Cameron Hill ’15 is our resident current events columnist. Each week, she brings us the highlights.

Pakistani girl speaks up, Red Bull takes a dive, Italian cruise crash and the latest in Syria

Malala Yousufzai  Shot

Malala Yousufzai is no regular fourteen year old girl. Living in Pakistan, Yousufzai has been an outspoken supporter of girls’ rights to go to school, and a critic of the Taliban’s policy on girls’ rights to education. The Taliban banned girls from attending schools in 2009. Yousufzai has written about her views on a blog for the BBC. Her activism on the blog made her a target for the Taliban and she was shot in the neck and head on October 9, 2012 while returning from school with other girls. As of October 15, 2012 she is in Great Britain receiving treatment for her injuries.

Red Bull Space Jump 

On October 14, 2012, Felix Baumgartner survived a sky dive from 24 miles above the Earth, breaking the world record for the highest skydive by over twenty thousand feet. The first skydiver to break the sound barrier, Baumgartner’s jump from the stratosphere began with over four minutes of free fall before he pulled his parachute.

Costa Concordia Captain Faces Trial

Ten months after the sinking of the Costa Concordia, her captain faces a criminal inquest beginning October 15, 2012. Thirty-two lives were lost in the disaster and two bodies were never discovered. The captain, Francesco Schettino, is accused of abandoning his ship during its evacuation. Schettino’s conversations with Coast Guard officials during the disaster were heard worldwide. In that exchange, Schettino was ordered to return to his ship. However, he failed to do so, and is being charged by the Italian government for his actions.

Bloodshed Continues in Syria 

Syria’s Civil War continues to wreak havoc upon the nation. Lately, Turkey has closed its borders to Syrian refugees, admitting only those in severe need of medical care. Turkey contains hundreds of thousands of refugees driven from their homes in Syria due to this conflict and is in the process of building two new refugee camps. Meanwhile, the Syrian administration’s jet fighters have targeted camps inside Syria where refugees wait to enter Turkey.

-Cameron Hill ’15