A World Exists Beyond Harvard and Here's What's Going on in It

Want to impress your peers in the d-hall but don’t actually have time to read the news? Midterms got you feeling like you live under a rock? Are you actually living under a rock? There are more noble reasons than these to read the news, of course, but no matter what, Flyby has you covered, with some of important world news going around the web this week:

New Ebola Reportings: Nine people in Connecticut, including three Yale students, are under quarantine after it became apparent that they might have been exposed to the Ebola virus. They are not sick, but are under watch after Governor Dannel P. Malloy declared a public health emergency in the state. There are confirmed imported cases of Ebola in Nigeria, Senegal, and the US. In September, a man travelling from Liberia to Texas became infected with the virus, as did the two health workers who tended to him, and there are other suspected imported cases in France, Italy, Mali, Spain, Sweden, Uganda, and the United Arab Emirates. Full 24 hour coverage of the epidemic can be found here.

Shootings in Canada: On Wednesday, a gunman shot and killed a young soldier guarding the National War Memorial in Ottawa, Canada, before entering the Parliament building and firing multiple times. He was shot and killed by law enforcement. This is the second deadly attack on a uniformed member of Canada’s armed forces in three days.

Meeting of the European Union: EU leaders met  in Brussels yesterday and today to discuss climate change and the Ebola epidemic. The main focus of the meeting is a “package of climate change targets for 2030,” but the Union has also already pledged the equivalent of nearly $750 million to handle the Ebola epidemic worldwide. British Prime Minister David Cameron plans to call on EU leaders to boost that number to 1 billion euros.

Blackwater Guards Found Guilty: On Wednesday, four former security guards for the private military contractor Blackwater were convicted for the 2007 shootings of over thirty Iraqis in Baghdad. As Fox News reports, “A federal jury found Nicholas Slatten guilty of first-degree murder, the most serious charge in a multi-count indictment. The three other guards -- Paul Slough, Evan Liberty and Dustin Heard -- were found guilty of multiple counts of voluntary manslaughter, attempted manslaughter and gun violations.”

Campaigning in the US: It’s now two weeks before the midterm congressional elections that will decided whether or not the Senate will switch from a Democratic to Republican majority. Right now it’s looking good for Republicans, who need to pick up six seats to tip the balance. Full coverage of election season can be found here.

Democracy Protests in Hong Kong: Protesters from various trade unions, women’s groups, and left-leaning political parties have continued their marches, most recently after Hong Kong’s Chief Executive C.Y. Leung told media outlets that free elections would give poor people too much power. In recent weeks, demonstrators have paralyzed portions of Hong Kong with road blockades and massive rallies after restrictions were imposed on the 2017 elections for Chief Executive, the highest public office in the city.

Around Harvard: Cabot Library will begin renovations, likely in fall 2015. The Harvard campus has made preparations for potential Ebola cases, although the risk is currently estimated to be low. The University is also likely to accommodate students from affected countries over the winter. Two-thirds of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences faculty are slated to move to Allston in 2019, and Harvard is likely to offer a concentration in Theater, Dance, and Media for undergraduates beginning in 2015. Oh, and this senior needs help finding a title for his Social Studies thesis.