Lead Oregon protesters arrested, demonstrations continue

Ammon and Ryan Bundy, leaders of the armed occupation of a wildlife refuge near Burns, Ore. in protest of the federal government, were arrested on Jan. 26. Three other members of the protest turned themselves in following a request from Bundy to disband. However, the fatal shooting of the group’s spokesperson, Robert “LaVoy” Finicum, has continued to fuel anti-government sentiment in the area.

“I’m angry,” BJ Soper, a protester in Burns, said during an interview with The Washington Post. “I don’t want to see any more bloodshed … but at some point when American people keep getting killed by their government, people are going to fight back.”

Residents in Burns remain divided over whether the armed protesters were right to take over the wildlife refuge, and an end to the anti-government rallies is not in sight.

Hyperloop pod design competition kicks off

Engineering teams from across the world presented their pod designs on Jan. 30 in what is dubbed the world’s first hyperloop competition. The hyperloop is a proposed high-speed transportation system that would use pressure to propel pods at speeds as fast as 750 mph. Elon Musk, creator of the hyperloop idea as well as founder of Tesla Motors and SpaceX, argues that the hyperloop could be used to improve transportation across California and the world. Musk hosted the Jan. 30 hyperloop competition to allow college students and professors to offer their proposals for how the hyperloop pods should be designed, with the winners being allowed to build a prototype and operate their design on a test track. A proposal from MIT students won first place at the competition, but at least 22 other teams will be selected to test their designs as well.

ISIS suicide bombers attack Syrian capital

A car bomb and two suicide bombers inflicted damage in Damascus, Syria near the site of the Sayyida Zeinab mosque. A military headquarters building and a bus stop were damaged by the explosions. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attacks. In Geneva, meanwhile, Syrian government and opposition groups were present in preparation for a Monday discussion of ways to end the Syria crisis. Federica Mogherini, EU foreign Policy chief, told the BBC that the bombings were “clearly aimed to disrupt the attempts to start a political process” in Geneva.

South African drought hurts corn crop

Suffering from the worst drought in history, the South African corn crop dropped 25 percent from 2015 levels. A shortage of white maize used to produce pap, a household staple, could necessitate the importation of corn. The drought has been attributed to the El Nino weather pattern.