Sutherland Springs Church Shooting

On Sunday November 5th, a shooter opened re at First Baptist Church, a small community church in Sutherland Springs, Texas. Twenty six people were killed and twenty others suffered non-fatal injuries. The gun- man was Devin Kelley, who was prohibited from purchasing or possessing rearms due to a previous domestic violence conviction while in the United States Air Force. The Air Force did not record this in the FBI Crime Database, which is used to alert prohibited purchases. The shooting was the deadliest mass shooting at a place of worship in American history.

7.3 Quake Kills Hundreds in Middle East

More than 530 deaths have been reported following the 7.3 magnitude earthquake that hit the Iraq and Iran border region Sunday. More than 7,400 have been injured. The earthquake was centered around 140 miles northeast of Baghdad and 320 miles west of Tehran. The majority of the deaths took place in Iran. Electricity was lost and windows were broken in parts of the region. There are also many people predicted to still be under the rubble as well as many unharmed people waiting to donate blood. The earthquake is the deadliest of the year so far, surpassing the Mexico City quake in September.

Australia Votes Yes on Marriage Equality

In a historic referendum on Tuesday, Australia voted to legalize same-sex marriage, be- coming the 25th nation to do so. Nearly eighty percent of the nation voted on the issue, with a clear majority of 61% voting yes. The decisive result followed a involuntary national survey, differing from the usual mandatory elections in the country. T The campaign for marriage equality grew tumultuous in the last few months, shouting matches often broke out at public meetings. The parliament is aiming to en- act the reform by Christmas.