World News

Current events from around the world.

World+News

Yemen: Yemen, a small country in the Middle East bordering the Red Sea has been in a civil war, for the past three years. It has been labeled as “the worst humanitarian crisis in 2018. As the conflict enters its fourth year, more than 22 million people, three quarters of the population, need humanitarian aid and protection” (UN). Starvation, political corruption as well as attacks on civilians have worsened the country’s state. Many have been blaming the rebel groups stationed in the country as well as the ongoing attacks from neighboring countries including Saudi Arabia. The European Union has recently aided the country with 90 million euros, in addition to what has been given before. Pictures of emaciated children have become viral on the internet and people want to help. Increased Organizations such as Unicef, Doctors Without Borders, Save The Children and the International Rescue Committee have been gaining numbers and are only the beginning to solving the crisis and helping those in need.

Ethiopia: Ethiopia made history this past month in appointing the first female president in the country’s history. Sahle-Work-Zewde claimed her position on October 25th, 2018. Her recognition is well deserved, having previously worked as the director-general of the U.N office in Nairobi as well as having been the ambassador to France and Djibouti. Although the presidential position is mostly ceremonial, it’s a step in the right direction by having a powerful and successful woman as the head of the Parliament.

United Kingdom: Britain’s plan to leave the European Union, aka. “Brexit” is still in full motion. Ministers have agreed they’d like to reach a Brexit deal by the end of November. The UK is set to leave the EU on March 29 2019, however both sides have yet to come to an agreement regarding Ireland’s borders in addition to other factors. With the withdrawal deal being 95% done, cabinets have now been going back and forth in order to finalize the agreement.

Brazil: As the world’s largest rainforest and a key player in food exports, the Amazon Rainforest has been under rigid protection for years now. Brazilian administration has long been protecting the Amazon for generations, with strict environmental laws and increased activism from environmental justice groups. However, President-elect Jair Bolsonaro has different views. His far-right policies include looking to abolish environmental protection for the forest and increase the exploitation for resources. With an increase in deforestation, activists have been protesting now more than ever in order to protect the fate of the forest. Environmental Justice regarding native land and global warming have all been the driving force for protestors. In regards to climate change, M. Sanjayan, CEO of Conservation International, stated, “It’s not just the trees that matter, but what kind of trees: if you’re really thinking about getting carbon dioxide out of atmosphere, then tropical forests are the ones that end up mattering the most.” The country continues to wait in angst.