Hong Kong police officers charged with police brutality
Seven police officers were charged with reportedly attacking a protester during a mass pro-democracy demonstration in Hong Kong, approximately a year after the incident occurred. On Oct. 15, 2014, activist Ken Tsang was handcuffed and beaten by police. The incident was recorded, and it prompted accusations of police brutality. The police force faced criticism for their seemingly lax handling of the incident.
Nearly one million Indian pharmacies go on one-day strike
At least 800,000 Indian pharmacies went on a one-day strike on Oct. 14 to protest online drug sale. The pharmacies said that the online drug industry cut into their businesses and endanger customers by not following rules. As a result, the government plans to implement guidelines and regulation on online drug retailers, which freely sell anti-abortion pills, steroids and sleeping pills.
Australia police make largest illegal tobacco bust
Australia’s border protection agency, the Australian Border Force (ABF), made its largest seizure of smuggled tobacco. The ABF seized over 50 tons of tobacco in two containers in Sydney that were smuggled from Indonesia, and Indonesian authorities seized a third shipment, with over 26 tons of tobacco, before it could leave for Sydney. The ABF also seized six million cigarettes in Melbourne and dismantled two organized crime groups involved in illegal tobacco transport.
Volvo announces 2019 all-electric car
Sweden’s Volvo Car Corp. announced that it will manufacture and sell an all-electric car in 2019. Chief executive Hakan Samuelsson said in a statement that electric cars must break out of their relatively small niche and become mainstream automobiles. The announcement came as a response to the Volkswagen emissions scandal. Further details have yet to be released.
Guatemalan women win Civil Courage Prize for human rights work
On Oct. 14, Claudia Paz y Paz Bailey and Iris Yassmin Barrios Aguilar received the 16th annual Civil Courage Prize in New York City for their prosecution and adjudication of organized crime and corruption cases. In 2010, Paz y Paz became Guatemala’s first female attorney general and was a Nobel Peace Prize nominee in 2013. Barrios is a judge who presides over a High Risk Tribunal in Guatemala. She is known for dealing with corruption cases, organized crime and human rights abuses. Paz y Paz has actively worked against corruption and impunity within the judicial system. The two will share the award and a $50,000 prize.
Five countries elected to U.N. Security Council
Japan, Ukraine, Egypt, Senegal and Uruguay were elected to two-year terms in the U.N. Security Council by U.N. member states on Oct. 15. The five countries replace Chile, Chad, Lithuania, Jordan and Nigeria on Jan. 1, joining the five permanent members, the U.S., Britain, China, France and Russia, and five more non-permanent members, Angola, New Zealand, Venezuela, Malaysia and Spain. The U.N. Security Council maintains international peace and security.
Puerto Rico expands its dress code options
Puerto Rico’s department of education ruled that public school students of both genders can wear pants or skirts. Female students, who were previously required to wear skirts, can now also wear pants, and male students, who were previously required to wear pants, can now wear skirts. The new policy was signed to accommodate LGBTQ students, and it prohibits teachers from punishing students based on their choice of attire.
UK Ebola patient relapses
Pauline Cafferkey, 39, relapsed after seeming to beat the Ebola virus. Her condition deteriorated rapidly, and she remains critically ill, according to London’s Royal Free Hospital. She is being treated in a high-level isolation unit to minimize exposure. Cafferkey, a Scottish nurse, was discharged from the hospital nine months ago after she was treated for the virus. She was the first person in the UK to contract Ebola.
