International News Roundup for Jan. 17 - Feb. 2

This is not original reporting. All information has been compiled from The Washington Post and CNN.com. Silver Chips Online posts this news summary to provide readers with a forum for discussion.

Cairo, Egypt
Jan. 25 – Hundreds of thousands of pro-democracy protesters piled into Tahrir Square protesting President Hosni Mubarak. Serving as President for the past 29 years, Murbarak is the longest serving leader of Egypt. Protests have continued for days in the hopes of putting an end to Mubarak's authoritarian regime that the President has deemed democratic. Shortly before one of the largest protests, the Egyptian government shut down Internet service and completely limited cyber communication for the entire country. The protests have proven relatively successful as Murabak spoke with newly-appointed vice president Omar Suleiman regarding Mubarak's opponents' concerns over changes to the country's constitution. Upon first hearing about the uprisings, President Obama did not state his stance, because Murabak has historically been an American ally. Obama urged all American citizens currently living in Egypt to leave the country immediately.

Moscow, Russia
Jan. 24 - A suicide bomb went off at Domodedovo Airport, killing 35 people and injuring 80. The Russian government said that it is still unclear who was responsible for the bomb. The bomb went off in an unsecured area outside of customs, one of the airport's most vulnerable points. Moscow has faced acts of terrorism for the past fifteen years but Monday's attack has caused Moscow officials, as well as officials worldwide, to push for an increase in airport security.

Cajica, Colombia
Jan. 24 - Colombian government officials will train thousands of Mexican policemen, soldiers and court officers in the hopes of containing drug cartels. The Mexican government orchestrated most of the training to take place in Mexico, but due to the high threat of these gangs, several Mexican police officers have traveled to Colombia. The emergence of powerful drug cartels was a problem that Colombia faced years earlier and can therefore lend advice and experience, according to Colombian President Juan Manual Santos. The United States has a close alliance with Colombia and is paying for some of the training in the hopes that the presence of U.S. armed forces in Mexico will not be necessary.

Khartoum, Sudan
Jan. 31 - Inspired by the recent uprisings in Egypt, hundreds of students gathered at the capital to speak out against and the government and demand an end to Ahmad al-Bashir's regime. Sudanese police beat and arrested students who gathered in the nation's capital and bounded the entrances of four universities in Khartoum singing anti-government chants. These protesters are apart of the tens of thousands of people connected via social networking sites to voice their negative opinions of the Sudanese government. As Sudan is facing a large economic crisis, protesters blamed government overspending. Several Sudanese newspapers labeled the protesters dangerous and instigators.