Week #8 {January 4 '21}
- The Bulletin Buzz
- Jan 4, 2021
- 10 min read
Articles Written By Ananya Nayar and Misaki Tomiyama, Website edited by Misaki Tomiyama
Articles for this week-
World News-
UK Brexit
UK Post-Brexit Categorises Sanitary Products as ‘Essential’ and Eliminates Tax
Migrants stranded in Bosnia
Pompeii cafe found
The attack in Yemen's Aden Airport
New Blue Whale Species found in the Indian Ocean
List of all the things that happened in 2020-
Other Articles-
The Space Race, What is it?
This Day Signifies...
Word Searches!
UK Brexit
By Ananya Nayar
On Thursday this week, Britain officially exited the EU (European Union), they had formally exited on January 31st. The Brexit vote to decide whether the UK should leave or remain as part of the EU occurred in 2016, with a majority of the votes going for leaving the EU. This decision will rearrange economic policies and international relations and trade deals all over the world. The EU is a political and economic union of 27 states mostly located in Europe, the total population is around 450 million. It ensures the free movement of people, goods, arms, services and capital, and makes sure policies are the same in all businesses and industries in the union, for example, the price of fish. The states' members collectively come together to propose laws, budgets, they agree on issues and regulations, who represents the EU at the UN and more. Since the UK recently exited the EU, the UK is now entirely independent and will create their own regulations and terms as per their financial, economic and social situation. The Brexit will mean stricter border checks, limits on travelling goods, you will be protected with 85,000 GBP instead of the 100,000 euros.
UK Post-Brexit Categorises Sanitary Products as ‘Essential’ and Eliminates Tax
By Ananya Nayar
After Scotland made female menstruation products free of cost, the UK has now eliminated the tax on the products, making them considerably cheaper. After exiting the European Union, they also categorised these sanitary goods as ‘essential’. The ‘Tampon Tax Abolishment’ is part of a wider scheme to eliminate Period Poverty in the UK. They have also made sure that tampons and pads are now available and easily accessed in Universities, Schools and Hospitals.
Migrants stranded in Bosnia
By Misaki Tomiyama
On 24th December, fires burnt the temporary migrant camp in Bosnia, leaving hundreds of migrants stranded in a burned-out tent camp.
The migrant camp in Lipa (Village in Bosnia and Herzegovina), in the past, has been harshly criticised by the international officials and several aid groups for the poor living conditions, and the lack of necessities in the camp.
Around 1000 migrants and refugees of the camp had to spend New Years in the snow, with temperatures plummeting at night, wrapping themselves with blankets and sleeping bags to protect themselves from the cold.
The authorities in Bosnia have failed to provide accommodations for the migrants, leaving them with no proper facilities or heat, and very less food supply. Many are still currently living on cardboard in the snow.
Organisations such as the Red Cross are sending water and food to the migrants, and plans are being made to relocate the migrants to a closed facility, with proper shelter. Multiple aid organisations such as UNHCR and the UN Migration Agency, have urged the authorities to find alternative solutions for the refugees.
Archaeologists Unearth a Fast Food Cafe in Pompeii
By Ananya Nayar
On Monday, archaeologists excavated a fast food shop that had been buried in Pompeii for 2,000 years. The thermopolium ( a fast-food hot- food and hot- drink eatery) had been preserved under ashes after Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD, bright painted frescoes were conserved under layers of pumice and hardened lava and ash. The thermopolium provided an insight into the culture and popular food eaten by Romans in the 1st Century.
In 79 AD, Mount Vesuvius, an active volcano on the Bay of Naples in Italy erupted, spewing ash, lava and pumice all over Pompeii, and entirely burying it.
This fast food shop was one of eighty that were discovered, but this was the best preserved.
The paintings on the walls depicted images of sea-horses, chickens and dogs.
Terracotta jars were exhumed, and it was evident that ingredients, grain, utensils, animal remnants were stored in these jars. In laboratories, traces of pork, fish, grain, wine, beans, goat, snail, veal and duck were found too.
The attack in Yemen's Aden Airport
By Misaki Tomiyama
A deadly attack targeted at the Aden Airport in Yemen on Wednesday reportedly killed 22 people and injured 65. The incident happened at the same time the power-sharing government from Saudi Arabia arrived to take power.
It is still unclear whether the explosions were missiles targeted on the airport, and investigators have still not concluded or announced any further information regarding the incident.
Saudi Arabia accuses the Iran-backed Houthi rebels of the explosion, but they have still not claimed they are responsible. In the past, many parties have tried to prevent the newly formed power-sharing government from coming into power, and this is not the first time.
This power-sharing government was formed between the Internationally recognised government and the Southern Transitional Council. The two have clashed several times, even violently in the past for power, but both of them have allied for the battle against the Iranian backed Houthis.
Yemen has been suffering a humanitarian crisis for years now, and this incident shows the unstable situation the government and the citizens in Yemen are in.
New Blue Whale Species Discovered in the Indian Ocean
By Ananya Nayar
Scientists recently found evidence that there is a new, undiscovered population of Blue Whales inhabited in the Indian Ocean. Their low-frequency, distinct sound was heard from multiple devices in the ocean. The sound is 188 decibels high in pitch- extremely loud and lasted for multiple hours. Each species of blue whales has its own unique song that they use to socialise and communicate. There are currently 5 known and documented species of blue whales, blue whales can weigh over 200 tons, and may grow up to around 100 feet. The five recognized subspecies live in many different regions, they are the Northern blue whale, Antarctic blue whale, Northern Indian Ocean blue whale, Chilean blue whale and the Pygmy blue whale.
List of all the things that happened in 2020-
By Misaki Tomiyama
We can all agree that 2020 was not the best year of our lives; from the coronavirus pandemic to the black lives matter movement, 2020 was full of events. 2020 is over now, and now that we live in 2021, we all wish this year will be better than the last one. Here are the biggest things that happened in 2020, that has greatly changed our lives, and history.
January- Australian wildfires- Australia faced its "worst wildlife disasters in modern history", the wildfires killing or displacing early 3 billion animals.
January 3- Death of Iran's top general, Qasem Soleimani- U.S. drone strike kills Iran’s most powerful security and intelligence commander Qasem Soleimani and a few other officials. Trump stated that the attack was ordered: "to stop a war." Tensions with Iran grew, and many were concerned there would be a war between the two countries.
January 7- Coronavirus outbreak- Chinese authorities found a new coronavirus in Wuhan, China.
January 8- Prince Harry and Meghan quit royal family- The Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced they will step down as "senior" royals, and live financially independent.
January 11- China recorded its first covid death.
January 26- NBA Legend Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gigi died from Helicopter crash- The two along with seven other passengers were killed in the helicopter crash.
February 5- Trump impeachment- The senate acquitted Trump on both articles of the articles on impeachment.
February 9- Parasite Earns the best picture Oscar- Parasite, a South Korean hit, becomes the first non-English film to win the award for best picture.
February 23- Delhi riots began- Riots broke out in Northeast Delhi, leading to a total of 53 deaths over the 10 days of the riot.
March 11- WHO declared COVID-19 as pandemic- there were around 118,000 cases of the coronavirus in over 110 countries.
April 8- Bernie Sanders dropped out of the presidential race- Joe Biden becomes the democratic nominee for 2020 U.S. elections.
May 3- Murder hornets- The world's largest hornet is found in the United States.
May 25- George Floyd's death- 46-year-old African-American George Floyd was handcuffed and pinned to the ground by a white police officer in Minneapolis. Footage of this incident was shared all over social media, and racial justice protest, "Black lives matter" started the next day.
March 24- 2020 Tokyo Olympics postponed- After talks with the Japanese Prime Minister and the International Olympic Committee president, it was announced that the 2020 Tokyo Olympics will be postponed to 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic.
June 1- Tear Gassing outside the white house- The police fired tear gas and flash grenades to clear the way for Trump. Before, Trump made a speech on television regarding George Floyd protests and sparked controversy by saying "great day" for George Floyd. There were peaceful protestors outside the White House.
August 4- Beirut explosion- 2700 tonnes of Ammonium Nitrate stored in Beirut (capital of Lebanon) exploded. Around 100 people were killed, 4000 injured.
August 11- Kamala Harris was chosen as Vice president candidate- Joe Biden picks Kamala Harris as his U.S. vice-presidential candidate.
August 23- Jacob Blake shot- 29-year-old African-American Jacob Blake was shot by a police officer in Wisconsin.
August 28- Chadwick Boseman's death- Aged 43, Black Panther star dies of Cancer. he was tackling colon cancer for four years, but did not make the information public.
September 18- Ruth Bader Ginsburg, US Supreme Court judge dies of cancer, aged 87- She died of metastatic pancreatic cancer at her home in Washington, DC, surrounded by her family. She was a prominent feminist who became a figurehead for liberals in the US.
October 2- Trump tests positive for coronavirus- Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump announced that they have tested positive for coronavirus.
November 3- U.S. election day- The elections started on November 3rd 2020, and it was different from every other year because of the pandemic; many people voted early, by posting ballots or in person.
November 7- Joe Biden wins the election- It was announced that Joe Biden had won the elections and had become the 46th president of the United States. In the next month, Trump filed several lawsuits in different states, stating that there was a massive voter fraud" while many judges dismissed them.
December 11- FDA approved Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine- U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued the first emergency use authorization for the prevention of covid-19.
The Space Race, What was it?
Humans have long been interested in space; its mysteriousness, its danger, and how it answers the questions about our existence. Space exploration and research are important to us as it helps us understand more about the world, and researching about it can save our lives in many ways.
Until now, there are approximately 565 astronauts who have travelled to space, only 65 of them being women. Coming from 40 different nationalities, those astronauts have risked their lives on their journey to space. There are 15 International space agencies that are able to launch independently.
The Space race is a competition to see which country between the United States and the Soviet Union, was more superior in terms of spaceflight, and which of the two could make it to space first. After WW2, a new conflict, known as the Cold War began. This resulted from the tension between the two superpowers; Capitalist America and Communist Soviet Union, who each feared that they were out to conquer the world.
In 1995, both countries announced that they will launch satellites into orbit. The race started in 1957 when the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the world's first artificial satellite. The U.S. was afraid of this- because they thought that if the Soviet Union could launch satellites, they might be able to launch nuclear missiles too. The U.S. launched their first satellite, Explorer 1, four months later.
In April 1961, cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man to go to space and orbit the earth. The Americans launched their Freedom 7 three weeks later, making Alan Shepard the first American to go into space. (Fun fact- Cosmonauts are people trained by the Russian Space Agency to work in space. Astronauts are people trained and certified by NASA, ESA etc, to work in space. Astronauts are a term Americans used, while cosmonauts refer to Russian space travellers)
The U.S. was worried about not winning in the space race, and on May 25, 1961, John F. Kennedy made a claim that America will first land a man on the moon and that they would do it before the end of the decade. Then, the Apollo program was launched. After that, there were several feats by the two nations, such as in February 1962, John Glenn became the first American to orbit Earth. In June 1963, cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman to travel to space. America became even more determined to be the first to launch a man on the moon, and NASA increased its budget to achieve their goal. the Americans launched another program, called the Gemini program, that allowed Ed White, to become the first American to perform a spacewalk, after Alexei Leonov from the Soviet, performed a 12 minute and 9 seconds spacewalk a few months before.
On July 20th, 1969, The Eagle landed the moon's surface, and Neil Armstrong became the first man to land on the moon. America had won the space race, by the 70s, the relations between the two nations improved. The two then sent 3 astronauts into space in the Apollo-Soyuz mission.
In 1998, construction starts on the first International Space Station. The International Space station is the largest man-made object in space, 357ft long and 240ft high. It is the most expensive object ever built, being around $150 billion.
A large amount of money was used by the two nations during the space race. The Space race is considered to be very significant because it drastically improved the technology and spacecraft of the nations. Earth is one small dot compared to space. Many answers to abundant unknown scientific questions, innovation in mankind, new technologies and colonisation lie in space, and it is important for us to continue research about it.
This day signifies- 4th January 2020
By Misaki Tomiyama
4th January 2020 is World Braille Day! For those who don't know, Braille is a system of raised dots that are read by fingers by people who cannot see, or have low vision. We celebrate World Braille Day because the 4th of January is Louis Braille's birthday (inventor of Braille). Louis Braille was blind at the age of 3, and he invented the system when he was 15. He studied in the Institution Nationale des Jeunes Aveugles (National Institute for Blind Children). He published his first edition of the Braille system in 1829, this system was based on a military code called "night writing." Braille is not a language, but a system of writing- so it can be adapted to several languages. Louis Braille also loved music, so he invented a system of Braille for music too. His system was not quickly adopted, however, and it wasn't until 2 years after his death (he died at the age of 43 because of Tuberculosis) that his system of Braille was taught in the school he was studying at. Louis Braille's system of Braille was a revolutionary system for many blind people all over the world. We celebrate World Brailles Day to spread awareness on Braille and to remind everyone of the importance of the accessibility of braille.
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