Welcome to our third edition of the Week in Review! Each week, the news staff of The Pioneer brings you a list of the top national and international stories from the past week. If you want to know what you’ve missed, read on. And don’t worry-we’ve linked to longer articles on each subject if you decide you’d like to learn more. This is a new undertaking for us, so we welcome feedback about how to make this more useful to you. Feel free to comment below, or shoot us an email at [email protected] with suggestions.

1. Blizzard hits the Northeast

Two large storm systems blew through the Northeast on Friday evening and Saturday morning, leaving thousands in Long Island, Massachusettes, Maine, Connecticut, and Rhode Island without power. Roads and mass transit were closed in major cities and a federal state of emergency was declared in Connecticut. At least 11 deaths have been reported in the United States, five of which occured in Connecticut.

The NY Times and the Huffington Post have more information.

2. Torrential Rainfall in Peru

Torrential rains hit the southern Peruvian city of Arequipa, causing major flooding. Al Jezeera reports at least four and a half inches fell during a seven hour period in the region. At least six people have been killed, three of which were found trapped in their vehicles.

BBC News and Al Jazeera have detailed reports.

3. U.S. Government Accusses S. & P. of Fraud

The U.S. Justice Department filed civil fraud charges last Monday against Standard & Poor’s, the largest credit-ratings agency in the United States. The department has claimed that S. & P. inflated the ratings of mortagage investments and set them up to crash in the financial crisis in 2008.

The NY Times has a more in-depth analysis.

4. Kashmiri Militant Executed Near Delhi

Mohammed Afzal Guru, a Kashmiri militant was hanged and buried at Tihar jail near the nation’s capital in Delhi last Saturday. Guru had been on death row and was accused of a 2001 plot to attack the Indian parliament. Guru claimed he was not guilty of the attack that left 14 dead. The Indian government increased security and declared a curfew in the state of Kashmir, where sparks of unrest were expected.

BBC News and the Indian newspaper, the Hindu have more information.

5. President Obama Appeal to Congress to Pass Limited Spending Cuts and Tax Increases

Last Tuesday, President Obama urged Congress to quickly pass a package of limited spending cuts and tax increases to limit the amount of reductions in domestic and military spending. His appeal was met with resistance from the Republican party. President Obama stated in the White House Briefing Room: “They should at least pass a smaller package of spending cuts and tax reforms that would delay the economically damaging effects of the sequester for a few more months.”

The NY Times has summary of the appeal.