International

Following the inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on January 20th, reactions from world leaders poured in, mostly to offer their congratulations and to celebrate a “new dawn in America”, as said by president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. In a video she posted on Twitter, she stated, “Europe is ready for a new start with our oldest and most trusted partner.”

On January 1st, Mexico City’s ban on plastic bags, utensils, and other disposable items took effect. The city of 9 million, one of the largest cities in the world, has spent the last year preparing for this ban. The law was passed by lawmakers in 2019 and Mexico City has been gradually instituting changes since.

The entire Dutch Cabinet under the leadership of Prime Minister Mark Rutte have submitted their resignations to King Willem-Alexander. This comes after a report concluded that poor families were unfairly treated over child care benefits and the government failed to protect these families from being targeted. Rutte has served as Prime Minister since 2010 and has served in elected office since 2003.

After seven years of negotiations, the marriage equality bill first proposed by the Green Party in 2013 passed the Council of States with a 22-15 vote.

This amendment to the country’s constitution was led by Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his right wing Fidesz Party which has dominated the politics of the country since 1989.

Farmers in the Indian state of Punjab rose up in protest to challenge Modi’s increasingly pro-business and corporate policies on how India deals with its agriculture policy. Modi claims that his new “market oriented system” would free more than 146 million farmers from state run policies.

After playing a key role in astronomical research for the past 57 years, the Arecibo Telescope (once the largest radio telescope in the world) collapsed the morning of December 1st. About 90,000 people visited the observatory every year.

Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakrizadeh was assassinated on November 27th. Fakrizadeh was a key figure in the Iranian nuclear program and worked developing COVID-19 testing kits in Iran. Fakrizadeh’s involvement in Iran’s nuclear program led to him having his assets frozen by both the United States and the United Nations Security Council.

As COVID-19 spread worldwide and wrecked havoc across the globe, many are hoping that a vaccine is developed to curb the spread of it. Britain gave emergency authority to allow mass inoculations of a vaccine made by Pfizer, making it the first Western nation to approve a vaccine for widespread use.

Every year, each woman spends about $150-$300 on menstrual products. Though this may not seem that bad, $150 is very important to those who need to buy a textbook for their education, or to someone who doesn’t know when they will have their next meal. When $150 can be the deciding factor in a matter between life and death, period poverty shouldn’t have to be an issue, and yet it still is.