulting in an aging population. The family planning policy, better known as the one-child policy, was enacted in 1979 after China’s population boomed from 540 million in 1949 to 940 million in 1976. The policy has many exceptions; ethnic minorities and parents who are only children are exempt, and those who live in rural, sparsely populated are allowed to have two children if their firstborn is female. It has prevented an estimated 400 million births. Those who violated the policy are severely punished with fines, unemployment and even forced abortions. The policy has been widely criticized due to the preference of boys in China; often, if first-time parents discover their baby is female, they will opt to abort the child and try again for a male to carry on the paternal bloodline.
More than 20 shipwrecks found around Greek archipelago
The 17-square-mile Fourni archipelago, a group of 13 islands and islets, is the site of 22 shipwrecks, credited as one of the top finds of 2015. Underwater archaeologists discovered the shipwrecks as part of a first-time joint Greek-American expedition in the area over 13 days. The Fourni archipelago is located between Samos and Icaria in the Aegean Sea, and experts said the Fourni used to be the only safe place for ships to dock as they traveled to and from the Greek mainland. More than half of the shipwrecks date to 300 to 600 A.D., and most date between 700 and 31 B.C., encompassing the Late Roman Period, the Archaic Period, the Classical Period, the Hellenistic Period and the Late Medieval period.
Nepal elects first female president
Bidhya Devi Bhandari, women’s rights campaigner and current vice-chair of the ruling Communist Party of Nepal, was elected president by Nepal’s parliament on Oct. 28. Bhandari has promised to support minority and women’s rights as president of Nepal. She is the second person to hold office as president, as she will replace Ram Baran Yadav, who was elected in 2008.
Saudi blogger awarded human rights prize
Raif Badawi, a Saudi Arabian blogger, was awarded the European Parliament’s Sakharov human rights prize following his 10-year jail and 1,000-lash sentence for “insulting Islam” and apostasy in 2012. Apostasy is the abandonment of a religion, in this case of Islam; a conviction of apostasy usually guarantees a death sentence in Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Qatar, Sudan and other Middle Eastern countries. Badawi received 50 public lashes in January, inciting world-wide protest; the rest of his lashings have been postponed due in part to his poor health. The Saudi Arabian Supreme Court upheld the heavy sentence this past June, but there are now widespread calls for his release. Parliament Chief Martin Schulz implored the Saudi King to pardon Badawi, saying that Badawi’s punishment is nothing more than “brutal torture.” The writer and activist is the co-creator of the website Free Saudi Liberals.
UK birds face extinction
Atlantic puffins, European turtle doves, pochards and Slavonian grebes were placed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species for birds. There are millions of puffins, but due to pollution and declining food sources, fewer young puffins survive and produce offspring. Turtle dove and Slavonian grebe populations have been on the decline due to fewer mating pairs. Hunting and habitat destruction have caused a decline in the pochard population. Ecologists said that the puffin and the turtle dove face the same level of extinction as the lion and African elephant and are more endangered than the humpback whale. This brings the total of UK species on the critical list to eight.
Indian prime minister pledges $600 million to Africa
Narendra Modi, India’s prime minister, pledged $600 million in aid for development projects in Africa. Modi announced the amount at the India-Africa Forum Summit in New Delhi, the Indian capital. More than 50 African political figures attended the summit, including Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe and Omar al-Bashir of Sudan. The summit is India’s attempt to improve relations with Africa — trade between India and Africa has doubled since 2007 to $72 billion. This is reportedly the largest number of foreign dignitaries to appear in India since 1983 and the largest overseas assembly of African leaders.
A dozen killed and others missing after ELN ambush in Colombia
Defense Minister Luis Carlos Villegas said six people are missing after a National Liberation Army (ELN) attack on a group carrying regional election ballots. During the attack, 12 members of the security forces were killed; eleven of those killed were soldiers, and one was a police officer. Villegas said poll workers and a local guide are among the missing. The ELN is a left-wing Marxist-Leninist group with about 2,000 armed members in conflict with the Colombian government. Last month, the government signed a peace deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, and the two parties are pursuing peace. Despite the FARC’s invitation to the ELN to join in on the peace talks, the ELN continues to be aggressive. The attack followed what President Juan Manuel Santos called “the most peaceful and least violent [election] in decades.”
