Political prisoner freed
Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been on house arrest in Myanmar for most of 21 years, was freed Saturday. Suu Kyi has been a democracy advocate in the heavily militarized Myanmar and was even nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts. After being freed of house arrest, Suu Kyi gave a speech to about 10,000 people yesterday about the importance of bringing peace and democracy to Myanmar. The current ruling party in Myanmar, the junta, is known to have attacked the country’s ethnic minorities in addition to holding a large number of political prisoners. Suu Kyi is urging for compromise among party leaders in Myanmar.
Volcano leaves hundreds dead
A volcano in Indonesia has been spewing out ash and hot gas after an eruption that occurred more than a week ago. The eruption from Mount Merapi left several villages destroyed and since then, 250 deaths have been reported. The volcano has been active since late October. Many of the affected villages still have thick layers of ash that are too hot to dig through, making it difficult for rescuers to locate bodies.
Medical Marijuana in Arizona
A measure to legalize medical marijuana in Arizona has been passed by just 4,341 votes out of about 1.67 million that were counted. Arizona is now the 15th state to allow the use of medical marijuana. California was the first to legalize it 14 years ago. Patients with cancer, HIV, Hepatitis C and any other “chronic or debilitating” conditions will be able to buy two and a half ounces of marijuana every two weeks or grow registered plants.
Muslims begin pilgrimage
Yesterday, almost 2.5 million Muslims started on the annual Hajj pilgrimage, retracing the Prophet Muhammad’s journey to an encampment near the holy city of Mecca. The pilgrims will travel by foot, private vehicles or public transportation for five days. The Saudi Arabian military has planned to protect the pilgrims against any possible attack by a regional wind of al-Qaeda.
Axelrod leaves White House
President Barack Obama’s top adviser,David Axelrod will leave the White House early next year to jumpstart the planning process for Obama’s 2012 presidential reelection campaign. Axelrod was prompted to leave the White House after the democrat’s recent defeat by the GOP during the midterm elections.
British couple released
A British couple who was captured and held by Somali pirates for more than a year was released yesterday. The couple was captured while sleeping on their yacht 800 miles off the East African coast. Reportedly “caged like animals” for 388 days, the couple was the longest-held captives of the Somali pirates. The total amount paid for the couple’s release was between $800,000 and $1 million.
–Compiled by News editors Renee Villasenor and Sarah Kovash.
