37th & The World: 5in5 for the week of March 18, 2024

ISIS-K claims responsibility for a deadly terrorist attack in Moscow, Kate Middleton announces she is undergoing cancer treatment, the U.S. removes citizens from Haiti in the wake of increased gang violence, and Nigerian children hostages are returned home after a successful military operation.

Transcript

1. 137 Russians killed and over 60 critically injured after an attack on Friday at the Moscow concert hall, which the Islamic State has now claimed ownership of.
   
   137 Russians were killed after 4 Islamic State gunmen entered the Crocus City Hall in Moscow, just 12 miles from the Kremlin, on Friday. Over 6,000 people had flocked to the hall for a concert when the terrorists opened began shooting, using flammable liquid to set fire to the hall’s premises, preventing people from fleeing the grounds. Though helicopters brought in over 160 tons of water, it  took over 10 hours to control the flames. Those who carried out the attack were able to flee and a manhunt ensued. Russian authorities have yet to comment on the attack, which comes two weeks after US intelligence agencies warned against ‘large gatherings’ in Moscow. 
   
   
2. Princess Catherine comes forward about her cancer diagnosis and the commencement of early rounds of chemotherapy.
   
   Princess Catherine came forward regarding her recent cancer diagnosis this week, amid swirling controversy surrounding her recent absence from public appearances. Princess Catherine, beloved as a commoner married to a prince, requested privacy during her treatment. The announcement comes amid a double cancer blow in the royal family with Catherine’s father-in-law, King Charles’ experiencing health concerns beginning less than a year after his coronation. Britain’s royal institution faces strain due to fewer public appearances and the continued mourning of the long-ruling late Queen Elizabeth II.
   
   
3.  Indian law enforcement arrests Key Delhi chief minister and emerging opposition leader on thursday, indicating increasing efforts to silence rivals.
   
   Indian law enforcement arrested Arvind Kejriwal, the chief minister of Delhi and an emerging opposition leader, on Thursday, for alleged money laundering, which supporters claim is fabricated by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. Kejriwal, who is the leader of the Aam Aadmi Party, which rules the Indian capital and its Punjab state, is the second opposition leader to be arrested in recent weeks after the leader of Jharkhand state was also brought in for claims of alleged land scam. The other rival party, the Indian national congress, has also since accused the BJP of abusing power of the tax agencies to weaken its members ahead of elections this June. 
   
   
4. The United States airlifted 40 stranded Americans out of the Haitian capital on Thursday as gang violence and the humanitarian crisis become increasingly bleak.
   
   The United States is removing its remaining citizens from Haiti as the gang violence surges without a resolution in sight. Over 45 americans were removed from Port-au-Prince and 60 from Cap-Haitien, carried to Miami or the neighboring Dominican Republic. Since 2020, the State Department has advised US citizens to avoid travel to Haiti, but since the gang’s attack on the main airport to prevent Prime Minister Ariel Henry from returning earlier this month, any commercial means of travel have ceased. Last week, Henry, who was out of the country attempting to secure a UN-approved, Kenyen-led police force, claimed that he would step down once a transitional presidential council and interim prime minister were named, however no progress on the matter has since been made. 1600 Americans have declared presence in Haiti, yet many are not seeking evacuation aid despite the violence’s intensification.
    
5. 137 of over 280 Nigerian child hostages were retrieved during a military operation this week after their abduction on March 7th.
   
   Over 137 of 280 Nigerian children were returned home this week following a military operation on early Sunday morning. The group had been abducted from the North Western region of Nigeria on March 7th when dozens of gunmen on motorcycles rode into the school complex during their assembly, taking 187 students from a secondary school and 125 from the local primary school, and demanding $690,000 for the release of the Kuriga children, all aged between 8 and 15. Nigeria passed a controversial law in 2022 declaring it illegal to pay ransoms in an attempt to curb the rising and lucrative kidnapping industry in Nigeria. Though conviction carries a 15 year sentence, it has never been enforced.