Moscow, Russia:
The Russian capital was shrouded in noxious fumes Monday, and the government has encouraged some residents to stay indoors, according to the BBC. The gas, which smells like rotten eggs, is reportedly hydrogen sulphide. This highly toxic substance can lead to headaches and nausea at even low levels of exposure. It has affected the central and eastern areas of the city, as well as major shopping centers and government buildings. The cause of the gas is unclear. It has been attributed to both a nearby oil refinery (a charge the factory denies) andwastewater treatment plants.
Washington D.C., USA:
President Obama declared his support for maintaining net neutrality on Monday and called on the Federal Communications Commission to do likewise, according to The Guardian. Net neutrality, which opposes Internet providers’ slowing down content from websites that do not pay them increased fees, has become contentious recently as the FCC decides what to allow Internet providers to do or not do. “An open Internet is essential to the American economy, and increasingly to our very way of life,” said Obama in his speech.
Beijing, China:
President Xi Jingping of China and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan shook hands for the first time at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Beijing, according to the BBC. Neither leader seemed comfortable with the interaction, and both remained unsmiling as they clasped hands and posed for a photo. The two countries have been at odds over several uninhabited islands since 2012, according to The Guardian. China has also criticized Abe for visiting the Yasukuni war shrine, which pays tribute to all fallen Japanese soldiers including war criminals
Potiskum, Nigeria:
On Monday a suicide bomber killed 46 students during morning assembly in the town of Potiskum in Nigeria, according to the BBC. The bomber disguised himself as a student in order to slip into the school. Boko Haram, the Islamist terrorist organization that gained international infamy for their kidnapping of school girls, is suspected. This is not the only school in the Yobe state to have been attacked — it is one of three Nigerian states under a state of emergency. Only a week before, 15 people were killed in another suicide attack in the same town.
