by Gillian Murphy, G11 this month’s top headlines!
A lot happens in a month, so we’re here to give you a recap of some of the biggest global news stories!
Coronavirus
The most prevalent global event this past month was coronavirus: a new, mysterious disease that has provoked fear worldwide and sent myriad countries into a panic. Originating in China, this virus (officially named COVID-19) causes flu-like symptoms, including fever, cough, and breathing difficulties. It poses the greatest risk to those with weak immune systems: the elderly, infants, and people with pre-existing conditions. Cambodia saw some media coverage on the topic due to the arrival of a cruise ship, the Westerdam, that was turned away from many international ports before being offered a place to dock in Sihanoukville. All passengers and crew tested negative for coronavirus after a period of concern over the false positive testing of one cruise passenger in Malaysia. Cambodia was both praised and criticized for its decision to welcome the cruise ship, but the country has held its stance on the decision to welcome the Westerdam, and all of the passengers safely returned home. Internationally, the number of cases and deaths due to COVID-19 have been increasing at a concerning rate. Over 80,200 Chinese have been struck by the disease, and the country has suffered vast economic damage on top of this. Regardless of attempts to contain the virus within China, it quickly spread, affecting most prominently Italy, Japan, South Korea, and Iran. The current global death count is over 3,245 and over 95,180people are infected worldwide, and these numbers will only continue to rise.
Follow live case updates here, and to read more about how to stay healthy, check out another Grapevine article here.
A man wears a mask on a train in South Korea, hoping to protect himself from coronavirus.
Photo courtesy of Kim Hong-Ji
Brexit
After nearly four years of tumult and uncertainty, the United Kingdom decided to withdraw from the European Union on the 31st of January. Brexit was first proposed and voted on by the public in 2016 (51.89% of citizens voted to leave), but because of the political division on the proposal, it was a slow process to finally approve it and begin to implement the change. The UK suffered economic damage directly after the vote, as a result of the cost of Brexit, the decline in investment due to the uncertainty surrounding the decision, and a rise in inflation. It is predicted that economic growth will continue to be stunted for at least 15 years. The UK continues to struggle to work out trade deals with the EU but at the moment, the UK is in a one-year transitional period, giving it time to negotiate deals before ties are officially severed. During this year, the UK must continue to abide by EU law.
Demonstrators celebrating Brexit Day in London.
Photo courtesy of Simon Dawson
The Oscars
In entertainment news of the month, the Oscars, one of the most prestigious film award ceremonies, took place on February 9th. In years past the Oscars have faced backlash for a multitude of issues, most notably the scarcity of racial diversity among nominees (#OscarsSoWhite) and the lack of attention to sexual misconduct allegations (#MeToo). This year was not without controversy; many people were upset at the absence of female nominees for Best Director (Greta Gerwig, director of Little Women, was one who many thought was snubbed). One highlight of the evening was the success of the South Korean film Parasite, which took home multiple awards and was the first non-English film to win Best Picture, a highly coveted title. Bong Joon Ho won Best Director and Best Screenplay for Parasite.
Bong Joon Ho and cast members of Parasite accept Best Picture award at the Oscars.
Photo courtesy of Mario Anzuoni
US Presidential Election
As we draw closer to November 3rd, 2020, the hubbub of American politics only becomes increasingly frenzied. Before Election Day, though, there is a primary process to get through. In the primaries, each party chooses a single candidate to move on to the general election and represent the party. Though America is technically a multi-party system, the presidential race is essentially between the Democratic and the Republican Party. All eyes are on the Democratic primary, because competition for the Republican slot is far from fierce; it is all but guaranteed that Donald Trump will win, as the incumbent usually does. As for the Democrats, there are currently three candidates left in the race: Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, and Tulsi Gabbard. Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana and the first openly gay major presidential candidate, dropped out of the democratic race on March 1st, followed by Senator Amy Klobuchar on the 2nd, billionaire Michael Bloomberg on the 4th, and Elizabeth Warren on the 5th, narrowing the large field of candidates. Heated debates between the candidates revealed rising tensions as they battled to be frontrunner, but now it is much clearer who the democratic candidate may be. Primary elections on Super Tuesday (the day when 14 states vote, the most at one time) awarded 380 delegates to Biden and 328 to Sanders in a somewhat surprising turn of events, making it a two-man race.
Joe Biden speaks at a rally in South Carolina.
Photo courtesy of Jim Urquhart
The Olympics
Scheduled for July and August of 2020, the Olympic Games are fast-approaching. Tokyo, Japan is hosting the event, but coronavirus concerns have some questioning if the Games will be affected. If all goes as planned, hundreds of thousands will flock to Tokyo to witness one of the most internationally enthralling events of 2020. Some new additions to the games include skateboarding, baseball, karate, surfing, and sport climbing. Currently, the World Health Organization and the International Olympic committee are working together on scenarios and solutions if the coronavirus continues to spread, but at the moment, the future of the Games is in limbo.
The Olympic rings installed in Tokyo, Japan, in preparation for the Summer Games.
Photo courtesy of Issei Kato