Global Updates

March 12, Worldwide – According to a new report by IQAir, all but seven countries in the world (Australia, Estonia, New Zealand, Iceland, Grenada, Puerto Rico, and French Polynesia) faced unsafe air pollution levels in 2024. Long-term exposure to air pollution leads to significantly increased risk of respiratory diseases, cardiovascular disease, and certain types of cancer. (Earth.org)

March 28, Myanmar – A 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Myanmar caused over 3,000 fatalities and 4,500 injuries. The quake was so powerful it caused a high-rise apartment building under construction 1000 kilometers (621 miles) away in Bangkok to collapse. Meanwhile, Myanmar’s military junta has continued to bomb parts of the war-torn country, perpetuating the ongoing civil war in the immediate aftermath of the natural disaster. (BBC)

April 10, New York City, NY – The latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) reading revealed that U.S. inflation has cooled to an annual rate of 2.4% in March, down from 2.8% in February. This decline comes as countries, businesses, and consumers face the highest escalation of U.S. tariff rates in over a century. Despite news of lowered inflation rates, economists caution that this may merely be a temporary reprieve. Experts warn that the ongoing trade tensions and rising tariffs could lead to increased costs and economic instability in the near future. (CNN)

April 15, Washington D.C. – NASA’s Perseverance found a “scientific gold mine” of rocks at Jezero Crater, an ancient site that is providing scientists a glimpse into the planet’s ancient history. One of such samples contains organic molecules, the first possible hint of ancient life on Mars. Another sample found likely dates back at least 3.9 billion years; for comparison, planet Earth is 4.5 billion years old. (ScienceNews)

April 16, San Salvador, El Salvador – Kilmar Ábrego García was deported to El Salvador after being mistakenly identified as a member of the international gang MS-13. These allegations stemmed from his clothes, which included Chicago Bulls merchandise, his tattoos, and the word of an unknown informant. After the United States Government acknowledged his deportation as an “administrative error,” Trump officials opposed his release from a mega prison in El Salvador. El Salvadorian President Nayib Bukele recently stated he would not allow Mr. Ábrego García to return to the U.S. (The Guardian)

April 17, Boston, MA – The Trump administration escalated its ongoing battle with Harvard after the university openly defied the administration’s demands to limit activism on campus. Officials have frozen more than $2.2 billion in grants and $60 million in contracts. They now threaten to block the university from enrolling international students among other restrictions. Simultaneously, the administration has quietly removed the legal status of at least 1024 students at 160 colleges, leaving them at risk of deportation. (APNews)

April 17, Gainesville, FL – A 20-year-old gunman opened fire on the Florida State University campus, resulting in two fatalities and six injuries. The suspect, a FSU student and the son of a local sheriff’s deputy, was shot and wounded by police after disregarding commands; his handgun was identified to be his parent’s former service weapon bought for personal use. Certain FSU students have shared that this is the second school shooting they have witnessed in seven years, the first one being in Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. The above is just one incident in a recent series of gun violence and mass shooting events. (New York Times)

April 18, Trenton, NJ – New Jersey sued the social gaming platform Discord for allegedly failing to adequately protect underage users from predators and is the first state to do so. The civil lawsuit alleges violations of the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act, highlighting the ease for children to create accounts and insufficiency of measures in place to prevent adult users from contacting minors. This scrutiny follows a 2023 investigation that uncovered over 100 cases of child sexual abuse material in communications on Discord. (NBC News)

April 19, Russia / Ukraine – Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a brief Easter ceasefire amidst the Russo-Ukrainian war. However, just hours after the ceasefire began, Ukrainian officials accused Russian forces of violating the ceasefire. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Putin to extend the ceasefire to the US-led proposal of a full and unconditional 30-day ceasefire. Estimates place the total number of dead and wounded from the war at nearly one million. (CNN and Newsweek)

April 19, Dubai, U.A.E. – The TikTok trend for “Dubai chocolate” caused an international shortage of pistachios. “Dubai chocolate,” a chocolate bar with creamy pistachio filling, has become incredibly popular—the first video praising the chocolate in 2023 has now been viewed more than 120 million times. Consequently, pistachio prices have increased by 35% in the past year and Iranian producers have exported 40% more pistachios to the United Arab Emirates in six months compared to the previous twelve months. (The Guardian)

April 20, Greenfield, MA – The Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association faces a significant setback following the termination of a $300,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). This funding was intended to support the creation of an educational website about Lucy Terry Prince, the earliest identified African American writer. The grant was abruptly canceled due to the NEH’s shift in funding priorities under the Trump administration, which aims to reduce federal bureaucratic activities.