THE SCOOP

When you’re a busy professional, staying on top of the news can be a challenge. To keep you current, we’ve compiled a list of this week’s headlines:

1. Russia Commences Airstrikes in Syria. Russia launched its first round of airstrikes in Syria on Wednesday. Putin claims the strikes were aimed at ISIS, but the US says they actually hit Syrian rebels, and that Russia is “throwing gasoline on the fire” of Syria’s civil war. Syria’s war has been dragging on for four years. An estimated 9 million refugees have fled their homes, overwhelming Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, and Europe. Iran has announced it is sending foot soldiers to aid Russia. Sources: syrianrefugees.eu; The Guardian, http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/30/russia-launches-first-airstrikes-against-targets-in-syria-says-us

2. Ten Dead in Shooting at Oregon College. On Thursday morning a gunman opened fire at Umpqua Community College in rural southwest Oregon. Nine people and the gunman were killed and 20 were injured. Source: The New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/02/us/oregon-shooting-umpqua-community-college.html
   

3. Government Shutdown Narrowly Averted­. With just hours to spare before the end of the fiscal year, Congress averted a government shutdown Wednesday, approving a temporary spending measure that will keep federal agencies open through December 11. Political analysts think House Speaker John Boehner’s resignation announcement may have garnered Democratic support for the bill and ultimately pushed it across the finish line. However, as The New York Times reports, “[T]he bill does nothing to resolve the core disputes over fiscal policy between Republicans and President Obama, setting up even larger and potentially more calamitous battles in the month ahead.” Source: The New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/01/us/politics/government-shutdown-congress.html?_r=0

4. Palestine President Declares the Oslo Accords Null and Void. On Wednesday Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas shocked the international community by saying Palestinians are no longer bound by the Oslo accords. The Palestinian President claims Israel has violated the agreements by building too many settlements and occupying the West Bank, which Israel denies. Israel and Palestine signed the accords in the 1990s, setting up their own states. The accords are considered the foundation of the Middle East peace process. Source: The New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/01/world/middleeast/mahmoud-abbas-palestinian-authority-un-speech.html

5. The Pope Visits the U.S. for the First Time. Pope Francis made his inaugural trip to the United States between Tuesday, September 22, 2015, and Sunday, September 27, 2015. The pontiff held mass for hundreds of thousands of people, met with sexual abuse victims, visited the White House, addressed Congress, and had lunch with a group of homeless women. He also met with Kim Davis, the Kentucky County Clerk who was recently jailed for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. The Vatican has said the visit was not intended as a show of support for her cause . Sources: The New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/30/us/county-clerk-kim-davis-who-denied-gay-couples-visited-pope.html, and CNN, http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/02/us/kim-davis-pope/