Taiwan Elects First Female President

Taiwan elected their first female president, Tsai Ing-Wen, on Saturday, January 16, 2016. Tsai represents the Democratic Progressive Party. She is only the second president to ever represent a party besides Kuomintang, which has been in power for several decades.

Ms. Tsai ran against candidate Eric Chu of Kuomintang. Chu conceded the race the night before at 7pm after falling behind in the polls at 31% versus Ms. Tsai’s 56%.

Ms. Tsai’s campaign focused largely on economic issues. The Democratic Progressive Party traditionally centers on the issue of Taiwan’s independence and is hesitant of their ties with China. Ms. Tsai, however, has more immediate goals of reviving growth and expanding global trade.

According to a New York Times article on January 16, 2016, Ms. Tsai spoke to supporters the night before elections and said, “Behind me is the presidential office. It’s just a few hundred meters away from the people. But those inside the presidential office can’t hear the voice of the people.” Ms. Tsai aims to make the government more accessible and transparent to the people.

This is Ms. Tsai’s second attempt at the presidency. She lost the bid in 2012. Ms. Tsai does not have any other relatives in office.

Terrorist Siege in Burkina Faso

Qaeda militants attacked two hotels and a café in Burkina Faso’s capital, Ouagadougou, over the course of January 15 and January 16. This resulted in a 15 hour standoff that left 28 people dead and 56 injured.

These attacks follow a series of political turmoil and the recent election in Burkina Faso as well as many attacks in nearby countries. This is the first attack by Al Qaeda in the country.

Following the news from both hotels, the Splendid and the Yibi, and the restaurant, the Cappuccino Café, the nation’s security minister extended the curfew and called for support from the French military. France sent 30 officers to help in supporting the 40 from Burkina Faso. According to an ABC News article on January 16, 2016, four extremists were killed by French and Burkina Faso forces. Two of the three attackers at one of the hotels were female.

According to a January 16, 2016, New York Times Article, Burkina Faso’s President, Mr. Kabore, said, “For the first time in history our country was the victim of a series of barbarous terrorist attacks… the struggle against terrorism is now part of our daily life.”

One American, Michael J. Riddering, is among the dead. Deaths also include an unknown number from France, Switzerland, and the Netherlands, along with six Canadians.

Raising the Minimum Wage in Amherst

Following a state-mandated minimum wage increase from $9 to $10 an hour on January 1, 2016, some shops have taken it into their own hands to increase wages even more.

Keren and Nicholas Rhodes are the owners of Glazed Doughnuts in Amherst, Massachusetts. They have decided to raise the wages for jobs that previously paid minimum wage ($9). Employees will now receive $12 an hour.

In a recent Living wage in Massachusetts organization, a study found that the living wage in Northampton, Massachusetts, is $13.18 dollars an hour. This change at Glazed is an effort to reach that number.

Keren Rhodes also hopes that the increase in wages will provide incentive for the employees to work hard and stay at their jobs. This is an argument in the nation-wide debate over minimum wage increase that has been a subject of discussion over the past few years.

In an interview with The Daily Hampshire Gazette for an article on January 17, 2016, Rhodes states, “We were struggling a lot with workers who weren’t doing their jobs. We were getting a lot of ‘I only get paid $9 an hour, why should I care?’” She considers this especially important being in a college town with young workers.

Rhodes hopes to eventually raise the wages to $15 per hour.