Died

Clare Hollingworth, the reporter who broke the news of World War II, died on Jan. 10 at the age of 105. On Aug. 28, 1939, Hollingworth was in her first week as a reporter for The Daily Telegraph. She was driving toward the German-Polish border, past a valley shielded by tarpaulin, when the wind lifted a corner of the tarp. Hollingworth saw masses of German tanks, trucks, and troops and connected the scene with rumors about an upcoming German military engagement. Hollingworth called her boss with the news: a German invasion of Poland. The Daily Telegraph published the story on Aug. 29, three days before Hitler invaded Poland and prompted declarations of war from Britain and France. Other newspapers called it the scoop of modern times. Hollingworth went on to cover World War II, the war in Vietnam, and other conflicts and to write several books about her adventures.

Banned

Morocco has banned the sale and production of the burqa, citing safety concerns. The government did not issue an official statement on the matter, instead sending out letters to businesses, giving them 48 hours to destroy their stock. The first reports came from unidentified officials but a high-ranking government officer later confirmed the story to a local news outlet. The official said robbers had repeatedly used the garments to cover crimes.

Died

Dr. Peter Nowell, whose work significantly advanced cancer research, died on Dec. 26. In 1960, Nowell and his partner Dr. David Hungerford published a paper demonstrating a genetic foundation for certain types of cancer: an abnormally shortened chromosome on genes in white blood cells affected by chronic myeloid leukemia. At first scientists resisted the idea, but 10 years later, with advances in technology, another scientist was able to confirm Nowell’s original paper. Now his idea is the basis of the drug Gleevec, which gives leukemia patients years more of life.

Sentenced

A jury on Jan. 10 condemned Dylann Roof, who murdered nine churchgoers in 2015, to death. Roof walked into a Bible study in the African-American church in Charleston, S.C., and opened fire. After he was captured, Roof told the police he wanted to start a race war. Even during the trial Roof remained unrepentant, saying that he’d felt he had to kill the nine people—and that he still felt that way. He has been convicted of 33 federal charges, including hate crimes. Before jury members left to deliberate, Roof told them he did not see why they should let him live. After three hours they returned to the courtroom with a death sentence.

Sued

Eighteen women and girls have sued Dr. Larry Nassar, a former physician for USA Gymnastics, accusing him of sexually assaulting them during physical examinations. Some of the plaintiffs were athletes under Nassar’s charge when he worked for the Michigan State University gymnastics team, and some were affiliated with USA Gymnastics during the years he worked with that group. They claim a long history of sexual misconduct by Nassar beginning in 1990 and going on until 2016. Most of the girls were teenagers, but a few were as young as 9. Nassar is already facing charges of use of child pornography and sexual assault of a girl under 13.