Editor’s Note: This listicle is part of a weekly series by The Ball State Daily News summarizing five stories from around the world. All summaries are based on stories published by The Associated Press.
The shooting by a Saudi gunman at a Florida naval base, a volcano eruption in New Zealand, Hong Kong protests, North Korea’s rocket engine tests and Britain’s upcoming elections make up this week’s five international stories.
Saudi gunman tweeted against US before naval base shooting
The Saudi gunman who killed three people at the Pensacola, Florida, naval base had apparently gone on Twitter shortly before the shooting to blast U.S. support of Israel and accuse America of being anti-Muslim, a U.S. official said Sunday as the FBI confirmed it is operating on the assumption the attack was an act of terrorism. Investigators are also trying to establish whether the killer, from the Royal Saudi Air Force, acted alone or was part of a larger plot.
Read more: Pensacola
5 dead, many more missing in eruption of New Zealand volcano
A volcanic island in New Zealand erupted Monday in a tower of ash and steam while dozens of tourists were exploring the moon-like surface, killing five people and leaving many more missing. Police Deputy Commissioner John Tims said there were fewer than 50 people on the island when it erupted, and 23 had been taken off, including the five dead. Brad Scott, a volcanologist, said the eruption sent a plume of steam and ash about 12,000 feet into the air.
Read more: New Zealand
Hong Kong protests mark 6-month mark with massive rally
Crowds of 800,000 demonstrators, according to the organizers, crammed Sunday into Hong Kong’s streets in a mass show of support for the protest movement entering its seventh month. Chanting “Fight for freedom” and “Stand with Hong Kong,” the sea of protesters formed a huge human snake winding for blocks on Hong Kong Island, a distance of longer than 1.25 miles. It was one of the biggest rallies in months and remarkably peaceful.
Read more: Hong Kong
N. Korea believed to test new rocket engine to provoke US
A day after North Korea said it had performed a “very important test” at its long-range rocket launch site, there is wide speculation that it involved a new engine for either a space launch vehicle or a long-range missile. Whatever it was, the North Korean announcement suggests the country is preparing to do something to provoke the United States if Washington doesn’t back down and make concessions in deadlocked nuclear negotiations.
Read more: North Korea
Britain faces most history-shaping election since WWII
The 20th century saw Britain fight alongside and against Europeans and then help make the prosperous peace into the 21st century. This election will help determine where Britain’s formal relationship with the European Union lands and what the impact will be on all walks of life. The polarized electorate now has a critical choice to make — but it seems unlikely the result, whatever it may be, will heal deep and toxic divisions that could last a generation or more.
Read more: London