When it comes to what is going on in the news, there are a few topics that everyone should be familiar with. Here is a list of five current events and terms that will make you more knowledgeable about current events.

1. Taliban School Attack

On Tuesday, December 14^th, six Taliban gunmen attacked a military-run school in Pakistan. The terrorists set off several explosives in the school and then proceeded to go around shooting at teachers and students indiscriminately. The attack killed at least 140 people, 80 of whom were students in grades 1 through 10.

 2. S. Cuba Relations

On December 17^th, President Obama announced that the United States and Cuba will restore full diplomatic relations. Obama and Castro came to this agreement after 18 months of secret talks that led to a prisoner exchange of Cuban and American intelligence officers, the establishment of Embassies in the U.S. and Cuba, and the lifting of some restrictions on travel and commerce.

3. North Korea Cyber Attacks

Beginning on November 24^th, a hacker group, calling themselves “The Guardians of Peace,” initiated a cyber attack on Sony in response to the then upcoming release of The Interview. The attackers shut down Sony’s networks, released employee emails and conversations, and threatened violence. North Korea was found to be responsible for the attack, and the U.S. responded with sanctions on ten North Korean officials.

4. NYC Police Murders

On December 20^th, Ismaaiyl Brinsley shot and killed two police officers, Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos, at point black range when they were sitting in their squad car in Brooklyn. He then fled the scene and killed himself on a subway platform as the police closed in. It had also been notified that Brinsley had killed his girlfriend before travelling to NYC from his home in Baltimore. Prior to the killings, he posted on social media expressing anger about the Eric Garner and Michael Brown cases.

5. Paris Attacks

On January 7^th, 2015, two gunmen attacked the offices of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in response to a satirical cartoon depicting the Prophet Muhammad. The gunmen killed 14 people: eight journalists, a visitor to the office, a security guard, and two police officers. The two gunmen were shot and killed by police on January 9^th. The day the two gunmen were killed, another man took hostages in a kosher supermarket in Paris, killing four people. Police stormed the market and killed the hostage taker. These two attacks were confirmed to have been linked.