It’s finally over. As Florida was called in favor of President Obama, the 2012 presidential election season finally roared to a close. It was a culmination of seven years for Mitt Romney, two years and an extended presidency for Barack Obama, three debates, thousands of negative political ads, millions of votes, one concession speech and one most retweeted photograph, and now Americans can settle back into their normal lives of school and work, of “Dancing With the Stars” and “Modern Family.”

But perhaps some of us are asking, “What went on around the world while our media coverage was restricted to campaign promises and embarrassing gaffes?”

What did we miss during the election?

Flooding in India

Flooding is not a new phenomenon in India, but the rising sea levels have caused similar storm patterns to those experienced in the United States: bigger storms, more frequently. On Nov. 6 in southern India, a tropical storm killed at least 45 people and displaced close to 100,000, the majority living along the coast. It destroyed thousands of square miles of crops, damaged 1,300 houses and devastated an already-weakened water system. Road and rail traffic has been completely knocked out.

Comparable floods triggered by heavy monsoon rains in September caused two million people to flee the northeastern part of India. A similar storm killed 23 in Bangladesh in October.

Earthquake in Guatemala

A magnitude-7.4 earthquake rattled Guatemala on Nov. 7. As of Thursday, NPR reported that 52 people were confirmed dead, with several more missing. Roughly 150 were treated for other injuries. The president of Guatemala, Otto Perez Molina, declared three days of mourning after touring the area, and stated that as many as 10,000 houses may be “uninhabitable.” Over 76,000 were left without power.

The initial earthquake was felt in Mexico City, despite the fact that its epicenter was 14 miles off the coast of Champerico, Guatemala, 737 miles southeast of Mexico City. It also triggered 29 aftershocks, some as high as a 4.6 on the Richter Scale.

This is the strongest earthquake to hit Guatemala since a magnitude-7.5 quake killed 23,000 in 1976, reported CNN. Luckily, Wednesday’s quake was not nearly as destructive, due partly to the location of its epicenter.

Putin in Russia

Recently elected president of Russia Vladimir Putin fired his longtime ally, defense minister Anatoly Serdyukov. This comes not only amid a corruption charge brought against Serdyukov, but also as Putin replaces top officials in the Russian military. These replacements included the head of the military’s general staff, as well as a number of top generals. Many see this as a transition in military power to those who will bend more easily to Putin.

Perhaps more frightening, Putin has changed the definition of treason in Russia. The language in the proposed law is incredibly vague — so vague it could be used, potentially, to charge anyone who has contact with foreigners, reports NPR. The fear is that it will give the government the power to investigate and prosecute any dissenting voices in Russia.

The bill will pass into law if Putin signs his name. This bill has dangerous implications with the way Russia interacts with the rest of the world.

Massacre in South Africa

Back in August, the police in South Africa, on the orders of the South African government, fired upon platinum miners striking in Marikana, killing 34 and injuring another 78. Many of the bodies were shot in the back, and one had been hit 12 times. The workers were on strike for better working conditions and higher pay, a strike which ended in September when they were awarded their pay increase.

The investigation continues still, and there are allegations that the police doctored and planted evidence to make their claim of self-defense plausible. Jeremiah Mohlaki, a crime scene investigator on the case, revealed two sets of photographs displaying the aftermath of the shooting. The first, taken in daylight, shows only a few miners with weapons. In the second, the same miners are laden with handmade and traditional weapons, either laying close by or on top of the deceased miners. Videos have also emerged in which the police can be heard laughing over the dead.

In what has been called “the bloodiest incident since the end of apartheid,” many are wondering what exactly these new photographs reveal, and if an official cover-up was enacted by the government.

Welcome back America. Watch the CBS Evening News, listen to the BBC, read The New York Times and remember: There is a world outside our borders. As the United States moves forward with our government, into four more years with President Obama, let’s do our best to remember that other countries are struggling. That we, in this globalized society, cannot afford to live on our own and removed from the disasters around the world. We must remain compassionate and, as our news coverage slowly reverts back to news instead of politics, we must remain informed.

Sarah is a senior in LAS. She can be reached at [email protected].