The ISK Grade 10 News Round-Up

Insured losses in Puerto Rico are estimated at $40-$85 billion. US President Donald Trump tweeted on Monday night that they were in "deep trouble". Puerto Rico is apart of the United States however, it is not a state. It is just controlled by the US.   Puerto Rico has already declared a form of bankruptcy in May 2017 for more than £52 billion in debt. The population has fallen by 8% to 3.4 million in 2010. Trump's twee t was taken widely throughout the world saying that Puerto Rico's debt must be dealt with.  "Much of the island was destroyed, with billions of dollars ... owed to Wall Street and the banks which, sadly, must be dealt with."He said, " Texas & Florida are doing great but Puerto Rico, which was already suffering from broken infrastructure & massive debt, is in deep trouble..."  The islands debt means that it cannot borrow money for the emergency on its own.  "The situation is desperate. Puerto Rico has taken a s...

Human Rights Desk - 27th of September, 2017 Colin Kaepernick: The Athlete Activist - by Roshni Agarwal Catalonian Referendum - by Charlie Smerdon Saudi Arabia  - by Marie Vandermeulen Saudi Arabia, ruled by King Salman, known as one of the most oppressive and conservative kingdom towards women in the world. One of its most extreme policies, the ban on women driving has become a global symbol of oppression. However, this has since changed, and by June 2018, Saudi women will have more accessible place in the country's economy and social stance. The Kingdom's new inforced law will hopefully recover from 1), a bad reputation, 2) the multiple negative consequences of the ban and 3) beneficial renewed public relations. Links on this issue: - The New York Times; Saudi's Freedom Riders - The New York Times; Saudi Arabia Agrees to Let Women Drive - BBC News; Saudi Arabia Driving Ban on Women to be Lifted

Low-cost airline giant EasyJet has communicated their interest in investing in electric aviation technology for the future. they have proposed to fly short-haul passengers on routes in 10-20 years. The proposed plane is believed to have a range of 335 miles (540 km) and EasyJet has expressed their support in this 220 passenger jet. Carolyn McCall chief executive of EasyJet expressed her feelings: " We share an ambition with wright electric for a more sustainable aviation industry" she said.   Click here to see more By: Aksel U. Solheim

China's credit rating was downgraded from AA- to A+ by S&P after they released a statement saying its debts raised "economic and financial risks. This decision by S&P makes China's rating the same as two other major credit rating agencies (Moody's and Fitch). The timing of the decision put it a month before the Communist Party Congress which occurs twice every decade and decides the economic policies for the country for the next five years. In the second quarter of 2017 China's economy grew by 6.9% which beat the government's prediction of 6.5%. This growth is in part due to investment into infrastructure and property. S&P stated that their downgrade reflects their "assessment that a prolonged period of strong credit growth has increased China's economic and financial risks" (statement was paraphrased). Claire Dissaux who is head of global economics and strategy at Millennium Global Investments told Reuters "China's cred...

Kenya Politics Desk Raila links Safaricom to election results failure