News In a kawaii Nutshell (Issue 5)
April showers will bring in May tides along with that great strides.
I’m late with this post. I have economics exams next week and I’m still stuck in this housing bubble.
RIM SHOT
We’ve been in this pandemic for 413 days in total. 59 weeks. A year and one month, with an end in sight in some places and maybe not so much in others. There are even some places that (for the most part) were largely unaffected by the virus, like New Zealand.
So here are the hard numbers.
At the time of writing this--April 28th, 2021--there are 149 million cases. 86.3 million have recovered. 3.14 million are dead.
For live updates on the situation, you can find them here: Covid-19 Map by Johns Hopkins
America
Facebook Supreme Court is getting ready to make a major decision on how free speech will be interpreted on social media. They’re making a verdict on what should be done about the controversial President Trump’s account. Other platforms such as Twitter, Youtube, and Reddit are more than likely to follow the lead for whatever will be decided. These are not ordinary people they just up and hired to look into the situation either.
Facebook has hired some of the most qualified people to make these extremely tough decisions. There are deans of law schools, journalists, academics, and even a Nobel Peace Prize laureate among the ones deciding the verdict. This will lead to further discussion on how content is to be regulated on social media. What counts as indecent exposure, dangerous trends, or false scientific claims are all going to be policies that can be redefined.
Brazil
Guns are popular in Brazil partially due to the fact that they are idolized in the United States. Jair Bolsonaro even touted them in his election campaign so it’s understandable that in policy he favors guns to be available to the general population. Registered guns now stand at 700,000 and rising, but this doesn’t account for the number of guns that are not registered. Even though Bolsonaro has upheld his promises to loosen gun control laws, his other commitments to education and healthcare remain to be seen. Brazil is the nation with the 3rd most cases in the world totaling 14.3 million cases (as of 25 April 2021) and 389,000 deaths. Brazil is having its next election cycle in 2022 and Bolsonaro hopes to continue his presidency.
Chad
A rebellion is causing an uproar now that Mr. Deby, a figure that has had control of the nation since the ’90s, is now dead. A military coup has taken over and has not handed power to Albert Pahimi Padacke as the new prime minister. Mr. Deby’s son, Mahamat Idriss Deby, is in charge for the next 18 months until new elections take place. However, he has declared himself as president, and the parliament that originally was in place before Deby Senior died is now disbanded. This has caused concern for people both nationally and internationally. France, America, and the African Union are nudging the nation towards having a military-civilian solution. That solution would result in a civilian president taking power while Idriss Deby nominates a vice president. Idriss would be in charge of defense until a new government has been set up with all positions filled.
Germany
In this new election cycle, who will lead Germany is up for great debate. There are 8-10 different candidates and six different parties to choose from all across the spectrum. It will be interesting who Germany chooses to lead the nation for the next four years. (There are no term limits by the way. As long as they’re elected by the German public a person can stay in power. For instance, Angela Merkel has held the seat of Chancellor since 2005.)
The candidates and their parties are here: 2021 German federal election.
India
The number of Covid cases has surged. So much so to where they’re now second passing Brazil in the number of new daily cases. 361,000 new cases. Prime minister Narendra Modi has not imposed a national lockdown citing economic consequences.
It’s presumed that a new strand of Covid-19 has been created within the nation: B.1.617. It is now the dominant strand. India has been exporting more medical supplies than importing. 734% of oxygen exports went out from India. The medical system is overwhelmed with patients and there have not been enough vaccines to keep up with demand.
Iran
There is still tension within the nation after its nuclear enrichment site was attacked earlier in April. A few centrifuges were damaged in the airstrike that is presumed to have been carried out by Israel. They in turn have neither confirmed nor denied the accusation. More in-depth information on that here.
Tensions like this are not a good thing when it pertains to nuclear energy/the creation of weapons. An article in The Economist recently stated that Iran has threatened retaliation. This is the precursor to the nuclear arms race I talked about in a previous issue of The Kawaii Riot. Iran has been testing IR-9 centrifuges which can be used to eventually make nuclear weapons. This tension adds to pandemic stress. There are current talks in Vienna to curb the escalation between Israel, Iran, and America. They’re entertaining the idea of re-entering an agreement proposed in 2015 that would stop both states from making weapons but enable them to keep the nuclear capacity to create energy.
Russia
Alexi Navalny: the point of contention for Russia’s people, government, and politics. Currently, Navanely is once again edging near death as he continues a hunger strike against the prison that refuses to give him proper medical care. This is less than a year after the attempt on his life was made in the summer of 2020. Protests have been on the rise again, but people are taking caution not to have their identities revealed. There may be repercussions such as getting arrested, being expelled from an institution, or fines may be issued if someone has caught the attention of the police.
Good News
What I just put you through wasn’t rooted in fun. And I don’t want to soil your day.
Yes, these are some low-hanging puns.
In an attempt to save biodiversity, a vital forest in Belize is safe from deforestation.
https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/maya-forest-belize-protected-236k-acres/
Sources:
Here is where I get the majority of my information. (A lot of it does come from The Economist. At least that’s where I begin my research for my pieces.)
I do this series because I want you kawaii folks to stay informed about some of the world’s most pressing issues but do so in a way that isn’t super LONG. But also I try to keep my bias and opinions to a minimum because I just want you guys to come up with your own--not to push you towards something.
Chad:
India:
Iran:
The general gist of the controversy
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-56734657
Iran’s strategic nuclear sites
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-11927720
