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New U.S. aid in the migrant crisis, a secret deal with China, and a new tree on campus honors beloved professor

Your September 22, 2015 news update on things you really ought to know.

Ace the current events test in your next class with Otterbein360’s “OtterBrief.” Stay tuned every Monday as we bring you the news you need to know. On campus, across the nation and around the world, the OtterBrief will keep you informed.

OtterBrief: September 22, 2015

In case you missed it:

U.S. : 

- In response to the growing migrant crisis in the European Union, President Obama has announced that the United States will be accepting 100,000 more refugees each year to aid the humanitarian efforts of other countries around the world. This number more than doubles the previous cap set by Secretary of State John Kerry, which had been 70,000.

- Behind closed doors the U.S. and China have been negotiating what some are calling the first cease-fire agreement for cyber space. The restrictions on permissible forms of cyber attacks are being based on a UN committee that created a similar set of guidelines, specifically barring cyber attacks that cripple civilian service providing infrastructure such as power plants.

This handy New York Times graphic will keep you up to date on who is still (or now) running for president and what they stand for. Recent highlights include Perry and Walker dropping out of the race, while Biden is still unsure about joining.

World:

- Pope Francis is making his first trip to the United States. He plans to address audiences from Congress to prison inmates on various religious and humanitarian topics. He also made a stop in Cuba while in the hemisphere, attempting to improve relations between the declared atheist county and the Catholic church. Pope Francis played a key role in facilitating discussions between Cuban and American diplomats that led to re-opening the U.S. embassy in Havana, Cuba.

- In an effort to protect itself from terrorist threats on its Gaza border, the Egyptian government demolished over 3,000 homes to create a buffer zone where the Egyptian military could move in to eliminate smuggling tunnels used by a recent surge in militant attacks against Egypt. Human Rights Watch, a non-governmental organization dedicated to human rights advocacy and research, claims that Egyptian citizens were given almost no notice of their impending eviction, and limited access to temporary housing once their homes were destroyed. The Egyptian government says it made the necessity of the situation clear to it's citizens living in those areas who were, "convinced of the importance of their participation in the protection of Egypt's national security." More than 3600 citizens were forcibly evicted form their homes, and the government plans to expand the buffer zone to include at least a town of population around 78,000.

- Two U.S. soldiers are leaving the army after being disciplined by their superiors for preventing an Afghan police commander from sexually assaulting a young boy. U.S. Army Captain Dan Quinn voluntarily left the military and Sergeant First Class Charles Martland is being "involuntarily separated from the army", according to CNN reporting. Both soldiers assaulted the police commander in an attempt to keep him from ever contacting the boy or his mother again. The pentagon denies accusations that they have officially instructed troops to ignore a practice in Afghanistan called bacha bazi, "boy play". Many American servicemen and women have come forward to talk about their conflicted consciences when they feel they are forced to allow the rape in an effort to avoid undermining the very Afghan government they are there to build up.

Coming up:

U.S.:

- The Republican Nominating Committee imposed a series of new rules for this election term designed to hasten the process of selecting a single Republican nominee who could then mount a campaign to win the White House for the party. This included limiting the number of debates, and adjusting how state delegates are assigned to a candidate after their popular votes are cast. According to party leaders, these plans didn't work, leaving the party struggling to find a way to ensure that the candidate the people want is one who can win a general election.

- After a scandal in which NBC news anchor Brian Williams was found to have exaggerated, to the point of lying, about his involvement in a helicopter crash in Iraq, Williams is now set to start a new career as the breaking news anchor on MSNBC today.

- Results of a study commissioned by the Association of American Universities found that 1 in 4 women experience some form of sexual assault during their four years on a college campus. The survey covered 150,000 students at 27 college campuses. 

World:

Volkswagon has been accused by the EPA of including software in some of their cars that falsified emissions data to make it appear as if the cars ran cleaner than they actually did. The VW CEO has acknowledge the mistake his company made and apologized. This includes cars by the Audi brand, purchased by VW, and has been cited to affect around 11 million cars worldwide.

- European Union minsters accepted a plan on Tuesday to distribute the ever-growing mass of refugees flooding into the continent among the various EU countries. This is the latest development of a humanitarian crisis that has been exacerbated by slow efforts to fairly distribute the refugees, leaving thousands of people stranded in temporary camps or transit stations as they awaited a joint-governmental decision. 

Otterbein: 

- The last day to drop a class is this semester without it appearing on your transcript is this Friday, Sept. 25. 

- Otterbein has posted a page on their website with everything you'll need for homecoming this weekend. From where and what events are taking place to how to buy an official Otterbein Homecoming 2015 t-shirt.

- Fraternity recruitment kicks off this Friday with the Inter-fraternal Council sponsored event, Dying to Go Greek. Festivities will take place in the Barlow Hall lawn, near the rock in front of the CC.

- A tree is being planted in memory of beloved Otterbein professor Chuck Zimmerman this Thursday behind towers hall. Dr. Zimmerman was an award winning professor who taught in the Philosophy and Religion department for nearly 25 years. All are invited to come celebrate his life and accomplishments.

In Other News:

-  HBO dominated the Emmy awards Sunday night. Check out the winners and details here.


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