International:
Two bombings killed 97 people on Friday in Ankara, the capital of Turkey, during a peace rally. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said that ISIS is the chief suspect in the investigation into the bombings. ISIS has not claimed responsibility for the bombings, other suspected groups include the Kurdish PKK and the DHKP-C.
Jiang Jiemin, the former head of the China National Petroleum Corporation, has been sentenced to 16 years in prison. According to the Chinese state media he was sentenced for taking bribes and was arrested in 2013 shortly after taking a job for the government. The former head of China’s largest oil firm is the biggest official caught in the recent effort to crack down on corruption in China.
National:
112 Pallets with 50 tones of ammunition were dropped in Syria by the United States. The small arms ammunitions and hand grenades and other small explosives were confirmed to have been dropped by an official not allowed to speak publically as policy details have not yet been announced. The ammunition was dropped for the Syrian Arab Coalition, a rebel group in Northern Syria fighting to overthrow ISIS.
A former staffer of the House Select Committee on Benghazi is accusing republicans of carrying out a partisan politically motivated investigation aimed at discrediting Hillary Clinton. The staffer’s name is Major Bradley Podliska, an intelligence officer in the Air Force Reserve and former investigator for the committee. The committee has denied all allegations levied against them.
Local:
Monday was Columbus Day, and students from Brown University took to the streets to protest the holiday. The Native Americans at Brown group gathered to petition and collect signatures for an “Indigenous Peoples†day to be dedicated on campus. The effort is dedicated to promoting the idea that Columbus day shouldn’t be celebrated in light of the human rights atrocities committed by Europeans against indigenous peoples.
The Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources says that seven cities and towns across Rhode Island have joined the Solarize Rhode Island movement. The movement aims to increase the adoption of solar power through market outreach, education, and other outreach efforts. The Solarize program has already been implemented in several other states, including Massachusetts and Connecticut.