The Roar keeps you updated with local news, recent events and interesting stories ― everything you need to know for this week.
1. On Thursday, the British Prime Minister, Theresa May, held a general election and managed to keep her position as Prime Minister, but ended up losing her parliament majority. May’s Conservative Party won 318 Parliament seats, but needed 326 seats for the majority and control.
2. The National Park Service drained the Lincoln Memorial pool in Washington D.C. on Sunday after roughly eighty ducklings died from parasites found in snails. Scientists suspect that the recent heat wave in the area was responsible for the increased levels of parasites.
3. On Friday, Texas A&M played Davidson College in baseball at Olsen Field. The game lasted fifteen innings before A&M triumphed with a score of 7-6.
4. President Trump’s decision to back out of the Paris climate agreement was met with pushback from several states, cities, and businesses. On Tuesday, Hawaii became the first U.S. states to pass a bill that reflects the goals of the climate agreement. Hawaii now has a state law for reducing greenhouse emissions.
5. Citizens of Puerto Rico vote on Sunday on whether or not they should join the United States as a state or remain as a U.S. commonwealth. Some citizens want the economic benefits of becoming a U.S. state, some are content to remain a commonwealth, and some would prefer to leave the U.S. altogether.
6. The star of the 1960s “Batman” TV show, Adam West, died on Friday night after suffering from leukemia. West also voiced the character of Mayor West on “Family Guy.”
7. During the French Open on Sunday, Rafael Nadal won his tenth French Open and became the first tennis player in the Open Era to win ten of the same Grand Slam titles.
8. On Friday, the Japanese Parliament decided on the future of the imperial line. They voted to allow Emperor Akihito to abdicate his throne, which hasn’t happened since 1817, and added that Parliament would consider allowing women to keep their positions in the royal family even if they married commoners. Japan faces larger problems with the diminishing numbers of their imperial family, especially since women cannot currently serve as emperors.
9. To commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, tens of thousands of people marched for LGBTQ+ rights across the U.S on Sunday. One march took place in Washington D.C. in front of the White House, while others took place as far way as California or Colorado.
10. At the Tony Awards ceremony on Sunday night, Dear Evan Hansen swept the competition with six awards, including Best Musical and Best Score. Bette Midler was awarded Best Actress while Ben Platt won the title of Best Actor.
