1. Planned Parenthood videos

Two anti-abortion activists involved in a case against Planned Parenthood were indicted Monday on charges of tampering with government documents, according to a Jan. 25 New York Times article. The pair, David Daleiden, 27, and Sandra Merritt, 62, worked together at the Center for Medical Progress — an anti-abortion group — and claimed they had documented Planned Parenthood officials profiting from the sale of fetal tissue.

The grand jury that indicted the activists was investigating the accusations against Planned Parenthood, but it cleared the organization of all charges. Daleiden and Merritt created false California licenses as part of their undercover operation at Planned Parenthood. Daleiden was also indicted on charges involving the sale of fetal tissue.

More: Anti-abortion activists charged

 

2. Zika virus

El Salvador has began to warn its female citizens against getting pregnant until 2018 in light of a recent epidemic of the Zika virus in Latin America, according to a Jan. 25 article by The New York Times. The outbreak has been largely concentrated in Brazil, where it has caused microcephaly to develop in unborn children. After birth, the children have small heads and may have permanent brain damage.

Out of the 2,782 Zika cases that Brazil has registered, about 40 infants have recently died. Officials registered only 147 cases in 2014. One baby born in Hawaii was born with the condition recently after his mother travelled to Brazil while pregnant.

More: El Salvador’s warning, Brazil’s crisis

 

3. Solitary confinement for juveniles

President Barack Obama announced Monday that the federal government would no longer put juveniles in solitary confinement. He said in a Jan. 25 op-ed in The Washington Post that there are as many as 100,000 inmates in the United States being held in solitary confinement, a practice he described as inhumane for many. Low-level offenders would also be kept out of solitary confinement under this order.

Obama asked Attorney General Loretta Lynch and the U.S. Department of Justice to review the practice of solitary confinement in July 2015. He said he is now acting on their recommendations.

More: President Obama’s op-ed piece

 

4. East Coast blizzard

A blizzard dumped a record 29.2 inches of snow at the Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport this weekend, according to a Jan. 24 article by The New York Times. The storm blasted the East Coast from Baltimore to New York City, effectively shutting it down. Governors in at least 10 states, including New York, told residents to shelter in place during the onslaught.

In New York City, most roads and other transportation services were ready for the Monday morning commute, but in Washington, D.C. and the surrounding areas, federal offices were closed and some roads were still impassible.

More: Snow slams East Coast

 

5. Super Bowl teams set

The Denver Broncos and the Carolina Panthers emerged victorious in their respective conference championship games before Super Bowl 50. Denver faced the New England Patriots in the AFC championship game, which the Broncos won 20-18. This was the 17th time Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning have played each other.

The Panthers defeated the Arizona Cardinals by a landslide, 49-15. Panthers quarterback Cam Newton led his team to a near-undefeated season and its second Super Bowl appearance in franchise history. The Broncos and Panthers will play for the ultimate prize in professional football on Feb. 7 at 6:30 p.m. ET.

More: Tight Broncos victory, Panthers dominate

 

6. Academy Board sets diversity goals

After fierce backlash about the all-white pool of nominees for the 2016 Academy Awards, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has set a goal to increase the diversity of its members. The 51-member governing body decided on Thursday it would double its female and minority members by 2020, according to a Jan. 22 New York Times article.

The academy also voted to review the voting status of members every 10 years, with the option to remove people from the board if they have not been active in the film industry in the previous decade.

More: Academy Board makes changes

 

7. Saskatchewan school shooting

A shooting in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan left four people dead on Friday, according to a Jan 22. New York Times article. The incident occurred at La Loche Community School, which is located in the town of La Loche. Royal Canadian Mounted Police Chief Superintendent Maureen Levy said in a press conference that a male and a firearm were in police custody.

The shooting occurred in a building for grades 7 to 12. There has not been a school shooting in Canada since 2007.

More: Deadly school shooting in Canada

 

8. Hottest year on record

Scientists have announced that 2015 was the hottest year in recorded history, beating a record set in 2014. Experts have been predicting this development for months, on account of an extremely large El Niño weather pattern, which has released an unusual amount of heat from the Pacific Ocean.

The consecutive record-breaking years may indicate a new period of rapid global warming. For the U.S., it was the second-warmest year on record.

More: Record-breaking heat

 

9. Deadly attack on Pakistani university

On Wednesday, four members of the Pakistani Taliban attacked Bacha Khan University in Charsadda, Pakistan, killing 20 people, according to a Jan. 20 New York Times article. Most of the victims were students and teachers. This came after a year of relatively little violent activity by the Pakistani Taliban.

One teacher is reported to have fired back at the attackers before he was killed. Security forces killed all of the attackers.

More: Attack in Charsadda

 

10. Ninth planet may exist

Astronomy professors at the California Institute of Technology announced on Wednesday the existence of what they believe to be a ninth planet, according to a Jan. 20 New York Times article. Although the professors have not found the planet, the orbits of other space objects lead them to believe that a planet’s gravity is at play.

The space object would fit into the current definition of a planet and would most likely weigh in at 4,500 times the mass of Pluto. It would be 20 billion miles from the sun at its closest, whereas Pluto is 4.6 billion miles away at its farthest.

More: Ninth planet proposed

Published on January 26, 2016 at 8:35 pm

Contact Delaney: dovanwey@syr.edu