In this week's 5X Press Roundup, we give you a quick breakdown of 5 trending stories that you may have missed this week, to highlight stories that may have slipped under your radar. Don't worry, we got you covered.

We experienced a day of peace without Instagram or Facebook

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Monday marked a massive global outage for Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp for over five hours, as many were left without connectivity to their friends, customers and business partners, and Facebook employees were locked out of their offices.

The outage, which Facebook says was caused by changes to their infrastructure, highlighted how many millions of people are dependent on the networking platform to stay connected. It also brought over millions of users to Twitter, some for the first time.

Many joked that Facebook being down was good time to get people vaccinated, given that the platform is a breeding ground for misinformation as well as for the alt-right. A whistleblower recently criticized the company, saying it “destabilizes democracy,” and that “no one outside Facebook knows what happens inside Facebook.”

Violent attack on farmers leaves several dead

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On October 3, 2021, a government vehicle drove into and killed several protesting farmers in India. A BJP minister’s son, Ashish Misra is behind the attack, and allegedly shot at farmers after mowing into them with a vehicle.

Farmers are still protesting against agriculture laws that threaten their livelihood and prioritize corporate interests. The Supreme Court suspended the laws in January but farmers are demanding a full repeal.

Since the incident, which took place in the Lakhimpur Kheri district of UP, many have taken to the streets to seek justice for those who were killed, while state-owned media has failed to give much attention to the incident. Police have arrested two people in relation to the incident, including the minister’s son. No formal charges have been made.

Pandora Papers leak reveals secrets of the ultra-rich 

This past weekend, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) revealed millions of leaked documents, uncovering the riches and tax havens of world leaders and billionaires. The secret records are known as the “Pandora Papers.”

According to the ICIJ, “the Pandora Papers investigation provides an unequaled perspective on how money and power operate in the 21st century – and how the rule of law has been bent and broken around the world by a system of financial secrecy enabled by the U.S. and other wealthy nations.”

The papers reveal that many prominent politicians and world leaders have offshore tax havens, and that many are trying to conceal their wealth and evade taxes. Among some of the names in the document are former U.K. Prime Minister Bill Blair, the King of Jordan, the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, singer Shakira, and model Claudia Schiffer. In a statement, Oxfam International is urging global action, and an end to tax havens.

“ Whenever a politician or business leader claims there is ‘no money’ to pay for climate damage and innovation, for more and better jobs, for a fair post-COVID recovery, for more overseas aid, they know where to look,” reads the statement.

“Tax havens cost governments around the world $427 billion each year. That is the equivalent of a nurse’s yearly salary every second of every hour, every day.”

Trudeau Tofino 

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau came under fire this week for being on vacation in Tofino, B.C. on the first National Day of Truth and Reconciliation. Trudeau was asked to come to Kamloops, B.C. to attend an event honouring residential school survivors, but The Tḱemlúps te Secwépemc First Nation said they did not hear back from the Prime Minister’s Office before Trudeau was seen on the beach in Tofino with his wife.

This week, the PM called the trip a “mistake,” He added that he called the Chief of Tḱemlúps te Secwépemc First Nation and apologized for not being there. “I regret it. This first National Day of Truth and Reconciliation was a time for Indigenous people and non-Indigenous alike – to reflect, and connect, think about the past but also focus on the future.”

In a statement, the First Nation said that “Reconciliation starts with action.”

To feed or not to feed...your photographer?

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In classic Twitter fashion, a debate was set off this past week, after an article revealed that a photographer walked out from a wedding after being denied food. According to the headline, “hungry photographer deletes all photos and leaves after being denied food at wedding.” While some were defending the photographer, others were saying that what he did was uncalled for.

A Reddit post from the photographer clarified that he was a friend of the couple, and agreed to shoot the wedding for $250, which is far less than a typical wedding rate. Ater working ten hours, he was denied food at the wedding by the groom, despite being hungry and dehydrated.

He deleted the photos and left. It feels like a no brainer...but should you feed your photographer at your wedding?

That's all for this week! Join the convo on socials and let us know what you want to see us cover next.