Hello everyone!
Welcome to my first ever news post!
A few times a week, I will be publishing a short overview of world events. It will be split into two broad sections: The Nation, in which I will profile a few of the key events in the United States, and The World, which is further divided into Europe, Asia-Pacific, Americas, and Africa. In each of these sections I will describe some of the biggest news in those regions. Though it is not set in stone, I may also add posts profiling one or two key events. (I am already turning over some ideas about the Russo-Ukrainian War.)
Now, shall we begin?
The Nation
Two major US happenings are dominating the news stations today: the subpoena of several Republican congressmen, and the fight for abortion rights. Let’s start with the first:
Subpoenas by the House Jan. 6 Committee
Earlier today, May 12, the January 6 Committee of the House of Representatives - the investigators the attempted insurrection of the capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 - issued subpoenas to five fellow Representatives, including the famed House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy. In other words, these five men have been summoned to court, something that they had refused to do voluntarily. Even now, they criticize the investigation; McCarthy told reporters that “they’re not conducting a legitimate investigation.” Pennsylvanian Rep. Scott Perry described the whole thing as a “charade.”
Kevin McCarthy, Scott Perry, Jim Jordan, Mo Brooks, and Andy Briggs; all have been called to testimony for their questionable activities surrounding Jan. 6, as well as former president Donald Trump election bid and subsequent efforts to overturn the result. These subpoenas are a daring move by the Jan. 6 committee - previously, they had been hesitant to demand testimony on their fellow politicians, and not without reason. This action, with little precedent in American political history, will no doubt deepen the already wide rift between Democrats and Republicans; whether this act will bear fruit will be seen in the coming days.
The Fight Over Abortion
On January 22nd, 1973, during the Supreme Court case Roe V. Wade, the strike of a gavel ensured all women equal rights to abortion.
For a few decades, at least.
Recently, leaked papers revealed that the Supreme Court may be overturned. Those papers were a draft of what the overturn might look like. The leak itself is a severe blow to the Supreme Court’s reputation, and what it entails could be a blow to women’s rights. Abortion is not a new source of strife in congress, but this leak brought the debate once again to the forefront of American politics. In a rushed effort to prevent this supposed plan becoming a reality, Democratic senators made a push to enshrine Roe V. Wade in law. Yesterday, the bid fell to a Republican filibuster, or when a debate is prolonged to the point that a decision cannot be reached. 60 votes are needed to pass, and the slim majority Democrats have was not enough.
This failure makes the fight for abortion rights seem “in the bag” for Republicans, but Democrats insist this is not the case. President Joe Biden promised to continue seeking ways to protect the Roe V. Wade ruling, and the liberal politicians aren’t going anywhere. The fight will continue, and it’s anyone’s game.
The World
Alright, now that we’ve gotten through the biggest news in America, why don’t we take a look at the rest of the world?
Europe
There’s a reason why this event has been on headlines around the world for weeks.
Why most of the world is standing together on this sole event.
That one event is the Russo-Ukrainian War.
If you’re unfamiliar with this conflict, here’s the lowdown: tensions have been high between Ukraine and Russia for some time. In 2014, Russian troops annexed the Ukrainian region of Crimea, with support from many of the largely Russian population. However, the Russian president’s - Vladimir Putin - ambitions didn’t stop with Crimea. Next, he set his sights on the rest of the country. Then, after an intense standoff that included a military buildup on Ukraine’s borders, Russia invaded the country in a “special military exercise” on February 24, 2022. Since then, Russian troops performed significantly worse than expected, taking heavily casualties for slow gain. They approached the capital, Kyiv, only to back away after fierce combat. Since then, they have diverted much of their efforts to the pro-Russian areas in the east. During all this, Russia has committed a number of acts that many consider to be war crimes: he has attacked refugee safe houses and convoys, attacked civilians, and possibly used weapons that are illegal in much of the world. By committing to this war, Putin has officially earned himself the name of “war criminal.”
For all this horror and barbarity, one might be tempted to blame the Russian people. However, many of them oppose the war as fiercely as anyone. They have organized many protests across the country, openly declaring their support for Ukraine under an increasingly oppressive regime. And, as an oppressive regime, the Russian government responded unfortunately characteristically, cracking down on the protests and arresting many participants. These people are also protesting the war because they are suffering from their country’s mistakes - economic sanctions against them have done a number on the Russian economy, though without breaking Chinese assistance and cutting off their oil exports, these sanctions will be incomplete.
Truly a terrible event, with consequences for everyone.
Asia-Pacific
Big news on both sides of the world’s largest continent.
In the Middle-East, Palestinian American journalist named Shireen Abu Akleh was shot and killed in the West Bank, an area infamous for it’s Israeli-Palestinian strife. Palestinian authorities investigated the murder scene and conducted an autopsy, but have withheld their results. Israel offered to help investigate and examine the bullet, and thus try and figure out who shot it, but Palestine announced that they would not be trusting the Israelis, and accused them of committing the murder. Unless they allow the Israelis to assist or reveal their autopsy results, no true conclusion can be made.
On close to the opposite of the continent, North Korea confirmed its first ever Covid-19 case, years after the world pandemic began. Only a few hours later, the country fired three short range ballistic missiles. The latter is only a new addition to North Korea’s long fight to make themselves a world power. They have launched enough nuclear missiles to be considered “excessive” by many - all part of their master plan to spread fear of their nuclear capabilities. This specific test, however, seems to be an attempt to deflect some of the attention off North Korea’s first positive test. Following this test, the US issued a request for North Korea to lay off the missile tests.
Considering that this is a country that has endured decades of sanctions, I’d say that request is unlikely to go through.
Americas
After reading about nukes, subpoenas, war and more, you may not be surprised that there is bad news in the Americas.
On May 10th, on the Colombian island of Baru, Paraguayan Prosecutor Marcelo Pecci was shot and killed by two men. Pecci is well known in South America, for his cases against money laundering and drugs. He also participated in a case regarding a Brazilian soccer player, along with another case in which the daughter of a regional governor was murdered. Marcelo Pecci had been honeymooning with his recently-announced pregnant wife when he was killed. Though it has not been confirmed yet (there is a $500,000 reward for information), head of Colombian Police Jorge Vargas suspects an international crime operation, and the cause of the murder may be in relation to Pecci’s high-profile cases. The truth is out there, and they’re pay you $500,000 for it.
Now, while we’re thinking about puzzling cases, here’s another mystery: recently, at a Bahama resort, three Americans were found dead in their villas, and another was hospitalized in “serious condition.” No evidence of foul play could be found, but two of the victims - husband and wife - showed signs of convulsions. The deaths were sudden, and the only leads seem to be the fact that other guests had gone to the clinic for vomiting and nausea. For now, the prime suspects are disease and toxic substances, but keep an eye on the news for updates.
Africa
We have officially reached out last region. I suggest you put on a flak jacket and face mask before you continue.
Since the beginning of the vaccine rollouts, Africa has struggled to get the vaccines it needs. Finally, there is a solution in South Africa - the first vaccine factory!
There’s just one problem: they haven’t received a single order, and may close down if one doesn’t come in soon.
This isn’t for a lack of need: on May 11, South Africa - the country with the most Covid cases and deaths - broke the 10,000 cases in one day barrier for the first time since January, a severe setback in the fight against Covid in Africa. Experts are warning that this could result in a fifth wave of cases, just when the world was slowly returning to normalcy. South Africa’s Aspen Pharmacare is ready and waiting (desperately) for orders, but thanks to government backlog and slow vaccine distribution, the factory has produced exactly zero Johnson & Johnson doses. Unless we want to return to the lockdown just as the clouds clear, this vaccine crisis must be solved.
As if the coronavirus wasn’t chaotic enough, in Guinea, a coup d’etat overthrew the democratic government there and replaced it with a junta, led by Mamady Doumbouya. Doubouya proposed a 39-month transition back to democracy, which was summarily rejected by the opposition parties. Reuters reports that the junta did not comment on the situation, so how this event unfolds remains to be seen.
Congratulations! You have officially read my very first post! As I said earlier, I will publish a handful of these every week, using the best sources there is to offer! Stay tuned!
Sources:
Various articles from Reuters, the Associated Press, NPR, and The New York Times were used for this post. If you find any information incorrect, please comment and the mistake will be mended.
Great presentation! If this is the beginning of a career move, your future is truly assured!!
Love this Reed! I learned a few things today. Thank you and I’ll keep reading!