News Watch

April 2018 issue | Appears on page 59

Austria train collision

Two passenger trains collided in Niklasdorf, central Austria, on Feb. 12, killing one person and injuring more than 20 others. One train derailed.

One train was an intercity train traveling from Graz, Austria, to Saarbrücken, Germany, while the other was a local commuter train. The cause of the accident, in which the side of at least one train car was sheared off by the other, was still being investigated at press time.

March 2018 issue | Appears on page 18

Taliban in Afghanistan

Islamist militant group the Taliban made multiple attacks in Kabul, Afghanistan, in January.

On Jan. 19, Taliban gunmen stormed the InterContinental Hotel, killing 22 people and taking more than 160 people hostage. Witnesses said that the gunmen specifically targeted Westerners, with four Americans among the victims. All of the gunmen were killed by Afghani armed forces, and the hostages were rescued.

On Jan. 27, a bomb in an ambulance was detonated on a busy street, killing at...

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March 2018 issue | Appears on page 18

Baghdad suicide bombings

On Jan. 14 in Iraq, two suicide bombers targeted Tayaran Square in east-central Baghdad, killing at least 35 people and injuring more than 90. 

Two other suicide-bomber attacks occurred in Baghdad on the same day. In the Jamila district, in the northeast of the city, two people were killed and six were injured, and at a police checkpoint in the city’s north, at least five people were killed.

Iraq is involved in a war with the Islamist militant group Daesh (ISIL),...

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March 2018 issue | Appears on page 18

Egypt church attacked

A gunman with an explosive device attacked a Coptic-owned shop south of Cairo, Egypt, on Dec. 29, killing two people. Before being detained by authorities, he attempted to enter a Coptic church. During the attempt, six civilians and one police officer were killed. 

No group claimed responsibility for the attack, but Egyptian authorities said the attacker was known to police and was responsible for other deadly terrorist attacks in the past.

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March 2018 issue | Appears on page 18

Senegal violence

At least 14 people, identified as teenagers, were killed in the Casamance region of southern Senegal on Jan. 6 as they gathered firewood. An additional seven people were injured in the attack. Authorities arrested 24 for the attack.

It is not known why the victims were targeted, but authorities believe it involved members of the pro-independence rebel group Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance (MFDC), which operates in the region. MFDC has remained largely peaceful since a cease...

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March 2018 issue | Appears on page 18

Protests in Honduras

One protester was killed and another injured on Jan. 20 in clashes with riot police in the city of Saba in northern Honduras. Protesters had gathered over a disputed presidential election in November that was won by the incumbent president, Juan Orlando Hernandez. 

The US Department of State is urging travelers to postpone or cancel unnecessary travel to mainland Honduras due to the ongoing political protests, and the potential for violence, surrounding the election dispute....

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March 2018 issue | Appears on page 18

Yellow fever in Brazil

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared an outbreak of yellow fever in southeastern Brazil in January. From July 1, 2017, through Jan. 14, 2018, there were 35 confirmed cases, resulting in 20 deaths, with an additional 145 suspected cases. The worst-hit area was São Paulo, which had 20 confirmed cases and 11 deaths.

Yellow fever is caused by a virus that is spread by mosquitoes. Symptoms include fever, headache, nausea and muscle pain. About 15% of infections progress to a more...

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March 2018 issue | Appears on page 19

Deadly Madagascar cyclone

With winds of up to 119 miles per hour, Tropical Cyclone Ava made landfall in eastern Madagascar on Jan. 5, causing flooding and landslides that killed at least 29 people and displaced more than 13,000. No major cities experienced damage from the cyclone.