Newsbytes: Missile, University of Missouri, Myanmar elections, and GusGus

By: Staff Writers Anu Asokan and Chloe Velasquez

Local

Reports of a light in the sky lit up social media beginning at 6 p.m. on November 7. Images of the cone shaped light quickly spread as citizens made their own speculations of the light’s source. Navy officials confirmed that the light was actually an unarmed Trident II (D5) missile hours later. The missile was launched from the USS Kentucky submarine off the coast of Southern CA. Commander Ryan Perry said the launches are conducted on a regular basis to ensure reliability of the system. The public was not notified of the missile because Trident missile tests remain classified until the missiles are launched.

National

Students at the University of Missouri have been demonstrating against the school’s handling of racial tensions. The students have camped outside the Mel Carnahan Quadrangle at the center of the campus, demanding the resignation of the university’s president, Timothy Wolfe, due to his inaction against racism on campus. The demonstration gained larger support when the university’s African American football players publicly announced that they would not play in the upcoming game on November 14 unless Wolfe resigned. The university was predicted to lose up to $1 million dollars if the team forfeited the game. Wolfe officially resigned on November 9 and gave a speech apologizing for his inaction.

International

In Myanmar’s first national election in 25 years, the National League for Democracy, led by longtime activist and Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, is on track to win as of November 9.  Myanmar has been a military dictatorship for five decades, and early results from Sunday’s election means that Suu Kyi can begin sharing power with the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party. However, according to the current constitution, which was written by the military junta, Suu Kyi cannot become President. The US eased sanctions against Myanmar in 2012 but has not announced any policy changes in response to the projected election results.

Quirky

One-month-old pygmy goat kid GusGus was returned to the Arizona State Fair on November 5, a day after he first went missing. Soon after GusGus’s disappearance, social media users started the hashtag #FindGusGus, which became a trending topic. The five pound goat was found near a Phoenix canal and brought to a nearby pet store. Fair officials believe that GusGus was deliberately kidnapped because he was a petting zoo animal used to human beings and would not try escaping. Petting zoo manager Emilie Owens was especially thankful to the man who found GusGus because the young goat depends on his mother’s milk for survival and was not given all his vaccines yet.